London Lightning
| London Lightning | |
|---|---|
 2015–16 London Lightning season | |
 | |
| Division | Central Division |
| League | National Basketball League of Canada |
| Founded | 2011 |
| History | London Lightning 2011–present |
| Arena | Budweiser Gardens |
| Location | London, Ontario |
| Team colours | Yellow, black, white |
| Head coach | Kyle Julius |
| Ownership | Vito Frijia |
| Championships | 2 (2011-12, 2012-13) |
| Website | LightningBasketball.ca |
The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, Canada. The team was a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada which began play with the 2011–12 season (of which they are the inaugural and two time champions). The Lightning plays its home games at the Budweiser Gardens.
History
Micheal Ray Richardson era
The Lightning name was announced on August 12, 2011. [1] On August 17, former Albany Patroons and Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry head coach Micheal Ray Richardson was announced as the Lightning's first head coach. [2] The Lightning would go on to win the 2012 NBL championship, defeating the Halifax Rainmen 116-92 on March 25, 2012 at the John Labatt Centre to take the best-of-five championship series three games to two.[3]
Carlos Knox era
Carlos Knox was unveiled as the new Lightning head coach on July 17, 2014.[4] He led the team to an 18–14 record.[5] Knox was dismissed in August 2015 after hiding player Jonathan Mills' positive drug test results from Vito Frijia and the league. He was replaced by former Mississauga Power head coach Kyle Julius later in the month.[6][7][8]
Home arenas
Budweiser Gardens (2011–present)
Originally opened in 2002, the Budweiser Gardens is a sports-entertainment centre, in London, Ontario, Canada. The arena has a capacity of 9,000. The Lightning shares the arena with London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.[9]
Current roster
Template:London Lightning roster
Season-by-season record
| Season | Coach | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| 2011–12 | Micheal Ray Richardson | 28 | 8 | .778 | 1st | 5 | 2 | .714 | League Champions |
| 2012–13 | Micheal Ray Richardson | 33 | 7 | .825 | 1st | 6 | 2 | .750 | League Champions |
| 2013–14 | Micheal Ray Richardson | 23 | 17 | .575 | 4th | 6 | 6 | .500 | Conference Semi-finals |
| Totals | 84 | 32 | .724 | 2 Regular Season Pennants | 17 | 10 | .630 | 2 League Championship | |
References
- ^ http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/08/12/18547261.html
- ^ http://www.lfpress.com/sports/basketball/2011/08/17/18565196.html
- ^ http://lightningbasketball.ca/view/londonlightning/home-page
- ^ "Coach Knox takes Lightning in new direction". londoncommunitynews.com. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ "2014-15 Standings". NBLCanada.com. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|website=(help) - ^ "Lightning dismiss Knox". LightningBasketball.ca. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|website=(help) - ^ "London Lightning coach Carlos Knox kept test secret". The London Free Press. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "London Lightning set to name Kyle Julius head coach". The London Free Press. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Arena Info". BudweiserGardens.com. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
