2011–12 British Basketball League season

The 2011–12 season was the 25th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 11 teams from across England and Scotland, with Durham Wildcats appearing in their first campaign after election from EBL Division 1.[1] The League did not feature two teams from the previous season; Worthing Thunder had stepped down to the EBL,[2] whilst Essex Pirates withdrew just two weeks prior to the season starting due to the loss of a major sponsor.[3] There was also uncertainty regarding the participation of reigning champions Mersey Tigers, who had to postpone their first game due to off-court problems and operational issues.[4][5]

2011–2012 British Basketball League season
LeagueBritish Basketball League
SportBasketball
Roll of Honour
BBL championsNewcastle Eagles
Play Off's championsNewcastle Eagles
BBL Cup championsNewcastle Eagles
BBL Trophy championsNewcastle Eagles

Newcastle Eagles opened the season with an 85–63 victory over Northern rivals Glasgow Rocks in the BBL Cup, on September 30, 2011. The Championship regular season didn't commence until mid-October, whilst the initial stages of the Trophy and BBL Cup were played out prior to the Championship beginning. Newcastle were victorious in the BBL Cup and BBL Trophy after beating Plymouth Raiders in the finals of both competitions. The Eagles also went on to clinch their 5th BBL Championship after Plymouth lost to Leicester Riders on April 11, setting a new record for the most Championships won in the history of the BBL. Eagles' 5th title beat the previous record of four Championship's held by Kingston Kings from the 1980s and 1990s. The season was wrapped up with Eagles stamping their dominance on the play-offs, defeating Leicester in the Final on May 12, 2012, and going on to win all four titles for the 2011–12 campaign.

Following the season's climax the British Basketball League, along with several other basketball governing bodies, united to form the British Basketball Union, a new organisation created to promote the commercial development of basketball within Great Britain.[6]

Teams
Locations of the 2011–12 BBL teams
Team City/Area Arena Capacity Last season
Cheshire Jets Chester Northgate Arena 1,000 4th
Durham Wildcats Newton Aycliffe Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre 1,200 New
Glasgow Rocks Glasgow Kelvin Hall 1,200 6th
Guildford Heat Guildford Surrey Sports Park 1,000 7th
Leicester Riders Leicester John Sandford Centre 800 8th
Mersey Tigers Liverpool Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park 450 1st
Milton Keynes Lions Milton Keynes Prestige Homes Arena 1,400 10th
Newcastle Eagles Newcastle upon Tyne Sport Central 3,000 2nd
Plymouth Raiders Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions 1,480 5th
Sheffield Sharks Sheffield English Institute of Sport 1,200 3rd
Worcester Wolves Worcester University of Worcester 600 9th

Notable occurrences
  • Durham Wildcats were the newest additions to the BBL, having been elected to join from EBL Division 1.[1]
  • Pre-season transfer speculation centred around the possibility of Los Angeles Lakers star Ron Artest signing for Cheshire Jets during the NBA lockout, after announcing on his Twitter account that he was in discussions with the club,[7] who had reportedly offered him shares in the franchise.[8] Other reports also linked Artest to Glasgow Rocks.[9]
  • After ten years at Cheshire Jets, Paul Smith stepped down from his position as Head Coach prior to the season opening, leaving Assistant John Lavery to take the reins.[10]
  • The Mersey Tigers franchise changed ownership following Liverpool-based businessman Steve Brookfield's acquisition from former owner Gary Townsend, who set up the club in 2007.[11]
  • Essex Pirates officially withdrew from the BBL on September 16, just two weeks before the start of the season.[3] The loss of a major sponsor was a major factor, and it was revealed the owners even looked at relocating to Crystal Palace NSC Arena in London before the decision was made to disband.[12]
  • Mersey Tigers were forced to postpone their first game of the season amid fears of the franchise's imminent collapse.[13] Off-court problems and operational issues were later cited as the reason for postponement, but the franchise eventually fielded a team and resumed play the following week.[4][5]
  • A sell-out 1,200 crowd at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre saw Durham play host to their first BBL game, losing 66–88 to local rivals Newcastle Eagles.[14]
  • An incident between Guildford Heat's Martelle McLemore and Plymouth Raiders mascot Foxy during a game on October 22 was the subject of a League inquiry after the mascot entered the court and pulled McLemore's shorts down during a break in play.[15][16][17] Following the league's inquiry, Plymouth Raiders were given a "small fine" whilst McLemore was awarded with 5 penalty points for his involvement by pushing the Raiders mascot.[18][19]
  • Glasgow Rocks' veteran player-coach Sterling Davis reached two personal milestones in October, making his 1000th BBL Championship free-throw and 5000th point scored.[20]
  • After a 12-game losing streak, Guildford Heat finally recorded their first win of the season on December 16, with an 82–76 victory away to current Champions Mersey Tigers.[21]
  • Nathan Schall, of Milton Keynes Lions, was the winner of the Kickz.co.uk Slam Dunk Contest 2012 which took place on January 15, prior to the BBL Cup Final.
  • Newcastle Eagles collected their first piece of silverware for the season on January 15, 2012, with a 115–94 victory over Plymouth Raiders in the BBL Cup final at the National Indoor Arena. Newcastle's Charles Smith set a new BBL Cup Final record by posting a 39 points, whilst Newcastle also broke the previous record of 103 for points scored.[22]
  • Leicester Riders announced in January that their point guard Flinder Boyd had decided to leave the club with immediate effect "in order to pursue interests way from basketball."[23] It was reported in March that the Great Britain international has officially retired from playing, just months before Team GB's Olympic Games tournament.[24]
  • Newcastle Eagles scooped their second title of the season with another victory over Plymouth Raiders in the BBL Trophy final. The Eagles won the Trophy with a 184–177 aggregate victory in the two-game series, winning the second leg 96–80 at Sport Central on March 24.[25]
  • With title-challengers Plymouth Raiders losing 96–72 away to Leicester Riders on April 11, the Championship trophy returned to Newcastle Eagles, becoming the Northeastern club's third title of the season.[26] The trophy was presented to the Eagles at Sport Central on April 14 at their home game with Mersey Tigers, but celebrations were dampened as Eagles were unexpectedly defeated 74–82 by Mersey.[27]
  • Due to the unsuitability of the John Sandford Centre venue for television broadcasting,[28] Leicester Riders were forced to switch venues for their Play-off homes games from their usual home to their former home at the Sports Centre on the campus of Loughborough University.[29]
  • Newcastle Eagles completed a 'clean sweep' of titles by claiming the Play-off crown with a 71–62 victory over Leicester Riders in the Grand Final at the National Indoor Arena, on 12 May. Newcastle's Charles Smith was awarded the Final's MVP, scoring 21 points.[30]
  • Following the conclusion of the season, the BBL entered into a joint venture with other basketball governing bodies to establish the British Basketball Union (BBU), a new organisation created to promote the commercial development of basketball within Great Britain.[6]
  • After four seasons in charge of Mersey Tigers, Head Coach Tony Garbelotto left the club at the end of the season to coach German Pro A team Heidelberg.[31]

BBL Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings
PosTeamPldWL%Pts
1Newcastle Eagles302370.76646
2Leicester Riders302280.73344
3Worcester Wolves302280.73344
4Plymouth Raiders302190.70042
5Glasgow Rocks3016140.53332
6Cheshire Jets3013170.43326
7Sheffield Sharks3013170.43326
8Guildford Heat3012180.40024
9Milton Keynes Lions3010200.33320
10Mersey Tigers3010200.33320
11Durham Wildcats303270.1006
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

The Play-offs
  Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                             
Newcastle Eagles 93 74 167  
Guildford Heat 56 69 125  
  Newcastle Eagles 89 79 168  
  Cheshire Jets 99 64 163  
Worcester Wolves 80 77 157
  Cheshire Jets 80 87 167  
    Newcastle Eagles  
  Leicester Riders  
  Leicester Riders 92 90 182  
Sheffield Sharks 76 65 141  
  Leicester Riders 76 97 173
  Glasgow Rocks 77 72 149  
Plymouth Raiders 84 60 144
  Glasgow Rocks 79 80 159  

Quarter-finals

(1) Newcastle Eagles vs. (8) Guildford Heat

April 27, 2012
Newcastle Eagles 93–56 Guildford Heat
April 29, 2012
Guildford Heat 69–74 Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 167–125
Surrey Sports Park, Guildford

(2) Leicester Riders vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks

April 29, 2012
Leicester Riders 90–65 Sheffield Sharks
Leicester wins on aggregate, 182–141

(3) Worcester Wolves vs. (6) Cheshire Jets

April 28, 2012
Worcester Wolves 80–80 Cheshire Jets
April 29, 2012
Cheshire Jets 87–77 Worcester Wolves
Cheshire wins on aggregate, 167–157
Northgate Arena, Chester

(4) Plymouth Raiders vs. (5) Glasgow Rocks

April 29, 2012
Glasgow Rocks 80–60 Plymouth Raiders
Glasgow wins on aggregate, 159–144
Kelvin Hall, Glasgow

Semi-finals

(1) Newcastle Eagles vs. (6) Cheshire Jets

May 4, 2012
Newcastle Eagles 89–99 Cheshire Jets
May 6, 2012
Cheshire Jets 64–79 Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 168–163
Northgate Arena, Chester

(2) Leicester Riders vs. (5) Glasgow Rocks

May 4, 2012
Glasgow Rocks 77–76 Leicester Riders
Kelvin Hall, Glasgow
May 6, 2012
Leicester Riders 97–72 Glasgow Rocks
Leicester wins on aggregate, 173–149

Final
May 12, 2012
4.00pm GMT
Newcastle Eagles 71–62 Leicester Riders
Scoring by quarter: 12–21, 19–10, 25–18, 15–13
Pts: Charles Smith 21, Paul Gause 13, Darius Defoe 10, Joe Chapman 10. Andy Thomson 9, Fab Flournoy 8
Rebs: Fabulous Flournoy, 13
Asts: Charles Smith/Fabulous Flournoy, 4		 Pts: Andrew Sullivan 18, Ayron Hardy 12, Bradd Wierzbicki 11, Brett Royster 6, Cameron Rundles 4, Barry Lamble 4, Reece Haggith 3, Jamell Anderson 2, Yorick Williams 2
Rebs: Ayron Hardy, 12
Asts: Ayron Hardy, 7
National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

Final standings
PosTeamPldWL%Pts
1London Leopards 242040.83340
2Bristol Academy Flyers 241860.75036
3Derby Trailblazers 241680.66732
4Worthing Thunder 241680.66732
5Bradford Dragons 241590.62530
6Leicester Warriors 241590.62530
7Reading Rockets 2414100.58328
8Medway Park Crusaders 2412120.50024
9Brixton TopCats 2411130.45822
10Leeds Carnegie 2410140.41720
11Tees Valley Mohawks 244200.1678
12Westminster Warriors 243210.1256
13PAWS London Capital 242220.0834
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

Final standings
PosTeamPldWL%Pts
1Team Northumbria 201820.90036
2Hemel Storm 201640.80032
3Glamorgan Gladiators 201460.70028
4Birmingham Mets 201280.60024
5Team Solent 201190.55022
6Derbyshire Arrows 2010100.50020
7Eastside Eagles 209110.45018
8London Westside 209110.45018
9Mansfield Giants 206140.30012
10London United 203170.1506
11Birmingham A's 202180.1004
= League winners
= Qualified for the Play-offs

BBL Cup

1st round
October 29, 2011
Worcester Wolves 88–77 Guildford Heat
October 29, 2011
Leicester Riders 102–67 Milton Keynes Lions
John Sandford Centre, Leicester
October 30, 2011
Glasgow Rocks 78–60 Edinburgh Kings
Kelvin Hall, Glasgow

Quarter-finals
November 11, 2011
Mersey Tigers 62–91 Worcester Wolves
Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park, Liverpool
November 13, 2011
Cheshire Jets 74–95 Leicester Riders
Northgate Arena, Chester

Semi-finals

Leicester Riders vs. Newcastle Eagles

November 26, 2011
Leicester Riders 90–90 Newcastle Eagles
John Sandford Centre, Leicester
December 2, 2011
Newcastle Eagles 71–63 Leicester Riders
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 161–153

Plymouth Raiders vs. Worcester Wolves

December 11, 2011
Plymouth Raiders 82–89 Worcester Wolves
Plymouth wins on aggregate, 193–172

Final
January 15, 2012
3.45pm GMT
Newcastle Eagles 115–94 Plymouth Raiders
Scoring by quarter: 35–26, 28–26, 31–28, 21–20
Pts: Charles Smith 39, Paul Gause 24, Andrew Bridge 16, Joe Chapman 15, Andrew Thomson 13, Darius Defoe 4, Fabulous Flournoy 4
Rebs: Fabulous Flournoy/Andrew Thomson, 7
Asts: Fabulous Flournoy, 5		 Pts: Lehmon Colbert 25, Jeremy Bell 23, Anthony Rowe 20, Anthony Martin 13, Paul Williams 10, James Jones 3
Rebs: Lehmon Colbert/Anthony Rowe, 8
Asts: Anthony Martin, 6
National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

BBL Trophy

Group Stage

Semi-finals

Newcastle Eagles vs. Sheffield Sharks

February 10, 2012
Newcastle Eagles 104–84 Sheffield Sharks
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 220–168

Milton Keynes Lions vs. Plymouth Raiders

February 3, 2012
Milton Keynes Lions 87–81 Plymouth Raiders
Prestige Homes Arena, Milton Keynes
February 5, 2012
Plymouth Raiders 107–99 (OT) Milton Keynes Lions
Plymouth wins on aggregate, 188–186

Final
First Leg
March 18, 2012
3.45pm GMT
Plymouth Raiders 97–88 Newcastle Eagles
Scoring by quarter: 22–12, 19–12, 22–32, 34–20
Pts: Michael Ojo 22, Jeremy Bell 21, Paul Williams 14, James Jones 14, Lehmon Colbert 13, Anthony Rowe 8 Jamal Williams 3, Anthony Martin 2
Rebs: Paul Williams, 18		 Pts: Charles Smith 21, Andrew Thomson 16, Joe Chapman 14, Darius Defoe 12, Fab Flournoy 11, Paul Gause 10, Andrew Bridge 4
Rebs: Fabulous Flournoy, 8
Second Leg
March 23, 2012
7.30pm GMT
Newcastle Eagles 96–80 Plymouth Raiders
Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 37–23, 16–22, 25–17
Pts: Paul Gause 19, Andrew Thomson 17, Charles Smith 16, Joe Chapman 16, Darius Defoe 14, Fab Flournoy 8, Andrew Bridge 6
Rebs: Andrew Thomson, 11		 Pts: Jeremy Bell 29, Lehmon Colbert 13, Paul Williams 13, James Jones 11, Michael Ojo 7, Anthony Rowe 4, Jamal Williams 3
Rebs: Paul Williams, 15
Newcastle wins on aggregate, 184–177

Statistics leaders
CategoryPlayerStat
Points per game Demarius Bolds (Milton Keynes Lions)23.9
Rebounds per game Daniel Northern (Milton Keynes Lions)12.3
Assists per game Adam Brown (Cheshire Jets)5.0
Steals per game Demarius Bolds (Milton Keynes Lions)2.8
Blocks per game Bill Cole (Cheshire Jets)2.3

Monthly awards
MonthCoachPlayer
October Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles) Ayron Hardy (Leicester Riders)
November Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) Mychal Green (Glasgow Rocks)
December Gavin Love (Plymouth Raiders) Richie Gordon (Worcester Wolves)
January Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles) Charles Smith (Newcastle Eagles)
February Fabulous Flournoy (Newcastle Eagles) Tommy Freeman (Worcester Wolves)
March Gavin Love (Plymouth Raiders) Ayron Hardy (Leicester Riders)
April John Lavery (Cheshire Jets) Ayron Hardy (Leicester Riders)

Seasonal awards

References
  1. "Durham Wildcats join British Basketball League". BBC Sport. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  2. "Worthing Thunder to drop into English Basketball League". BBC Sport. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  3. "Essex Pirates". BBL. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  4. Mark Woods (2011). "Sullivan exit addes to Mersey woes". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  5. Mark Woods (2011). "Mersey back in the game". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  6. "New basketball Union looks to create Olympic legacy". BBLfans.com. 2012. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  7. "Ron Artest to play for Cheshire Jets". LA Times. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  8. "Cheshire Jets official: Team has offered Ron Artest a stake". LA Times. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  9. Mark Woods (2011). "Rocks join Jets in race for Ron Artest". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  10. Mark Woods (2011). "Lavery to coach Jets as Smith steps down". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  11. Mark Woods (2011). "Mersey have new owner". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  12. Mark Woods (2011). "Only way is out for Essex". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  13. Mark Woods (2011). "Mersey put on hold as talks continue". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  14. Mark Woods (2011). "Durham defeated on BBL debut". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  15. Mark Woods (2011). "Not so Foxy move lands Plymouth in jam?". MVP 24–7. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  16. "Plymouth Raiders mascot Foxy investigated for pulling down opponent's shorts". The Herald (Plymouth). 2011. Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  17. "Raiders mascot causes on-court controversy". BBLfans.com. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  18. "Plymouth fined for mascot incident". BBLfans.com. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  19. "Plymouth Raiders are fined for not controlling mascot". BBL Sport. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  20. "Davis ticks off the milestones". BBLfans.com. 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  21. "Guildford end drought in Champions backyard". BBLfans.com. 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  22. "Newcastle win BBL Cup Final". BBLfans.com. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  23. "Boyd announces Leicester exit". BBLfans.com. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  24. Mark Woods (2012). "No londer Boyd, Flinder quits". MVP 24–7. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  25. "Newcastle win BBL Trophy, play-off boost for Mersey". BBLfans.com. 2012. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  26. "Newcastle are the BBL Champions after Plymouth's defeat". BBLfans.com. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  27. "Mersey Tigers spoil Newcastle's BBL Championship crowning". BBLfans.com. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  28. "Riders head to Loughborough for Play-offs". Soar Magazine. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  29. "Riders return to Loughborough for basketball play-offs". Loughborough University. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  30. Nick Moore (2012). "Newcastle Eagles complete clean sweep". HoopsFix.com. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  31. "Garbelotto quits Tigers". BBLfans.com. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  32. "Joe Chapman wins Molten BBL MVP award". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  33. "Flournoy wins Molten Coach of the Year award". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  34. "BBL Team of the Year 2012". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
Preceded by
2010–11 season		 BBL seasons
2011–12		 Succeeded by
2012–13 season
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