# 2017–18 British Basketball League season

The 2017–18 BBL season was the 31st campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland.
The Leicester Riders became regular season champions for the third season in succession, winning 104–75 against Plymouth Raiders at the Plymouth Pavilions on 8 April 2018. The Riders then added the playoff title with an 81–60 win over the London Lions in the final. This victory gave Rob Paternostro's team a second consecutive treble, having won the BBL Trophy earlier in the campaign.

## Teams
### Venues

| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity |
| Bristol Flyers | Bristol | SGS WISE Arena | 750 |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Ellesmere Port | Cheshire Oaks Arena | 1,400 |
| Glasgow Rocks | Glasgow | Emirates Arena | 6,500 |
| Leeds Force | Leeds | Carnegie Sports Arena | 500 |
| Leicester Riders | Leicester | Leicester Arena | 2,400 |
| London Lions | London | Copper Box | 7,000 |
| Manchester Giants | Manchester | Trafford Powerleague Arena | 1,100 |
| Newcastle Eagles | Newcastle upon Tyne | Sport Central | 3,000 |
| Plymouth Raiders | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | 1,500 |
| Sheffield Sharks | Sheffield | English Institute of Sport | 1,000 |
| Surrey Scorchers | Guildford | Surrey Sports Park | 1,000 |
| Worcester Wolves | Worcester | University of Worcester Arena | 2,000 |

### Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Head coach | Captain | Main jersey sponsor |
| Bristol Flyers | Andreas Kapoulas | Michael Vigor | RSG Group |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Ben Thomas | Orlan Jackman | Hillyer McKeown |
| Glasgow Rocks | Darryl Wood | Kieron Achara | The Forge Shopping Centre |
| Leeds Force | Danny Nelson | Isaac Mourier | ESH Group |
| Leicester Riders | Rob Paternostro | Tyler Bernardini | Jelson Homes |
| London Lions | Vince Macaulay | Joe Ikhinmwin | GLL |
| Manchester Giants | Danny Byrne | Callum Jones | University of Bolton |
| Newcastle Eagles | Fabulous Flournoy | Darius Defoe | ESH Group |
| Plymouth Raiders | Gavin Love | Zak Wells | Plessey |
| Sheffield Sharks | Atiba Lyons | Mike Tuck | BBraun |
| Surrey Scorchers | Creon Raftopoulos | Tayo Ogedengbe | University of Surrey |
| Worcester Wolves | Paul James | Alejandro Navajas | University of Worcester |

### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| Leeds Force | Mika Turunen | Sacked | 25 September 2017 | Danny Nelson | 25 September 2017 |
| London Lions | Mariusz Karol | Mutual consent | 5 January 2018 | Vince Macaulay | 5 January 2018 |
| Glasgow Rocks | Tony Garbelotto | Personal reasons | 19 February 2018 | Darryl Wood | 19 February 2018 |

## Regular season
### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Leicester Riders | 33 | 28 | 5 | 2933 | 2479 | +454 | 56 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | London Lions | 33 | 23 | 10 | 2854 | 2480 | +374 | 46 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 33 | 22 | 11 | 3023 | 2624 | +399 | 44 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 4 | Glasgow Rocks | 33 | 21 | 12 | 2894 | 2693 | +201 | 42 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 5 | Surrey Scorchers | 33 | 20 | 13 | 2876 | 2807 | +69 | 40 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 6 | Bristol Flyers | 33 | 19 | 14 | 2673 | 2680 | −7 | 38 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 7 | Worcester Wolves | 33 | 19 | 14 | 2933 | 2690 | +243 | 38 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 8 | Sheffield Sharks | 33 | 18 | 15 | 2783 | 2648 | +135 | 36 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 9 | Cheshire Phoenix | 33 | 15 | 18 | 2863 | 2861 | +2 | 30 | |
| 10 | Plymouth Raiders | 33 | 8 | 25 | 2723 | 2952 | −229 | 16 | |
| 11 | Manchester Giants | 33 | 4 | 29 | 2584 | 3134 | −550 | 8 | |
| 12 | Leeds Force | 33 | 1 | 32 | 2322 | 3413 | −1091 | 2 | |

## Playoffs
### Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Leicester Riders | 86 | 79 | 165 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Sheffield Sharks | 73 | 67 | 140 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Sheffield Sharks | 73 | 67 | 140 | 1 | Leicester Riders | 90 | 76 | 166 | | | |
| | | | | | 6 | Bristol Flyers | 75 | 68 | 143 | | | |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 97 | 60 | 157 | 6 | Bristol Flyers | 75 | 68 | 143 | | | |
| 6 | Bristol Flyers | 86 | 77 | 163 | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Bristol Flyers | 86 | 77 | 163 | | | | | | 1 | Leicester Riders | 81 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | London Lions | 60 |
| 4 | Glasgow Rocks | 82 | 99 | 181 | | | | | | | | | 2 | London Lions | 60 |
| 5 | Surrey Scorchers | 84 | 75 | 159 | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Surrey Scorchers | 84 | 75 | 159 | 4 | Glasgow Rocks | 78 | 77 | 155 | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | London Lions | 78 | 91 | 169 | | | |
| 2 | London Lions | 85 | 94 | 179 | 2 | London Lions | 78 | 91 | 169 | | | |
| 7 | Worcester Wolves | 84 | 90 | 174 | | | | | | | | |

### Quarter-finals

The quarter-final matchups and tip-off times were confirmed by the league, on 30 April 2018.

#### (1) Leicester Riders vs. (8) Sheffield Sharks

* 5 May 2018 16:00
* Report
| Sheffield Sharks | 73–86 | Leicester Riders |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–18, 18–22, 18–19, 14–27 |||
| Pts: Chris Alexander (24) Rebs: Tony Wroblicky (7) Asts: Mackey McKnight (11) | | Pts: Pierre Hampton (22) Rebs: Shane Walker (13) Asts: Rema Lascelles (7) |
* English Institute of Sport, Sheffield
* 6 May 2018 16:00
* Report
| Leicester Riders | Sheffield Sharks |
| Scoring by quarter: 26–16, 16–19, 20–18, 17–14 |||
| Pts: J. R. Holder (20) Rebs: Shane Walker (10) Asts: J. R. Holder (5) | Pts: Dirk Williams (17) Rebs: Rob Marsden (12) Asts: Mackey McKnight (4) |
| Leicester Riders win 165–140 on aggregate. |||
* Leicester Arena, Leicester

#### (2) London Lions vs. (7) Worcester Wolves

* BBC Red Button
* 4 May 2018 19:30
* Report
| Worcester Wolves | 84–85 | London Lions |
| Scoring by quarter: 13–27, 26–25, 25–24, 20–9 |||
| Pts: George Beamon (25) Rebs: Dallin Bachynski (10) Asts: Trayvon Palmer (8) | | Pts: Justin Robinson (28) Rebs: Cory Dixon (7) Asts: Jonathon Thompson (5) |
* University of Worcester Arena, Worcester
* 6 May 2018 16:00
* Report
| London Lions | Worcester Wolves |
| Scoring by quarter: 18–14, 24–23, 20–24, 16–18, Overtime: 8–8, 8–3 |||
| Pts: Cory Dixon (29) Rebs: Cory Dixon (17) Asts: Jonathon Thompson (7) | Pts: George Beamon (26) Rebs: Dallin Bachynski (16) Asts: Alejandro Navajas (6) |
| London Lions win 179–174 on aggregate. |||
* Copper Box Arena, London

#### (3) Newcastle Eagles vs. (6) Bristol Flyers

* 4 May 2018 19:30
* Report
| Newcastle Eagles | 97–86 | Bristol Flyers |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 19–25, 25–15, 29–30 |||
| Pts: Darius Defoe (25) Rebs: Zarko Jukić (10) Asts: Saah Nimley (12) | | Pts: Rohndell Goodwin (20) Rebs: Jordan Davis (9) Asts: Jordan Davis (9) |
* Sport Central, Newcastle upon Tyne
* 6 May 2018 15:30
* Report
| Bristol Flyers | Newcastle Eagles |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 20–14, 19–10, 19–17 |||
| Pts: Jordan Davis (17) Rebs: Leslee Smith (14) Asts: Jordan Davis (9) | Pts: Darius Defoe (23) Rebs: Darius Defoe (13) Asts: Fabulous Flournoy (5) |
| Bristol Flyers win 163–157 on aggregate. |||
* SGS WISE Arena, Bristol

#### (4) Glasgow Rocks vs. (5) Surrey Scorchers

* 4 May 2018 19:30
* Report
| Surrey Scorchers | 84–82 | Glasgow Rocks |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 20–25, 13–16, 28–18 |||
| Pts: Tony Hicks (30) Rebs: Josh Steel (5) Asts: Tony Hicks (7) | | Pts: Earl Brown (13) Rebs: Earl Brown (10) Asts: Warren Gillis (8) |
* Surrey Sports Park, Guildford
* FreeSports
* 6 May 2018 17:00
* Report
| Glasgow Rocks | Surrey Scorchers |
| Scoring by quarter: 26–19, 23–19, 24–15, 26–22 |||
| Pts: Earl Brown (23) Rebs: Earl Brown (14) Asts: Kieron Achara, Earl Brown & Gareth Murray (3) | Pts: Alex Owumi (13) Rebs: Alex Owumi (6) Asts: Tayo Ogedengbe (4) |
| Glasgow Rocks win 181–159 on aggregate. |||
* Emirates Arena, Glasgow

### Semi-finals

The semi-final matchups and tip-off times were confirmed by the league, on 6 May 2018.

#### (1) Leicester Riders vs. (6) Bristol Flyers

* 11 May 2018 19:30
* Report
| Bristol Flyers | 75–90 | Leicester Riders |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 18–20, 11–24, 24–21 |||
| Pts: Rohndell Goodwin (19) Rebs: Leslee Smith (10) Asts: Jordan Davis (9) | | Pts: J. R. Holder (20) Rebs: J. R. Holder (11) Asts: Rema Lascelles (6) |
* SGS WISE Arena, Bristol Attendance: 700
* FreeSports
* 13 May 2018 17:00
* Report
| Leicester Riders | Bristol Flyers |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 11–25, 20–11, 23–16 |||
| Pts: Tyler Bernardini (22) Rebs: J. R. Holder (10) Asts: Kiefer Douse (7) | Pts: Brandon Boggs (19) Rebs: Brandon Boggs (8) Asts: Jordan Davis (7) |
| Leicester Riders win 166–143 on aggregate. |||
* Leicester Arena, Leicester

#### (2) London Lions vs. (4) Glasgow Rocks

* BBC Red Button
* 10 May 2018 19:30
* Report
| London Lions | 78–78 | Glasgow Rocks |
| Scoring by quarter: 28–11, 18–25, 11–20, 21–22 |||
| Pts: Cory Dixon (18) Rebs: Cory Dixon (11) Asts: Justin Robinson (8) | | Pts: Warren Gillis (15) Rebs: Gareth Murray (9) Asts: Nate Britt (5) |
* Copper Box Arena, London
* 13 May 2018 17:00
* Report
| Glasgow Rocks | London Lions |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 15–18, 18–19, 28–28 |||
| Pts: Gareth Murray (18) Rebs: Alasdair Fraser (9) Asts: Warren Gillis (5) | Pts: Jonathon Thompson (17) Rebs: Cory Dixon & Brandon Peel (8) Asts: Jonathon Thompson (5) |
| London Lions win 169–155 on aggregate. |||
* Emirates Arena, Glasgow

### Final

* BBC Red ButtonFreeSports
* 20 May 2018 16:00
* Report
| Leicester Riders | 81–60 | London Lions |
| Scoring by quarter: 12–14, 27–14, 19–15, 23–17 |||
| Pts: J. R. Holder (20) Rebs: TrayVonn Wright (13) Asts: Tyler Bernardini & J. R. Holder (5) | | Pts: Brandon Peel (22) Rebs: Brandon Peel (13) Asts: Justin Robinson (5) |
* The O2 Arena, London

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month |
| October | Atiba Lyons (Sheffield Sharks) | Jaysean Paige (Newcastle Eagles) |
| November | Mariusz Karol (London Lions) | C. J. Gettys (Cheshire Phoenix) |
| December | Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) | C. J. Gettys (Cheshire Phoenix) |
| January | Ben Thomas (Cheshire Phoenix) | Cory Dixon (London Lions) |
| February | Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) | Tony Hicks (Surrey Scorchers) |
| March | Rob Paternostro (Leicester Riders) | Tony Hicks (Surrey Scorchers) |
| April | Vince Macaulay (London Lions) | Brandon Peel (London Lions) |

### Season awards

| Award | Recipient(s) | Team |
| Season MVP | Justin Robinson | London Lions |
| Coach of the Year | Rob Paternostro | Leicester Riders |
| Finals MVP | TrayVonn Wright | Leicester Riders |
| Trophy MVP | J. R. Holder | Leicester Riders |
| Cup MVP | Malcolm Riley | Cheshire Phoenix |
| BBL Team of the Year | C. J. Gettys | Cheshire Phoenix |
| BBL Team of the Year | Pierre Hampton | Leicester Riders |
| BBL Team of the Year | Tony Hicks | Surrey Scorchers |
| BBL Team of the Year | Jaysean Paige | Newcastle Eagles |
| BBL Team of the Year | Justin Robinson | London Lions |
| BBL All-Defensive Team of the Year | Kieron Achara | Glasgow Rocks |
| BBL All-Defensive Team of the Year | Devan Bailey | Cheshire Phoenix |
| BBL All-Defensive Team of the Year | Robert Gilchrist | Worcester Wolves |
| BBL All-Defensive Team of the Year | Brandon Peel | London Lions |
| BBL All-Defensive Team of the Year | Eric Robertson | Leicester Riders |
| BBL All-British Team of the Year | Kieron Achara | Glasgow Rocks |
| BBL All-British Team of the Year | Alasdair Fraser | Glasgow Rocks |
| BBL All-British Team of the Year | Robert Gilchrist | Worcester Wolves |
| BBL All-British Team of the Year | Gareth Murray | Glasgow Rocks |
| BBL All-British Team of the Year | Justin Robinson | London Lions |