1996–97_British_Basketball_League_season
1996–97 British Basketball League season
Sports season
The 1996–97 BBL season was known as the Budweiser League for sponsorship reasons. The league retained a total of 13 teams, playing 36 games each. The main change featured the return of Crystal Palace after several seasons of rejected applications. Palace replaced Doncaster Panthers following the liquidation of the South Yorkshire club.[1]
| 1996–97 BBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | British Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Roll of Honour | |
| BBL champions | Leopards |
| Play Off's champions | London Towers |
| National Cup champions | Leopards |
| BBL Trophy champions | London Towers |
| British Basketball League seasons | |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
The League's two London-based teams dominated throughout the season, with the Leopards team claiming their first silverware in its franchise history after winning the Budweiser League and Sainsbury's Classic Cola Cup double. Their Capital foes, London Towers were equally successful throughout the campaign, clinching the 7 Up Trophy and pipping Leopards to the play-off title, with a one-point victory in the final at Wembley Arena against their rivals.
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leopards | 36 | 28 | 8 | 0.778 | 56 |
| 2 | London Towers | 36 | 26 | 10 | 0.722 | 52 |
| 3 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 26 | 10 | 0.722 | 52 |
| 4 | Birmingham Bullets | 36 | 26 | 10 | 0.722 | 52 |
| 5 | Chester Jets | 36 | 24 | 12 | 0.667 | 48 |
| 6 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 22 | 14 | 0.611 | 44 |
| 7 | Newcastle Eagles | 36 | 21 | 15 | 0.583 | 42 |
| 8 | Leicester Riders | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 9 | Derby Storm | 36 | 14 | 22 | 0.389 | 28 |
| 10 | Thames Valley Tigers | 36 | 14 | 22 | 0.389 | 28 |
| 11 | Worthing Bears | 36 | 12 | 24 | 0.333 | 24 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 5 | 31 | 0.138 | 10 |
| 13 | Hemel & Watford Royals | 36 | 2 | 34 | 0.055 | 4 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
Playoffs
Quarter-finals
(1) Leopards vs. (8) Leicester Riders
(2) London Towers vs. (7) Newcastle Eagles
(3) Sheffield Sharks vs. (6) Manchester Giants
(4) Birmingham Bullets vs. (5) Chester Jets
Semi-finals
Final
4 May 1997 |
| London Towers | 89–88 | Leopards |
| Pts: Keith Robinson (MVP) 25, Danny Lewis 22, Neville Austin 11, Roger Duhaney, Tony Windless, Alan Cunningham, Paul Deppisch, Karl Brown | Pts: Eric Burks 22, Ronnie Baker 20, Tim Davis 16, Robert Youngblood, John Tresvant, John White |
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ware Rebels | 26 | 21 | 5 | 0.808 | 47 |
| 2 | Plymouth Raiders | 26 | 20 | 6 | 0.769 | 46 |
| 3 | Coventry Crusaders | 26 | 18 | 8 | 0.693 | 44 |
| 4 | Guildford Swifts | 26 | 18 | 8 | 0.693 | 44 |
| 5 | Oxford Devils | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0.615 | 42 |
| 6 | Westminster Warriors | 26 | 15 | 11 | 0.578 | 41 |
| 7 | Stockton Mohawks | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0.538 | 40 |
| 8 | Cardiff Phoenix | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0.538 | 40 |
| 9 | Nottingham Knights | 26 | 12 | 14 | 0.462 | 37 |
| 10 | Bury & Bolton Wildcats | 26 | 11 | 15 | 0.423 | 36 |
| 11 | Mid-Sussex Magic | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0.385 | 36 |
| 12 | Brixton TopCats | 26 | 7 | 19 | 0.269 | 33 |
| 13 | Liverpool Atac | 26 | 6 | 20 | 0.231 | 32 |
| 14 | Solent Stars | 26 | 0 | 26 | 0.000 | 26 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
Playoffs
Semi-finals
Final
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solihull Chiefs | 26 | 25 | 1 | 0.962 | 51 |
| 2 | London Towers II | 26 | 22 | 4 | 0.846 | 48 |
| 3 | Thames Valley Tigers II | 26 | 20 | 6 | 0.769 | 46 |
| 4 | South Wales SS | 26 | 17 | 9 | 0.654 | 43 |
| 5 | South Bank Leopards | 26 | 15 | 11 | 0.578 | 41 |
| 6 | Derby Storm II | 26 | 15 | 11 | 0.578 | 41 |
| 7 | Slough Chargers | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0.538 | 40 |
| 8 | Northampton 89ers | 26 | 11 | 15 | 0.423 | 37 |
| 9 | Aston Adante | 26 | 9 | 17 | 0.346 | 35 |
| 10 | Swindon Sonics | 26 | 8 | 18 | 0.308 | 34 |
| 11 | Flintshire Flyers | 26 | 7 | 19 | 0.269 | 33 |
| 12 | Chessington Wildcats | 26 | 7 | 19 | 0.269 | 33 |
| 13 | Sheffield Forgers | 26 | 6 | 20 | 0.231 | 31 |
| 14 | Bournemouth Dolphins | 26 | 5 | 21 | 0.192 | 30 |
| = League winners | |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
Playoffs
Final
Fourth round
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester Giants | Crystal Palace | 91-61 |
| Coventry Crusaders | Sheffield Sharks | 56-86 |
| Birmingham Bullets | Hemel & Watford Royals | 91-84 |
| Cardiff Phoenix | London Towers | 55-95 |
| Ware Rebels | Newcastle Eagles | 70-102 |
| Thames Valley Tigers | Derby Storm | 80-79 |
| Worthing Bears | Leicester Riders | 74-84 |
| Chester Jets | Leopards | 103-112 |
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Sharks | Leicester Riders | 103-98 |
| London Towers | Manchester Giants | 83-74 |
| Newcastle Eagles | Birmingham Bullets | 99-93 |
| Thames Valley Tigers | Leopards | 87-102 |
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Sharks | Newcastle Eagles | 91-80 | 75-84 |
| Leopards | London Towers | 93-92 | 72-70 |
Final
19 January 1997[2] |
| Leopards | 87–79 | Sheffield Sharks |
| Pts: Eric Burks (MVP) 28, John White 28, Robert Youngblood 16, John Tresvant, Tim Davis, Ronnie Baker | Pts: Roger Huggins 26, Voise Winters 19, Todd Cauthorn, Deon Hames, Isaac Morgan, Ian McKinney, Jason Swaine, Chris Finch |
Group stage
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Sheffield Sharks | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2.Chester Jets | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.800 |
| 3.Leicester Riders | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 4.Manchester Giants | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 5.Derby Storm | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0.200 |
| 6.Newcastle Eagles | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0.200 |
Northern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Leopards | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2.Thames Valley Tigers | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 3.Worthing Bears | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 4.Birmingham Bullets | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 5.Crystal Palace | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0.400 |
| 6.Hemel & Watford Royals | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 |
Southern Group
Leicester finished ahead of Manchester by having the best head-to-head record between the teams, whilst Birmingham qualify as fourth-placed finishers with the best record. London received a bye into Quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
Birmingham Bullets vs. Leicester Riders
Leopards vs. London Towers
Thames Valley Tigers vs. Chester Jets
Worthing Bears vs. Sheffield Sharks
Semi-finals
Chester Jets vs. Leicester Riders
Sheffield Sharks vs. London Towers
Final
2 March 1997[3] |
| London Towers | 67–59 | Chester Jets |
| Pts: Karl Brown (MVP) 16, Neville Austin 14, Danny Lewis 13, Tony Windless 11, Keith Robinson, Alan Cunningham, Paul Deppisch | Pts: Hillary Scott 16, Billy Singleton 15, Ricardo Leonard 11, Russ Saunders 10, Nigel Palmer, Mark Ogley |
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham Attendance: ? Towers coach Kevin Cadle Chester coach Mike Burton |
- Most Valuable Player: John White (Leopards)
- Coach of the Year: Mike Burton (Chester Jets)
- All-Star Team:
- John White (Leopards)
- Ralph Blalock (Newcastle Eagles)
- Eric Burks (Leopards)
- Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets)
- James Hamilton (Worthing Bears)
- Roger Huggins (Sheffield Sharks)
- Danny Lewis (London Towers)
- Nigel Lloyd (Birmingham Bullets)
- Billy Singleton (Chester Jets)
- Voise Winters (Sheffield Sharks)
- ""Final place in Olympic team goes to Elliott." Times [London, England] 25 June 1996". The Times Digital Archive.
- "Nicholas Harling. "Leopards' leap puts them out of reach." Times [London, England] 20 January 1997". The Times Digital Archive.
- "Nicholas Harling. "Towers' strength in defence keeps grip on trophy." Times [London, England] 3 March 1997". The Times Digital Archive.
| Preceded by | BBL seasons 1996–97 |
Succeeded by |