Newcastle Eagles | |||
---|---|---|---|
Leagues | SLB (Men) SLB (Women) ENBL | ||
Established | Men: 1976 Women: 2018 | ||
History | EPAB Sunderland 1976–1977 Sunderland Sunblest 1977–1980 Sunderland Saints 1980–1983 Austin Rover Sunderland 1983–1984 Sunderland Maestros 1984–1985 Sunderland 1985–1986 Sunderland 76ers 1986–1990 Sunderland Saints 1990–1993 Sunderland Scorpions 1993–1995 Newcastle Comets 1995–1996 Newcastle Eagles 1996–present | ||
Arena | Vertu Motors Arena | ||
Capacity | 2,800 | ||
Location | Newcastle upon Tyne | ||
Team colours | Black, gold, white | ||
Main sponsor | Men: Newcastle College University Centre Women: Newcastle International Airport | ||
Head coach | Men: Marc Steutel Women: Chloe Gaynor | ||
Ownership | Paul Blake, Ken Nottage | ||
2023-24 position | BBL: 6th WBBL: 7th ENBL: Quarter-final | ||
Championships | Men: 7 BBL Championship 7 BBL Playoffs 6 BBL Cup 7 BBL Trophy 1 English National Cup 2 NBL Playoffs | ||
Website | newcastle-eagles | ||
The Newcastle Eagles are a professional basketball club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They play in Super League Basketball, the top-tier professional basketball league in Britain for men and women, and the European North Basketball League. They are the most successful club in the history of British men's professional basketball, with 27 British professional titles and 3 English titles as of 2024.
The team was originally founded as EPAB Sunderland, based at the Northumbria Centre in Washington, and began competing in the Second Division of the English National Basketball League in 1976. In 1987, Sunderland became a founding member of the breakaway British Basketball League with other top-flight English and Scottish clubs. They remained in Sunderland until 1995, when they moved to Newcastle and renamed to the Newcastle Comets, before becoming the Eagles in 1996. Their first Newcastle home was the Newcastle Arena, followed by Northumbria University's Sport Central in 2010. The Eagles moved into their own purpose-built arena, the Eagles Community Arena (known as the Vertu Motors Arena for sponsorship purposes), in January 2019 when they hosted the Plymouth Raiders. [1] Their traditional arch rivals are the Caledonia Gladiators, however in recent years a fierce rivalry with the Leicester Riders has also developed.
The club's roots can be traced back to the founding of EPAB Sunderland in 1976. The club played in Washington at the Northumbria Centre under various monikers throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, managing a second place league finish in 1983, as well as two play-off victories at Wembley in 1981 & '83. [2] In 1995, the owner Dave Elderkin moved the club to Newcastle, to be known as the Newcastle Comets. [2] Soon afterwards the club was bought by Sir John Hall, then the chairman of Newcastle United, adding them to his Newcastle Sporting Group of the city's football, ice hockey and rugby teams. Hall's Sporting Club group was considered by most observers to be a relative failure and upon its dissolution, Ken Nottage and Paul Blake became the Eagles' new owners. The final name change, from the Comets to the Eagles, took place in 1996. Performances remained consistent with the club achieving regular top five league placings from 1998 onwards.
The 2005–06 season proved to be the most successful in their history so far when, under the guidance of player/coach Fabulous Flournoy, the club achieved a "clean sweep" of trophies, including the BBL Cup, BBL Trophy and Championship "double".
In addition, Flournoy picked up the BBL Coach of the Year and former Villanova Wildcat, Andrew Sullivan, was voted BBL Player of the Year. Flournoy, Sullivan and Andrew Bridge were also members of the bronze medal winning England team in the 2006 Commonwealth Games during March 2006.
At the start of the 2007–08 season it was announced that Nike and Northern Rock were to sponsor the Eagles, bringing in more money to the club. Also, the signing of Richard Midgley gave great hope that the eagles could challenge Guildford Heat to regain the BBL League title. However, after a bust up with player/coach, Fab Flournoy he soon left to join the Everton Tigers. This meant there was no point guard and this led to the signing of Bryan Defares who could not settle in England and he too left. Finally, at the third attempt, Steve Leven (former NBA prospect) was signed despite his bad boy reputation. After defeat in the BBL Cup, then later defeat in the BBL Trophy Final the Eagles were in danger of having a poor season. Fortunately, after a miraculous overtime win against Guildford Heat, they won the BBL League Title.
At the start of the 2008–09 season they were strengthened by the signing of Trey Moore from Cheshire Jets. After an indifferent start, they embarked on a 17 match winning run to become the first team for nearly two decades to retain the BBL title, finishing 8 points ahead of Everton Tigers. They also reached the semi-finals of the BBL Cup, losing narrowly to Everton Tigers on aggregate before gaining revenge by beating them home and away in the BBL Trophy semi-final. The Eagles beat Guildford Heat at The Spectrum in the Final. In the play-offs they narrowly avoided an upset after seeing off Cheshire Jets 88–83 before beating Plymouth Raiders to form a match against Everton Tigers once again. Despite 30 points from ex-Eagles Richard Midgley, the Eagles held on for a 97–94 win, therefore winning the treble to cap off their most successful season since the clean sweep.
In the 2009–10 season the Eagles again retained the BBL title, finishing 2 points ahead of Sheffield Sharks. The league title actually came down to the last game of the season with Sheffield Sharks losing their last game of the season 97–95 to Worthing Thunder thanks to Evaldas Zabas' basket 4 seconds from the end. This completed the double for the Eagles who had won the BBL Trophy by beating 111–95 in the Final at The Spectrum. In the BBL Cup Eagles lost 64–61 in the quarter-finals to Cheshire Jets and in the play-offs Everton Tigers beat the Eagles 190–158 on aggregate in the two legged semi-final.
At the start of the 2010–2011 season it was announced that the Esh Group, along with partners Northumbria University and Northumbrian Water would be the new main sponsors of the Eagles. [3] In the BBL Cup the Eagles were beaten 204–182 on aggregate by the Mersey Tigers in the semi-finals. Eagles had won the first leg at home 97–90 but lost the second leg away 114–85. It was the Mersey Tigers who would beat the Eagles in the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy also. After a rare first leg draw (82–82) away from home, the Eagles went down 77–74 at home.
The club repeated the feat of 2005–06 by winning all of the trophies on offer in a season for a second time 2011–12. The previous season was the first time since 2003–04 that they had failed to win a trophy. They lost 7 league games, 3 less than in 2005–06, although this time around they were only required to play 30 games, 10 less than in 2005–06. They clinched the clean sweep with a victory over Leicester in the play-off final on 12 May. A hat-trick of sweeps was completed in the 2014–15 season.
In January 2019, the Eagles moved into their own purpose-built arena on the Scotswood Road. [4] Success did not follow them there at first, as they crashed out of the BBL Trophy, Cup and Playoffs without reaching any finals, and finished 3rd in the BBL for the second consecutive season..
On the night of their first preseason game ahead of the 2019-20 British Basketball League season, the club was rocked by the announcement that head coach Fabulous Flournoy would leave the club after 17 years. Flournoy joined the Toronto Raptors, the then-defending NBA champions, as an assistant coach, reuniting with his friend and mentor Nick Nurse, who gave him his first professional contract with the Birmingham Bullets in 1996. Assistant coach Ian MacLeod was announced as his interim replacement as head coach. [5] In a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, MacLeod was able to lead the Eagles to the 2020 BBL Trophy title, defeating NBL side Solent Kestrels, which had made an historic run as an invited team from the English NBL by beating established BBL clubs London Lions and Bristol Flyers, as well as fellow NBL side Worthing Thunder.
In the following 2020-21 season, further success followed as the club defeated London in two tense finals to capture the BBL Cup [6] and Playoffs [7] titles, recording their 6th and 7th titles in those competitions respectively, the most for any BBL club. The following season, however, saw the Eagles slump to 9th in the regular season and miss out on postseason basketball for the first time since 2000.
The 2022-23 season saw Great Britain coach Marc Steutel replace MacLeod as head coach. [8] The team continued to struggle in all competitions, but returned to the Playoffs. Results improved in the following 2023-24 season, as the team recorded a 6th place finish in the league and advanced to the semi-finals in the Playoffs, where they lost to a dominant London Lions side which included former NBA players Sam Dekker [9] and David Nwaba. [10] Newcastle also made their first foray into European basketball since the club moved to the city, entering the European North Basketball League for the first time. [11] A strong debut campaign followed, as the Eagles finished 3rd in their group and advanced to the playoffs, where they narrowly lost in a two-legged tie to eventual champions Bakken Bears of Denmark. [12] Eagles guard Rickey McGill was named MVP for the 2023-24 ENBL season. [13]
In the off-season following the 2023-24 BBL season, the league's operating company was stripped of its licence to organise the league by governing body British Basketball due to financial concerns. [14] A consortium of the participating clubs was issued a 3-year interim licence to organise a new league, which was christened Super League Basketball, and replaced the BBL as the premier professional league in Britain. [15]
After the 2017-18 Women's British Basketball League season, Northumbria University decided that they were going to focus on BUCS competitions going forward, which meant that their successful Team Northumbria WBBL team would be shut down. The Newcastle Eagles and the university came to an agreement where the Eagles would take over the Team Northumbria WBBL side and keep a top-flight women's team in the North East. [16] In Newcastle Eagles colours, the women's team have been competitive, reaching the Playoffs final twice and the Cup final once, although a first major trophy as Eagles continues to elude them.
The first Eagles women's head coach was Chris Bunten, who moved across to the Eagles from Team Northumbria after previously leading the university side to the WBBL Playoffs title in 2016. [17] Several players moved across with him, including new captain Giulia Simioni [18] and team regular Rachael Bland. [19] The team's first season in Eagles colours yielded a 7th-place finish in the league and early exits from other competitions. The 2019-20 season, which was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, saw some improvement, as the Eagles reached the semi-final of the WBBL Cup. In the 2020-21 season, despite another 7th-place finish in the league, the Eagles reached the final of the WBBL Playoff, after defeating the 2nd-placed Leicester Riders 79-73 in the quarter-final [20] and league champions Sevenoaks Suns 79-72 in the semi-final. [21] An historic title for the underdogs was not to be, however, as the Eagles fell 93-71 to London Lions in the final. [22]
Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | Trophy | Cup | Head coach | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
EPAB Sunderland | ||||||||||||
1976–1977 | NBL2 | II | 4th | 20 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 0.650 | N/A | N/A | (NC) | |
1977–1978 | NBL2 | II | 1st | 20 | 20 | 0 | 40 | 1.000 | N/A | N/A | (NC) | |
Sunderland Sunblest | ||||||||||||
1978–1979 | NBL | I | 7th | 20 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 0.350 | Did not qualify | N/A | (NC) | |
1979–1980 | NBL | I | 6th | 18 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 0.500 | Did not qualify | N/A | (NC) | |
Sunderland Saints | ||||||||||||
1980–1981 | NBL | I | 4th | 18 | 11 | 7 | 22 | 0.611 | Winners, beating Crystal Palace, 96-92 | N/A | Semi-final (NC) | |
1981–1982 | NBL | I | 3rd | 22 | 16 | 6 | 32 | 0.727 | Runners-up, losing to Crystal Palace, 86-111 | N/A | Quarter-final (NC) | |
Sunderland Saints/Maestros | ||||||||||||
1982–1983 | NBL | I | 2nd | 24 | 18 | 6 | 36 | 0.750 | Winners, beating Crystal Palace, 75-74 | N/A | Quarter-final (NC) | |
Austin Rover Sunderland | ||||||||||||
1983–1984 | NBL | I | 5th | 36 | 23 | 13 | 46 | 0.638 | Did not qualify | N/A | Semi-final (NC) | |
Sunderland Maestros | ||||||||||||
1984–1985 | NBL | I | 9th | 26 | 12 | 14 | 24 | 0.461 | Did not qualify | N/A | 1st round (NC) | |
Sunderland | ||||||||||||
1985–1986 | NBL | I | 13th | 28 | 8 | 20 | 16 | 0.285 | Did not qualify | N/A | Quarter-final (NC) | |
Sunderland 76ers | ||||||||||||
1986–1987 | NBL | I | 10th | 24 | 7 | 17 | 14 | 0.291 | Did not qualify | N/A | 2nd round (NC) | |
1987–1988 | BBL | I | 12th | 28 | 8 | 20 | 16 | 0.286 | Did not qualify | 1st round (LT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
1988–1989 | BBL | I | 6th | 20 | 12 | 8 | 24 | 0.600 | Quarter-final | 1st round (LT) | 1st round (NC) | Craig Lynch |
1989–1990 | BBL | I | 3rd | 28 | 20 | 8 | 40 | 0.714 | Runners-up, losing to Kingston, 82-87 | Semi-final (LT) | Runners-up (NC) | Craig Lynch |
Sunderland Saints | ||||||||||||
1990–1991 | BBL | I | 2nd | 24 | 18 | 6 | 36 | 0.750 | Runners-up | 1st round (LT) | Winners, beating Leicester, 88–81 | Craig Lynch Dave Elderkin |
1991–1992 | BBL | I | 10th | 30 | 3 | 27 | 6 | 0.100 | Did not qualify | 1st round (LT) | 3rd round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
1992–1993 | BBL | I | 11th | 33 | 6 | 27 | 12 | 0.181 | Did not qualify | 1st round (LT) | 3rd round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
Sunderland Scorpions | ||||||||||||
1993–1994 | BBL | I | 10th | 36 | 13 | 23 | 26 | 0.361 | Did not qualify | 1st round (LT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
1994–1995 | BBL | I | 13th | 36 | 4 | 32 | 8 | 0.111 | Did not qualify | 1st round (LT) | 4th round (NC) | Dave Elderkin |
Newcastle Comets | ||||||||||||
1995–1996 | BBL | I | 10th | 36 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 0.440 | Did not qualify | Quarter-final (LT) | 4th round (NC) | Tom Hancock |
Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | Trophy | Cup | Head coach | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
Newcastle Eagles | ||||||||||||
1996–97 | BBL | I | 7th | 36 | 21 | 15 | 42 | 0.583 | Quarter-final | 1st round (LT) | Semi-final (NC) | Tom Hancock |
1997–98 | BBL | I | 3rd | 36 | 25 | 11 | 50 | 0.694 | Quarter-final | Semi-final (LT) | 4th round (NC) | Craig Lynch |
1998–99 | BBL | I | 5th | 36 | 21 | 15 | 42 | 0.583 | Quarter-final | Quarter-final (LT) | Semi-final (NC) | Craig Lynch |
1999–00 | BBL N | I | 6th | 36 | 10 | 26 | 20 | 0.277 | Did not qualify | Quarter-final (LT) | 1st round (NC) | Craig Lynch |
2000–01 | BBL N | I | 3rd | 36 | 20 | 16 | 40 | 0.555 | 1st round | Runners-up (LT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Tony Garbelotto |
2001–02 | BBL N | I | 3rd | 32 | 17 | 15 | 34 | 0.531 | Quarter-final | Quarter-final (BT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Tony Garbelotto |
2002–03 | BBL | I | 5th | 40 | 25 | 15 | 50 | 0.625 | Semi-final | Semi-final (BT) | Quarter-final (NC) | Fab Flournoy |
2003–04 | BBL | I | 6th | 36 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 0.500 | Quarter-final | 1st round (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2004–05 | BBL | I | 2nd | 40 | 31 | 9 | 62 | 0.775 | Winners, beating Chester, 78–75 | Winners, beating Brighton, 85–60 | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2005–06 | BBL | I | 1st | 40 | 30 | 10 | 60 | 0.750 | Winners, beating Scottish, 83–68 | Winners, beating Leicester, 71–50 | Winners, beating London, 83–69 | Fab Flournoy |
2006–07 | BBL | I | 3rd | 36 | 25 | 11 | 50 | 0.694 | Winners, beating Scottish, 95–82 | Runners-up (BT) | Semi-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2007–08 | BBL | I | 1st | 33 | 29 | 4 | 58 | 0.878 | Semi-final | Runners-up (BT) | Runners-up (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2008–09 | BBL | I | 1st | 33 | 28 | 5 | 56 | 0.848 | Winners, beating Everton, 87–84 | Winners, beating Guildford, 83–71 | Semi-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2009–10 | BBL | I | 1st | 36 | 31 | 5 | 62 | 0.861 | Semi-final | Winners, beating Cheshire, 115–95 | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2010–11 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 24 | 9 | 48 | 0.727 | Semi-final | Semi-final (BT) | Semi-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2011–12 | BBL | I | 1st | 30 | 23 | 7 | 46 | 0.733 | Winners, beating Leicester, 71–62 | Winners, beating Plymouth, 184–177 agg. | Winners, beating Plymouth, 115–94 | Fab Flournoy |
2012–13 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 25 | 8 | 50 | 0.758 | Runners-up | Quarter-final (BT) | Runners-up (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2013–14 | BBL | I | 1st | 33 | 28 | 5 | 56 | 0.848 | Runners-up | Quarter-final (BT) | Runners-up (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2014–15 | BBL | I | 1st | 36 | 31 | 5 | 62 | 0.861 | Winners, beating London, 96–84 | Winners, beating Leicester, 96–90 | Winners, beating Glasgow, 84–71 | Fab Flournoy |
2015–16 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 28 | 5 | 56 | 0.848 | Quarter-final | Runners-up (BT) | Winners, beating Leicester, 94–82 | Fab Flournoy |
2016–17 | BBL | I | 2nd | 33 | 23 | 10 | 46 | 0.697 | Runners-up | Quarter-final (BT) | Winners, beating Glasgow, 91–83 | Fab Flournoy |
2017–18 | BBL | I | 3rd | 33 | 22 | 11 | 44 | 0.667 | Quarter-final | Quarter-final (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2018–19 | BBL | I | 3rd | 33 | 21 | 12 | 42 | 0.636 | Quarter-final | Quarter-final (BT) | Semi-final (BC) | Fab Flournoy |
2019–20 | BBL | I | Regular season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | - | Winners, beating Solent, 96–94 OT | Quarter-final (BC) | Ian MacLeod | |||||
2020–21 | BBL | I | 4th | 30 | 18 | 12 | 36 | 0.600 | Winners, beating London, 68–66 | Quarter-final (BT) | Winners, beating London, 84-77 | Ian MacLeod |
2021–22 | BBL | I | 9th | 27 | 10 | 17 | 20 | 0.370 | Did not qualify | 1st round (BT) | Group stage (BC) | Ian MacLeod |
2022–23 | BBL | I | 8th | 36 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 0.305 | Quarter-final | 1st round (BT) | Quarter-final (BC) | Marc Steutel |
2023–24 | BBL | I | 6th | 36 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 0.500 | Semi-final | 1st round (BT) | - | Marc Steutel |
2024–25 | SLB | I | 3rd* | 5 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 0.800 | TBD* | TBD* | TBD* | Marc Steutel |
*- Season in progress
Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | Trophy | Cup | Head coach | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
2018–19 | WBBL | I | 7th | 22 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 0.455 | Quarter-final | Group stage | Quarter-final | Chris Bunten |
2019–20 | WBBL | I | Regular season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | - | Group stage | Semi-final | Chris Bunten | |||||
2020–21 | WBBL | I | 7th | 20 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 0.350 | Runners-up | Quarter-final | Group stage | Chris Bunten |
2021–22 | WBBL | I | 10th | 24 | 7 | 17 | 20 | 0.292 | Did not qualify | 1st round | Runners-up | Chris Bunten/Noelia Cacheiro |
2022–23 | WBBL | I | 8th | 22 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 0.409 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | 1st round | Matt Newby |
2023–24 | WBBL | I | 6th | 20 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 0.450 | Runners-up | 1st round | - | Matt Newby |
2024-25 | SLB | I | 5th* | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0.667 | TBD* | TBD* | - | Matt Newby/Chloe Gaynor |
*- Season in progress
Season | Group stage | Playoffs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Group | Position | Played | Won | Lost | Points +/- | Points | ||
2023–24 | A | 3rd | 7 | 5 | 2 | +34 | 12 | Quarter-final |
2024–25 | A | 2nd* | 6 | 5 | 1 | +35 | 11 | TBD* |
*- Season in progress
Accurate as of 7 October 2014 (Includes BBL Championship games only)
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
Newcastle Eagles roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 1 December 2024 |
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
Newcastle Eagles roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 1 December 2024 |
– Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player.
– Played at least one official international match for his senior national team at any time.
Stats correct up to and including 31 May 2024
Name | From | To | Regular season | Play-offs | Cup | Trophy | Total | Win % | Notes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | W | L | D | W | L | D | W | L | W | L | % | |||||
Dave Elderkin | 1987 | 1988 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 3 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 33.33% | ||
Craig Lynch | 1988 | 1990 | 32 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | – | 6 | 12 | 40 | 33 | 51.94% | ||
Dave Elderkin | 1991 | 1995 | 26 | 109 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | 9 | 30 | 122 | 19.74% | ||
Tom Hancock | 1995 | 1997 | 32 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | – | 2 | 7 | 38 | 51 | 42.70% | ||
Craig Lynch | 1997 | 2000 | 56 | 52 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | – | 11 | 10 | 71 | 69 | 50.71% | ||
Tony Garbelotto | 2000 | 2002 | 37 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | 10 | 5 | 50 | 40 | 55.55% | ||
Fabulous Flournoy | 2002 | 2019 | 417 | 137 | 38 | 15 | 0 | 32 | 13 | 1 | 58 | 16 | 545 | 181 | 76.60% | ||
Ian MacLeod | 2019 | 2022 | 35 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 13 | – | 5 | 3 | 57 | 52 | 52.29% | ||
Marc Steutel | 2022 | - | 29 | 43 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | 3 | 34 | 51 | 40.00% | ||
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The 2011–12 BBL 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. The League did not feature two teams from the previous season; Worthing Thunder had stepped down to the EBL, whilst Essex Pirates withdrew just two weeks prior to the season starting due to the loss of a major sponsor. 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.
The 2012–13 BBL season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001. East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season. The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions, whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.
The 2013–14 BBL season was the 27th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland, including new entrant Birmingham Knights. East London Royals and Essex Leopards were both due to become the 13th and 14th League members respectively, but after deferring their original entries from the 2012–13 season for a season, both franchises withdrew their applications to join the BBL due to financial constraints.
The Women's British Basketball League (WBBL) was the top-level women's basketball league in Great Britain, founded on 5 June 2014 as the women's counterpart to the British Basketball League (BBL). The league's headquarters sat in Leicester alongside the offices of the men's BBL. It was replaced by Super League Basketball like the men’s competition.
The British Basketball League Championship, often shortened to the BBL Championship, is the top-level men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. Established in 1987, the competition is administered by the British Basketball League and comprises 10 teams from both England and Scotland. Each team plays a 36-game regular season, from September until April, with the team that finishes in first place being crowned as League champions.
The Solent Kestrels are an English professional basketball club based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. Founded in 1998, the Kestrels play their home games at the Solent Sports Complex at Solent University.
The 2017–18 BBL Trophy was the 30th edition of the BBL Trophy, an annual cup competition for British basketball teams, organised by the British Basketball League (BBL). Besides BBL clubs, clubs from the National Basketball League (NBL) participated. The Leicester Riders won their third trophy title. The competition was played from 8 December 2017 until 4 March 2018.
The Caledonia Gladiators are a professional basketball club based in East Kilbride, Scotland. The Gladiators compete as the sole Scottish-based team in the Super League Basketball, the top tier of domestic basketball in the United Kingdom.