2014–15 British Basketball League season
| 2014–15 BBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | British Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 26 September 2014 – 19 April 2015 (Regular season) 22 April 2015 – 10 May 2015 (Playoffs) |
| Number of games | 36 |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Regular Season | |
| Top seed | Newcastle Eagles |
| Season MVP | Charles Smith Newcastle Eagles |
| Top scorer | Demond Watt Cheshire Phoenix (666 points) |
| BBL Tournaments | |
| BBL Playoffs champions | Newcastle Eagles |
| BBL Playoffs runners-up | London Lions |
| BBL Cup champions | Newcastle Eagles |
| BBL Cup runners-up | Glasgow Rocks |
| BBL Trophy champions | Newcastle Eagles |
| BBL Trophy runners-up | Leicester Riders |
The 2014–15 season was the 28th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 13 teams from across England and Scotland, including new entrants, Bristol Flyers and Leeds Force. The season started on 26 September 2014 and ended on 10 May 2015 with the Play-off Final at The O2 Arena.
As they did in 2005–06 and 2011–12, Newcastle Eagles completed a clean sweep of honours available during the season.[1] After a 31–5 regular season campaign – which ensured the Championship and top seeding for the play-offs[2] – the Eagles then defeated Bristol Flyers and Sheffield Sharks to make the final, which they then won 96–84 over London Lions. The Eagles also won the BBL Cup in January against Glasgow Rocks,[3] and the BBL Trophy in March against Leicester Riders.[4]
Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Flyers | Bristol | WISE Arena | 750 | New |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Chester | Northgate Arena | 1,000 | 5th |
| Durham Wildcats | Newton Aycliffe | Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre | 1,200 | 8th |
| Glasgow Rocks | Glasgow | Emirates Arena | 6,500 | 10th |
| Leeds Force | Leeds | Carnegie Sports Centre | 500 | New |
| Leicester Riders | Leicester | Sir David Wallace Centre | 1,000 | 4th |
| London Lions | London | Copper Box | 7,000 | 6th |
| Manchester Giants | Manchester | Trafford Powerleague Arena | 1,100 | 9th |
| Newcastle Eagles | Newcastle upon Tyne | Sport Central | 3,000 | 1st |
| Plymouth Raiders | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | 1,480 | 9th |
| Sheffield Sharks | Sheffield | English Institute of Sport | 1,200 | 2nd |
| Surrey United | Guildford | Surrey Sports Park | 1,000 | 11th |
| Worcester Wolves | Worcester | Worcester Arena | 2,000 | 3rd |
BBL Championship (Tier 1)
Regular season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esh Group Eagles Newcastle | 36 | 31 | 5 | 3494 | 2960 | +534 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Leicester Riders | 36 | 30 | 6 | 3147 | 2731 | +416 | |
| 3 | Worcester Wolves | 36 | 28 | 8 | 2959 | 2735 | +224 | |
| 4 | Cheshire Phoenix | 36 | 26 | 10 | 3146 | 2839 | +307 | |
| 5 | Glasgow Rocks[a] | 36 | 21 | 15 | 2948 | 2879 | +69 | |
| 6 | London Lions[a] | 36 | 21 | 15 | 2835 | 2673 | +162 | |
| 7 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 19 | 17 | 2868 | 2755 | +113 | |
| 8 | Bristol Flyers | 36 | 13 | 23 | 2589 | 2811 | −222 | |
| 9 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 12 | 24 | 2944 | 3120 | −176 | |
| 10 | Plymouth University Raiders | 36 | 11 | 25 | 3044 | 3278 | −234 | |
| 11 | Leeds Force | 36 | 9 | 27 | 2314 | 2693 | −379 | |
| 12 | Durham Wildcats | 36 | 8 | 28 | 2591 | 2878 | −287 | |
| 13 | Surrey United | 36 | 5 | 31 | 2652 | 3179 | −527 |
Source: BBL
Notes:
Notes:
Results
Playoffs
Bracket
Template:8TeamBracket-Bestof3-ExceptFinal
Quarter-finals
(1) Newcastle Eagles vs. (8) Bristol Flyers
23 April 2015
19:30 |
| Bristol Flyers | 64–84 | Newcastle Eagles |
| Scoring by quarter: 6–17, 17–15, 19–31, 22–21 | ||
| Pts: Greg Streete, Doug McLaughlin-Williams (14) Rebs: Bryquis Perine (8) Asts: Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Roy Owen (3) |
Pts: Andre Jones, Charles Smith, Andrew Thomson (17) Rebs: Andre Jones, Andrew Thomson, Scott Martin (9) Asts: Charles Smith (5) | |
24 April 2015
19:30 |
| Newcastle Eagles | 92–80 | Bristol Flyers |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–23, 18–16, 25–22, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Scott Martin (22) Rebs: Andrew Lasker (13) Asts: Rahmon Fletcher (9) |
Pts: Mathias Seilund (17) Rebs: Greg Streete (10) Asts: Bryquis Perine (11) | |
| Newcastle win 176–144 on aggregate. | ||
(2) Leicester Riders vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks
22 April 2015
19:30 |
| Sheffield Sharks | 79–68 | Leicester Riders |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 19–19, 22–16, 19–25 | ||
| Pts: Mike Cook (25) Rebs: Michael Tuck (9) Asts: B. J. Holmes (4) |
Pts: TrayVonn Wright (20) Rebs: TrayVonn Wright (14) Asts: Neil Watson (5) | |
24 April 2015
20:00 |
| Leicester Riders | 91–85 (OT) | Sheffield Sharks |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 17–24, 12–8, 27–19, Overtime: 13–18 | ||
| Pts: Tyler Bernardini (25) Rebs: TrayVonn Wright (9) Asts: Neil Watson (8) |
Pts: B. J. Holmes (23) Rebs: Nick Lewis (10) Asts: B. J. Holmes (3) | |
| Sheffield win 164–159 on aggregate. | ||
(3) Worcester Wolves vs. (6) London Lions
24 April 2015
19:30 |
| Worcester Wolves | 75–80 | London Lions |
| Scoring by quarter: 21–19, 18–18, 19–23, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: Alex Owumi (21) Rebs: Robert Thurman (12) Asts: Chavis Holmes, Jamal Williams (5) |
Pts: Andrew Sullivan (17) Rebs: Olumide Oyedeji (10) Asts: Zaire Taylor (6) | |
26 April 2015
16:00 |
| London Lions | 106–67 | Worcester Wolves |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 25–22, 30–10, 27–19 | ||
| Pts: Zaire Taylor (41) Rebs: Olumide Oyedeji (9) Asts: Andrew Sullivan (5) |
Pts: Alex Owumi (18) Rebs: Alex Owumi (10) Asts: Chavis Holmes (5) | |
| London win 186–142 on aggregate. | ||
(4) Cheshire Phoenix vs. (5) Glasgow Rocks
24 April 2015
19:30 |
| Glasgow Rocks | 78–91 | Cheshire Phoenix |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 19–20, 24–19, 16–29 | ||
| Pts: Omotayo Ogedengbe (22) Rebs: Kieron Achara (9) Asts: Reggie Middleton (6) |
Pts: Demond Watt (28) Rebs: Demond Watt (11) Asts: Dustin Salisbery (8) | |
26 April 2015
17:30 |
| Cheshire Phoenix | 86–87 | Glasgow Rocks |
| Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 19–22, 19–21, 27–27 | ||
| Pts: Taylor King (26) Rebs: Demond Watt (13) Asts: Dustin Salisbery (8) |
Pts: Danny Huffor, Tommy Freeman (18) Rebs: Paul Egwuonwu, Danny Huffor (9) Asts: Reggie Middleton (6) | |
| Cheshire win 177–165 on aggregate. | ||
Semi-finals
(1) Newcastle Eagles vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks
1 May 2015
19:30 |
| Sheffield Sharks | 90–91 | Newcastle Eagles |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–17, 24–28, 23–28, 21–18 | ||
| Pts: Mike Cook, B. J. Holmes (18) Rebs: John Barber (12) Asts: Mike Cook (6) |
Pts: Scott Martin (24) Rebs: Andrew Thomson (10) Asts: Scott Martin, Rahmon Fletcher (7) | |
3 May 2015
17:00 |
| Newcastle Eagles | 118–78 | Sheffield Sharks |
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 26–18, 33–16, 33–18 | ||
| Pts: Rahmon Fletcher (28) Rebs: Andrew Thomson (16) Asts: Andrew Lasker (7) |
Pts: Michael Tuck (21) Rebs: Michael Tuck (14) Asts: B. J. Holmes (4) | |
| Newcastle win 209–168 on aggregate. | ||
(4) Cheshire Phoenix vs. (6) London Lions
1 May 2015
19:30 |
| London Lions | 81–68 | Cheshire Phoenix |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–17, 21–19, 25–10, 16–22 | ||
| Pts: Zaire Taylor (26) Rebs: Andrew Sullivan (9) Asts: Andrew Sullivan (4) |
Pts: Dustin Salisbery, Demond Watt (17) Rebs: Demond Watt (10) Asts: Dustin Salisbery (4) | |
3 May 2015
17:30 |
| Cheshire Phoenix | 85–77 | London Lions |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 17–19, 12–16, 33–19 | ||
| Pts: Dustin Salisbery (24) Rebs: Demond Watt (11) Asts: Dustin Salisbery, Taylor King (2) |
Pts: Zaire Taylor (32) Rebs: Olumide Oyedeji (11) Asts: Olumide Oyedeji (3) | |
| London win 158–153 on aggregate. | ||
Final
(1) Newcastle Eagles vs. (6) London Lions
10 May 2015
16:00 |
| Newcastle Eagles | 96–84 | London Lions |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 25–15, 25–16, 22–29 | ||
| Pts: Charles Smith (24) Rebs: Andrew Lasker (11) Asts: Rahmon Fletcher (9) |
Pts: Andrew Sullivan (27) Rebs: Olumide Oyedeji (10) Asts: Zaire Taylor (6) | |
EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)
Final standings
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Essex Leopards | 36 | 24 | 18 | 6 |
| 2. Manchester Magic | 34 | 24 | 17 | 7 |
| 3. Derby Trailblazers | 34 | 24 | 17 | 7 |
| 4. Kent Crusaders | 32 | 24 | 16 | 8 |
| 5. Reading Rockets | 30 | 24 | 15 | 9 |
| 6. Team Northumbria | 30 | 24 | 15 | 9 |
| 7. Worthing Thunder | 22 | 24 | 11 | 13 |
| 8. Bradford Dragons | 20 | 24 | 10 | 14 |
| 9. Leicester Warriors | 18 | 24 | 9 | 15 |
| 10. Hemel Storm | 18 | 24 | 9 | 15 |
| 11. Tees Valley Mohawks | 18 | 24 | 9 | 15 |
| 12. Westminster Warriors | 12 | 24 | 6 | 18 |
| 13. Newham Neptunes | 8 | 24 | 4 | 20 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the Play-offs |
EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)
Final standings
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. London Lituanica | 42 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| 2. Lancashire Spinners | 38 | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0 |
| 3. Ipswich | 30 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 |
| 4. Loughborough Student Riders | 28 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 |
| 5. London Greenhouse Pioneers | 24 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 |
| 6. Derbyshire Arrows | 24 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| 7. Brixton TopCats | 20 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 |
| 8. London Westside | 16 | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 |
| 9. Eastside Eagles London | 12 | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 |
| 10. Birmingham Mets | 10 | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 |
| 11. Worcester Wolves B | 10 | 22 | 5 | 17 | 0 |
| 12. London United | 6 | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the Play-offs |
BBL Cup
The winners of the five 1st Round matches will be joined by Newcastle Eagles, Worcester Wolves and Sheffield Sharks in the Quarter-finals, who received byes for finishing in the top three BBL Championship positions last season.[6] The Final will be played on 11 January 2015 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.
1st round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Sheffield Sharks vs. Newcastle Eagles
Bristol Flyers vs. Glasgow Rocks
Final
11 January 2015
15:30 GMT |
| Newcastle Eagles | 84–71 | Glasgow Rocks |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–15, 25–14, 20–22, 24–20 | ||
| Pts: Charles Smith (21) Rebs: Andrew Thomson, Scott Martin, Fabulous Flournoy (7) Asts: Andre Jones, Rahmon Fletcher (4) |
Pts: JaJuan Smith (17) Rebs: Kieron Achara (11) Asts: JaJuan Smith (3) | |
BBL Trophy
The 13 BBL clubs will joined by Essex Leopards and Reading Rockets of the English Basketball League and Falkirk Fury of the Scottish Basketball League to form a straight knock-out competition. The first two rounds featured one-off games whilst the Semi-finals took place over two legs. The Final will be held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on 8 March 2015, and will be the third consecutive year that the venue has hosted the event.
1st round
18 January 2015
18:00 |
| Manchester Giants | 76–79 | Sheffield Sharks |
Trafford Powerleague Arena, Manchester
|
Quarter-finals
31 January 2015
19:30 |
| Leicester Riders | 80–71 | Worcester Wolves |
Sir David Wallace Centre, Loughborough
|
Semi-finals
Newcastle Eagles vs. Plymouth Raiders
Leicester Riders vs. London Lions
Final
22 March 2015
15:30 GMT |
| Newcastle Eagles | 96–90 | Leicester Riders |
| Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 17–21, 26–28, 25–17 | ||
| Pts: Scott Martin (20) Rebs: Charles Smith (7) Asts: Rahmon Fletcher (8) |
Pts: Jamell Anderson (20) Rebs: TrayVonn Wright (10) Asts: Neil Watson (13) | |
Monthly awards
| Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Andreas Kapoulas | Bristol Flyers | Demond Watt | Cheshire Phoenix |
| November | Fabulous Flournoy | Newcastle Eagles | Kieron Achara | Glasgow Rocks |
| December | John Coffino | Cheshire Phoenix | Demond Watt | Cheshire Phoenix |
| January | Fabulous Flournoy | Newcastle Eagles | Jordan Clarke | Plymouth Raiders |
| February | Fabulous Flournoy | Newcastle Eagles | Demond Watt | Cheshire Phoenix |
| March | Fabulous Flournoy | Newcastle Eagles | Demond Watt | Cheshire Phoenix |
| April | Atiba Lyons | Sheffield Sharks | Charles Smith | Newcastle Eagles |
| Season | Andreas Kapoulas | Bristol Flyers | Charles Smith | Newcastle Eagles |
References
- ^ "BBL Play-Off final: Newcastle Eagles v London Lions". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (10 May 2015). "Newcastle Eagles complete trophy clean sweep". The Northern Echo. Newsquest. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "Newcastle Eagles claim third BBL Cup success with 13-point win over Glasgow Rocks". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "Newcastle Eagles beat Leicester Riders to win BBL Trophy in Glasgow". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "BBL announcement — Durham Wildcats". British Basketball League. The Basketball League Ltd. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
- ^ "BBL Cup". BBL.org.uk. 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-25.