# 2019–20 National Basketball League (England) season

The 2019–20 season of the English Men's National Basketball League, known as the NBL, was the 48th edition of the league. Solent Kestrels were league champions for the second consecutive year.
Following the 2018–19 season, the league structure was reorganised. Division 2 was regionalised into North and South regions, while Divisions 3 and 4 were merged to form 5 regional leagues.
In March 2020, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league season finished immediately and there were no end-of-season playoffs.

## National League Division 1
### Teams

| Club | Formed | Last Season | Location |
| Barking Abbey | 2005 | 12th | London (Barking) |
| Bradford Dragons | 2001 | 11th | Bradford |
| Derby Trailblazers | 2000 | 5th | Derby |
| Essex & Herts Leopards | 1997 | 7th | Brentwood St Albans |
| Hemel Storm | 2006 | 9th | Hemel Hempstead |
| Leicester Warriors | 2004 | 8th | Leicester |
| Liverpool | 1969 | Div. 2, 1st (promoted) | Liverpool |
| Loughborough Riders | 2010 | 3rd | Loughborough |
| Nottingham Hoods | 2009 | 10th | Nottingham |
| Reading Rockets | 1997 | 6th | Reading |
| Solent Kestrels | 1998 | 1st | Southampton |
| Thames Valley Cavaliers | 2011 | 4th | London (Uxbridge) |
| Westminster Warriors | 1987 | Div. 2, 2nd (promoted) | London (Kensal Green) |
| Worthing Thunder | 1999 | 2nd | Worthing |
Team changes
* Barking Abbey Crusaders to Barking Abbey
* Essex Leopards to Essex & Herts Leopards
Promoted from Division 2
* Liverpool
* Westminster Warriors
Relegated to Division 2
* Newcastle University
* Manchester Magic

### Regular season

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Solent Kestrels (C) | 22 | 22 | 0 | 2255 | 1575 | +680 | 47 | |
| 2 | Thames Valley Cavaliers | 23 | 18 | 5 | 2405 | 2122 | +283 | 39 | |
| 3 | Derby Trailblazers | 23 | 16 | 7 | 2112 | 1898 | +214 | 35 | |
| 4 | Hemel Storm | 23 | 16 | 7 | 2249 | 2041 | +208 | 35 | |
| 5 | Worthing Thunder | 22 | 15 | 7 | 2097 | 1928 | +169 | 34 | |
| 6 | Loughborough Riders | 23 | 15 | 8 | 1986 | 1827 | +159 | 33 | |
| 7 | Reading Rockets | 23 | 14 | 9 | 2024 | 1941 | +83 | 31 | |
| 8 | Bradford Dragons | 23 | 12 | 11 | 1854 | 1888 | −34 | 27 | |
| 9 | Leicester Warriors | 23 | 10 | 13 | 1977 | 2011 | −34 | 23 | |
| 10 | Nottingham Hoods | 23 | 7 | 16 | 1983 | 2223 | −240 | 16 | |
| 11 | Essex & Herts Leopards | 23 | 5 | 18 | 1884 | 2174 | −290 | 13 | |
| 12 | Barking Abbey | 21 | 4 | 17 | 1517 | 1772 | −255 | 12 | |
| 13 | Westminster Warriors (R) | 24 | 3 | 21 | 1985 | 2351 | −366 | 8 | Relegation to NBL D2 |
| 14 | Liverpool (R) | 24 | 3 | 21 | 1849 | 2383 | −534 | 6 | Relegation to NBL D2 |
* ↑ Liverpool deducted two points for failing to fulfil fixture against Solent Kestrels due to be played on 23 November 2019.
* Following the cancellation of the season on 13 March 2020, it was decided that for games cancelled due to the early end to the season, the number of points on offer would be divided equally between the two teams involved (one point per team). This process applied to fixtures that were scheduled between 13 March (the date on which Basketball England suspended the playing season) and the end of the regular season. Games that were postponed before March 13 and had not been rearranged were voided. (zero points per team).

### Player of the Week awards

| Week | Player | Team | Week | Player | Team |
| 1 | Cameron Hildreth | Worthing Thunder | 14 | Treshawn Wilford | Derby Trailblazers |
| 2 | Ian Smith | Solent Kestrels | 15 | Brendan Okoronkwo | Solent Kestrels |
| 3 | Lee Hodges | Hemel Storm | 16 | Hakeem Sylla | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| 4 | Rasheed Worrell | Loughborough Riders | 17 | Rihards Sulcs | Bradford Dragons |
| 5 | Hakeem Sylla | Thames Valley Cavaliers | 19 | Hakeem Sylla | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| 6 | Mike Williams | Hemel Storm | 20 | Taylor Johnson | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| 7 | Nick Richards | Reading Rockets | 21 | Ian Smith | Solent Kestrels |
| 8 | Elliott Sentance | Solent Kestrels | 22 | Elvisi Dusha | Essex & Herts Leopards |
| 9 | Taylor Johnson | Thames Valley Cavaliers | 23 | Orlan Jackman | Essex & Herts Leopards |
| 10 | Travis Charles | Solent Kestrels |
| 11 | Elliott Sentance | Solent Kestrels |
| 12 | Martelle McLemore | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
| 13 | Travis Charles | Solent Kestrels |

### Statistics

    Minimum 10 games
| Rank | Player | Club | PPG |
| 1 | TJ Henderson | Leicester Warriors | 27.2 |
| 2 | Taylor Johnson | Thames Valley Cavaliers | 26.0 |
| 3 | Mike Williams | Hemel Storm | 23.3 |
| 4 | Nick Richards | Reading Rockets | 22.2 |
| 5 | Travis Charles | Solent Kestrels | 22.1 |
| Rank | Player | Club | RPG |
| 1 | Hakeem Sylla | Thames Valley Cavaliers | 13.7 |
| 2 | Greg Poleon | Hemel Storm | 10.8 |
| 3 | Ricky Fetske | Bradford Dragons | 9.8 |
| 4 | Travis Charles | Solent Kestrels | 9.7 |
| 5 | Oliver Stanley | Derby Trailblazers | 8.5 |
| Rank | Player | Club | APG |
| 1 | Ian Smith | Solent Kestrels | 6.4 |
| 2 | Alex Roberts | Loughborough Riders | 6.1 |
| 3 | Elliot Dadds | Solent Kestrels | 5.9 |
| 4 | Charlie Brown | Derby Trailblazers | 5.8 |
| 5 | Bode Adeluola | Hemel Storm | 5.8 |

## National League Division 2
### Regular season

North :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Team Newcastle Knights (C) | 18 | 16 | 2 | 1488 | 1201 | +287 | 34 |
| 2 | Myerscough College | 17 | 14 | 3 | 1330 | 1108 | +222 | 31 |
| 3 | Charnwood College | 17 | 12 | 5 | 1465 | 1278 | +187 | 27 |
| 4 | Derbyshire Arrows | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1561 | 1536 | +25 | 22 |
| 5 | Manchester Magic | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1357 | 1288 | +69 | 22 |
| 6 | Birmingham Elite | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1317 | 1304 | +13 | 18 |
| 7 | Chester University | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1358 | 1346 | +12 | 18 |
| 8 | Bristol Flyers II | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1378 | 1422 | −44 | 16 |
| 9 | Derbyshire Spartans | 17 | 6 | 11 | 1406 | 1531 | −125 | 15 |
| 10 | Bristol Hurricanes | 17 | 6 | 11 | 1208 | 1249 | −41 | 15 |
| 11 | Sheffield Hallam University (R) | 18 | 0 | 18 | 951 | 1556 | −605 | 2 |
South :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Essex Rebels (C) | 17 | 15 | 2 | 1520 | 1312 | +208 | 31 |
| 2 | London Westside | 16 | 11 | 5 | 1317 | 1244 | +73 | 24 |
| 3 | London BC Medelynas | 17 | 11 | 6 | 1421 | 1271 | +150 | 23 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 17 | 10 | 7 | 1467 | 1445 | +22 | 21 |
| 5 | East London All-Stars | 14 | 7 | 7 | 1155 | 1090 | +65 | 18 |
| 6 | London Greenhouse Pioneers | 16 | 8 | 8 | 1322 | 1321 | +1 | 18 |
| 7 | Solent Kestrels II | 15 | 6 | 9 | 1166 | 1201 | −35 | 14 |
| 8 | Greenwich Titans | 17 | 6 | 11 | 1394 | 1425 | −31 | 13 |
| 9 | Sussex Bears | 17 | 4 | 13 | 1308 | 1408 | −100 | 9 |
| 10 | Cardiff Met Archers | 18 | 4 | 14 | 1359 | 1712 | −353 | 8 |

## National League Division 3
### Regular season

North :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Lancashire Spinners (C) | 22 | 19 | 3 | 38 |
| 2 | Newcastle Eagles U23 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 33 |
| 3 | Tees Valley Mohawks | 21 | 15 | 6 | 31 |
| 4 | Calderdale Explorers | 21 | 15 | 6 | 31 |
| 5 | Myerscough College II | 20 | 14 | 6 | 29 |
| 6 | Teesside Lions | 19 | 9 | 10 | 20 |
| 7 | Team Sunderland | 21 | 9 | 12 | 19 |
| 8 | Stockport Falcons | 21 | 9 | 12 | 19 |
| 9 | Barrow Thorns | 20 | 7 | 13 | 16 |
| 10 | Tameside | 21 | 7 | 14 | 15 |
| 11 | Liverpool II | 21 | 4 | 17 | 9 |
| 12 | Cheshire Wire | 20 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
Midlands :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Doncaster Eagles (C) | 21 | 20 | 1 | 41 |
| 2 | City of Birmingham Rockets | 21 | 17 | 4 | 35 |
| 3 | Birmingham Mets | 21 | 12 | 9 | 25 |
| 4 | Derby Trailblazers II | 21 | 12 | 9 | 25 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton University | 20 | 11 | 9 | 24 |
| 6 | Coventry Flames | 21 | 10 | 11 | 21 |
| 7 | Warwickshire Hawks | 21 | 9 | 12 | 19 |
| 8 | Sheffield Sabres | 21 | 9 | 12 | 19 |
| 9 | Stourport Spartans | 20 | 8 | 12 | 18 |
| 10 | Stoke-on-Trent Knights | 21 | 8 | 13 | 17 |
| 11 | Mansfield Giants | 21 | 5 | 16 | 11 |
| 12 | Derbyshire Arrows II | 21 | 4 | 17 | 9 |
East :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Northamptonshire Titans (C) | 13 | 13 | 0 | 27 |
| 2 | Anglia Ruskin University | 13 | 9 | 4 | 19 |
| 3 | Nottingham Trent University | 13 | 8 | 5 | 17 |
| 4 | Essex Rebels II | 12 | 7 | 5 | 16 |
| 5 | Nottingham University | 13 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| 6 | County Upper Wolves | 13 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| 7 | Hemel Storm II | 14 | 4 | 10 | 8 |
| 8 | Bury St. Edmunds Bulldogs | 13 | 1 | 12 | 3 |
South East :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Richmond Knights (C) | 14 | 11 | 3 | 24 |
| 2 | London Thunder | 15 | 11 | 4 | 23 |
| 3 | Southwark Pride | 14 | 9 | 5 | 20 |
| 4 | Chelmsford Lions | 15 | 9 | 6 | 19 |
| 5 | Barking Abbey II | 14 | 8 | 6 | 18 |
| 6 | Surrey Rams | 15 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
| 7 | Canterbury Crusaders | 16 | 5 | 11 | 10 |
| 8 | Barking & Havering RDF | 15 | 2 | 13 | 5 |
| 9 | London Warriors | 14 | 1 | 13 | 4 |
South West :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts |
| 1 | Oxford Brookes University (C) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 30 |
| 2 | RCT Gladiators | 17 | 14 | 3 | 29 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 16 | 12 | 4 | 26 |
| 4 | Huish Taunton Tigers | 17 | 11 | 6 | 23 |
| 5 | Dorset Storm | 17 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| 6 | Gloucester Saxons | 17 | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 7 | Bognor GSD | 17 | 5 | 12 | 11 |
| 8 | Swindon Shock | 18 | 5 | 13 | 10 |
| 9 | Cardiff Met Archers II | 17 | 4 | 13 | 9 |
| 10 | Oxford Stealers | 16 | 2 | 14 | 6 |

## National Cup
### First round

* 28 Sep 2019
| Dorset Storm | 80–87 | Chelmsford Lions |
* 29 Sep 2019
| City of Birmingham Rockets | 62–64 | Wolverhampton University |
* 29 Sep 2019
| Warwickshire Hawks | 73–82 | Northamptonshire Titans |
* 29 Sep 2019
| Richmond Knights | 59–75 | Lewisham Thunder |
* 29 Sep 2019
| Cardiff Met Archers II | 56–100 | Surrey Rams |
* 29 Sep 2019
| Barking & Havering | 56–74 | Barking Abbey II |
* 29 Sep 2019
| Taunton Tigers | 87–69 | Swindon Shock |

### Second round

* 6 Oct 2019
| Southwark Pride | 81–84 | Ipswich Tomcats |
* 12 Oct 2019
| Derbyshire Arrows | 59–56 | Wolverhampton University |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Sussex Bears | 80–67 | Bristol Flyers II |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Bristol Hurricanes | 100–91 | Cardiff Met Archers |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Bury St. Edmunds Bulldogs | 63–82 | Derbyshire Spartans |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Newcastle Eagles U23 | 50–73 | Manchester Magic |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Newcastle University | 87–80 | Northamptonshire Titans |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Essex Rebels | 85–64 | Canterbury Crusaders |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Lewisham Thunder | 80–85 | London BC Medelynas |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Greenwich Titans | 69–74 | Surrey Rams |
* 13 Oct 2019
| Chelmsford Lions | 61–89 | London Westside |
* 20 Oct 2019
| Barking Abbey II | 69–101 | East London All-Stars |

### Third round

* 3 Nov 2019
| Sussex Bears | 86–72 | Bristol Hurricanes |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Surrey Rams | 37–120 | Solent Kestrels |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Barking Abbey | 77–87 | East London All-Stars |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Liverpool | 85–55 | Derbyshire Spartans |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Essex & Herts Leopards | 108–74 | London Greenhouse Pioneers |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Essex Rebels | 93–91 | Thames Valley Cavaliers |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Derby Trailblazers | 104–56 | Sheffield Hallam University |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Birmingham Elite | 52–101 | Reading Rockets |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Leicester Warriors | 89–63 | Chester University |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Worthing Thunder | 83–77 | Ipswich Tomcats |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Nottingham Hoods | 101–91 | Derbyshire Arrows |
* 3 Nov 2019
| London BC Medelynas | 68–99 | Hemel Storm |
* 3 Nov 2019
| Manchester Magic | 79–80 | Myerscough College |
* 10 Nov 2019
| Bradford Dragons | 97–88 | Newcastle University |
* 17 Nov 2019
| London Westside | 92–97 | Westminster Warriors |

### Fourth round

* 24 Nov 2019
| Sussex Bears | 78–88 | Essex & Herts Leopards |
* 24 Nov 2019
| Bradford Dragons | 77–87 | Solent Kestrels |
* 24 Nov 2019
| Leicester Warriors | 89–92 | Hemel Storm |
* 24 Nov 2019
| Essex Rebels | 80–82 | Loughborough Riders |
* 24 Nov 2019
| Nottingham Hoods | 77–78 | Reading Rockets |
* 28 Nov 2019
| Myerscough College | 101–67 | Liverpool |
* 1 Dec 2019
| East London All-Stars | 74–83 | Westminster Warriors |
* 7 Dec 2019
| Derby Trailblazers | 94–72 | Worthing Thunder |

### Quarter-finals

* 15 Dec 2019
| Hemel Storm | 87–97 | Solent Kestrels |
* 15 Dec 2019
| Loughborough Riders | 83–77 | Derby Trailblazers |
* 15 Dec 2019
| Essex & Herts Leopards | 82–98 | Reading Rockets |
* 12 Jan 2020
| Myerscough College | 71–62 | Westminster Warriors |

### Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals took place on 18 December 2019.
* 19 Jan 2020
| Loughborough Riders | 70–86 | Solent Kestrels |
* 19 Jan 2020
| Reading Rockets | 77–58 | Myerscough College |

### Final

* 2 Feb 2020 15:30
| Solent Kestrels | 90–67 | Reading Rockets |
| Scoring by quarter: 28-15, 21-15, 16-19, 25-18 |||
| Pts: Travis Charles (21) Rebs: Elliott Sentance (10) Asts: Ian Smith, Brendan Okoronkwo (5) | | Pts: Nicholas Richards (22) Rebs: Ed Potter (13) Asts: Nicholas Richards (5) |
* Essex Arena