1998–99 British Basketball League season

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1998–99 British Basketball League season
LeagueBritish Basketball League
SportBasketball
Roll of Honour
BBL championsSheffield Sharks
Play Off's championsLondon Towers
National Cup championsSheffield Sharks
BBL Trophy championsManchester Giants
British Basketball League seasons
← 1997-98

The 1998–1999 BBL season was the 12th season of the British Basketball League, known as the Budweiser Basketball League for sponsorship reasons, since its establishment in 1987. The regular season commenced on September 12, 1998, and ended on April 4, 1999, with a total of 13 teams competing, playing 36 games each. The post-season Play-offs began on April 9 and culminated in the end-of-season finale on May 2 at Wembley Arena.

Start-up franchise Edinburgh Rocks became the League's newest member following their addition as the 14th franchise during the pre-season and the first Scottish team to appear in the top-flight since Glasgow Rangers' participation in the 1988–89 season. The League membership was reduced to 13 teams shortly after following the merger of the London Towers and Crystal Palace franchises, whilst another notable change was the uprooting of Watford Royals, who moved to the Bletchley Centre in Milton Keynes to become the Milton Keynes Lions.[1]

Sheffield Sharks were a dominant force throughout the season, winning the Sainsbury's Classic Cola Cup whilst storming the Budweiser League and taking the Championship to complete the "Double". The campaign came down to a memorable final game where Sharks claimed the title from rivals Manchester Giants with the last shot of the game, winning 85-87 to take the crown. Their successful run fell short in the Play-offs however, managing only a third-placed finish thus allowing a new-look London Towers to claim the title. Manchester Giants also ended a decade-long drought of silverware with their win in the uni-ball Trophy.

No teams participated in European competition after Birmingham Bullets and Greater London Leopards both declined to compete in the Saporta Cup.

Notable occurrences

  • Edinburgh Rocks were officially announced as the League's newest franchise on 4 June 1998 - though the Rocks nickname was revealed at a later date - with former NBA player Jim Brandon signed as the teams head coach.[2]
  • The London Towers and Crystal Palace teams merged their organisations during the close-season, with the new franchise continuing to use the London Towers branding and utilising the home venues of both clubs, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and Wembley Arena for home games.[3]
  • Watford Royals owner Vince Macaulay announced on 19 June that he was moving the franchise to Milton Keynes due to a lack of suitable venues for home games in Watford,[4] after plans for a new 3,000-capacity arena in Watford, to be built in partnership with Watford F.C., fell through.[5]
  • The Budweiser League game between Chester Jets and Derby Storm on 31 January 1999 was abandoned after 30 seconds due to a court invasion from both sets of players following a fight between Chester's Sean Hartley and Derby's England international Yorick Williams. Media reports claim it was the most serious incident in the history of competitive basketball in Britain.[6][7] Four players were initially ejected from the game, including Williams and Hartley, whilst Chester physio Alison Troughtman was taken to hospital, suffering from a suspected broken-jaw.[8] It was later announced that Williams was suspended for the remainder of the regular season, whilst Derby's Rico Alderson was banned until the following season.[9]
  • The Southern All-Stars were victorious in the annual All-Star Game against their Northern rivals, with a 156-158 win at Newcastle Arena on February 27. Edinburgh's Ted Berry was the game-high scorer with 29 points and was named as the games Most Valuable Player.[10]
  • Manchester Giants claimed their first piece of silverware in franchise history after defeating Derby in the uni-ball Trophy Final on 13 March. Giants won 90-69, and the 21-point gap between the two teams was the biggest winning margin in the event's history.[11]
  • Furthering their ongoing disciplinary issues, it was revealed in April that Derby Storm's American player Maurice Robinson was issued with a one-year suspension for failing to supply a complete urine sample during a Sports Council doping control test.[12]
  • The Budweiser League came down to a memorable final game between title-chasing rivals Sheffield Sharks and Manchester Giants in-front of more than 11,000 fans at the MEN Arena. With both teams tied on points at the top of the League table, and tied at 85-85 with just 3.5 seconds left in the game, Terrell Myers took the pass and his 18 ft buzzer-beating jump-shot claimed the title for Sheffield.[13]
  • London Towers were crowned as Budweiser League Play-off champions on 2 May, after defeating Thames Valley Tigers 82-71 at Wembley Arena. Towers' Malcolm Leak lead the games scoring, posting 20 points.[14]
  • Nottingham-based businessman Craig Bown purchased the Birmingham Bullets franchise at the end of the season for a reported six-figure sum.[15]

Budweiser League Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

Team Pts Pld W L Percentage
1. Sheffield Sharks 62 36 31 5 0.861
2. Manchester Giants 60 36 30 6 0.833
3. London Towers 48 36 24 12 0.666
4. Thames Valley Tigers 44 36 22 14 0.611
5. Newcastle Eagles 42 36 21 15 0.583
6. Derby Storm 42 36 21 15 0.583
7. Birmingham Bullets 42 36 21 15 0.583
8. Greater London Leopards 38 36 19 17 0.527
9. Edinburgh Rocks 24 36 12 24 0.333
10. Milton Keynes Lions 20 36 10 26 0.277
11. Chester Jets 20 36 10 26 0.277
12. Leicester Riders 18 36 9 27 0.250
13. Worthing Bears 8 36 4 32 0.111
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

The Play-offs

Quarter-finals

(1) Sheffield Sharks vs. (8) Greater London Leopards

April 11, 1999
Greater London Leopards 83–76 Sheffield Sharks
Brentwood Centre, Brentwood
April 16, 1999
Sheffield Sharks 75–68 Greater London Leopards
Sheffield wins series, 2–1

(2) Manchester Giants vs. (7) Birmingham Bullets

April 17, 1999
Manchester Giants 90–77 Birmingham Bullets
Manchester wins series, 2–1

(3) London Towers vs. (5) Newcastle Eagles

April 17, 1999
London Towers 87–68 Newcastle Eagles
London wins series, 2–1

(4) Thames Valley Tigers vs. (6) Derby Storm

April 14, 1999
Thames Valley Tigers 114–93 Derby Storm
Thames Valley wins series, 2–0

Semi-finals

Third-place game

Final


National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

Final standings

Team Pts Pld W L Percentage
1. Solent Stars * 42 26 21 5 0.808
2. Plymouth Raiders 42 26 21 5 0.808
3. Guildford Pumas 38 25 19 6 0.760
4. Teesside Mohawks 38 26 19 7 0.731
5. London Towers B 34 26 17 9 0.654
6. Mid-Sussex Magic 32 26 16 10 0.615
7. Cardiff Clippers 28 26 14 12 0.538
8. Coventry Crusaders 24 26 12 14 0.462
9. Westminster Warriors 18 26 9 17 0.346
10. Stevenage Rebels 18 26 9 17 0.346
11. Oxford Devils 18 26 9 17 0.346
12. Solihull Chiefs 14 26 7 19 0.269
13. Cardiff Phoenix 12 25 6 19 0.240
14. Brixton TopCats 4 26 2 24 0.077
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

Champions by virtue of head to head record*
Play Off Final - Plymouth 71 Teeside 66


National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

Final standings

Team Pts Pld W L Percentage
1. Birmingham Bullets B 44 26 22 4 0.846
2. Taunton Tigers 42 26 21 5 0.808
3. Manchester Attitude 36 26 18 8 0.692
4. Reading Rockets 34 26 17 9 0.654
5. Liverpool Atac 32 25 16 9 0.640
6. Chessington Wildcats 32 26 16 10 0.615
7.Northampton 89'ers 30 26 15 11 0.577
8. Wandsworth Bulls 24 26 12 14 0.462
9. Flintshire Flyers 24 26 12 14 0.462
10. Slough Chargers 16 26 8 18 0.308
11. Swindon Sonics 14 25 7 18 0.280
12. Bournemouth Dolphins 14 26 7 19 0.269
13. Portsmouth Pirates 10 26 5 21 0.192
14. Thames Valley Tigers B 10 26 5 21 0.192
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

Play Off Final - Taunton 99 Birmingham 77


National League Division 3 (Tier 4)

Final standings

Team Pts Pld W L Percentage
1. Kingston upon Hull Icebergs 36 20 18 2 0.900
2. North London Lords 34 20 17 3 0.850
3. NW London Wolverines 24 20 12 8 0.600
4. Barking & Dagenham Thunder 24 20 12 8 0.600
5. Mansfield Express 22 20 11 9 0.550
6. Ware Fire 22 20 11 9 0.550
7.Derbyshire Arrows 18 20 9 11 0.450
8. Cambridge 16 20 8 12 0.400
9. Stoke Stealers 12 20 6 14 0.300
10. Sutton 8 20 4 16 0.200
11. Doncaster Eagles 4 20 2 18 0.100
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

Play Off Final - North London 75 Kingston upon Hull 58


Sainsbury's Classic Cola National Cup

Last 16

Team 1 Team 2 Score
Teeside Mohawks Sheffield Sharks 83-91
Derby Storm Worthing Bears 103-82
Manchester Giants Edinburgh Rocks 90-70
Thames Valley Tigers London Towers 95-83
Plymouth Raiders Greater London Leopards 68-100
Stevenage Rebels Birmingham Bullets 63-106
Leicester Riders Chester Jets 89-92
Newcastle Eagles Milton Keynes Lions 77-69

Quarter Finals

Team 1 Team 2 Score
Sheffield Sharks Derby Storm 87-76
Manchester Giants Thames Valley Tigers 87-100
Greater London Leopards Birmingham Bullets 90-88
Chester Jets Newcastle Eagles 72-93

Semi Finals

Team 1 Team 2 Score
Sheffield Sharks Thames Valley Tigers 78-66
Greater London Leopards Newcastle Eagles 98-95 OT

Final


uni-ball Trophy

Group stage

Group A

Team Pts Pld W L Percent
1.Sheffield Sharks 12 7 6 1 0.857
2.Derby Storm 10 7 5 2 0.714
3.Manchester Giants 10 7 5 2 0.714
4.Chester Jets 8 7 4 3 0.571
5.Leicester Riders 8 7 4 3 0.571
6.Milton Keynes Lions 2 7 1 6 0.142
7.Worthing Bears 0 7 0 7 0.000

Group B

Team Pts Pld W L Percent
1.London Towers 8 4 4 0 1.000
2.Birmingham Bullets 6 4 3 1 0.750
3.Newcastle Eagles 4 4 2 2 0.500
4.Greater London Leopards 2 4 1 3 0.250
5.Edinburgh Rocks 0 4 0 4 0.000

Quarter-finals

January 27, 1999
Derby Storm 109–102 Newcastle Eagles

Semi-finals

Derby Storm vs. Leicester Riders

February 10, 1999
Derby Storm 88–75 Leicester Riders
February 18, 1999
Leicester Riders 93–90 Derby Storm
Derby wins on aggregate, 178–168

Sheffield Sharks vs. Manchester Giants

February 17, 1999
Manchester Giants 93–88 Sheffield Sharks
Manchester wins on aggregate, 174–165

Final


Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game

February 27, 1999
7.05pm GMT
Northern All-Stars 156–158 Southern All-Stars
Pts: Ted Berry, 29 Pts: Malcolm Leak/Jason Siemon, 24

Statistics leaders

Category Player Stat
Points per game United States John White (Manchester Giants) 26.09
Rebounds per game United States Rico Alderson (Derby Storm) 11.84
Assists per game United States Prentice McGruder (Chester Jets) 8.38
Steals per game United States Casey Arena (Thames Valley Tigers) 3.34
Blocks per game United States James Doyle (Leicester Riders) 2.56

Seasonal awards

References

  1. ^ "Royals reign in Watford is over". News Shopper. 1998. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  2. ^ "Oddballs are here". The Herald. 1998. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  3. ^ "Sport in brief: Basketball". Daily Mail. 1998. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  4. ^ "Royals reign in Watford is over". News Shopper. 1998. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  5. ^ "London Lions History". LondonLionsBasketball.co.uk. 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  6. ^ Richard Taylor (February 1, 1999). "Fight ends game after 30 seconds". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  7. ^ Richard Taylor (February 1, 1999). "Mayhem on court". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  8. ^ Richard Taylor (February 2, 1999). "Police probe assault on Chester's physio". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  9. ^ "News February 27". BritBall. 1999. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  10. ^ "South take 1999 All-Star Game". BritBall. 1999. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  11. ^ Richard Taylor (March 15, 1999). "First title secured by Giants". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  12. ^ Richard Taylor (April 10, 1999). "Robinson faced with one year suspension". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  13. ^ Richard Taylor (April 3, 1999). "Myers in moment of magic". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  14. ^ "Towers are crowned at Wembley". BritBall. 1999. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  15. ^ "Bown budgeting to make Bullets high-calibre weapon". Birmingham Post. 1999. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  16. ^ "Nicholas Harling. "Towers' strength in defence keeps grip on trophy." Times [London, England] 3 Mar. 1997". The Times Digital Archive. Archived from the original on 2016-04-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
Preceded by BBL seasons
1998–99 		Succeeded by
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