1983–84 National Basketball League season

1983–84 National Basketball League season
League National Basketball League
Sport Basketball
Number of teams 13
Roll of Honour
National League champions Solent Stars
  National League runners-up Crystal Palace
Play Off's champions Solent Stars
  Play Off's runners-up Warrington & Liverpool
National Cup champions Solent Stars
  National Cup runners-up Leicester

The 1983–84 Wimpey Homes National Basketball League season was the twelfth season of the National Basketball League formed in the United Kingdom in 1972.[1]

The league was sponsored by Wimpey Homes and Solent Stars achieved a clean sweep of National League, Play Offs and National Cup.[2] Teams played each other three times in the league during the season. The Channel 4 exposure had assisted in teams finding sponsors but a decision by the Independent Broadcasting Authority to ban shirt advertising suddenly jeopardised these sponsorships.

Team changes

There had been no plans by the English Basketball Association (EBBA) to allow any new teams into the first division and this upset the Fine Ceramics Bolton team that had won the second division the year before. No invite had been extended to either them or Liverpool who had finished bottom of the first division.[3] However it transpired that Bolton were eventually allowed to compete, a decision which then angered Liverpool but maintained a 13 team league. Liverpool then made the decision to merge with Warrington.
Remarkably 11 of the 13 clubs made a new coaching appointment. The appointments were Randy Haefner (Sunderland), Rick Taylor (Hemel Hempstead), Jim Guymon (Kingston), Jim Kelly (Solent), Bill Sheridan (Brighton), Bob Mitchell (Birmingham), Joel Furnari (Leicester), Joe Whelton (Liverpool/Warrington), Tom Becker (Manchester), Jack Lehane (Bracknell), and Craig Lynch (Bolton).

League standings

First Division

Pos Team P W L F A Pts
1 Sperrings Solent Stars 36 32 4 3403 2261 64
2 Blue Nun Crystal Palace Supersonics 36 25 11 2973 2750 50
3 FSO Cars Warrington & Liverpool Vikings 36 24 12 2967 2789 48
4 Bracknell Pirates 36 23 13 3144 3037 46
5 Austin Rover Sunderland 36 23 13 3243 2973 46
6 Planters Leicester 36 23 13 2669 2784 45*
7 Manchester Giants 36 18 18 3053 3129 36
8 Brighton Bears 36 17 19 3089 3152 34
9 Davenports Birmingham 36 16 20 3315 3365 32
10 Kingcraft Kingston 36 14 22 3179 3197 28
11 Ovaltine Hemel Hempstead 36 12 24 3355 3508 24
12 John Carr Doncaster 36 6 30 2992 3464 12
13 Fine Ceramics Bolton 36 1 35 3088 3663 2

One point deducted*

Second Division

Bradford Mythbreakers, Brunel Uxbridge Ducks, Calderdale Explorers, Camden & Hampstead, Colchester, Gateshead, Merseyside Mustangs, Clayton Glass Newcastle, Ashfield Glass Nottingham, Plymouth Raiders, Portsmouth Buccaneers, Team Sandwell, Watford Royals

Wimpey Homes Play Offs

Semi-finals

venue & date Team 1 Team 2 Score
March 16, Wembley Arena Solent Stars Bracknell Pirates 83-81
March 16, Wembley Arena Crystal Palace Supersonics Liverpool & Warrington Vikings 68-71

Final

17 March 1984[4]
Solent Stars 70–64 Liverpool & Warrington Vikings
Pts: John Johnson, TJ Robinson, Mark Saiers, Karl Tatham, Tony Watson Pts: Will Brown (MVP) 18, Ed Bona, David Lloyd, Jeff Jones, Kevin Penny
Wembley Arena
Attendance: 9,000
Solent Coach Jim Kelly
Liv/Warr Coach Joe Whelton

Asda National Cup

Second round

Team 1 Team 2 Score
LSO Cars Liverpool & Warrington Vikings Davenports Birmingham 92-85
Gateshead Manchester Giants 83-81
Blue Nun Crystal Palace Supersonics Brighton Bears 97-80
Ovaltine Hemel Hempstead Brunel Uxbridge Ducks 85-71
Planters Leicester John Carr Doncaster 91-77
Sperrings Solent Stars Watford Royals 119-82
Bradford Mythbreakers Austin Rover Sunderland 72-87
Bracknell Pirates Kingcraft Kingston 82-89

Quarter finals

Team 1 Team 2 Score
Planters Leicester Gateshead 82-67
Austin Rover Sunderland LSO Cars Liverpool & Warrington Vikings 73-68
Sperrings Solent Stars Kingcraft Kingston 124-79
Blue Nun Crystal Palace Supersonics Ovaltine Hemel Hempstead

Semi-finals

Leg Team 1 Team 2 Score
First Leg Sperrings Solent Stars Blue Nun Crystal Palace Supersonics 68-56
Second Leg Blue Nun Crystal Palace Supersonics Sperrings Solent Stars 73-69
First Leg Planters Leicester Austin Rover Sunderland 73-73
Second Leg Austin Rover Sunderland Planters Leicester 69-70

Final

Live on Channel 4
09 January 1984[5]
Solent Stars 86–67 Planters Leicester
Pts: John Johnson 20, TJ Robinson 18, Mark Saiers (MVP) 17 Pts: Charles Payton 22, Ken Pemberton 18, Lonnie Legette 12, Steve O'Shea
Royal Albert Hall, London
Attendance: ?
Solent Coach Jim Kelly
Leicester Coach Joel Furnari

References

  1. ↑ Matthews & Morrison, Peter & Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records & Results. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
  2. ↑ "Men's Senior League Winners". Basketball England.
  3. ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Rebuff for champions." Times [London, England] 22 Mar. 1983: 23". The Times Digital Archive.
  4. ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Basketball: National Championship Play-Offs." Times [London, England] 19 Mar. 1984". The Times Digital Archive.
  5. ↑ "Nicholas Harling. "Basketball." Times [London, England] 10 Jan. 1984". The Times Digital Archive.

See also

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