# 1998–99 British Basketball League season

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

### Playoffs
#### Quarter-finals

(1) Sheffield Sharks vs. (8) Greater London Leopards
* April 11, 1999
| Greater London Leopards | 83–76 | Sheffield Sharks |
* Brentwood Centre, Brentwood
* April 14, 1999
| Sheffield Sharks | 100–82 | Greater London Leopards |
* Ponds Forge, Sheffield
* April 16, 1999
| Sheffield Sharks | 75–68 | Greater London Leopards |
| Sheffield wins series, 2–1 |||
* Wembley Arena, London
(2) Manchester Giants vs. (7) Birmingham Bullets
* April 11, 1999
| Birmingham Bullets | 82–74 | Manchester Giants |
* National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham
* April 15, 1999
| Manchester Giants | 78–71 | Birmingham Bullets |
* Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester
* April 17, 1999
| Manchester Giants | 90–77 | Birmingham Bullets |
| Manchester wins series, 2–1 |||
* Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester
(3) London Towers vs. (5) Newcastle Eagles
* April 9, 1999
| Newcastle Eagles | 78–76 | London Towers |
* Telewest Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
* April 15, 1999
| London Towers | 91–76 | Newcastle Eagles |
* Wembley Arena, London
* April 17, 1999
| London Towers | 87–68 | Newcastle Eagles |
| London wins series, 2–1 |||
* Wembley Arena, London
(4) Thames Valley Tigers vs. (6) Derby Storm
* April 10, 1999
| Derby Storm | 87–91 | Thames Valley Tigers |
* Storm Arena, Derby
* April 14, 1999
| Thames Valley Tigers | 114–93 | Derby Storm |
| Thames Valley wins series, 2–0 |||
* Bracknell Leisure Centre, Bracknell

#### Semi-finals

* May 1, 1999
| Sheffield Sharks | 78–85 | London Towers |
* Wembley Arena, London
* May 1, 1999
| Manchester Giants | 76–79 | Thames Valley Tigers |
* Wembley Arena, London

#### Third-place game

* May 2, 1999
| Sheffield Sharks | 98–88 | Manchester Giants |
* Wembley Arena, London

#### Final

* May 2, 1999 6.30pm GMT
* Report
| London Towers | 82–71 | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Pts: Malcolm Leak 20, Jason Siemon, Danny Lewis (MVP), Martin Henlan, Randy Duck | | Pts: Bryan Balser 22, Mark Jackson, Stewart Clark, Lee Walker |
* Wembley Arena, London Attendance: 9,000 Towers coachLino Frattin Tigers coach Paul James

## National League Division 1 (Tier 2)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | 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 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs
Champions by virtue of head-to-head record*

### Playoffs

Quarter-finals
| Teesside Mohawks | 89–76 | London Towers II |
| Plymouth Raiders | 111–101 | Cardiff Clippers |
| Guildford Pumas | 90–79 | Mid-Sussex Magic |
| Solent Stars | 84–79 | Coventry Crusaders |
Semi-finals
| Plymouth Raiders | 93–75 | Guildford Pumas |
| Solent Stars | 92–113 | Teesside Mohawks |
Final
| Plymouth Raiders | 71–66 | Teesside Mohawks |
* Guildford Spectrum

## National League Division 2 (Tier 3)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | 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 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs

Quarter-finals
| Birmingham Bullets B | 89–73 | Wandsworth Bulls |
| Taunton Tigers | 100–80 | Northampton 89ers |
| Manchester Attitude | 90–72 | Chessington Wildcats |
| Reading Rockets | 79–91 | Liverpool Atac |
Semi-finals
| Taunton Tigers | 80–59 | Manchester Attitude |
| Birmingham Bullets B | 76–71 | Liverpool Atac |
Final
| Birmingham Bullets B | 79–99 | Taunton Tigers |
* Guildford Spectrum

## National League Division 3 (Tier 4)
### Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | 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 |
* = League winners
* = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs

Quarter-finals
| NW London Wolverines | 85–64 | Ware Fire |
| North London Lords | 82–71 | Derbyshire Arrows |
| Hull Icebergs | 80–72 | Cambridge |
| Barking & Dagenham Erkenwald | 85–76 | Mansfield Express |
Semi-finals
| Hull Icebergs | 90–88 | Barking & Dagenham Erkenwald |
| North London Lords | 96–90 | NW London Wolverines |
Final
| Hull Icebergs | 58–75 | North London Lords |
* Guildford Spectrum

## 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

* 10 January 1999
| Sheffield Sharks | 67–65 | Greater London Leopards |
| Pts: Terrell Myers (MVP) 29, Travis Conlan 16, Todd Cauthorn, Wilbur Johnson, Ian McKinney | | Pts: Tim Moore 25, Rashod Johnson 15, Robert Youngblood 15, Eric Burks, Stedroy Baker |
* Sheffield Arena Attendance: ? 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

* January 27, 1999
| Birmingham Bullets | 62–96 | Manchester Giants |
* Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Birmingham
* January 27, 1999
| Derby Storm | 109–102 | Newcastle Eagles |
* Storm Arena, Derby
* January 27, 1999
| London Towers | 61–62 | Leicester Riders |
* Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London
* January 27, 1999
| Sheffield Sharks | 82–75 | Chester Jets |
* Ponds Forge, Sheffield

### Semi-finals

Derby Storm vs. Leicester Riders
* February 10, 1999
| Derby Storm | 88–75 | Leicester Riders |
* Storm Arena, Derby
* February 18, 1999
| Leicester Riders | 93–90 | Derby Storm |
| Derby wins on aggregate, 178–168 |||
* Granby Halls, Leicester
Sheffield Sharks vs. Manchester Giants
* February 10, 1999
| Sheffield Sharks | 77–81 | Manchester Giants |
* Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
* February 17, 1999
| Manchester Giants | 93–88 | Sheffield Sharks |
| Manchester wins on aggregate, 174–165 |||
* Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester

### Final

* March 13, 1999 7.00pm GMT
* Report
| Manchester Giants | 90–69 | Derby Storm |
| Pts: Tony Dorsey 28, Ronnie Baker (MVP) 21, John White 16, Makeba Perry 11 | | Pts: Joel Burns 20, Nate Reinking 16, Maurice Robinson 14, Martin Ford, John Tresvant |
* National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham Attendance: 6,500 Giants coach Nick Nurse Storm coach Bob Donewald, Jr.

## Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game

* February 27, 1999 7.05pm GMT
* Report
| Northern All-Stars | 156–158 | Southern All-Stars |
| Pts: Ted Berry, 29 | | Pts: Malcolm Leak/Jason Siemon, 24 |
* Telewest Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
Northern All-Stars :
| Player | Team |
| Tony Dorsey | Manchester Giants |
| Terrell Myers | Sheffield Sharks |
| Billy Singleton | Leicester Riders |
| Nick Browning | Chester Jets |
| Ralph Blalock | Newcastle Eagles |
| JaRon Boone | Leicester Riders |
| Wilbur Johnson | Sheffield Sharks |
| Travis Conlon | Sheffield Sharks |
| Tony Holley | Manchester Giants |
| Ted Berry | Edinburgh Rocks |
| Chris Flite | Newcastle Eagles |
| Corey Jackson | Newcastle Eagles |
| Coach ||
| Nick Nurse | Manchester Giants |
Southern All-Stars :
| Player | Team |
| John McCord | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Jon Gaines | Worthing Bears |
| Nigel Lloyd | Birmingham Bullets |
| Tony Windless | Milton Keynes Lions |
| Jason Siemon | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Reggie Kirk | Birmingham Bullets |
| Casey Arena | Thames Valley Tigers |
| Danny Lewis | London Towers |
| Malcolm Leak | London Towers |
| Robert Youngblood | Greater London Leopards |
| Eric Burks | Greater London Leopards |
| Dwayne Morton | London Towers |
| Coach ||
| Billy Mims | Greater London Leopards |

## Statistics leaders

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