2001–02 British Basketball League season

The 2001–02 season was the 15th season in the history of the British Basketball League. The regular season ran from September 27, 2001, to March 31, 2002, whilst the post-season Play-offs culminated with the Grand Final at Wembley Arena on April 27. Chester Jets claimed a famous "clean-sweep" by winning all three BBL competitions as well as the ntl:home National Cup. Jets' head coach Robbie Peers was awarded the League's Coach of the Year accolade whilst John Thomas, also of the Jets, claimed that Player of the Year award.

2001–2002 British Basketball League season
LeagueBritish Basketball League
SportBasketball
Roll of Honour
BBL championsN Chester Jets
S London Towers
Play Off's championsChester Jets
National Cup championsChester Jets
BBL Trophy championsChester Jets

London Towers represented the United Kingdom in Europe's most prestigious competition, the Euroleague, however the capital-based team came up against giants Kinder Bologna, FC Barcelona and Union Olimpija in Group B and eventually finished with a 0-14 record. Birmingham Bullets made a brief appearance in the North European Basketball League.

The Manchester Giants franchise, once one of the League's title contenders, were withdrawn from the BBL midway through the season by League officials following ongoing financial difficulties. Prior to withdrawing in December, the Giants had a 2-7 record in the Northern Conference.

Locations of the 2001–02 BBL teams

Notable occurrences
  • It was announced on December 7, 2001, that the Manchester Giants franchise had been withdrawn by League officials. The team had a 2-7 record in the Northern Conference before being expelled from the competition due to unfulfilling a fixture and a lack of finance.[1]
  • The Southern All-Star's claimed the annual All-Star Game with an emphatic 196-142 victory against the Northern All-Stars at the Telewest Arena. Greater London Leopards' Rico Alderson was named as the game's MVP with 34 points and 15 rebounds. Brighton Bears' Albert White lead the game scoring with 38 points.[2]
  • The Birmingham Bullets' regular season home match against Edinburgh Rocks on February 2, 2002, was abandoned due to a waterlogged court. Severe heavy rain and a leak in the Aston Villa Leisure Centre roof caused the main court to flood and the game to be postponed.[3]

BBL Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

Northern Conference
PosTeamPldWL%Pts
1Chester Jets 322480.75048
2Sheffield Sharks 3221110.65642
3Newcastle Eagles 3217150.53134
4Edinburgh Rocks 3213190.40626
5Leicester Riders 3211210.34422
6Derby Storm 323290.0946

Southern Conference
PosTeamPldWL%Pts
1London Towers 3221110.65642
2Brighton Bears 3221110.65642
3Milton Keynes Lions 3216160.50032
4Greater London Leopards 3216160.50032
5Birmingham Bullets 3215170.46930
6Thames Valley Tigers 3214180.43828
= Conference winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

The Play-offs

1st Round
April 6, 2002
Newcastle Eagles 94–88 Greater London Leopards
SkyDome Arena, Coventry
April 6, 2002
Milton Keynes Lions 69–64 Edinburgh Rocks
SkyDome Arena, Coventry

Quarter-finals
April 7, 2002
Sheffield Sharks 85–81 Milton Keynes Lions
SkyDome Arena, Coventry
April 7, 2002
Brighton Bears 102–101 (OT) Newcastle Eagles
SkyDome Arena, Coventry

Semi-finals
April 14, 2002
London Towers 87–104 Sheffield Sharks
SkyDome Arena, Coventry
April 14, 2002
Chester Jets 95–82 Brighton Bears
SkyDome Arena, Coventry

Final
April 27, 2002
Chester Jets 93–82 Sheffield Sharks
Scoring by quarter: 20-19, 25-24, 23-18, 25-21
Pts: John McCord (MVP) 31, Pero Cameron 20, John Thomas 19, Calvin Davis 12, James Hamilton 11 Pts: Lynard Stewart, 18, Michael Payne 15, Justin Phoenix 14, Jeff Monaco 13, Nate Reinking 11

National League Conference (Tier 2)

Final standings
PosTeamPldWL%Pts
1Teesside Mohawks 181710.94434
2Plymouth Raiders 181440.77828
3Solent Stars 181170.61122
4Kingston Wildcats 181080.55620
5Manchester Magic 18990.50018
6Worthing Thunder 18990.50018
7Reading Rockets 187110.38914
8Inter-Basket London 185130.27810
9Coventry Crusaders 184140.2228
10Sutton Pumas 184140.2228
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

Play Off Final – Teesside 127 Solent 117 (OT)

National League Division 1 (Tier 3)

Final standings
PosTeamPldWL%Pts
1Derbyshire Arrows 222020.90940
2Ealing Tornadoes 221930.86438
3Ware Fire 221660.72732
4Oxford Devils 221660.72732
5Hull Icebergs 2212100.54524
6Westminster Warriors 2211110.50022
7North London Lords 227150.31814
8NW London Wolverines 227150.31814
9Worcester Wolves 227150.31814
10Mansfield Express 226160.27312
11Cardiff Clippers 226160.27312
12Liverpool 223190.1366
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

Play Off Final – Derbyshire 83 Ealing 81

NTL National Cup

Last 16
Team 1 Team 2 Score
Worthing ThunderLeicester Riders89-126
Plymouth RaidersBirmingham Bullets75-101
Teesside MohawksNewcastle Eagles101-113
Chester JetsBrighton Bears90-74
Edinburgh RocksLondon Towers86-84
Manchester GiantsThames Valley Tigers75-87
Derby StormMilton Keynes Lions70-90
Greater London LeopardsSheffield Sharks88-96

Quarter Finals
Team 1 Team 2 Score
Milton Keynes LionsThames Valley Tigers70-83
Leicester RidersSheffield Sharks76-99
Chester JetsNewcastle Eagles92-83
Birmingham BulletsEdinburgh Rocks67-66

Semi Finals
Team 1 Team 2 Score
Chester JetsThames Valley Tigers106-90
Birmingham BulletsSheffield Sharks75-70

Final
13 January 2002
Chester Jets 112–105 Birmingham Bullets
Pts: Calvin Davis 30, John McCord 26, Pero Cameron 19, James Hamilton 19 Pts: Rashod Johnson 39, Brant Bailey 34, Rob Paternostro 20

BBL Trophy

This season's BBL Trophy featured all 12 BBL teams. The First Round saw all 12 teams split into two groups with the top four finishing teams advancing to the knockout stage.

Group Stage

Quarter-finals
February 3, 2002
Milton Keynes Lions 68–67 Thames Valley Tigers
SkyDome Arena, Coventry
February 3, 2002
Chester Jets 91–87 Newcastle Eagles
SkyDome Arena, Coventry
February 3, 2002
Brighton Bears 83–89 London Towers
SkyDome Arena, Coventry
February 3, 2002
Sheffield Sharks 78–83 Greater London Leopards
SkyDome Arena, Coventry

Semi-finals
February 23, 2002
Milton Keynes Lions 73–63 London Towers
SkyDome Arena, Coventry
February 23, 2002
Chester Jets 92–81 Greater London Leopards
SkyDome Arena, Coventry

Final
March 16, 2002
Chester Jets 90–89 Milton Keynes Lions
Scoring by quarter: 27-20, 17-23, 19-26, 27-20
Pts: John Thomas 38, John McCord 19, Pero Cameron 12 Pts: Jermaine Brown 26, Nigel Lloyd 20, Victor Payne 18

All-Star Game
January 20, 2002
Northern All-Stars 142–196 Southern All-Stars
Telewest Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne

Statistics leaders
CategoryPlayerStat
Points per game John McCord (Chester Jets)25.5
Rebounds per game Antonia Garcia (Birmingham Bullets)14.9
Assists per game Nigel Lloyd (Milton Keynes Lions)6.8

Seasonal awards

References
  1. "Cash-strapped Giants sacked from big league". Daily Mail. 2002. Archived from the original on 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  2. "South poles ahead in All-Star rout". Britball.com. 2002. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  3. "Newcastle leap to third". Britball.com. 2002. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
Preceded by
2000–01 season		 BBL seasons
2001–02		 Succeeded by
2002–03 season
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