2000–01 British Basketball League season
Introduction The '''2000–01 BBL season''', the 14th since its establishment of the British Basketball League, commenced on 30 September 2000 and ended on 7 April 2001, with a total of 13 teams competing. The regular season saw teams split into two geographically divided Conferences, seven in the North and six in the South, with northern teams playing 36 games and southern teams playing 34 games each. Sheffield Sharks were crowned winners of the North, while London Towers dominated the South, both teams tallying 27 wins in the regular season.Played in parallel with the regular season, the BBL’s peripheral competition the uni-ball Trophy was conquered by Chester Jets, after a 92-81 win against Newcastle Eagles. Teams also contested the NTL National Cup with clubs from the lower placed National Basketball League, with Leicester Riders prevailing in a close final against Greater London Leopards.Following the regular season, the top-four teams from each Conference progressed to the play-offs which ran from 14 April to 5 May, climaxing with the Play-off Final at Wembley Arena. Leicester Riders shocked bookmakers and fans alike, taking the Championship title with an 84-75 victory over Sheffield, adding to their National Cup success.London Towers was the league’s sole representative in European competition, appearing in the Euroleague. They failed to make the Round of 16, finishing 5th in the 6-team Group D with a 1-9 record.
Notable occurrences * London Towers opened their campaign in the Euroleague with an 86-61 win against the Frankfurt Skyliners on 18 October 2000.Kendrick Warren posted a game-high 21 points for the Towers. * On 6 November, Derby Storm's 104-84 home victory over Edinburgh Rocks ended the BBL’s longest ever losing streak, with Storm’s last league win coming on 26 March, an 88-91 victory away to Milton Keynes Lions. * Greater London Leopards undertook a mid-season tour of the United States throughout November, playing some of the top college teams in the country, finishing with a 2-3 record. * Birmingham Bullets’ attempt to sign Panamanian Antonio García, after he walked out on Derby a day earlier, was taken to court after Derby refused to release his registration. * Leicester Riders were crowned NTL National Cup champions on 7 January 2001, with an 84-82 win over Greater London Leopards at the Sheffield Arena ending a 30-year hunt for silverware. * The Northern Conference conquered in the annual All-Star Game, with a 161-148 victory over their Southern counterparts at the Telewest Arena on 20 January. Newcastle Eagles’ Tony Windless was voted MVP after scoring 25 points, while Thames Valley Tigers’ Tony Christie posted a game-high 29 points for the South. * Chester Jets won the uni-ball Trophy on 24 March, with a 92-81 win against Newcastle at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. The celebrations were even more noticeable after Chester coach Robbie Peers and the Jets team performed a conga-line around the court. Jets' Pero Cameron was named as MVP. * Leicester claimed their second piece of silverware for the season, adding the Play-off title to their earlier National Cup victory. Riders claimed the win on 5 May at Wembley Arena with an 84-75 victory over Sheffield Sharks, shooting an overall 57% from the floor. Larry Johnson was named as MVP.
BBL Championship (Tier 1) === Final standings ======= Northern Conference ====PosTeamPldWL%Pts1  Sheffield Sharks 36  27  9 0.750'''54'''2  Chester Jets 36  25  11 0.694'''50''' 3  Newcastle Eagles 36  20  16 0.555'''40''' 4  Leicester Riders 36  17  19 0.472'''34''' 5  Manchester Giants 36  15  21 0.416'''30''' 6  Derby Storm 36  6  30 0.166'''12''' 7  Edinburgh Rocks 36  5  31 0.138'''10''' ==== Southern Conference ====PosTeamPldWL%Pts1  London Towers 34  27  7 0.794'''54'''2  Greater London Leopards 34  24  10 0.705'''48''' 3  Milton Keynes Lions 34  21  13 0.617'''42''' 4  Birmingham Bullets 34  18  16 0.529'''36''' 5  Thames Valley Tigers 34  14  20 0.411'''28''' 6  Brighton Bears 34  9  25 0.264'''18'''    = Conference winners  = Qualified for the play-offs=== Playoffs ======= 1st round ======== Quarter-finals ======== Semi-finals ======== Final ====
National League Conference (Tier 2) === Final standings ===PosTeamPldWL%Pts1  Plymouth Raiders 21  19  2 0.905'''38'''2  Worthing Thunder Rebels 21  16  5 0.762'''32''' 3  Teesside Mohawks 21  15  6 0.714'''30''' 4  Manchester Magic 21  9  12 0.429'''18''' 5  Coventry Crusaders 21  7  14 0.333'''14''' 6  Inter-Basket London + 21  7  14 0.333'''13'''7  Solent Stars 21  6  15 0.286'''12''' 8  Sutton Pumas 21  5  16 0.238'''10'''    = League winners  = Qualified for the play-offs+ one point deductedPlay Off Final - Plymouth 83 Worthing 77
National League Division 1 (Tier 3) === Final standings ===PosTeamPldWL%Pts1  Oxford Devils 18  17  1 0.944'''34'''2  Reading Rockets 18  13  5 0.722'''26''' 3  Westminster Warriors 18  9  9 0.500'''18''' 4  Cardiff Clippers 18  8  10 0.444'''16''' 5  Kingston Wildcats 18  6  12 0.333'''12''' 6  Birmingham Aces 18  6  12 0.333'''12'''7  Liverpool 18  2  16 0.111'''4'''   = League winners  = Qualified for the play-offsPlay Off Final - Reading 97 Oxford 82
National League Division 2 (Tier 4) === Final standings ===PosTeamPldWL%Pts1  Derbyshire Arrows 24  24  0 1.000'''48'''2  Ealing Tornadoes 24  20  4 0.833'''40''' 3  Ware Rebels 24  17  7 0.718'''34''' 4  Hull Icebergs 24  16  8 0.667'''32''' 5  North London Lords 24  15  9 0.625'''30''' 6  Doncaster Panthers 24  12  12 0.500'''24'''7  Taunton Tigers 24  12  12 0.500'''24''' 8  Mansfield Express 24  11  13 0.458'''22''' 9  NW London Wolverines 24  9  15 0.375'''18''' 10  Northampton Neptunes 24  7  17 0.292'''14''' 11  Brixton TopCats 24  6  18 0.250'''12''' 12  South London Bulls 24  5  19 0.208'''10'''13  Swindon Sonics 24  3  21 0.125'''6'''   = League winners  = Qualified for the play-offsPlay Off Final - Ealing v Derbyshire 82-81
National League Division 3 (Tier 5) === Final standings ===PosTeamPldWL%Pts1  Bristol Bombers 22  20  2 0.909'''40'''2  Worcester Wolves 22  18  4 0.818'''36''' 3  Thames Valley Tigers II 22  18  4 0.818'''36''' 4  Dudley Bears 22  12  10 0.545'''24''' 5  Barking & Dag. Erkenwald 22  11  11 0.500'''22''' 6  Nottingham College 22  11  11 0.500'''22'''7  Brighton Cougars 22  11  11 0.500'''22''' 8  University of Birmingham 22  10  12 0.455'''20''' 9  Northumbria University 22  8  14 0.364'''16''' 10  Tamar Valley Cannons 22  6  16 0.273'''12''' 11  Derby Storm II 22  3  19 0.136'''6''' 12  Colchester Alliance 22  3  19 0.136''6'''    = League winners  = Qualified for the play-offs
NTL National Cup === Last 16 === Team 1 Team 2 Score Worthing Thunder  Greater London Leopards  67-108 Thames Valley Tigers  Sheffield Sharks  112-100 Brighton Bears  Manchester Giants  72-74 Chester Jets  Newcastle Eagles  85-100 Teesside Mohawks  Leicester Riders  102-110 Birmingham Bullets  Solent Stars  109-61 Derby Storm  Edinburgh Rocks  86-59 Milton Keynes Lions  London Towers  81-83=== Quarter-finals === Team 1 Team 2 Score Derby Storm  Thames Valley Tigers  74-87 London Towers  Manchester Giants  70-61 Greater London Leopards  Newcastle Eagles  103-100 Birmingham Bullets  Leicester Riders  109-118=== Semi-finals === Team 1 Team 2 Score Leicester Riders  Thames Valley Tigers  95-85  Greater London Leopards  London Towers  84-82=== Final ===
uni-ball Trophy === Group stage ==='''Group A'''TeamPtsPldWLPercent1. '''Chester Jets''''''10'''6510.8332. '''Greater London Leopards''''''8'''6420.6663. '''Sheffield Sharks''''''6'''6330.5004.Brighton Bears'''0'''6060.000* Sheffield qualified as the third-place team with the best record on basket difference. '''Group B'''TeamPtsPldWLPercent1. '''Thames Valley Tigers''''''8'''6420.6662. '''Derby Storm''''''6'''6330.5003.Birmingham Bullets'''6'''6330.5004.Leicester Riders'''4'''6240.333* Derby qualified ahead of Birmingham on head-to-head results, losing 76-74 and winning 106-90. '''Group C'''TeamPtsPldWLPercent1. '''Newcastle Eagles''''''10'''6510.8332. '''Milton Keynes Lions''''''8'''6420.6663.Manchester Giants'''6'''6330.5004.Edinburgh Rocks'''0'''6060.000* London Towers received a bye into the Quarter-finals, due to scheduling conflicts with their Euroleague campaign.=== Quarter-finals ====== Semi-finals ====== Final ===
All-Star Game +'''Northern All-Stars'''Player Team  James Hamilton Chester Jets  Malcolm Leak  Leicester Riders  Donnie Johnson  Newcastle Eagles  Loren Meyer  Chester Jets  Barry Bowman  Derby Storm  Purnell Perry  Leicester Riders  Justin Phoenix  Manchester Giants  Terrell Myers  Sheffield Sharks   Tony Windless  Newcastle Eagles  Ted Berry  Edinburgh Rocks  Ralph Blalock  Leicester Riders   Nate Reinking  Sheffield Sharks Coach  Robbie Peers  Chester Jets+'''Southern All-Stars'''Player Team  Antonio Garcia  Birmingham Bullets  John McCord  Thames Valley Tigers  Andrew Alleyne  Milton Keynes Lions  Kendrick Warren  London Towers   Jason Siemon  Milton Keynes Lions  Rashod Johnson  Greater London Leopards  Wilbur Johnson  Brighton Bears  Tony Christie  Thames Valley Tigers  Brant Bailey  Birmingham Bullets  Maurice Robinson  Greater London Leopards   Nigel Lloyd  Milton Keynes Lions  Randy Duck  London Towers Coach  Nick Nurse  Brighton Bears
Statistics leaders CategoryPlayerStatPoints per game  John McCord (Thames Valley)   25.50Rebounds per game  Antonio García (Derby/Birmingham)   14.90Assists per game  Nigel Lloyd (Milton Keynes)  5.86
Seasonal awards * '''Most Valuable Player:''' Loren Meyer (Chester Jets)* '''Coach of the Year:''' Robbie Peers (Chester Jets)* '''All-Star First Team:'''** Loren Meyer (Chester Jets)** Kendrick Warren (London Towers)** Steve Bucknall (London Towers)** Tony Windless (Newcastle Eagles)** John McCord (Thames Valley Tigers)* '''All-Star Second Team:'''** James Hamilton (Chester Jets)** Nate Reinking (Sheffield Sharks)** Barry Bowman (Derby Storm)** Nigel Lloyd (Milton Keynes Lions)** Terrell Myers (Sheffield Sharks)
References