The 2012–13 BBL season was the 26th campaign 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 ...

since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001. East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season. The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise

Milton Keynes Lions London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England, and compete in the Super League Basketball (SLB). The team was originally founded in 1977 as the Hemel Hempstead Lakers. Following an ownershi ...

relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions, whilst

Cheshire Jets The Cheshire Phoenix are an English professional basketball team based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Founded in 1984, they are members of the Super League Basketball and play their home games at the Cheshire Oaks Arena. From 1993 until 2015 the ...

– encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as

Cheshire Phoenix The Cheshire Phoenix are an English professional basketball team based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Founded in 1984, they are members of the Super League Basketball and play their home games at the Cheshire Oaks Arena. From 1993 until 2015 the ...

midway through the season. The Championship regular season commenced on 21 September 2012 with reigning Champions

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 ...

beginning the defence of their title with a 72–65 victory over

Glasgow Rocks The Caledonia Gladiators are a Scottish professional basketball club based in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire and are the only Scotland-based team in Super League Basketball, the top tier of domestic basketball in the United Kingdom. Founde ...

. The regular season saw all teams face each other three times during the campaign, playing either two games at home and once on the road or vice versa, with the top-eight placed teams advancing to the play-offs, which took place in April 2013. The season climaxed on 28 April with the showpiece Play-off Final, which returned to its former home 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 ...

, for the first time since 2002.

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 ...

dominated the campaign, and were successful in three of the BBL's four annual competition's, claiming the League title,

BBL Cup The British Basketball League Cup, often shortened to the BBL Cup, was an annual cup competition for the British Basketball League (BBL). It was one of two peripheral competitions operated by the League during the regular season, with the other b ...

and

Play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...

title.

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 ...

thwarted the possibility of a "clean sweep" with a victory against the odds over the Riders in the

BBL Trophy The British Basketball League Trophy, often shortened to the BBL Trophy, is an annual cup competition for the British Basketball League (BBL). It is the unique of peripheral competitions operated by the League during the regular season, The com ...

Final.

Teams

Notable occurrences

*New entrant Manchester Giants joined as the League's 12th franchise whilst East London Royals, who were due to become the 13th member, deferred entry to the 2013–14 season after their financial backing fell through prior to the start of the season.

Reading Rockets The Reading Rockets are an English semi-professional basketball club based in the town of Reading, England. Founded in 1997, the Rockets compete in NBL Division 1, the second tier of the British basketball system. History The Rockets were f ...

also had a bid to join the league rejected earlier in the year. *Although initially planning to enter as new franchises for the 2012–13 season, both BBL Birmingham and Essex Leopards postponed their entry until the 2013–14 season. *Long-time member franchise

relocated to London after their previous home venue was sold off by its owners, and rebranded itself as the London Lions. Initially they will use the

Crystal Palace National Sports Centre The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace, London, Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and outdoor Sport of athletics, athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the for ...

for home games but will eventually move to the

Copper Box The Copper Box Arena is a multi-sport venue built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England. Previously known as the Handball Arena, it was renamed because, aside from handball, it hosted moder ...

– built for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

– from 2013. *

Guildford Heat The Surrey Scorchers were an English professional basketball team based in Guildford, Surrey, that competed in the British Basketball League. The team was established in 2005 as the Guildford Heat by fans of former British Basketball League te ...

rebranded its franchise as the Surrey Heat to reflect its geographical reach in terms of fan base and community programmes. *New rules introduced prior to the start of the season now allows team's to field only a maximum of five non-British players per game (including up to three work permitted players), demonstrating the League's commitment towards developing British players. *On 10 August,

owner Pete Hawkins announced that the franchise was up for sale after negotiations with a proposed new owner collapsed. With the help of a "Save the Jets" campaign ran by local newspaper the

Chester Chronicle ''Chester Chronicle'' is a local weekly newspaper distributed in Chester, Cheshire and North Wales. The first edition was published by founder John Poole on 2 May 1775. Editions are published every Thursday. In 2018, it had a circulation of 7,02 ...

, local businessman Haydn Cook stepped-in as the new owner of the franchise just weeks before the start of the new season, ensuring the immediate future of the franchise. *More than 5,000 fans attended Glasgow Rocks' inaugural game at their new

Emirates Arena The Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, known for sponsorship reasons as the Emirates Arena, is an indoor arena and velodrome in Dalmarnock, Glasgow, Scotland. Built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, these venues hosted the badmint ...

home on 7 October. Glasgow were defeated 84–106 by arch-rivals

. *After less than a month in the role, Cheshire's

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 ...

resigned as the team's player-coach on 15 October, due to his suspension following an altercation at a junior game. *On 30 October it was announced that the Cheshire Jets franchise had been withdrawn by the League after new-owner Haydn Cook reported severe financial difficulties and requested to postpone upcoming fixtures and make all staff and players redundant with immediate effect. The following day it was revealed that the League had reinstated the franchise and would manage its operation centrally whilst trying to find a new owner. The club was temporarily renamed Cheshire Basketball Club as previous owner Cook retained the Jets name, logo, kits and branding. A "Save the Jets" campaign led by local fans and businessmen secured the required £50,000 needed to take over the franchise within the League's deadline of 30 November, and guaranteed the immediate future of the club. Renamed as Cheshire Phoenix, the franchise will operate as a not-for-profit Community Interest Club, whilst linking up with

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

(who faced a similar situation two years earlier) in a supporting partnership." *

Worthing Thunder Worthing Thunder is a British professional basketball, based in Worthing, West Sussex, England. They compete in the National Basketball League (England), National Basketball League (NBL) and has played their home games at the Worthing Leisure Ce ...

– of the

English Basketball League The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a league competition representing semi-professional and amateur basketball clubs from England and Wales. It forms levels 2 to 5 on the British basketball pyramid, in line with the Scottish B ...

– became the first ever non-BBL team to progress past the 1st Round of the

after an 84–64 win at home to Mersey Tigers on 6 January 2013. *

won their first silverware in 12 years on 13 January, with an 85–80 victory over Newcastle Eagles in the

Final.

Jay Cousinard Jays are a paraphyletic grouping of passerine birds within the family Corvidae. Although the term "jay" carries no taxonomic weight, most or all of the birds referred to as jays share a few similarities: they are small to medium-sized, usually ...

, who scored 17 points, was named as the game's MVP. *Leicester's 84–59 regular season victory over Manchester Giants on 19 February made the Riders only the fifth team in League history to go unbeaten for a whole year, having last been defeated on 25 February 2012 (Their upcoming schedule mean that the landmark date would pass before their next game). *

claimed the

after a narrow two-point win over Leicester in front of over 5,000 fans at Glasgow's Emirates Arena, on 9 March. Sheffield's 71–69 victory prevented Leicester from winning a Cup-Trophy double, whilst it was Sharks' first Trophy final win for 15 years. * Mersey Tigers secured the record for the longest losing-sreak in League history on 22 March. Their 92–79 defeat to

Plymouth Raiders Plymouth Raiders are a basketball team based in Plymouth, England, currently competing in Division 3 of the National Basketball League (England), National Basketball League. Founded in 1983 through a merger between two local basketball clubs, ...

was their 31st consecutive loss, having last won a game against Milton Keynes on 15 April 2012. *Leicester Riders were crowned League Champions for the first time in their history following their 93–70 home victory over Durham Wildcats on 31 March. *Riders finished the campaign with a historic 65-57 win over Newcastle in the Play-off Final at a packed-out

on 28 April.

BBL Championship (Tier 1)

Final standings

Playoffs

Quarter-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (8) London Lions (2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks (3) Glasgow Rocks vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders (4) Surrey Heat vs. (5) Worcester Wolves

Semi-finals

(1) Leicester Riders vs. (6) Plymouth Raiders (2) Newcastle Eagles vs. (4) Surrey Heat

Final

EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

Final standings

EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

Final standings

PAWS London Capital London Capital, officially called PAWS London Capital in reference to their partnership with PAWS Foundation, were a basketball team based in London, England. The team competed in the British Basketball League for a three-year period in 2007-20 ...

deducted twelve points for fielding an ineligible player during the 2011–12 season.

BBL Cup

The winners of the four 1st Round matches were joined by

and

Worcester Wolves The Worcester Wolves are a basketball club in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The team plays in the National Basketball League (England), NBL Division 2, the third tier of British basketball. The club was formed in 2000, and from 2006 u ...

in the Quarter-finals, who received byes for finishing in the top four BBL Championship positions last season. The Final was played on 13 January 2013 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 ...

in Birmingham.

1st round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Plymouth Raiders vs. Newcastle Eagles Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders

Final

BBL Trophy

The 12 BBL clubs were joined by Essex Leopards and

of the

and Edinburgh Kings of the Scottish Basketball League to form a straight knock-out competition. Following the withdrawal of East London Royals prior to the start of the competition,

from the English Basketball League were invited to take their place and play Mersey Tigers in the 1st Round. The first two rounds featured one-off games whilst the Semi-finals took place over two legs. The Final was held at the

in Glasgow and saw

claim their first Trophy in 15 years, after 71–69 victory over

1st round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Cheshire Phoenix vs. Sheffield Sharks Leicester Riders vs. Worcester Wolves

Final

Statistics leaders

Monthly awards

Seasonal awards

Molten Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid to a liquid. This occurs when the internal energy of the solid increases, typically by the application of heat or pressure, which incre ...

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

Andrew Sullivan Andrew Michael Sullivan (born 10 August 1963) is a British-American political commentator. Sullivan is a former editor of ''The New Republic'', and the author or editor of six books. He started a political blog, ''The Daily Dish'', in 2000, and ...

(

) *

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

: Rob Paternostro (

) *

Team of the Year: **

Travis Holmes Travis Holmes (born May 9, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Surrey United of the British Basketball League (BBL). He played college basketball for the Virginia Military Institute Keydets basketball ...

( Surrey Heat) **

(

) **

(

) ** Matt Schneck (

) **

Kareem Maddox Kareem Maddox (born December 9, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player and member of the United States men's national 3x3 team. He played college basketball at Princeton. College career Maddox played college basketball at Pr ...

(

) *

Defensive Team of the Year: **

(

) **

(

) ** Chavis Holmes ( Surrey Heat) **

(

) ** Zaire Taylor (

) *

British Team of the Year: **

(

) **

Mike Tuck Michael Tuck (born 24 June 1953) is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL). His 426 career games was a VFL ...

(

) ** Sam Cricelli ( Surrey Heat) ** Orlan Jackman ( London Lions) ** Anthony Rowe (

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2012-13 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 ...