The 2000–01 BBL season, the 14th since its establishment of the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) was a men's professional basketball sports league, league in Great Britain. Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within the United Kingdom. The orga ...

, 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 The Sheffield Sharks, currently known as B.Braun Sheffield Sharks for sponsorship reasons, are a professional basketball team from the city of Sheffield, England. The Sharks compete in the Super League Basketball and play their home matches at ...

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 The Newcastle Eagles are a professional basketball club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They play in Super League Basketball, the top-tier professional basketball league in Britain for men and women, and the European North Basketball Leag ...

. Teams also contested the NTL National Cup with clubs from the lower placed National Basketball League, with

Leicester Riders Leicester Riders are a British professional basketball team and the oldest club in the British Basketball League (BBL). Riders compete in the Super League Basketball (SLB). Established in 1967, the club have played in various locations around L ...

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 Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

. 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 The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. 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

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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

throughout November, playing some of the top

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

teams in the country, finishing with a 2-3 record. *

Birmingham Bullets The Birmingham Bullets were a British professional basketball team from Birmingham, England who competed in the British Basketball League (BBL). The club was founded in 1974 as Coventry Granwood before moving to Birmingham in 1980 as part of the ...

’ attempt to sign

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

nian Antonio García, after he walked out on Derby a day earlier, was taken to court after Derby refused to release his registration. *

were crowned NTL National Cup champions on 7 January 2001, with an 84-82 win over Greater London Leopards at the

Sheffield Arena Sheffield Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Utilita Arena Sheffield, is a multi-purpose arena located in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Meadowhall Centre, Meadowhall and lies between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centr ...

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.

’ Tony Windless was voted MVP after scoring 25 points, while

Thames Valley Tigers Thames Valley Tigers was a British professional basketball team that competed in the British Basketball League (BBL) until 2005, when funding was ceased and the franchise folded. Based in Bracknell, Berkshire, the team's fans set up a new team ...

’ 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 Utilita Arena Birmingham (previously known as Arena Birmingham, The Barclaycard Arena, originally as the National Indoor Arena and still commonly called The NIA) is an indoor arena and sporting venue in central Birmingham, England. It is owne ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. 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

with an 84-75 victory over

, shooting an overall 57% from the floor. Larry Johnson was named as MVP.

BBL Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

Northern Conference

Southern Conference

Playoffs

1st round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

National League Conference (Tier 2)

Final standings

+ one point deducted
Play Off Final - Plymouth 83 Worthing 77

National League Division 1 (Tier 3)

Final standings

Play Off Final - Reading 97 Oxford 82

National League Division 2 (Tier 4)

Final standings

Play Off Final - Ealing v Derbyshire 82-81

National League Division 3 (Tier 5)

Final standings

NTL National Cup

Last 16

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

uni-ball Trophy

Group stage

Group A

* Sheffield qualified as the third-place team with the best record on basket difference.

Group B

* Derby qualified ahead of Birmingham on head-to-head results, losing 76-74 and winning 106-90.

Group C

* London Towers received a bye into the Quarter-finals, due to scheduling conflicts with their

campaign.

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

All-Star Game

Statistics leaders

Seasonal awards

* Most Valuable Player:

Loren Meyer Loren Henry Meyer (born December 30, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round (24th pick overall ...

( Chester Jets) * Coach of the Year: Robbie Peers ( Chester Jets) * All-Star First Team: **

( Chester Jets) ** Kendrick Warren ( London Towers) **

Steve Bucknall Steven Lee Bucknall (born 17 March 1966) is a retired English professional basketball player, and former head coach of British Basketball League (BBL) expansion franchise London Capital. A and shooting guard, Bucknall was the third English ...

( London Towers) ** Tony Windless (

) ** John McCord (

) * All-Star Second Team: **

James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to: Dukes *James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland *James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman *James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), Sco ...

( Chester Jets) ** Nate Reinking (

) ** Barry Bowman ( Derby Storm) **

Nigel Lloyd Nigel A Lloyd is a Barbadian-British basketball coach and former player. Career Born in Barbados, Lloyd came to the United States at age 6. He first picked up a basketball in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. In the 1980s, he attended the ...

( Milton Keynes Lions) ** Terrell Myers (

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2000-01 British Basketball League season British Basketball League seasons 1

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...