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1998–99 British Basketball League season

Field	Value
title	1998–99 BBL season
league	British Basketball League
sport	Basketball
playoffs	Roll of Honour
conf1	BBL
conf1_champ	Sheffield Sharks
conf2	Play Off's
conf2_champ	London Towers
conf3	National Cup
conf3_champ	Sheffield Sharks
conf4	BBL Trophy
conf4_champ	Manchester Giants
seasonslist	List of British Basketball League seasons
seasonslistnames	British Basketball League
prevseason_year	1997–98
nextseason_year	1999–2000

The 1998–99 BBL season was the 12th season of the British Basketball League, known as the Budweiser Basketball League for sponsorship reasons, since its establishment in 1987. The regular season commenced on September 12, 1998, and ended on April 4, 1999, with a total of 13 teams competing, playing 36 games each. The post-season Play-offs began on April 9 and culminated in the end-of-season finale on May 2 at Wembley Arena.

Start-up franchise Edinburgh Rocks became the League's newest member following their addition as the 14th franchise during the pre-season and the first Scottish team to appear in the top-flight since Glasgow Rangers' participation in the 1988–89 season. The League membership was reduced to 13 teams shortly after following the merger of the London Towers and Crystal Palace franchises, whilst another notable change was the uprooting of Watford Royals, who moved to the Bletchley Centre in Milton Keynes to become the Milton Keynes Lions.

Sheffield Sharks were a dominant force throughout the season, winning the Sainsbury's Classic Cola Cup whilst storming the Budweiser League and taking the Championship to complete the "Double". The campaign came down to a memorable final game where Sharks claimed the title from rivals Manchester Giants with the last shot of the game, winning 85–87 to take the crown. Their successful run fell short in the play-offs however, managing only a third-placed finish thus allowing a new-look London Towers to claim the title. Manchester Giants also ended a decade-long drought of silverware with their win in the uni-ball Trophy.

No teams participated in European competition after Birmingham Bullets and Greater London Leopards both declined to compete in the Saporta Cup.

Notable occurrences

Edinburgh Rocks were officially announced as the League's newest franchise on 4 June 1998 – though the Rocks nickname was revealed at a later date – with former NBA player Jim Brandon signed as the team's head coach.
The London Towers and Crystal Palace teams merged their organisations during the close-season, with the new franchise continuing to use the London Towers branding and utilising the home venues of both clubs, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and Wembley Arena for home games.
Watford Royals owner Vince Macaulay announced on 19 June that he was moving the franchise to Milton Keynes due to a lack of suitable venues for home games in Watford, after plans for a new 3,000-capacity arena in Watford, to be built in partnership with Watford F.C., fell through.
The Budweiser League game between Chester Jets and Derby Storm on 31 January 1999 was abandoned after 30 seconds due to a court invasion from both sets of players following a fight between Chester's Sean Hartley and Derby's England international Yorick Williams. Media reports claim it was the most serious incident in the history of competitive basketball in Britain. Four players were initially ejected from the game, including Williams and Hartley, whilst Chester physio Alison Troughtman was taken to hospital, suffering from a suspected broken-jaw. It was later announced that Williams was suspended for the remainder of the regular season, whilst Derby's Rico Alderson was banned until the following season.
The Southern All-Stars were victorious in the annual All-Star Game against their Northern rivals, with a 156–158 win at Newcastle Arena on February 27. Edinburgh's Ted Berry was the game-high scorer with 29 points and was named as the games Most Valuable Player.
Manchester Giants claimed their first piece of silverware in franchise history after defeating Derby in the uni-ball Trophy Final on 13 March. Giants won 90–69, and the 21-point gap between the two teams was the biggest winning margin in the event's history.
Furthering their ongoing disciplinary issues, it was revealed in April that Derby Storm's American player Maurice Robinson was issued with a one-year suspension for failing to supply a complete urine sample during a Sports Council doping control test.
The Budweiser League came down to a memorable final game between title-chasing rivals Sheffield Sharks and Manchester Giants in-front of more than 11,000 fans at the MEN Arena. With both teams tied on points at the top of the League table, and tied at 85–85 with just 3.5 seconds left in the game, Terrell Myers took the pass and his 18 ft buzzer-beating jump-shot claimed the title for Sheffield.
London Towers were crowned as Budweiser League Play-off champions on 2 May, after defeating Thames Valley Tigers 82–71 at Wembley Arena. Towers' Malcolm Leak lead the game's scoring, posting 20 points.
Nottingham-based businessman Craig Bown purchased the Birmingham Bullets franchise at the end of the season for a reported six-figure sum.

Budweiser League Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

Pos	Team	W	L	%	Pts
1	Sheffield Sharks	36	31	5	0.861	62
2	Manchester Giants	36	30	6	0.833	60
3	London Towers	36	24	12	0.667	48
4	Thames Valley Tigers	36	22	14	0.611	44
5	Newcastle Eagles	36	21	15	0.583	42
6	Derby Storm	36	21	15	0.583	42
7	Birmingham Bullets	36	21	15	0.583	42
8	Greater London Leopards	36	19	17	0.527	38
9	Edinburgh Rocks	36	12	24	0.333	24
10	Milton Keynes Lions	36	10	26	0.278	20
11	Chester Jets	36	10	26	0.278	20
12	Leicester Riders	36	9	27	0.250	18
13	Worthing Bears	36	4	32	0.111	8

	= Qualified for the play-offs

Playoffs

Quarter-finals

(1) Sheffield Sharks vs. (8) Greater London Leopards

(2) Manchester Giants vs. (7) Birmingham Bullets

(3) London Towers vs. (5) Newcastle Eagles

(4) Thames Valley Tigers vs. (6) Derby Storm

Semi-finals

Third-place game

Final

Towers coachLino Frattin Tigers coach Paul James

National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

Final standings

Pos	Team	W	L	%	Pts
1	Solent Stars *	26	21	5	0.808	42
2	Plymouth Raiders	26	21	5	0.808	42
3	Guildford Pumas	26	19	7	0.731	38
4	Teesside Mohawks	26	19	7	0.731	38
5	London Towers II	26	17	9	0.654	34
6	Mid-Sussex Magic	26	16	10	0.615	32
7	Cardiff Clippers	26	14	12	0.538	28
8	Coventry Crusaders	26	12	14	0.463	24
9	Westminster Warriors	26	9	17	0.346	18
10	Stevenage Rebels	26	9	17	0.346	18
11	Oxford Devils	26	9	17	0.346	18
12	Solihull Chiefs	26	7	19	0.269	14
13	Cardiff Phoenix	26	6	20	0.231	12
14	Brixton TopCats	26	2	24	0.077	4

	= Qualified for the play-offs

Champions by virtue of head-to-head record*

Playoffs

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

Final standings

Pos	Team	W	L	%	Pts
1	Birmingham Bullets II	26	22	4	0.846	44
2	Taunton Tigers	26	21	5	0.808	42
3	City of Manchester Attitude	26	18	8	0.693	36
4	Reading Rockets	26	17	9	0.654	34
5	Liverpool Atac	26	16	10	0.615	32
6	Chessington Wildcats	26	16	10	0.615	32
7	Northampton 89ers	26	15	11	0.577	30
8	Wandsworth Bulls	26	12	14	0.463	24
9	Flintshire Flyers	26	12	14	0.463	24
10	Slough Chargers	26	8	18	0.308	16
11	Swindon Sonics	26	7	19	0.269	14
12	Bournemouth Dolphins	26	7	19	0.269	14
13	Portsmouth Pirates	26	5	21	0.192	10
14	Thames Valley Tigers II	26	5	21	0.192	10

	= Qualified for the play-offs

Playoffs

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

National League Division 3 (Tier 4)

Final standings

Pos	Team	W	L	%	Pts
1	Kingston upon Hull Icebergs	20	18	2	0.900	36
2	North London Lords	20	17	3	0.850	34
3	NW London Wolverines	20	12	8	0.600	24
4	Barking & Dag. Erkenwald	20	12	8	0.600	24
5	Mansfield Express	20	11	9	0.550	22
6	Ware Fire	20	11	9	0.550	22
7	Derbyshire Arrows	20	9	11	0.450	18
8	Cambridge	20	8	12	0.400	16
9	Stoke Stealers	20	6	14	0.300	12
10	Sutton	20	4	16	0.200	8
11	Doncaster Eagles	20	2	18	0.100	4

	= Qualified for the play-offs

Playoffs

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Sainsbury's Classic Cola National Cup

Last 16

Team 1	Team 2	Score
Teesside Mohawks	Sheffield Sharks	83-91
Derby Storm	Worthing Bears	103-82
Manchester Giants	Edinburgh Rocks	90-70
Thames Valley Tigers	London Towers	95-83
Plymouth Raiders	Greater London Leopards	68-100
Stevenage Rebels	Birmingham Bullets	63-106
Leicester Riders	Chester Jets	89-92
Newcastle Eagles	Milton Keynes Lions	77-69

Quarter-finals

Team 1	Team 2	Score
Sheffield Sharks	Derby Storm	87-76
Manchester Giants	Thames Valley Tigers	87-100
Greater London Leopards	Birmingham Bullets	90-88
Chester Jets	Newcastle Eagles	72-93

Semi-finals

Team 1	Team 2	Score
Sheffield Sharks	Thames Valley Tigers	78-66
Greater London Leopards	Newcastle Eagles	98-95 OT

Final

Sharks coach Chris Finch Leopards coach Billy Mims

uni-ball Trophy

Group stage

Group A

Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	Percent
1.Sheffield Sharks	12	7	6	1	0.857
2.Derby Storm	10	7	5	2	0.714
3.Manchester Giants	10	7	5	2	0.714
4.Chester Jets	8	7	4	3	0.571
5.Leicester Riders	8	7	4	3	0.571
6.Milton Keynes Lions	2	7	1	6	0.142
7.Worthing Bears	0	7	0	7	0.000

Group B

Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	Percent
1.London Towers	8	4	4	0	1.000
2.Birmingham Bullets	6	4	3	1	0.750
3.Newcastle Eagles	4	4	2	2	0.500
4.Greater London Leopards	2	4	1	3	0.250
5.Edinburgh Rocks	0	4	0	4	0.000

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Derby Storm vs. Leicester Riders

Sheffield Sharks vs. Manchester Giants

Final

Giants coach Nick Nurse Storm coach Bob Donewald, Jr.

Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game

Player	Team	Coach
USA Tony Dorsey	Manchester Giants
USA Terrell Myers	Sheffield Sharks
USA Billy Singleton	Leicester Riders
USA Nick Browning	Chester Jets
USA Ralph Blalock	Newcastle Eagles
USA JaRon Boone	Leicester Riders
USA Wilbur Johnson	Sheffield Sharks
USA Travis Conlon	Sheffield Sharks
USA Tony Holley	Manchester Giants
USA Ted Berry	Edinburgh Rocks
USA Chris Flite	Newcastle Eagles
USA Corey Jackson	Newcastle Eagles
USA Nick Nurse	Manchester Giants

Player	Team	Coach
USA John McCord	Thames Valley Tigers
USA Jon Gaines	Worthing Bears
Barbados Nigel Lloyd	Birmingham Bullets
USA Tony Windless	Milton Keynes Lions
USA Ireland Jason Siemon	Thames Valley Tigers
USA Reggie Kirk	Birmingham Bullets
USA Casey Arena	Thames Valley Tigers
USA Danny Lewis	London Towers
USA Malcolm Leak	London Towers
USA Robert Youngblood	Greater London Leopards
USA Eric Burks	Greater London Leopards
USA Dwayne Morton	London Towers
USA Billy Mims	Greater London Leopards

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Stat
Points per game	USA John White (Manchester Giants)	26.09
Rebounds per game	USA Rico Alderson (Derby Storm)	11.84
Assists per game	USA Prentice McGruder (Chester Jets)	8.38
Steals per game	USA Casey Arena (Thames Valley Tigers)	3.34
Blocks per game	USA James Doyle (Leicester Riders)	2.56

Seasonal awards

Most Valuable Player: Terrell Myers (Sheffield Sharks)
Coach of the Year: Chris Finch (Sheffield Sharks)
All-Star First Team:
- Terrell Myers (Sheffield Sharks)
- John White (Manchester Giants)
- Tony Dorsey (Manchester Giants)
- John McCord (Thames Valley Tigers)
- Nigel Lloyd (Birmingham Bullets)
All-Star Second Team:
- Tim Moore (Greater London Leopards)
- Travis Conlan (Sheffield Sharks)
- Ralph Blalock (Newcastle Eagles)
- Casey Arena (Thames Valley Tigers)
- Danny Lewis (London Towers)

References

before = 1997–98 season | after = 1999–2000 season | title = BBL seasons | years = 1998–99|

References

(1998). "Royals reign in Watford is over". News Shopper.
(1998). "Oddballs are here". [[The Herald (Scotland).
(1998). "Royals reign in Watford is over". News Shopper.
(2012). "London Lions History". LondonLionsBasketball.co.uk.
Richard Taylor. (February 1, 1999). "Fight ends game after 30 seconds". [[The Independent]].
Richard Taylor. (February 1, 1999). "Mayhem on court". [[The Independent]].
Richard Taylor. (February 2, 1999). "Police probe assault on Chester's physio". [[The Independent]].
(1999). "News February 27". BritBall.
(1999). "South take 1999 All-Star Game". BritBall.
Richard Taylor. (March 15, 1999). "First title secured by Giants". [[The Independent]].
Richard Taylor. (April 10, 1999). "Robinson faced with one year suspension". [[The Independent]].
Richard Taylor. (April 3, 1999). "Myers in moment of magic". [[The Independent]].
(1999). "Towers are crowned at Wembley". BritBall.
(1999). "Bown budgeting to make Bullets high-calibre weapon". [[Birmingham Post]].
"Nicholas Harling. "Towers' strength in defence keeps grip on trophy." Times [London, England] 3 Mar. 1997". The Times Digital Archive.

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