# 1997–98 British Basketball League season

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 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs
#### Quarter-finals

(1) Greater London Leopards vs. (8) Manchester Giants
* April 14, 1998
| Manchester Giants | 86–93 | Greater London Leopards |
* April 16, 1998
| Greater London Leopards | 98–107 | Manchester Giants |
* April 19, 1998
| Greater London Leopards | 81–90 | Manchester Giants |
| Manchester wins series, 2–1 |||
(2) Birmingham Bullets vs. (7) Derby Storm
* April 11, 1998
| Derby Storm | 79–111 | Birmingham Bullets |
* April 14, 1998
| Birmingham Bullets | 84–86 (OT) | Derby Storm |
* April 19, 1998
| Birmingham Bullets | 96–81 | Derby Storm |
| Birmingham wins series, 2–1 |||
(3) Newcastle Eagles vs. (6) London Towers
* April 12, 1998
| London Towers | 68–63 | Newcastle Eagles |
* April 14, 1998
| Newcastle Eagles | 73–50 | London Towers |
* April 19, 1998
| Newcastle Eagles | 85–87 | London Towers |
| London wins series, 2–1 |||
(4) Sheffield Sharks vs. (5) Thames Valley Tigers
* April 11, 1998
| Thames Valley Tigers | 84–83 | Sheffield Sharks |
* April 14, 1998
| Sheffield Sharks | 75–97 | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Thames Valley wins series, 2–0 |||

#### Semi-finals

* May 2, 1998
| Birmingham Bullets | 90–80 | Manchester Giants |
* Wembley Arena, London
* May 2, 1998
| Thames Valley Tigers | 78–71 | London Towers |
* Wembley Arena, London

#### Third-place game

* May 3, 1998
| Manchester Giants | 87–82 | London Towers |
* Wembley Arena, London

#### Final

* May 3, 1998
* Report
| Birmingham Bullets | 78–75 | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Pts: Tony Dorsey (MVP) 28, Reggie Kirk 18, Nigel Lloyd 16, HL Coleman, Fab Flournoy Rebs: Lloyd 9 | | Pts: John McCord 24, Dameon Page 19, Tony Holley 13, Casey Arena, Jason Siemon, Adrian Cummings Rebs: Holley 13 |
* Wembley Arena, London Attendance: ? 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 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs

Semi-finals
| Richmond Jaguars | 208–195 (agg.) | Teesside Mohawks |
| Plymouth Raiders | 164–146 (agg.) | Stevenage Rebels |
Final
| Richmond Jaguars | 82–67 | Plymouth Raiders |

## 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 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs

Semi-finals
| Cardiff Clippers | 171–175 (agg.) | London Towers II |
| Solent Stars | 202–185 (agg.) | South Bank University Bulls |
Final
* 9 May 1998
| Solent Stars | 70–68 | London Towers II |
* NYNEX Arena

## 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

* 17 January 1998
| Thames Valley Tigers | 82–78 | Leicester Riders |
| Pts: John McCord 27, Dameon Page 18, Casey Arena 14, Jason Siemon 14, Tony Holley | | Pts: Billy Singleton 24, Gene Waldron 21, JaRon Boone 12, James Havrilla, Geno Ford |
* Sheffield Arena Attendance: ? 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
* January 14, 1998
| Greater London Leopards | 83–79 | Thames Valley Tigers |
* January 21, 1998
| Thames Valley Tigers | 87–95 | Greater London Leopards |
| Greater London wins on aggregate, 178–166 |||
London Towers vs. Manchester Giants
* January 14, 1998
| London Towers | 90–69 | Manchester Giants |
* January 21, 1998
| Manchester Giants | 69–69 | London Towers |
| London wins on aggregate, 159–138 |||
Newcastle Eagles vs. Birmingham Bullets
* January 13, 1998
| Newcastle Eagles | 70–66 | Birmingham Bullets |
* January 24, 1998
| Birmingham Bullets | 86–95 | Newcastle Eagles |
| Newcastle wins on aggregate, 165–152 |||
Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders
* January 13, 1998
| Sheffield Sharks | 97–94 | Leicester Riders |
* January 21, 1998
| Leicester Riders | 83–99 | Sheffield Sharks |
| Sheffield wins on aggregate, 196–177 |||

### Semi-finals

London Towers vs. Newcastle Eagles
* February 3, 1998
| London Towers | 92–74 | Newcastle Eagles |
* February 13, 1998
| Newcastle Eagles | 89–89 | London Towers |
| London wins on aggregate, 181–163 |||
Sheffield Sharks vs. Greater London Leopards
* February 4, 1998
| Sheffield Sharks | 103–85 | Greater London Leopards |
* February 12, 1998
| Greater London Leopards | 90–82 | Sheffield Sharks |
| Sheffield wins on aggregate, 185–175 |||

### Final

* March 8, 1998
* Report
| Sheffield Sharks | 82–79 | London Towers |
| Pts: John Amaechi (MVP) 40, Terrell Myers, Mark Robinson, Wilbur Johnson Rebs: John Amaechi, 16 | | Pts: Danny Lewis 23, Keith Robinson, James Hamilton, Neville Austin, Marco Baldi, Tamir Berkovitch Rebs: Keith Robinson, 13 |
* National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham Attendance: ? Sharks coach Chris Finch Towers coach Kevin Cadle

## Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game

* March 22, 1998 7.05pm GMT
* Report
| Northern All-Stars | 168–175 | Southern All-Stars |
| Pts: Leon McGee, 25 | | Pts: John White, 32 |
* Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
Northern All-Stars :
| Player | Team |
| John Amaechi | Sheffield Sharks |
| Billy Singleton | Leicester Riders |
| Robert Churchwell | Manchester Giants |
| JaRon Boone | Leicester Riders |
| Corey Jackson | Chester Jets |
| Ted Berry | Derby Storm |
| Mark Robinson | Sheffield Sharks |
| Leon McGee | Newcastle Eagles |
| Rob Phelps | Newcastle Eagles |
| Mark Boyd | Newcastle Eagles |
| Todd Cauthorn | Sheffield Sharks |
| James Havrilla | Leicester Riders |
| Coach ||
| Craig Lynch | Newcastle Eagles |
Southern All-Stars :
| Player | Team |
| Tony Dorsey | Birmingham Bullets |
| Eric Burks | Greater London Leopards |
| John White | Greater London Leopards |
| John McCord | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Tony Holley | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Brad Wedel | Crystal Palace |
| Danny Lewis | London Towers |
| Greg Francis | Worthing Bears |
| Nigel Lloyd | Birmingham Bullets |
| Keith Robinson | London Towers |
| Robert Youngblood | Greater London Leopards |
| Alan Hopper | Watford Royals |
| Coach ||
| Billy Mims | Greater London Leopards |

## Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Stat |
| Points per game | Tony Dorsey (Birmingham Bullets) | 26.09 |
| Rebounds per game | Makeba Perry (Greater London Leopards) | 11.81 |
| Assists per game | Cleave Lewis (Watford Royals) | 5.78 |
| Steals per game | Casey Arena (Thames Valley Tigers) | 3.11 |
| Blocks per game | 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)