2018–19 British Basketball League season
# 2018–19 British Basketball League season

The 2018–19 BBL season was the 32nd campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland.

The Leicester Riders were the three-time defending regular season champions, but were unable to defend that title as the London Lions achieved their first regular season title; a 99–80 victory at the Newcastle Eagles, on 26 April 2019, was enough for the Lions to have an unassailable lead ahead of the Riders. It was the Lions' second trophy of the season, after they defeated the Glasgow Rocks in the BBL Cup final.

The Lions were beaten in the playoff quarter-finals by the eighth-seeded Plymouth Raiders, who overturned a six-point deficit from the first leg into an eight-point aggregate victory. The Raiders were then beaten by the Riders in the semi-finals, before the Riders won their third consecutive playoff final with a 93–61 victory over the London City Royals, who in their first season in the league, had won the BBL Trophy in overtime against the Lions.

## Teams

The newly formed London City Royals replaced Leeds Force.

### Venues

| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity |
| - | - | - | - |
| Bristol Flyers | Bristol | SGS WISE Arena | 750 |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Ellesmere Port | Cheshire Oaks Arena | 1,400 |
| Glasgow Rocks | Glasgow | Emirates Arena | 1,650 |
| Leicester Riders | Leicester | Morningside Arena | 2,400 |
| London City Royals | London | Crystal Palace NSC | 1,500 |
| London Lions | London | Copper Box | 7,000 |
| Manchester Giants | Manchester | Trafford Powerleague Arena George H. Carnall Centre | 1,100 750 |
| Newcastle Eagles | Newcastle upon Tyne | Sport Central Eagles Community Arena | 3,000 3,000 |
| Plymouth Raiders | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | 1,500 |
| Sheffield Sharks | Sheffield | English Institute of Sport | 1,000 |
| Surrey Scorchers | Guildford | Surrey Sports Park | 1,000 |
| Worcester Wolves | Worcester | University of Worcester Arena | 2,000 |

### Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Head coach | Captain | Main jersey sponsor |
| - | - | - | - |
| Bristol Flyers | Andreas Kapoulas | Michael Vigor | RSG Group |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Ben Thomas | Momcilo Latinovic | Hillyer McKeown |
| Glasgow Rocks | Vincent Lavandier | Kieron Achara | Radisson Red |
| Leicester Riders | Rob Paternostro | Andrew Thomson | Jelson Homes |
| London City Royals | Jay Williams | Orlan Jackman | |
| London Lions | Vince Macaulay | Joe Ikhinmwin | |
| Manchester Giants | Danny Byrne | Callum Jones | Space |
| Newcastle Eagles | Fabulous Flournoy | Darius Defoe | ESH Group |
| Plymouth Raiders | Paul James | Zak Wells | Plessey |
| Sheffield Sharks | Atiba Lyons | Mike Tuck | BBraun |
| Surrey Scorchers | Creon Raftopoulos | Tayo Ogedengbe | University of Surrey |
| Worcester Wolves | Tony Garbelotto | Adam Thoseby | University of Worcester |

### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Worcester Wolves | Paul James | Released | Off-season | Ty Shaw | |
| Plymouth Raiders | Gavin Love | Released | Off-season | Paul James | |
| Glasgow Rocks | Darryl Wood | Mutual consent | 19 February 2019 | Vincent Lavandier (interim) | 28 February 2019 |
| Worcester Wolves | Ty Shaw | Personal reasons | 8 March 2019 | Tony Garbelotto (interim) | 8 March 2019 |

## Regular season

The winners of the Regular season are considered as national champions. The London Lions achieved their first regular season title with a 99–80 victory over the Newcastle Eagles at the Eagles Community Arena on 26 April 2019.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | London Lions (C) | 33 | 27 | 6 | 2879 | 2525 | +354 | 54 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Leicester Riders | 33 | 24 | 9 | 2674 | 2517 | +157 | 48 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 33 | 21 | 12 | 2930 | 2821 | +109 | 42 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 4 | London City Royals | 33 | 18 | 15 | 2800 | 2800 | 0 | 36 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 5 | Glasgow Rocks | 33 | 18 | 15 | 2789 | 2716 | +73 | 36 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 6 | Sheffield Sharks | 33 | 17 | 16 | 2580 | 2618 | −38 | 34 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 7 | Cheshire Phoenix | 33 | 17 | 16 | 2862 | 2822 | +40 | 34 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 8 | Plymouth Raiders | 33 | 16 | 17 | 2898 | 2878 | +20 | 32 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 9 | Manchester Giants | 33 | 14 | 19 | 2842 | 2947 | −105 | 28 | |
| 10 | Bristol Flyers | 33 | 14 | 19 | 2613 | 2653 | −40 | 28 | |
| 11 | Worcester Wolves | 33 | 6 | 27 | 2744 | 3047 | −303 | 12 | |
| 12 | Surrey Scorchers | 33 | 6 | 27 | 2883 | 3150 | −267 | 12 | |

### Results

**Double round-robin**

| Home \ Away | BRI | CHE | GLA | LEI | LCI | LON | MAN | NEW | PLY | SHE | SUR | WOR |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bristol Flyers | — | 63–68 | 85–83 | 52–68 | 73–78 | 80–64 | 89–92 | 86–73 | 80–70 | 92–60 | 83–89 | 82–79 |
| Cheshire Phoenix | 87–93 | — | 87–92 | 88–94 | 98–86 | 94–101 | 102–80 | 78–90 | 94–88 | 61–78 | 93–74 | 91–83 |
| Radisson Red Glasgow Rocks | 99–82 | 101–96 | — | 101–81 | 98–81 | 70–86 | 80–69 | 85–100 | 72–77 | 85–94 | 103–76 | 89–61 |
| Leicester Riders | 64–63 | 76–79 | 75–71 | — | 83–79 | 73–76 | 94–68 | 69–76 | 86–77 | 70–71 | 87–81 | 94–86 |
| London City Royals | 91–83 | 93–99 | 84–70 | 77–74 | — | 77–73 | 97–90 | 98–81 | 102–93 | 83–70 | 91–85 | 79–66 |
| London Lions | 81–68 | 87–81 | 100–66 | 63–65 | 80–63 | — | 115–91 | 96–78 | 99–92 | 92–82 | 93–79 | 82–65 |
| Manchester Giants | 79–69 | 99–91 | 76–83 | 75–73 | 86–92 | 83–86 | — | 76–75 | 89–99 | 93–65 | 93–109 | 124–123 |
| Esh Group Eagles Newcastle | 95–89 | 70–65 | 104–98 | 68–84 | 110–60 | 80–99 | 93–85 | — | 86–91 | 72–76 | 114–82 | 97–89 |
| Plymouth Raiders | 94–91 | 94–79 | 87–83 | 87–90 | 84–77 | 95–88 | 104–78 | 85–103 | — | 57–66 | 115–100 | 74–91 |
| DBL Sharks Sheffield | 86–66 | 84–66 | 99–87 | 69–90 | 88–93 | 73–80 | 87–92 | 86–74 | 66–83 | — | 99–90 | 114–76 |
| Surrey Scorchers | 90–76 | 94–116 | 92–94 | 79–84 | 93–91 | 83–96 | 78–105 | 89–93 | 98–112 | 83–93 | — | 99–86 |
| Worcester Wolves | 77–80 | 78–88 | 74–72 | 80–85 | 75–91 | 63–71 | 86–92 | 92–103 | 93–81 | 67–89 | 84–79 | — |

**Single round-robin**

| Home \ Away | BRI | CHE | GLA | LEI | LCI | LON | MAN | NEW | PLY | SHE | SUR | WOR |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bristol Flyers | — | — | — | 83–90 | 83–84 | — | 74–64 | — | 95–79 | 62–61 | 80–73 | — |
| Cheshire Phoenix | 75–87 | — | — | — | 88–82 | — | — | — | 89–84 | 80–73 | — | 100–83 |
| Radisson Red Glasgow Rocks | 113–111 | 86–76 | — | 89–77 | — | 76–66 | — | — | 82–70 | — | — | 92–79 |
| Leicester Riders | — | 64–79 | — | — | 86–78 | — | — | 86–76 | 88–82 | — | — | 121–70 |
| London City Royals | — | — | 78–70 | — | — | — | — | 90–97 | 103–105 | 65–72 | — | 91–78 |
| London Lions | 77–57 | 84–88 | — | 89–69 | 102–89 | — | — | 101–81 | — | 89–73 | — | — |
| Manchester Giants | — | 102–113 | 73–86 | 66–73 | 94–83 | 75–83 | — | — | — | — | 91–84 | — |
| Esh Group Eagles Newcastle | 82–64 | 96–94 | 83–66 | — | — | — | 102–85 | — | — | — | 105–97 | — |
| Plymouth Raiders | — | — | — | — | — | 67–93 | 90–98 | 83–91 | — | — | 108–89 | 106–83 |
| DBL Sharks Sheffield | — | — | 65–63 | 69–77 | — | — | 72–101 | 104–86 | 56–85 | — | — | — |
| Surrey Scorchers | — | 83–89 | 72–84 | 80–84 | 73–94 | 70–93 | — | — | — | 90–69 | — | — |
| Worcester Wolves | 88–92 | — | — | — | — | 79–94 | 97–78 | 93–96 | — | 68–71 | 152–150 | — |

## Playoffs

### Bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | | | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Playoff Final | Playoff Final | Playoff Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | Leicester Riders | 70 | 71 | 141 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Cheshire Phoenix | 62 | 68 | 130 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Cheshire Phoenix | 62 | 68 | 130 | | | 2 | Leicester Riders | 70 | 85 | 155 | | | |
| | | | | | | | 8 | Plymouth Raiders | 68 | 73 | 141 | | | |
| 1 | London Lions | 97 | 72 | 169 | | | 8 | Plymouth Raiders | 68 | 73 | 141 | | | |
| 8 | Plymouth Raiders | 91 | 86 | 177 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Plymouth Raiders | 91 | 86 | 177 | | | | | | | | 2 | Leicester Riders | 93 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 2 | Leicester Riders | 93 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 4 | London City Royals | 61 |
| 4 | London City Royals | 75 | 65 | 140 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | London City Royals | 61 |
| 5 | Glasgow Rocks | 60 | 72 | 132 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Glasgow Rocks | 60 | 72 | 132 | | | 4 | London City Royals | 63 | 91 | 154 | | | |
| | | | | | | | 6 | Sheffield Sharks | 61 | 69 | 130 | | | |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 94 | 93 | 187 | | | 6 | Sheffield Sharks | 61 | 69 | 130 | | | |
| 6 | Sheffield Sharks | 89 | 102 | 191 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Quarterfinals

The quarterfinal matchups and tip-off times were confirmed by the league, on 28 April 2019.

**(1) London Lions vs. (8) Plymouth Raiders**

* 5 May 2019 15:00
* boxscore

| Plymouth Raiders | 91–97 | London Lions |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 25–19, 19–25, 27–29 |||
| Pts: Nicholas 22 Rebs: Nicholas 9 Asts: Nicholas, Wilcher 4 | | Pts: Peel 26 Rebs: Peel 11 Asts: Spencer 11 |

* Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth Referees: Darren Bolt, Gavin Lewis, Simon Unsworth
* 6 May 2019 16:00
* boxscore

| London Lions | Plymouth Raiders |
| - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 17–22, 17–19, 12–22 |||
| Pts: Peel 22 Rebs: Bristol 12 Asts: James, Robinson 3 | Pts: Nicholas 24 Rebs: Nicholas 13 Asts: Wilcher 7 |
| Plymouth win 177–169 on aggregate. |||

* Copper Box Arena, London Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Chris Dodds, Ian Price, Eduard Uydansky

**(2) Leicester Riders vs. (7) Cheshire Phoenix**

* 4 May 2019 19:30
* boxscore

| Cheshire Phoenix | 62–70 | Leicester Riders |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 17–21, 15–17, 17–12, 13–20 |||
| Pts: Gettys, Rolls-Tyson 13 Rebs: Gettys 8 Asts: Norl 3 | | Pts: Williams 20 Rebs: Holder, Washington 10 Asts: Holder 5 |

* Cheshire Oaks Arena, Ellesmere Port Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Josh Bowe, Tom Muddiman, Paul Unsworth
* 5 May 2019 16:00
* boxscore

| Leicester Riders | Cheshire Phoenix |
| - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 18–17, 16–16, 11–20, 26–15 |||
| Pts: Williams 22 Rebs: Ward-Hibbert 10 Asts: Washington 6 | Pts: Sayers 17 Rebs: Hayes 8 Asts: Norl 7 |
| Leicester win 141–130 on aggregate. |||

* Leicester Arena, Leicester Attendance: 1,402 Referees: Rob Hickman, Iain Spearman, Andy Thackray

**(3) Newcastle Eagles vs. (6) Sheffield Sharks**

* 4 May 2019 17:30
* boxscore

| Sheffield Sharks | 89–94 | Newcastle Eagles |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 25–29, 16–18, 23–26 |||
| Pts: Alexander 23 Rebs: Marsden 10 Asts: Alexander, Martin 5 | | Pts: Moses 29 Rebs: Moses 10 Asts: Fletcher 10 |

* English Institute of Sport, Sheffield Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Ian Price, Eduard Uydansky, Keith Williams
* 5 May 2019 17:00
* boxscore

| Newcastle Eagles | Sheffield Sharks |
| - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 21–27, 23–27, 31–23 |||
| Pts: Fletcher 20 Rebs: Defoe 7 Asts: Fletcher 9 | Pts: Alexander 28 Rebs: McKnight 10 Asts: McKnight 9 |
| Sheffield win 191–187 on aggregate. |||

* Eagles Community Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne Referees: Mariann Dodds-Miklosik, Pawel Szafraniec, Paul Unsworth

**(4) London City Royals vs. (5) Glasgow Rocks**

* 3 May 2019 19:30
* boxscore

| London City Royals | 75–60 | Glasgow Rocks |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 17–14, 15–9, 20–25, 23–12 |||
| Pts: Bryan-Amaning 24 Rebs: Hamilton 17 Asts: Dusha, Hamilton 4 | | Pts: Pryor 13 Rebs: Achara 10 Asts: Rinkūnas 5 |

* Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London Attendance: 250 Referees: Rob Hickman, Eduard Uydansky, Gavin Williams
* BBC Red Button
* 5 May 2019 17:00
* boxscore

| Glasgow Rocks | London City Royals |
| - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 11–26, 19–9, 21–13, 21–17 |||
| Pts: Fraser 28 Rebs: Achara 10 Asts: Achara, Murray 4 | Pts: Hamilton 16 Rebs: Hamilton 11 Asts: Dang-Akodo, Jackman 3 |
| Royals win 140–132 on aggregate. |||

* Emirates Arena, Glasgow Attendance: 800 Referees: Josh Bowe, Iain Macdonald, Graham Shaw

### Semifinals

**(2) Leicester Riders vs. (8) Plymouth Raiders**

* 8 May 2019 19:30
* boxscore

| Plymouth Raiders | 68–70 | Leicester Riders |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 18–13, 13–21, 22–18, 15–18 |||
| Pts: Hassan 18 Rebs: Nicholas 17 Asts: Nicholas 9 | | Pts: Williams 19 Rebs: Holder 7 Asts: Washington 7 |

* Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth Referees: Darren Bolt, Gavin Lewis, Gavin Williams
* BBC Red Button
* 12 May 2019 18:00
* boxscore

| Leicester Riders | Plymouth Raiders |
| - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 23–21, 18–16, 21–13 |||
| Pts: Williams 25 Rebs: Thomson 12 Asts: Hampton 5 | Pts: Järveläinen 17 Rebs: Nicholas 9 Asts: Nicholas 8 |
| Leicester win 155–141 on aggregate. |||

* Leicester Arena, Leicester Attendance: 1,383 Referees: Iain Macdonald, Ian Price, Andy Thackray

**(4) London City Royals vs. (6) Sheffield Sharks**

* 9 May 2019 19:30
* boxscore

| Sheffield Sharks | 61–63 | London City Royals |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 10–7, 15–17, 16–11 |||
| Pts: Alexander 16 Rebs: Tuck 7 Asts: Martin 3 | | Pts: Hamilton 13 Rebs: Hamilton 11 Asts: Dang-Akodo 3 |

* English Institute of Sport, Sheffield Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Josh Bowe, Ian Price, Paul Unsworth
* 11 May 2019 20:00
* boxscore

| London City Royals | Sheffield Sharks |
| - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 20–12, 28–15, 19–20, 24–22 |||
| Pts: Bryan-Amaning 27 Rebs: Hamilton 12 Asts: Dusha 8 | Pts: Williams 30 Rebs: Marsden 7 Asts: McKnight 7 |
| Royals win 154–130 on aggregate. |||

* Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London Attendance: 700 Referees: Rob Hickman, Gavin Williams, Keith Williams

### Playoff Final

**(2) Leicester Riders vs. (4) London City Royals**

* BBC Red Button
* 19 May 2019 16:00
* boxscore

| Leicester Riders | 93–61 | London City Royals |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–15, 21–21, 27–10, 22–15 |||
| Pts: Williams 20 Rebs: Williams 10 Asts: Washington 7 | | Pts: Bryan-Amaning 19 Rebs: Hamilton 11 Asts: Hamilton, Lucas 3 |

* The O2 Arena, London Referees: Chris Dodds, Simon Unsworth, Eduard Uydansky

## BBL Cup

### Cup Final

* BBC Sports
* 27 January 2019 15:30
* boxscore

| London Lions | 68–54 | Glasgow Rocks |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–10, 15–10, 24–21, 14–13 |||
| Pts: Peel 21 Rebs: Peel 14 Asts: Robinson 7 | | Pts: Carpenter 13 Rebs: Zeigler 10 Asts: Murray 6 |

* Arena Birmingham, Birmingham Attendance: 7,800 Referees: Gavin Williams, Mariann Dodds-Miklosik, Josh Bowe

## BBL Trophy

### Trophy Final

* BBC Sports
* 10 March 2019 15:30
* boxscore

| London City Royals | 90–82 (OT) | London Lions |
| - | - | - |
| Scoring by quarter: 11–15, 25–23, 20–15, 16–19, Overtime: 18–10 |||
| Pts: Bryan-Amaning 26 Rebs: Hamilton 14 Asts: Bryan-Amaning 7 | | Pts: Robinson 20 Rebs: Tabb 11 Asts: Spencer 6 |

* Emirates Arena, Glasgow Attendance: 4,823 Referees: Iain Macdonald, Paul Unsworth, Ian Price

## British clubs in European competitions

British clubs returned to European competitions eleven years after their last participation.

| Team | Competition | Progress |
| - | - | - |
| Leicester Riders | Champions League | First qualifying round |
| Leicester Riders | FIBA Europe Cup | Regular season |
