# 2000–01 British Basketball League season

The 2000–01 BBL season, the 14th since its establishment of the British Basketball League, commenced on 30 September 2000 and ended on 7 April 2001, with a total of 13 teams competing. The regular season saw teams split into two geographically divided Conferences, seven in the North and six in the South, with northern teams playing 36 games and southern teams playing 34 games each. Sheffield Sharks were crowned winners of the North, while London Towers dominated the South, both teams tallying 27 wins in the regular season.
Played in parallel with the regular season, the BBL’s peripheral competition the uni-ball Trophy was conquered by Chester Jets, after a 92-81 win against Newcastle Eagles. Teams also contested the NTL National Cup with clubs from the lower placed National Basketball League, with Leicester Riders prevailing in a close final against Greater London Leopards.
Following the regular season, the top-four teams from each Conference progressed to the play-offs which ran from 14 April to 5 May, climaxing with the Play-off Final at Wembley Arena. Leicester Riders shocked bookmakers and fans alike, taking the Championship title with an 84-75 victory over Sheffield, adding to their National Cup success.
London Towers was the league’s sole representative in European competition, appearing in the Euroleague. They failed to make the Round of 16, finishing 5th in the 6-team Group D with a 1-9 record.

## Notable occurrences

* London Towers opened their campaign in the Euroleague with an 86-61 win against the Frankfurt Skyliners on 18 October 2000. Kendrick Warren posted a game-high 21 points for the Towers.
* On 6 November, Derby Storm's 104-84 home victory over Edinburgh Rocks ended the BBL’s longest ever losing streak, with Storm’s last league win coming on 26 March, an 88-91 victory away to Milton Keynes Lions.
* Greater London Leopards undertook a mid-season tour of the United States throughout November, playing some of the top college teams in the country, finishing with a 2-3 record.
* Birmingham Bullets’ attempt to sign Panamanian Antonio García, after he walked out on Derby a day earlier, was taken to court after Derby refused to release his registration.
* Leicester Riders were crowned NTL National Cup champions on 7 January 2001, with an 84-82 win over Greater London Leopards at the Sheffield Arena ending a 30-year hunt for silverware.
* The Northern Conference conquered in the annual All-Star Game, with a 161-148 victory over their Southern counterparts at the Telewest Arena on 20 January. Newcastle Eagles’ Tony Windless was voted MVP after scoring 25 points, while Thames Valley Tigers’ Tony Christie posted a game-high 29 points for the South.
* Chester Jets won the uni-ball Trophy on 24 March, with a 92-81 win against Newcastle at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. The celebrations were even more noticeable after Chester coach Robbie Peers and the Jets team performed a conga-line around the court. Jets' Pero Cameron was named as MVP.
* Leicester claimed their second piece of silverware for the season, adding the Play-off title to their earlier National Cup victory. Riders claimed the win on 5 May at Wembley Arena with an 84-75 victory over Sheffield Sharks, shooting an overall 57% from the floor. Larry Johnson was named as MVP.

## BBL Championship (Tier 1)
### Final standings
#### Northern Conference

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 27 | 9 | 0.750 | 54 |
| 2 | Chester Jets | 36 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 50 |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 36 | 20 | 16 | 0.555 | 40 |
| 4 | Leicester Riders | 36 | 17 | 19 | 0.472 | 34 |
| 5 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 6 | Derby Storm | 36 | 6 | 30 | 0.166 | 12 |
| 7 | Edinburgh Rocks | 36 | 5 | 31 | 0.138 | 10 |

#### Southern Conference

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | London Towers | 34 | 27 | 7 | 0.794 | 54 |
| 2 | Greater London Leopards | 34 | 24 | 10 | 0.705 | 48 |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Lions | 34 | 21 | 13 | 0.617 | 42 |
| 4 | Birmingham Bullets | 34 | 18 | 16 | 0.529 | 36 |
| 5 | Thames Valley Tigers | 34 | 14 | 20 | 0.411 | 28 |
| 6 | Brighton Bears | 34 | 9 | 25 | 0.264 | 18 |
* = Conference winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs
#### 1st round

* 14 April 2001
| Birmingham Bullets | 80–75 | Newcastle Eagles |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry
* 14 April 2001
| Leicester Riders | 77–75 | Milton Keynes Lions |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry

#### Quarter-finals

* 16 April 2001
| Chester Jets | 71–90 | Leicester Riders |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry
* 16 April 2001
| Greater London Leopards | 89–84 | Birmingham Bullets |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry

#### Semi-finals

* 21 April 2001
| London Towers | 79–87 | Leicester Riders |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry
* 21 April 2001
| Sheffield Sharks | 87–77 | Greater London Leopards |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry

#### Final

* 5 May 2001 5.45pm GMT
* Report
| Sheffield Sharks | 75–84 | Leicester Riders |
| Scoring by quarter: 24-15, 21-21, 12-28, 18-20 |||
| Pts: Terrell Myers 14, Peter Scantlebury 14, Nate Reinking 12 Rebs: Peter Scantlebury 10 Asts: Peter Scantlebury 6 | | Pts: Ralph Blalock 25, Larry Johnson 24, Purnell Perry, 13, Rebs: Purnell Perry 12 Asts: Larry Johnson 8 |
* Wembley Arena, London

## National League Conference (Tier 2)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Plymouth Raiders | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0.905 | 38 |
| 2 | Worthing Thunder Rebels | 21 | 16 | 5 | 0.762 | 32 |
| 3 | Teesside Mohawks | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0.714 | 30 |
| 4 | Manchester Magic | 21 | 9 | 12 | 0.429 | 18 |
| 5 | Coventry Crusaders | 21 | 7 | 14 | 0.333 | 14 |
| 6 | Inter-Basket London + | 21 | 7 | 14 | 0.333 | 13 |
| 7 | Solent Stars | 21 | 6 | 15 | 0.286 | 12 |
| 8 | Sutton Pumas | 21 | 5 | 16 | 0.238 | 10 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs
+ one point deducted Play Off Final - Plymouth 83 Worthing 77

## National League Division 1 (Tier 3)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Oxford Devils | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0.944 | 34 |
| 2 | Reading Rockets | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0.722 | 26 |
| 3 | Westminster Warriors | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0.500 | 18 |
| 4 | Cardiff Clippers | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0.444 | 16 |
| 5 | Kingston Wildcats | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0.333 | 12 |
| 6 | Birmingham Aces | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0.333 | 12 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0.111 | 4 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs
Play Off Final - Reading 97 Oxford 82

## National League Division 2 (Tier 4)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Derbyshire Arrows | 24 | 24 | 0 | 1.000 | 48 |
| 2 | Ealing Tornadoes | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0.833 | 40 |
| 3 | Ware Rebels | 24 | 17 | 7 | 0.718 | 34 |
| 4 | Hull Icebergs | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0.667 | 32 |
| 5 | North London Lords | 24 | 15 | 9 | 0.625 | 30 |
| 6 | Doncaster Panthers | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0.500 | 24 |
| 7 | Taunton Tigers | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0.500 | 24 |
| 8 | Mansfield Express | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22 |
| 9 | NW London Wolverines | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 |
| 10 | Northampton Neptunes | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0.292 | 14 |
| 11 | Brixton TopCats | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0.250 | 12 |
| 12 | South London Bulls | 24 | 5 | 19 | 0.208 | 10 |
| 13 | Swindon Sonics | 24 | 3 | 21 | 0.125 | 6 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs
Play Off Final - Ealing v Derbyshire 82-81

## National League Division 3 (Tier 5)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Bristol Bombers | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0.909 | 40 |
| 2 | Worcester Wolves | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0.818 | 36 |
| 3 | Thames Valley Tigers II | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0.818 | 36 |
| 4 | Dudley Bears | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0.545 | 24 |
| 5 | Barking & Dag. Erkenwald | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0.500 | 22 |
| 6 | Nottingham College | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0.500 | 22 |
| 7 | Brighton Cougars | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0.500 | 22 |
| 8 | University of Birmingham | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0.455 | 20 |
| 9 | Northumbria University | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0.364 | 16 |
| 10 | Tamar Valley Cannons | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0.273 | 12 |
| 11 | Derby Storm II | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0.136 | 6 |
| 12 | Colchester Alliance | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0.136 | 6' |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

## NTL National Cup
### Last 16

| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Worthing Thunder | Greater London Leopards | 67-108 |
| Thames Valley Tigers | Sheffield Sharks | 112-100 |
| Brighton Bears | Manchester Giants | 72-74 |
| Chester Jets | Newcastle Eagles | 85-100 |
| Teesside Mohawks | Leicester Riders | 102-110 |
| Birmingham Bullets | Solent Stars | 109-61 |
| Derby Storm | Edinburgh Rocks | 86-59 |
| Milton Keynes Lions | London Towers | 81-83 |

### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Derby Storm | Thames Valley Tigers | 74-87 |
| London Towers | Manchester Giants | 70-61 |
| Greater London Leopards | Newcastle Eagles | 103-100 |
| Birmingham Bullets | Leicester Riders | 109-118 |

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Leicester Riders | Thames Valley Tigers | 95-85 |
| Greater London Leopards | London Towers | 84-82 |

### Final

* 7 January 2001
| Leicester Riders | 84–82 | Greater London Leopards |
| Pts: Ralph Blalock 26, Larry Johnson 21, Billy Singleton 12, Malcolm Leak 10, Purnell Perry 9 | | Pts: Rob Brown 22, Rashod Johnson 16, Maurice Robinson 14, Rico Alderson 13, Jason Kimbrough 9 |
* Sheffield Arena

## uni-ball Trophy
### Group stage

Group A
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1.Chester Jets | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| 2.Greater London Leopards | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.666 |
| 3.Sheffield Sharks | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| 4.Brighton Bears | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
* Sheffield qualified as the third-place team with the best record on basket difference.
Group B
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1.Thames Valley Tigers | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.666 |
| 2.Derby Storm | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| 3.Birmingham Bullets | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| 4.Leicester Riders | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
* Derby qualified ahead of Birmingham on head-to-head results, losing 76-74 and winning 106-90.
Group C
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1.Newcastle Eagles | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| 2.Milton Keynes Lions | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.666 |
| 3.Manchester Giants | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| 4.Edinburgh Rocks | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
* London Towers received a bye into the Quarter-finals, due to scheduling conflicts with their Euroleague campaign.

### Quarter-finals

* 3 February 2001
| Chester Jets | 82–74 | Derby Storm |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry
* 3 February 2001
| London Towers | 70–74 | Sheffield Sharks |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry
* 3 February 2001
| Greater London Leopards | 78–87 | Newcastle Eagles |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry
* 3 February 2001
| Milton Keynes Lions | 81–86 | Thames Valley Tigers |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry

### Semi-finals

* 9 February 2001
| Newcastle Eagles | 87–84 | Thames Valley Tigers |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry
* 9 February 2001
| Chester Jets | 69–64 | Sheffield Sharks |
* SkyDome Arena, Coventry

### Final

* 24 March 2001
* Report
| Chester Jets | 92–81 | Newcastle Eagles |
| Scoring by quarter: 27-24, 22-13, 20-29, 23-15 |||
| Pts: Loren Meyer, 26, Pero Cameron 20, Duane Clemens 16, James Hamilton 16 | | Pts: Tony Windless 29, TJ Walker 11, Donnie Johnson 11, Brian Ehlers 11 |
* National Indoor Arena, Birmingham

## All-Star Game

* 20 January 2001
| Northern All-Stars | 161–148 | Southern All-Stars |
| Pts: Tony Windless, 25 | | Pts: Tony Christie, 29 |
* Telewest Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
Northern All-Stars :
| Player | Team |
| James Hamilton | Chester Jets |
| Malcolm Leak | Leicester Riders |
| Donnie Johnson | Newcastle Eagles |
| Loren Meyer | Chester Jets |
| Barry Bowman | Derby Storm |
| Purnell Perry | Leicester Riders |
| Justin Phoenix | Manchester Giants |
| Terrell Myers | Sheffield Sharks |
| Tony Windless | Newcastle Eagles |
| Ted Berry | Edinburgh Rocks |
| Ralph Blalock | Leicester Riders |
| Nate Reinking | Sheffield Sharks |
| Coach ||
| Robbie Peers | Chester Jets |
Southern All-Stars :
| Player | Team |
| Antonio Garcia | Birmingham Bullets |
| John McCord | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Andrew Alleyne | Milton Keynes Lions |
| Kendrick Warren | London Towers |
| Jason Siemon | Milton Keynes Lions |
| Rashod Johnson | Greater London Leopards |
| Wilbur Johnson | Brighton Bears |
| Tony Christie | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Brant Bailey | Birmingham Bullets |
| Maurice Robinson | Greater London Leopards |
| Nigel Lloyd | Milton Keynes Lions |
| Randy Duck | London Towers |
| Coach ||
| Nick Nurse | Brighton Bears |

## Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Stat |
| Points per game | John McCord (Thames Valley) | 25.50 |
| Rebounds per game | Antonio García (Derby/Birmingham) | 14.90 |
| Assists per game | Nigel Lloyd (Milton Keynes) | 5.86 |

## Seasonal awards

* Most Valuable Player: Loren Meyer (Chester Jets)
* Coach of the Year: Robbie Peers (Chester Jets)
* All-Star First Team:
** Loren Meyer (Chester Jets)
** Kendrick Warren (London Towers)
** Steve Bucknall (London Towers)
** Tony Windless (Newcastle Eagles)
** John McCord (Thames Valley Tigers)
* All-Star Second Team:
** James Hamilton (Chester Jets)
** Nate Reinking (Sheffield Sharks)
** Barry Bowman (Derby Storm)
** Nigel Lloyd (Milton Keynes Lions)
** Terrell Myers (Sheffield Sharks)