2012–13 British Basketball League season explained

2012–13 BBL season
League:	British Basketball League
Sport:	Basketball
Duration:	21 September 2012 – 7 April 2013 12 April 2013 – 28 April 2013 (Playoffs)
No Of Games:	33
No Of Teams:	12
Season:	Regular Season
Top Seed:	Leicester Riders
Mvp:	Andrew Sullivan (Leicester Riders)
Mvp Link:	BBL Most Valuable Player Award
Top Scorer:	Chez Marks (Cheshire Phoenix)
Playoffs:	BBL Tournaments
Conf1:	BBL Playoffs
Conf1 Link:	2012–13 British Basketball League season#The_Play-offs
Conf1 Champ:	Leicester Riders
Conf1 Runner-Up:	Newcastle Eagles
Conf2:	BBL Cup
Conf2 Link:	2012–13 British Basketball League season#BBL_Cup
Conf2 Champ:	Leicester Riders
Conf2 Runner-Up:	Newcastle Eagles
Conf3:	BBL Trophy
Conf3 Link:	2012–13 British Basketball League season#BBL_Trophy
Conf3 Champ:	Sheffield Sharks
Conf3 Runner-Up:	Leicester Riders
Seasonslist:	List of BBL seasons
Seasonslistnames:	BBL
Prevseason Link:	2011–12 British Basketball League season
Prevseason Year:	2011–12
Nextseason Link:	2013–14 British Basketball League season
Nextseason Year:	2013–14

The 2012–13 BBL season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001.^[1] East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season.^[2] The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions,^[3] whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.^[4]

The Championship regular season commenced on 21 September 2012 with reigning Champions Newcastle Eagles beginning the defence of their title with a 72–65 victory over Glasgow Rocks. The regular season saw all teams face each other three times during the campaign, playing either two games at home and once on the road or vice versa, with the top-eight placed teams advancing to the play-offs, which took place in April 2013.^[5] The season climaxed on 28 April with the showpiece Play-off Final, which returned to its former home at Wembley Arena, for the first time since 2002.^[6] Leicester Riders dominated the campaign, and were successful in three of the BBL's four annual competition's, claiming the League title, BBL Cup and Play-off title. Sheffield Sharks thwarted the possibility of a "clean sweep" with a victory against the odds over the Riders in the BBL Trophy Final.

Teams

width=25%	Team	width=19%	City/Area	width=29%	Arena	width=12%	Capacity	width=15%	Last season
Cheshire Phoenix	Chester	Northgate Arena	1,000	6th
Durham Wildcats	Newton Aycliffe	Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre	1,200	11th
Glasgow Rocks	Glasgow	Emirates Arena	6,500	5th
Leicester Riders	Leicester	John Sandford Centre	800	2nd
London Lions	London	Crystal Palace National Sports Centre	1,500	9th
Manchester Giants	Manchester	Wright Robinson College	900	New
Mersey Tigers	Liverpool	Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park	450	10th
Newcastle Eagles	Newcastle upon Tyne	Sport Central	3,000	1st
Plymouth Raiders	Plymouth	Plymouth Pavilions	1,480	4th
Sheffield Sharks	Sheffield	English Institute of Sport	1,200	7th
Surrey Heat	Guildford	Surrey Sports Park	1,000	8th
Worcester Wolves	Worcester	University of Worcester	600	3rd

Notable occurrences

• New entrant Manchester Giants joined as the League's 12th franchise^[1] whilst East London Royals, who were due to become the 13th member, deferred entry to the 2013–14 season after their financial backing fell through prior to the start of the season.^[2] Reading Rockets also had a bid to join the league rejected earlier in the year.^[7]
• Although initially planning to enter as new franchises for the 2012–13 season, both BBL Birmingham and Essex Leopards postponed their entry until the 2013–14 season.^{[8] [9]}
• Long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocated to London after their previous home venue was sold off by its owners, and rebranded itself as the London Lions. Initially they will use the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre for home games but will eventually move to the Copper Box – built for the 2012 Summer Olympics – from 2013.^[3]
• Guildford Heat rebranded its franchise as the Surrey Heat to reflect its geographical reach in terms of fan base and community programmes.^[10]
• New rules introduced prior to the start of the season now allows team's to field only a maximum of five non-British players per game (including up to three work permitted players), demonstrating the League's commitment towards developing British players.^[11]
• On 10 August, Cheshire Jets owner Pete Hawkins announced that the franchise was up for sale after negotiations with a proposed new owner collapsed.^[12] With the help of a "Save the Jets" campaign ran by local newspaper the Chester Chronicle, local businessman Haydn Cook stepped-in as the new owner of the franchise just weeks before the start of the new season, ensuring the immediate future of the franchise.^[13]
• More than 5,000 fans attended Glasgow Rocks' inaugural game at their new Emirates Arena home on 7 October. Glasgow were defeated 84–106 by arch-rivals Newcastle Eagles.^[14]
• After less than a month in the role, Cheshire's James Hamilton resigned as the team's player-coach on 15 October, due to his suspension following an altercation at a junior game.^[15]
• On 30 October it was announced that the Cheshire Jets franchise had been withdrawn by the League after new-owner Haydn Cook reported severe financial difficulties and requested to postpone upcoming fixtures and make all staff and players redundant with immediate effect.^[16] The following day it was revealed that the League had reinstated the franchise and would manage its operation centrally whilst trying to find a new owner.^[17] The club was temporarily renamed Cheshire Basketball Club as previous owner Cook retained the Jets name, logo, kits and branding.^[18] A "Save the Jets" campaign led by local fans and businessmen secured the required £50,000 needed to take over the franchise within the League's deadline of 30 November, and guaranteed the immediate future of the club. Renamed as Cheshire Phoenix, the franchise will operate as a not-for-profit Community Interest Club, whilst linking up with Chester (who faced a similar situation two years earlier) in a supporting partnership."^[4]
• Worthing Thunder – of the English Basketball League – became the first ever non-BBL team to progress past the 1st Round of the BBL Trophy after an 84–64 win at home to Mersey Tigers on 6 January 2013.^[19]
• Leicester Riders won their first silverware in 12 years on 13 January, with an 85–80 victory over Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Cup Final. Jay Cousinard, who scored 17 points, was named as the game's MVP.^{[20] [21]}
• Leicester's 84–59 regular season victory over Manchester Giants on 19 February made the Riders only the fifth team in League history to go unbeaten for a whole year, having last been defeated on 25 February 2012 (Their upcoming schedule mean that the landmark date would pass before their next game).^[22]
• Sheffield Sharks claimed the BBL Trophy after a narrow two-point win over Leicester in front of over 5,000 fans at Glasgow's Emirates Arena, on 9 March. Sheffield's 71–69 victory prevented Leicester from winning a Cup-Trophy double, whilst it was Sharks' first Trophy final win for 15 years.^[23]
• Mersey Tigers secured the record for the longest losing-sreak in League history on 22 March. Their 92–79 defeat to Plymouth Raiders was their 31st consecutive loss, having last won a game against Milton Keynes on 15 April 2012.^[24]
• Leicester Riders were crowned League Champions for the first time in their history following their 93–70 home victory over Durham Wildcats on 31 March.^[25]
• Riders finished the campaign with a historic 65-57 win over Newcastle in the Play-off Final at a packed-out Wembley Arena on 28 April.^[26]

BBL Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	%	Pts
1	Leicester Riders	33	30	3	0.909	60
2	Newcastle Eagles	33	25	8	0.758	50
3	Glasgow Rocks	33	21	12	0.636	42
4	Surrey Heat	33	21	12	0.636	42
5	Worcester Wolves	33	20	13	0.606	40
6	Plymouth Raiders	33	19	14	0.576	38
7	Sheffield Sharks	33	17	16	0.515	34
8	London Lions	33	13	20	0.394	26
9	Manchester Giants	33	12	21	0.364	24
10	Durham Wildcats	33	10	23	0.303	20
11	Cheshire Phoenix	33	10	23	0.303	20
12	Mersey Tigers	33	0	33	0.000	0

	= League winners
	= Qualified for the play-offs

Playoffs

Quarter-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (8) London Lions

(2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks(3) Glasgow Rocks vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders

(4) Surrey Heat vs. (5) Worcester Wolves

Semi-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders

(2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (4) Surrey Heat

Final

EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

Final standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	%	Pts
1	Reading Rockets	26	22	4	0.846	44
2	Bristol Academy Flyers	26	18	8	0.692	36
3	Team Northumbria	26	17	9	0.654	34
4	Tees Valley Mohawks	26	16	10	0.615	32
5	Leeds Carnegie	26	16	10	0.615	32
6	Essex Leopards	26	16	10	0.615	32
7	Worthing Thunder	26	13	13	0.500	26
8	Leicester Warriors	26	12	14	0.462	24
9	Medway Park Crusaders	26	12	14	0.462	24
10	Hemel Storm	26	11	15	0.423	22
11	Bradford Dragons	26	10	16	0.385	20
12	Westminster Warriors	26	10	16	0.385	20
13	Derby Trailblazers	26	6	20	0.231	12
14	Brixton TopCats	26	3	23	0.115	6

	= League winners
	= Qualified for the play-offs

EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

Final standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	%	Pts
1	Newham Neptunes	22	17	5	0.773	34
2	Manchester Magic	22	15	7	0.682	30
3	Eastside Eagles	22	14	8	0.636	28
4	Derbyshire Arrows	22	13	9	0.591	26
5	Loughborough University	22	12	10	0.545	24
6	PAWS London Capital +	22	17	5	0.773	22
7	Glamorgan Gladiators	22	10	12	0.455	20
8	Mansfield Giants	22	8	14	0.364	16
9	London Westside	22	7	15	0.318	14
10	London United	22	7	15	0.318	14
11	Team Solent	22	4	18	0.182	8
12	Birmingham Mets	22	3	19	0.136	6

+ PAWS London Capital deducted twelve points for fielding an ineligible player during the 2011–12 season.

	= League winners
	= Qualified for the play-offs

BBL Cup

The winners of the four 1st Round matches were joined by Newcastle Eagles, Leicester Riders, Plymouth Raiders and Worcester Wolves in the Quarter-finals, who received byes for finishing in the top four BBL Championship positions last season.^[27] The Final was played on 13 January 2013 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

Semi-finals

Plymouth Raiders vs. Newcastle Eagles

Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders

Final

BBL Trophy

The 12 BBL clubs were joined by Essex Leopards and Reading Rockets of the English Basketball League and Edinburgh Kings of the Scottish Basketball League to form a straight knock-out competition. Following the withdrawal of East London Royals prior to the start of the competition, Worthing Thunder from the English Basketball League were invited to take their place and play Mersey Tigers in the 1st Round.^[28] The first two rounds featured one-off games whilst the Semi-finals took place over two legs. The Final was held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow and saw Sheffield Sharks claim their first Trophy in 15 years, after 71–69 victory over Leicester Riders.

Semi-finals

Cheshire Phoenix vs. Sheffield Sharks

Leicester Riders vs. Worcester Wolves

Final

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Stat
Points per game	Chez Marks (Cheshire Phoenix)	22.8
Rebounds per game	Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)	10.7
Assists per game	Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats)	5.5
Steals per game	Travis Holmes (Surrey Heat)	3.0
Blocks per game	Alif Bland (Cheshire Phoenix)	2.4
Field goal percentage	Demetrius Jemison (Sheffield Sharks)	61.0%
Free throw percentage	B.J. Holmes (Sheffield Sharks)	88.3%
Three-point field goal percentage	Arnas Kazlauskas (Worcester Wolves)	44.6%

Monthly awards

Month	Coach	Player
October	Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders)	Colin O'Reilly (Plymouth Raiders)
November	Sterling Davis (Glasgow Rocks)	Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
December	Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles)	Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats)
January	Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders)	Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats)
February	Paul James (Worcester Wolves)	Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
March	Atiba Lyons (Sheffield Sharks)	Travis Holmes (Surrey Heat)

Seasonal awards

• Molten Most Valuable Player:^[29] Andrew Sullivan (Leicester Riders)
• Molten Coach of the Year:^[29] Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders)
• Molten Team of the Year:^[30]
  • Travis Holmes (Surrey Heat)
  • Andrew Sullivan (Leicester Riders)
  • Jay Cousinard (Leicester Riders)
  • Matt Schneck (Plymouth Raiders)
  • Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
• Molten Defensive Team of the Year:^[30]
  • Andrew Sullivan (Leicester Riders)
  • Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles)
  • Chavis Holmes (Surrey Heat)
  • Jay Cousinard (Leicester Riders)
  • Zaire Taylor (Leicester Riders)
• Molten British Team of the Year:^[30]
  • Andrew Sullivan (Leicester Riders)
  • Mike Tuck (Sheffield Sharks)
  • Sam Cricelli (Surrey Heat)
  • Orlan Jackman (London Lions)
  • Anthony Rowe (Leicester Riders)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Manchester Giants and East London Royals join BBL . 2012 . 2012-06-19 . HoopsFix.com.
2. Web site: Mark Woods . A Royal mess as East London out of BBL . 2012 . 2012-09-09 . MVP 24–7.
3. Web site: Lions to leave Milton Keynes for Olympic Park in London . 2012 . 2012-08-09 . Milton Keynes Citizen.
4. Web site: Alec Doyle . New club rises from the ashes of the Jets thanks to efforts of action group, fans and local businesses . 2012 . 2012-11-29 . Chester Chronicle.
5. Web site: BBL Champions to take centre stage on opening night . 2012 . 2012-07-17 . BBL.org.uk.
6. Web site: BBL Play-off Final is Capital game once again . 2012 . 2012-07-17 . BBL.org.uk.
7. Web site: Mark Woods . Reading still game for BBL move . 2012 . 2012-06-19 . MVP247.com.
8. Web site: Birmingham franchise confirm their position . 2011 . 2012-06-26 . BBLfans.com.
9. Web site: Another new team lands BBL franchise . 2011 . 2012-06-26 . BBLfans.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120701011948/http://www.bblfans.com/2012/latest-news/another-new-team-lands-bbl-franchise.html . 1 July 2012 .
10. Web site: Surrey Heat name change reflects club's reach . 2012 . 2012-09-04 . getSurrey.co.uk.
11. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions . 2012 . 2012-09-19 . BBL.org.uk.
12. Web site: Alec Doyle . Pete Hawkins puts club up for sale as negotiations with potential new owner break down . 2012 . 2012-09-09 . Chester Chronicle.
13. Web site: Alec Doyle . Businessman Haydn Cook steps in to save club following Chronicle campaign . 2012 . 2012-09-09 . Chester Chronicle.
14. Web site: Thousands enjoy Glasgow's new sports arena . 2012 . 2012-11-17 . The Herald.
15. Web site: Mark Woods . Hamilton in quick exit as Cheshire coach . 2012 . 2012-11-17 . MVP 24–7.
16. Web site: Alec Doyle . Season thrown into doubt as club has BBL Championship franchise withdrawn . 2012 . 2012-11-17 . Chester Chronicle.
17. Web site: Alec Doyle . Crisis club will play Mersey Tigers and calls for fans to fill Northgate at time of need. 2012 . 2012-11-17 . Chester Chronicle.
18. Web site: Alec Doyle . Fans will decide on new name for Cheshire Jets on Sunday . 2012 . 2012-11-17 . Chester Chronicle.
19. Web site: Mark Woods . Thunder drown out weary Mersey . 2013 . 2013-01-14 . MVP 24–7.
20. Web site: BBL Cup Final: Leicester Riders beat Newcastle Eagles . 2013 . 2013-01-14 . BBC Sport.
21. Web site: BBL Cup Final: Paternostro praises Leicester Riders spirit . 2013 . 2013-01-14 . BBC Sport.
22. Web site: Riders cap historic year with 23rd win . 2013 . 2013-04-17 . LeicesterRiders.co.uk.
23. Web site: Doug Balding . Sharks have bite in Trophy final . 2013 . 2013-04-17 . MVP 24–7.
24. Web site: Mark Woods . Mersey Tigers set new losing streak mark . 2013 . 2013-04-17 . MVP 24–7.
25. Web site: We are the Champions . 2013 . 2013-04-17 . LeicesterRiders.co.uk.
26. Web site: Chris Mortley . Riders ecstatic after Playoff win . 2013 . 2014-06-05 . LeicesterRiders.co.uk.
27. Web site: BBL Cup . 2012 . 2012-08-28 . BBL.org.uk.
28. Web site: http://www.bbl.org.uk/index.php?id=12&tx_ttnews[year=2012&tx_ttnews[month]=09&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=151&cHash=dc75b8ab9d5f1b78f411046e38d3c373 Thunder to compete in BBL Trophy ]. 2012 . 2012-09-21 . BBL.org.uk.
29. Web site: Mark Woods . Sullivan, Paternostro take League honours . 2013 . 2013-04-18 . MVP24-7.com.
30. Web site: Rob Jeffries . BBL Team of the Year 2012-13 announced . 2013 . 2013-04-18 . UKAmericanSportsFans.com.