1999–2000 British Basketball League season

Sports season

1999–2000 BBL season

League| British Basketball League
Sport| Basketball
Roll of Honour
BBL champions| N Manchester Giants
S London Towers
Play Off's champions| Manchester Giants
National Cup champions| Sheffield Sharks
BBL Trophy champions| London Towers
British Basketball League seasons

← 1998–99

2000–01 →

The 1999–2000 BBL season, was known as the Dairylea Dunkers Championship for sponsorship reasons, the regular season commenced on September 15, 1999, and ended on April 8, 2000, with a total of 13 teams competing. For the first time in the league’s history, the 13 teams were 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. The season was dominated by the success of Manchester Giants, conquering the Northern Conference and Championship Play-offs, whilst London Towers were victorious in the Southern Conference and the uni-ball Trophy. Sheffield Sharks were also successful in defending their Sainsbury's Classic Cola National Cup.

London Towers featured in European competition, participating in the Saporta Cup, though with a 3-7 record they finished at the bottom of Group G and thus failed to progress beyond the Group stage. Cross-town rivals Greater London Leopards also made a brief appearance in the Korać Cup but following a 155-189 aggregate defeat to ÍRB Reykjanesbær in the Preliminary round, their first foray into Europe was merely a cameo.[1]

The Southern All-Stars beat their Northern rivals in the eleventh annual All-Star Game with a 177-180 victory, the closest result in the League's history.[2] That was the 7th overall win of the South against the North who won 5 games since the All-Star Game's inception in 1989.

## Dairylea Dunkers Championship (Tier 1)

[edit]

### Final standings

[edit]

#### Northern Conference

[edit]

Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 31 | 5 | 0.861 | 62
2 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0.805 | 58
3 | Edinburgh Rocks | 36 | 19 | 17 | 0.527 | 38
4 | Chester Jets | 36 | 17 | 19 | 0.472 | 34
5 | Derby Storm | 36 | 17 | 19 | 0.472 | 34
6 | Newcastle Eagles | 36 | 10 | 26 | 0.277 | 20
7 | Leicester Riders | 36 | 10 | 26 | 0.277 | 20

#### Southern Conference

[edit]

Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | London Towers | 34 | 23 | 11 | 0.676 | 46
2 | Thames Valley Tigers | 34 | 18 | 16 | 0.529 | 36
3 | Birmingham Bullets | 34 | 17 | 17 | 0.500 | 34
4 | Milton Keynes Lions | 34 | 15 | 19 | 0.441 | 30
5 | Greater London Leopards | 34 | 11 | 23 | 0.323 | 22
6 | Brighton Bears | 34 | 11 | 23 | 0.323 | 22

| = Conference winners

|

| = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs

[edit]

#### Quarter-finals

[edit]

April 15, 2000

Manchester Giants | 81-68 | Milton Keynes Lions

|
|

SkyDome Arena, Coventry

April 15, 2000

London Towers | 85-58 | Chester Jets

|
|

SkyDome Arena, Coventry

April 15, 2000

Sheffield Sharks | 71-81 | Birmingham Bullets

|
|

SkyDome Arena, Coventry

April 15, 2000

Thames Valley Tigers | 64-68 | Edinburgh Rocks

|
|

SkyDome Arena, Coventry

#### Semi-finals

[edit]

April 22, 2000

London Towers | 53-60 | Birmingham Bullets

|
|

SkyDome Arena, Coventry

April 22, 2000

Manchester Giants | 88-84 | Edinburgh Rocks

|
|

SkyDome Arena, Coventry

#### Final

[edit]

May 6, 2000

Report

Manchester Giants | 74-65 | Birmingham Bullets

|
|

Scoring by quarter: 18-22, 21-15, 15-17, 20-11
Pts: Tony Dorsey (MVP) 22, Travis Conlan 19 |  | Pts: Emiko Etete 13, Fabulous Flournoy 12,

Wembley Arena, London
Attendance: 6,000
Giants coach Nick Nurse
Bullets coach Mike Finger

## National League Division 1 (Tier 2)

[edit]

### Final standings

[edit]

Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Teesside Mohawks | 24 | 22 | 2 | 0.917 | 44
2 | Worthing Thunder Rebels | 24 | 21 | 3 | 0.875 | 42
3 | Solent Stars | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0.750 | 36
4 | Plymouth Raiders | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0.667 | 32
5 | Sutton Pumas | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0.500 | 24
6 | Islington White Heat | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0.500 | 24
7 | Coventry Crusaders | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22
8 | Taunton Tigers | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18
9 | Birmingham Bullets II | 24 | 8 | 16 | 0.333 | 16
10 | Westminster Warriors | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0.292 | 14
11 | Cardiff Clippers | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0.292 | 14
12 | Oxford Devils | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0.292 | 14
13 | Mid-Sussex Magic | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0.250 | 12

| = League winners

|

| = Qualified for the play-offs

### Playoffs

[edit]

Quarter-finals

Teesside Mohawks | 84-70 | Taunton Tigers

|
|

Plymouth Raiders | 59-78 | Sutton Pumas

|
|

Solent Stars | 92-84 | Islington White Heat

|
|

Worthing Thunder Rebels | 99-92 | Coventry Crusaders

|
|

Semi-finals

Sutton Pumas | 92-97 | Teesside Mohawks

|
|

Teesside Mohawks | 93-94 | Sutton Pumas

|
|

Teesside won 190-186 on aggregate

Solent Stars | 97-79 | Worthing Thunder Rebels

|
|

Worthing Thunder Rebels | 83-76 | Solent Stars

|
|

Solent won 173-162 on aggregate

Final

Teesside Mohawks | 80-63 | Solent Stars

|
|

Wembley Arena

## National League Division 2 (Tier 3)

[edit]

### Final standings

[edit]

Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | City of Manchester Attitude | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0.833 | 40
2 | Liverpool Atac | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0.750 | 36
3 | Kingston Wildcats | 24 | 17 | 7 | 0.708 | 34
4 | Brixton TopCats | 24 | 17 | 7 | 0.708 | 34
5 | Reading Rockets | 24 | 17 | 7 | 0.708 | 34
6 | North London Lords | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0.667 | 32
7 | Hull Icebergs | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22
8 | Northampton 89ers | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22
9 | Flintshire Flyers | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0.417 | 20
10 | Portsmouth Pirates | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0.292 | 14
11 | Wandsworth Hurricanes | 24 | 5 | 19 | 0.208 | 10
12 | Bournemouth Blitz | 24 | 4 | 20 | 0.167 | 8
13 | Swindon Sonics | 24 | 3 | 21 | 0.125 | 6

| = League winners

|

| = Qualified for the play-offs

Play Off Final - Kingston 68 Manchester 62

## National League Division 3 (Tier 4)

[edit]

### Final standings

[edit]

Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Doncaster Eagles | 24 | 23 | 1 | 0.958 | 46
2 | Mansfield Express | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0.833 | 40
3 | Ealing Tornadoes | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0.793 | 38
4 | Ware Fire | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0.667 | 32
5 | University of Birmingham | 24 | 15 | 9 | 0.625 | 30
6 | Bristol Bombers | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22
7 | NW London Wolverines | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18
8 | Barking & Dag. Erkenwald | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18
9 | Thames Valley Tigers II | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18
10 | Hanley Hornets | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0.293 | 14
11 | Brighton Cougars | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0.293 | 14
12 | Croydon Pumas | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0.250 | 12
13 | Derbyshire Arrows | 24 | 5 | 19 | 0.208 | 10

| = League winners

|

| = Qualified for the play-offs

Play Off Final - Mansfield v Doncaster 84-76, 75-75

## Sainsbury's Classic Cola National Cup

[edit]

### Last 16

[edit]

Team 1  | Team 2  | Score

|
|

London Towers | Sutton Pumas | 76-68
Sheffield Sharks | Derby Storm | 75-71
Manchester Giants | Thames Valley Tigers | 94-71
Edinburgh Rocks | Chester Jets | 96-83
Plymouth Raiders | Leicester Riders | 60-77
Birmingham Bullets | Brighton Bears | 80-91
Solent Stars | Greater London Leopards | 88-100
Newcastle Eagles | Milton Keynes Lions | 99-109 OT

### Quarter-finals

[edit]

Team 1  | Team 2  | Score

|
|

Sheffield Sharks | Brighton Bears | 89-75
Manchester Giants | Leicester Riders | 86-73
Milton Keynes Lions | Greater London Leopards | 91-75
London Towers | Edinburgh Rocks | 75-78

### Semi-finals

[edit]

Team 1  | Team 2  | Score

|
|

Sheffield Sharks | Milton Keynes Lions | 73-67
Edinburgh Rocks | Manchester Giants | 60-82

### Final

[edit]

9 January 2000

Sheffield Sharks | 89-80 | Manchester Giants

|
|

Pts: Nate Reinking (MVP) 21, Terrell Myers 20, Todd Cauthorn, Wilbur Johnson, Peter Scantlebury, Michael Payne, Richard Windle |  | Pts: Tony Dorsey 35, Travis Conlan, Roy Hairston, Tony Holley, Phil Handy

Sheffield Arena
Attendance: ?
Sharks coach Chris Finch
Manchester coach Nick Nurse

## uni-ball Trophy

[edit]

### Group stage

[edit]

Group A

Team  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | L  | Percent

|
|
|
|
|

1.Greater London Leopards | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.833
2.Derby Storm | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500
3.Birmingham Bullets | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500
4.Solent Stars | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0.166

* Derby qualified ahead of Birmingham on head-to-head results.

Group B

Team  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | L  | Percent

|
|
|
|
|

1.London Towers | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000
2.Thames Valley Tigers | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.666
3.Edinburgh Rocks | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333
4.Leicester Riders | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000

Group C

Team  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | L  | Percent

|
|
|
|
|

1.Manchester Giants | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000
2.Newcastle Eagles | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.666
3.Milton Keynes Lions | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.333
4.Sutton Pumas | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000

Group D

Team  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | L  | Percent

|
|
|
|
|

1.Sheffield Sharks | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1.000
2.Chester Jets | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.500
3.Brighton Bears | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0.500
4.Plymouth Raiders | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.000

* Chester qualified ahead of Brighton on head-to-head results.

### Quarter-finals

[edit]

December 27, 1999

Thames Valley Tigers | 91-84 | Greater London Leopards

|
|

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

December 27, 1999

Manchester Giants | 73-72 | Chester Jets

|
|

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

December 27, 1999

London Towers | 76-72 | Derby Storm

|
|

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

December 27, 1999

Newcastle Eagles | 74-95 | Sheffield Sharks

|
|

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

### Semi-finals

[edit]

January 22, 2000

London Towers | 90-80 | Thames Valley Tigers

|
|

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

January 22, 2000

Manchester Giants | 93-74 | Sheffield Sharks

|
|

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

### Final

[edit]

March 18, 2000

Report

London Towers | 74-73 | Manchester Giants

|
|

Pts: Donnie Johnson 21, Danny Lewis (MVP) 17, Steve Bucknall 12, Martin Henlan 12, Danny Craven, Phil Handy |  | Pts: Roy Hairston 19, Tony Dorsey 17, Travis Conlan 12, Tony Holley 10

National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
Attendance: ?
Towers coach Ron Abbegglen
Giants coach Nick Nurse

## All-Star Game

[edit]

February 5, 2000

Report

Northern All-Stars | 177-180 | Southern All-Stars

|
|

Pts: Darrian Evans, 33 |  | Pts: Shawn Jamison, 27

Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester

Northern All-Stars | Player | Team | No. of Selections

|
|

Tony Dorsey | Manchester Giants | 6th
Purnell Perry | Leicester Riders | 1st
James Hamilton | Chester Jets | 2nd
Darrian Evans | Derby Storm | 1st
John McCord | Edinburgh Rocks | 3d
Cypheus Bunton | Derby Storm | 1st
Terrell Myers | Sheffield Sharks | 3d
Ralph Blalock | Leicester Riders | 3d
Roy Hairston | Manchester Giants | 1st
Ted Berry | Edinburgh Rocks | 3d
Malcolm Leak | Leicester Riders | 2nd
Nate Reinking | Sheffield Sharks | 2nd
Coach |
Nick Nurse | Manchester Giants |
Southern All-Stars | Player | Team | No. of Selections

|
|

Kenya Capers | Greater London Leopards | 1st
Tony Windless | Milton Keynes Lions | 6th
Danny Lewis | London Towers | 6th
Brandon Brantley | Greater London Leopards | 1st
Shawn Jamison | Birmingham Bullets | 1st
Eric Burks | Milton Keynes Lions | 4th
Casey Arena | Thames Valley Tigers | 1st
Steve Bucknall | London Towers | 3d
Nigel Lloyd | Milton Keynes Lions | 8th
Charles Claxton | Brighton Bears | 1st
Donnie Johnson | London Towers | 1st
Greg Meldrum | Thames Valley Tigers | 1st
Coach |
Mike Finger | Birmingham Bullets |

## Statistics leaders

[edit]

Category | Player | Stat

|
|

Points per game |  Terrell Myers (Sheffield Sharks) | 24.2
Rebounds per game |  Brandon Brantley (Leopards) | 11.2
Assists per game |  Casey Arena (Thames Valley) | 6.2

## Seasonal awards

[edit]

* Most Valuable Player: Tony Dorsey (Manchester Giants)
* Domestic Player of the Year: Steve Bucknall (London Towers)
* Import Player of the Year: Tony Dorsey (Manchester Giants)
* Defensive Player of the Year: Roy Hairston (Manchester Giants)
* Most Improved Player of the Year: Ian Whyte (Newcastle Eagles)
* Coach of the Year: Nick Nurse (Manchester Giants)
* All-Star First Team:
* Tony Dorsey (Manchester Giants)
* Danny Lewis (London Towers)
* Terrell Myers (Sheffield Sharks)
* Steve Bucknall (London Towers)
* Roy Hairston (Manchester Giants)
* All-Star Second Team:
* James Hamilton (Chester Jets)
* Nigel Lloyd (Milton Keynes Lions)
* Nate Reinking (Sheffield Sharks)
* John McCord (Edinburgh Rocks)
* Brandon Brantley (Greater London Leopards)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Mark Woods (2000). "Towers go down as Leopards go out". BritBall. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
2. ^ Mark Woods (2000). "South continue All-Star dominance". BritBall. Retrieved 2009-12-11.

Preceded by

1998–99 season

|  BBL seasons
1999–2000 | Succeeded by

2000–01 season

|
|

* v
* t
* e

British Basketball League

Former Teams|

* Birmingham Bullets
* Birmingham Knights
* Birmingham Panthers
* Brighton Bears
* Bristol Flyers
* Calderdale Explorers
* Caledonia Gladiators
* Cheshire Phoenix
* Crystal Palace
* Derby Storm
* Doncaster Panthers
* Durham Wildcats
* Essex Leopards
* Essex Pirates
* Glasgow Rangers
* Guildford Kings
* Leeds Force
* Leicester Riders
* Livingston
* London Capital
* London City Royals
* London Lions
* London Towers
* London United
* Manchester Giants (1989)
* Manchester Giants (2012)
* Mersey Tigers
* Newcastle Eagles
* Oldham Celtics
* Olympic City Giants
* Plymouth City Patriots
* Plymouth Raiders
* Portsmouth
* Sheffield Sharks
* Solent Stars
* Surrey Scorchers
* Thames Valley Tigers
* Worthing Thunder
* Worcester Wolves

Competitions|

* BBL Championship (BBL Playoffs)
* BBL Trophy
* All-Star Game
* BBL Cup
* Cup Winners' Cup
* Women's British Basketball League

Seasons
(List)|

* 1987–88
* 1988–89
* 1989–90
* 1990–91
* 1991–92
* 1992–93
* 1993–94
* 1994–95
* 1995–96
* 1996–97
* 1997–98
* 1998–99
* 1999–00
* 2000–01
* 2001–02
* 2002–03
* 2003–04
* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

Awards|

* Coach of the Year
* Most Valuable Player

Other|

* BBL Player
* National Basketball League
* Scottish Basketball Championship
* National Cup
* Timeline of basketball on UK television

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template