From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1997–98 British Basketball League season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | 1997–98 BBL season |
| league | British Basketball League |
| sport | Basketball |
| playoffs | Roll of Honour |
| conf1 | BBL |
| conf1_champ | Greater London Leopards |
| conf2 | Play Off's |
| conf2_champ | Birmingham Bullets |
| conf3 | National Cup |
| conf3_champ | Thames Valley Tigers |
| conf4 | BBL Trophy |
| conf4_champ | Sheffield Sharks |
| seasonslist | List of British Basketball League seasons |
| seasonslistnames | British Basketball League |
| prevseason_year | 1996–97 |
| nextseason_year | 1998–99 |
| conf1_runner-up = | Play Off's = | conf2_runner-up = | conf3_runner-up = | conf4_runner-up =
The 1997–98 BBL season was known as the Budweiser League for sponsorship reasons. The league featured the same 13 teams as the previous year, playing 36 games each. The only change saw the Hemel Royals renamed the Watford Royals.
Greater London Leopards clinched their second successive Budweiser League title only by virtue of an overtime win in their final game of the season against Sheffield Sharks. Leopards' 102–106 victory in Sheffield meant they finished level on points with title-rivals Birmingham Bullets, but were crowned Champions due to a better head-to-head record over the Midlands team. Birmingham gained some consolation by taking their second Play-off Championship in three years at Wembley Arena, beating off a tough challenge from Thames Valley Tigers, winning 78–75. The Thames Valley Tigers won the National Cup and the Sheffield claimed their first uni-ball Trophy with an 82–79 win over London Towers at the National Exhibition Centre.
London Towers represented the Budweiser League in European competition, participating in the EuroCup.
Notable occurrences
- Greater London Leopards won the League title in the final game of the season on April 5, 1998, with a 102–106 overtime victory at Sheffield Sharks. Regulation time ended on 90–90, but Leopards' Eric Burks sunk 9 of their 16 overtime points to win the title for the second successive season.
Budweiser League Championship (Tier 1)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater London Leopards | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0.806 | 58 | |
| 2 | Birmingham Bullets | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0.806 | 58 | |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 36 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 50 | |
| 4 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 50 | |
| 5 | Thames Valley Tigers | 36 | 24 | 12 | 0.667 | 48 | |
| 6 | London Towers | 36 | 23 | 13 | 0.638 | 46 | |
| 7 | Derby Storm | 36 | 16 | 20 | 0.444 | 32 | |
| 8 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 | |
| 9 | Leicester Riders | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 | |
| 10 | Chester Jets | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 | |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 8 | 28 | 0.222 | 16 | |
| 12 | Worthing Bears | 36 | 7 | 29 | 0.194 | 14 | |
| 13 | Watford Royals | 36 | 3 | 33 | 0.083 | 6 |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
|---|
Playoffs
Quarter-finals
(1) Greater London Leopards vs. (8) Manchester Giants
(2) Birmingham Bullets vs. (7) Derby Storm
(3) Newcastle Eagles vs. (6) London Towers
(4) Sheffield Sharks vs. (5) Thames Valley Tigers
Semi-finals
Third-place game
Final
Bullets coach Mike Finger Tigers coach Paul James
National League Division 1 (Tier 2)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond Jaguars | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0.958 | 40 | |
| 2 | Plymouth Raiders | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0.864 | 38 | |
| 3 | Stevenage Rebels | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 32 | |
| 4 | Teesside Mohawks | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0.636 | 28 | |
| 5 | Solihull Chiefs | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.592 | 26 | |
| 6 | Coventry Crusaders | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.592 | 26 | |
| 7 | Guildford Pumas | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0.455 | 20 | |
| 8 | Oxford Devils | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0.409 | 18 | |
| 9 | Westminster Warriors | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0.273 | 12 | |
| 10 | Cardiff Phoenix | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 | |
| 11 | Mid-Sussex Magic | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 | |
| 12 | Brixton TopCats | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
|---|
Playoffs
Semi-finals
Final
National League Division 2 (Tier 3)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solent Stars | 24 | 23 | 1 | 0.962 | 46 | |
| 2 | Cardiff Clippers | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0.833 | 40 | |
| 3 | London Towers II | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0.793 | 38 | |
| 4 | South Bank University Bulls | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 28 | |
| 5 | Bournemouth Dolphins | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 28 | |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0.500 | 24 | |
| 7 | Flintshire Flyers | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22 | |
| 8 | Northampton 89ers | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0.417 | 20 | |
| 9 | Slough Chargers | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 | |
| 10 | Liverpool Atac | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 | |
| 11 | Swindon Sonics | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 | |
| 12 | Chessington Wildcats | 24 | 5 | 19 | 0.208 | 10 | |
| 13 | Thames Valley Tigers II | 24 | 1 | 23 | 0.042 | 2 |
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
|---|
Playoffs
Semi-finals
Final
Sainsbury's Classic Cola National Cup
Fourth round
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Worthing Bears | Crystal Palace | 106-102 |
| Coventry Crusaders | Thames Valley Tigers | 67-91 |
| Stevenage Rebels | Manchester Giants | 60-93 |
| Leicester Riders | Newcastle Eagles | 94-76 |
| Leopards | Derby Storm | 99-90 |
| Sheffield Sharks | Watford Royals | 85-70 |
| Plymouth Raiders | London Towers | 77-99 |
| Chester Jets | Birmingham Bullets |
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Sharks | Leicester Riders | 66-69 |
| London Towers | Manchester Giants | 75-67 |
| Birmingham Bullets | Worthing Bears | 111-80 |
| Thames Valley Tigers | Leopards | 97-89 |
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Team 2 | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley Tigers | Birmingham Bullets | 63-55 | 63-70 |
| London Towers | Leicester Riders | 76-74 | 84-90 |
Final
Tigers coach Paul James Riders coach Bob Donewald
uni-ball Trophy
Group stage
Northern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Newcastle Eagles | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 2.Leicester Riders | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 3.Manchester Giants | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 4.Sheffield Sharks | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 5.Chester Jets | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 6.Derby Storm | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
Southern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Gtr. London Leopards | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2.Thames Valley Tigers | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 3.Birmingham Bullets | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 4.Watford Royals | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 5.Crystal Palace | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 6.Worthing Bears | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 |
Sheffield finished ahead of Chester and Derby by having the best record in matches between the three teams and qualify as fourth-placed finishers with the best record ahead of Watford on basket difference. London Towers received a bye into Quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
Greater London Leopards vs. Thames Valley Tigers
London Towers vs. Manchester Giants
Newcastle Eagles vs. Birmingham Bullets
Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders
Semi-finals
London Towers vs. Newcastle Eagles
Sheffield Sharks vs. Greater London Leopards
Final
Sharks coach Chris Finch Towers coach Kevin Cadle
Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game
| Player | Team | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| UK John Amaechi | Sheffield Sharks | |
| USA Billy Singleton | Leicester Riders | |
| USA Robert Churchwell | Manchester Giants | |
| USA JaRon Boone | Leicester Riders | |
| USA Corey Jackson | Chester Jets | |
| USA Ted Berry | Derby Storm | |
| USA Mark Robinson | Sheffield Sharks | |
| USA Leon McGee | Newcastle Eagles | |
| USA Rob Phelps | Newcastle Eagles | |
| USA Mark Boyd | Newcastle Eagles | |
| USA Todd Cauthorn | Sheffield Sharks | |
| USA Croatia James Havrilla | Leicester Riders | |
| USA Craig Lynch | Newcastle Eagles |
| Player | Team | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| USA Tony Dorsey | Birmingham Bullets | |
| USA Eric Burks | Greater London Leopards | |
| USA John White | Greater London Leopards | |
| USA John McCord | Thames Valley Tigers | |
| USA Tony Holley | Thames Valley Tigers | |
| USA Brad Wedel | Crystal Palace | |
| USA Danny Lewis | London Towers | |
| Canada Greg Francis | Worthing Bears | |
| Barbados Nigel Lloyd | Birmingham Bullets | |
| USA Keith Robinson | London Towers | |
| USA Robert Youngblood | Greater London Leopards | |
| UK Alan Hopper | Watford Royals | |
| USA Billy Mims | Greater London Leopards |
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Stat |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | USA Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets) | 26.09 |
| Rebounds per game | USA Makeba Perry (Greater London Leopards) | 11.81 |
| Assists per game | Jamaica Cleave Lewis (Watford Royals) | 5.78 |
| Steals per game | USA Casey Arena (Thames Valley Tigers) | 3.11 |
| Blocks per game | Canada Brendan Graves (Derby Storm) | 2.77 |
Seasonal awards
- Most Valuable Player: Eric Burks (Greater London Leopards)
- Coach of the Year: Billy Mimms (Greater London Leopards)
- All-Star Team:
- Eric Burks (Greater London Leopards)
- John Amaechi (Sheffield Sharks)
- Ted Berry (Derby Storm)
- Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets)
- Tony Holley (Thames Valley Tigers)
- Danny Lewis (London Towers)
- Nigel Lloyd (Birmingham Bullets)
- John McCord (Thames Valley Tigers)
- Leon McGee (Newcastle Eagles)
- John White (Greater London Leopards)
References
before = 1996–97 season | after = 1998–99 season | title = BBL seasons | years = 1997–98|
References
- Mark Woods. (1998). "Leopards are the Champions". BritBall.
- ""For the Record." Times [London, England] 19 Jan. 1998". The Times Digital Archive.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1997–98 British Basketball League season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report