2019–20 British Basketball League season
| 2019–20 BBL season | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | British Basketball League | |||||||||
| Season | 2019–20 | |||||||||
| Games played | 73[N 1] | |||||||||
| Teams | 12 | |||||||||
| Regular season | ||||||||||
| League champions | No champions declared[1] | |||||||||
| BBL Cup | Worcester Wolves (1st title) | |||||||||
| BBL Trophy | Newcastle Eagles (7th title) | |||||||||
| Statistical leaders | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Records | ||||||||||
| Highest scoring |
| |||||||||
| Winning streak |
| |||||||||
| Losing streak |
| |||||||||
The 2019–20 BBL season was the 33rd campaign of the British Basketball League, the top British professional basketball league, since its in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland. On 17 March 2020, the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. On 1 June 2020, the season was cancelled, with no League or Playoffs champions declared.[2]
Changes to format
[edit]The 2019–20 season saw a significantly revamped format for the first time in a number of years.[3]
The newly-formatted BBL Cup began the 2019–20 season in September, with group stages (2 geographical groups, North and South, of 6 teams each) to determine 8 teams to progress to the Quarter-finals. Single-legged quarter finals and two-legged semi finals matches would determine the two finalists to contest the Cup final.
The Championship would run from December to April. All 12 teams were to play each other twice, once home once away, for a 22-game regular season (as opposed to previous years where teams would play each other 3 times for a 33-game regular season). The top 8 teams would qualify for the end of season Playoffs.
The Playoffs were due to run from April to May and for the first time in 21 years were due to be determined over a best-of-three series. The Playoffs Final would once again be held at the O2 Arena, London.
Teams
[edit]
Arenas and locations
[edit]| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Flyers | Bristol | SGS WISE Arena | 750
|
| Cheshire Phoenix | Ellesmere Port | Cheshire Oaks Arena | 1,400
|
| Radisson RED Glasgow Rocks | Glasgow | Emirates Arena | 1,650
|
| Leicester Riders | Leicester | Morningside Arena | 2,400
|
| London City Royals | London | Crystal Palace NSC | 1,500
|
| London Lions | London | Copper Box | 7,000
|
| Manchester Giants | Manchester | George H. Carnall Centre | 750
|
| Newcastle Eagles | Newcastle upon Tyne | Eagles Community Arena | 3,000
|
| Plymouth Raiders | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | 1,500
|
| B.Braun Sheffield Sharks | Sheffield | Ponds Forge | 1,000
|
| Surrey Scorchers | Guildford | Surrey Sports Park | 1,000
|
| Worcester Wolves | Worcester | University of Worcester Arena | 2,000
|
Personnel and sponsorship
[edit]| Team | Head coach | Captain | Main jersey sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Flyers |  Andreas Kapoulas[4]
|
 Daniel Edozie[5]
|
Toogood International |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Ben Thomas
|
 Momčilo Latinović
|
Hillyer McKeown |
| Radisson RED Glasgow Rocks |  Vincent Lavandier[6]
|
 Gareth Murray[7]
|
Carling |
| Leicester Riders |  Rob Paternostro
|
Andrew Thomson[8]
|
Jelson Homes |
| London City Royals | Lloyd Gardner[9]
|
Orlan Jackman
|
|
| London Lions | Vince Macaulay[10]
|
Joe Ikhinmwin[11]
|
ASOS |
| Manchester Giants | Danny Byrne[12]
|
Callum Jones
|
Space |
| Newcastle Eagles | Ian McLeod
|
Rahmon Fletcher
|
ESH Group |
| Plymouth Raiders | Paul James[13]
|
 Josh Wilcher
|
|
| B.Braun Sheffield Sharks | Atiba Lyons[14]
|
 Mike Tuck
|
B.Braun |
| Surrey Scorchers |  Creon Raftopoulos[15]
|
Tayo Ogedengbe[16]
|
Gidden Place |
| Worcester Wolves | Matthew Newby
|
 Maarten Bouwknecht
|
University of Worcester |
Coaching changes
[edit]| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Wolves | Tony Garbelotto
|
End of Interim[17] | 1 May 2019 | Pre-season | Matthew Newby
|
22 July 2019[18] |
| London City Royals | Jay Williams
|
Released [19] | 12 August 2019 | Pre-season | Lloyd Gardner
|
16 August 2019 [9] |
| Newcastle Eagles | Fabulous Flournoy
|
Signed by Toronto Raptors[20] | 3 September 2019 | Pre-season | Ian McLeod
|
6 September 2019 [21] |
BBL Cup
[edit]The newly-formatted BBL Cup began the 2019–20 season on Friday 20 September, with the group stages running until Sunday 24 November. The 12 teams were split into 2 geographical groups, North and South. Each team played each other twice (once home, once away) with the top 4 teams in each group progressing to the Quarter-finals. Single-legged quarter finals and two-legged semi finals matches determined the two finalists to contest the Cup final on Sunday 26 January at the Arena Birmingham.
Qualification Stage
[edit]North Group
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | LEI | SHE | NEW | CHE | GLA | MAN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester Riders | 10 | 7 | 3 | 812 | 676 | +136 | Qualification to quarter finals | — | 75–54 | 86–94 | 58–66 | 93–58 | 102–70 | |
| 2 | Sheffield Sharks | 10 | 7 | 3 | 804 | 723 | +81 | 79–63 | — | 93–69 | 75–60 | 84–68 | 95–61 | ||
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 10 | 6 | 4 | 868 | 794 | +74 | 69–76 | 80–83 | — | 97–68 | 71–73 | 104–71 | ||
| 4 | Cheshire Phoenix | 10 | 5 | 5 | 755 | 786 | −31 | 63–75 | 76–72 | 92–100 | — | 78–88 | 96–85 | ||
| 5 | Glasgow Rocks | 10 | 4 | 6 | 719 | 764 | −45 | 66–88 | 101–81 | 86–90 | 72–74 | — | 107–85 | ||
| 6 | Manchester Giants | 10 | 1 | 9 | 649 | 864 | −215 | 57–96 | 70–88 | 66–94 | 64–82 | 20–0 | — |
South Group
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | LCR | WOR | BRI | LON | SUR | PLY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London City Royals | 10 | 8 | 2 | 860 | 793 | +67 | Qualification to quarter finals | — | 77–64 | 84–57 | 92–77 | 92–84 | 101–92 | |
| 2 | Worcester Wolves | 10 | 6 | 4 | 798 | 798 | 0 | 65–67 | — | 74–70 | 92–67 | 77–78 | 104–100 | ||
| 3 | Bristol Flyers | 10 | 6 | 4 | 835 | 837 | −2 | 85–75 | 94–96 | — | 97–94 | 107–99 | 92–72 | ||
| 4 | London Lions | 10 | 5 | 5 | 892 | 872 | +20 | 100–99 | 85–90 | 103–69 | — | 98–87 | 101–86 | ||
| 5 | Surrey Scorchers | 10 | 3 | 7 | 829 | 862 | −33 | 82–84 | 77–83 | 64–71 | 80–77 | — | 87–77 | ||
| 6 | Plymouth Raiders | 10 | 2 | 8 | 849 | 901 | −52 | 87–89 | 83–53 | 76–93 | 80–90 | 96–91 | — |
Quarter-finals
[edit]Semi-finals
[edit]Final
[edit]26 January 2020
|
| Bristol Flyers | 59–67 | Worcester Wolves |
| Scoring by quarter: 12–16, 13–18, 18–13, 16–20 | ||
| Pts: Gentrey Thomas (13) Rebs: Daniel Edozie (10) Asts: Chris Taylor (4) |
Pts: Amir Williams (23) Rebs: Amir Williams (13) Asts: Maarten Bouwknecht (7) | |
BBL Championship
[edit]The BBL Championship ran from Friday 6 December – Tuesday 17 March. All 12 teams were scheduled to play each other twice, once home once away, for a 22-game regular season. On 24 January 2020, London City Royals withdrew from the league,[22] and their 1–3 record was expunged.[N 2]
On 17 March 2020, the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. On 1 June 2020, the season was cancelled, with no League or Playoffs champions declared.[2]
Standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Rocks | 15 | 12 | 3 | 1275 | 1089 | +186 | 24 | |
| 2 | London Lions | 14 | 10 | 4 | 1280 | 1159 | +121 | 20 | Basketball Champions League qualifying rounds[24] |
| 3 | Worcester Wolves | 14 | 9 | 5 | 1173 | 1106 | +67 | 18 | |
| 4 | Leicester Riders | 12 | 8 | 4 | 1048 | 975 | +73 | 16 | |
| 5 | Cheshire Phoenix | 13 | 7 | 6 | 1079 | 1060 | +19 | 14 | |
| 6 | Newcastle Eagles | 13 | 7 | 6 | 1147 | 1119 | +28 | 14 | |
| 7 | Sheffield Sharks | 13 | 7 | 6 | 1060 | 1060 | 0 | 14 | |
| 8 | Bristol Flyers | 12 | 5 | 7 | 937 | 992 | −55 | 10 | |
| 9 | Surrey Scorchers | 14 | 5 | 9 | 1243 | 1340 | −97 | 10 | |
| 10 | Plymouth Raiders | 13 | 3 | 10 | 1098 | 1185 | −87 | 6 | |
| 11 | Manchester Giants | 13 | 0 | 13 | 1003 | 1258 | −255 | 0 | |
| 12 | London City Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew from the league |
Results
[edit]Playoffs
[edit]The BBL Playoffs were due to run from Friday 24 April – Sunday 17 May, with the final to be held at the O2 Arena, London. The top 8 teams from the regular season of the BBL Championship would have contested the Playoffs, which for the first time in 21 years were to be determined over a best-of-three series.
BBL Trophy
[edit]The BBL Trophy retained the same format as introduced in the 2018–19 season. The twelve BBL teams were joined in the first round draw by four invited teams; Solent Kestrels and Worthing Thunder from the English Basketball League, Dunfermline Reign from the Scottish Basketball Championship and Basketball Wales. There was an open draw to form a bracket, mapping out each team's path to the final which was held, for the 8th consecutive year, at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.
First round
[edit]Quarter-finals
[edit]Semi-finals
[edit]Final
[edit]15 March 2020
3:30 pm |
| Newcastle Eagles | 96–94 (OT) | Solent Kestrels |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 24–23, 31–20, 10–22, Overtime: 9–7 | ||
| Pts: Rahmon Fletcher (29) Rebs: Cj Gettys (17) Asts: Cj Gettys (7) |
Pts: Elliott Sentance (26) Rebs: Travis Charles (10) Asts: Elliot Dadds (8) | |
British clubs in European competitions
[edit]No British clubs participated in European competition for the 2019–20 season. Leicester and London both declined their invitations from FIBA.[25]
Notes
[edit]- ^ A cumulative total of 77 games were played before the season was suspended and ultimately voided. Four games were expunged from the overall tallies, following London City Royals' withdrawal from the league.
- ^ The results expunged were a 98–90 victory over Plymouth Raiders, and losses of 104–89 against London Lions, 95–71 to Bristol Flyers and a 20–0 forfeit[23] against Glasgow Rocks.
- ^ The match had been scheduled for 26 January 2020. Bristol Flyers were given a bye into the semi-finals following London City Royals' withdrawal from the league.
References
[edit]- ^ Sutherland, Jonathan (1 June 2020). "Basketball: Glasgow upset as BBL ends season without awarding title". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ a b "BBL Cancels Remainder 2019/20 Season; Looks Ahead to 2020/21". British Basketball League. The Basketball League Ltd. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "BBL 2019–20 fixtures and dates confirmed – British Basketball League". 10 July 2019.
- ^ "Champion returns for second season with Bristol Flyers". 10 June 2019.
- ^ "Edozie back for fifth Flyers season". 25 June 2019.
- ^ "Rocks secure Lavandier Long Term | Glasgow Rocks Pro Basketball". Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "Rocks Secure Commonwealth Starlet". 12 June 2019.
- ^ "Andy Thomson re-signs for 2019/20 season! | Leicester Riders | Britain's oldest professional Basketball Club". Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Royals announce new Head Coach – Lloyd Gardner". Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "2PT Win for Evansville Aces in Summer Friendly". 4 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Number 7 Joe Ikhinmwin Makes It 7". 3 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Danny Byrne signs new Giants contract – Manchester Giants". 11 March 2019.
- ^ "Plymouth Raiders appoint coaching legend Paul James as new boss". 2 July 2018.
- ^ "B. Braun becomes new naming rights partner for Sheffield Sharks – Sheffield Sharks".
- ^ "Open Access Episode 11". 15 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ "Tayo Returns!". 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Worcester Wolves Look to Bring in New Head Coach". Worcester Wolves. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "Newby joins Worcester to lead the pack". Worcester Wolves. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ "Williams Dethroned at Royals".
- ^ "Flournoy Realises NBA Dream".
- ^ "Macleod Named Interim Head Coach".
- ^ "Royals withdraw from the BBL". British Basketball League. The Basketball League Ltd. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "Disciplinary Panel findings on Royals v Rocks". British Basketball League. The Basketball League Ltd. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
Based on these findings and in line with the BBL regulations, the Disciplinary Panel has awarded the game to Glasgow Rocks with a score of 20 to 0, and the Royals have been fined an undisclosed sum.
- ^ "Strongest BCL lineup to date ahead of season 5". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Riders Opt Out of Europe for 2019/20 | Leicester Riders | Britain's oldest professional Basketball Club". Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.