2022–23 British Basketball League season

2022–23 BBL season
LeagueBritish Basketball League
Season2022–23
Dates23 September 2022 – 23 April 2023
Games played180
Teams10
TV partner(s)Great Britain:
Online:
Regular season
League championsLondon Lions (2nd title)
BBL CupLondon Lions (3rd title)
BBL TrophyCaledonia Gladiators (1st title)
Season MVPUnited States Sam Dekker (London)
Playoffs
ChampionsLondon Lions (1st title)
  Runners-upLeicester Riders
Finals MVPUnited States Jordan Taylor (London)
Statistical leaders
Points United States J. Hamlet (Newcastle) 20.1
Rebounds United States T.Green (Manchester) 9.2
Assists United States R. Fletcher (Manchester) 8.6
Efficiency United States R. Hassan (Plymouth) 61%
BBL seasons
All statistics correct as of 14 May 2023.

The 2022–23 BBL season was the 36th season of the British Basketball League, the top British professional basketball league, since its establishment in 1987. The season featured 10 teams from across England and Scotland.

Teams

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2022–23 BBL teams

Arenas and locations

Team Location Arena Capacity
Bristol Flyers Bristol SGS College Arena
750
Caledonia Gladiators Glasgow Emirates Arena
1,650
Cheshire Phoenix Ellesmere Port Cheshire Oaks Arena
1,400
Leicester Riders Leicester Morningside Arena
2,400
London Lions London Copper Box Arena
6,000
Manchester Giants Manchester National Basketball Centre
2,000
Newcastle Eagles Newcastle upon Tyne Vertu Motors Arena
3,000
Plymouth City Patriots Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions
1,500
Sheffield Sharks Sheffield Ponds Forge
1,000
Surrey Scorchers Guildford Surrey Sports Park
1,000
  • On 13 September 2022, Glasgow Rocks were rebranded as Caledonia Gladiators.[1]

Personnel and sponsorship

Team Head coach Captain Main sponsor
Bristol Flyers Greece Andreas Kapoulas United States Michael Miller Xledger
Caledonia Gladiators Scotland Gareth Murray Scotland Jonny Bunyan
Cheshire Phoenix England Ben Thomas United States Larry Austin Jr. HM Legal
Leicester Riders United States Rob Paternostro United States Darien Nelson-Henry Jelson Homes
London Lions United States Ryan Schmidt United States Sam Dekker StockX
Manchester Giants England Vince Macaulay United States Rahmon Fletcher
Newcastle Eagles England Marc Steutel England Darius Defoe Newcastle College
Plymouth City Patriots England Paul James Albania Elvisi Dusha Portcullis Legal
Sheffield Sharks United States Atiba Lyons United States Rodney Glasgow Jr. B.Braun
Surrey Scorchers England Lloyd Gardner England Tayo Ogedengbe

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment
Newcastle Eagles England Ian Macleod Stepping down[2] 13 April 2022 Pre-season England Marc Steutel 13 May 2022[3]
London Lions England Nikhil Lawry End of interim period 16 May 2022 United States Ryan Schmidt 1 July 2022
Surrey Scorchers Zimbabwe Creon Raftopoulos Mutual agreement[4] 26 May 2022 England Lloyd Gardner 17 June 2022
Manchester Giants England Lloyd Gardner Signed by Surrey Scorchers 17 June 2022 England Vince Macaulay 16 July 2022[5]

BBL Championship

The BBL Championship reverted to a four-game series format, for the first time since the 2006–07 season, for a 36-game regular season played across 29 Rounds between September 2022 to April 2023.[6]

Standings

Pos Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 London Lions (C) 36 32 4 3168 2592 +576 64 Playoffs
2 Leicester Riders 36 25 11 3185 2951 +234 50
3 Bristol Flyers 36 25 11 2993 2873 +120 50
4 Caledonia Gladiators 36 19 17 3005 2990 +15 38
5 Cheshire Phoenix 36 19 17 2948 2927 +21 38
6 Manchester Giants 36 17 19 3228 3223 +5 34
7 Sheffield Sharks 36 17 19 2668 2691 −23 34
8 Newcastle Eagles 36 11 25 2879 3034 −155 22
9 Plymouth City Patriots 36 11 25 2845 3254 −409 22
10 Surrey Scorchers 36 4 32 2763 3147 −384 8
Updated to match(es) played on 23 April 2023. Source: BBC Sport
(C) Champions


Results

Home \ Away BRI CAL CHE LEI LON MAN NEW PLY SHE SUR
Bristol Flyers — 71–93 78–73 91–85 75–71 79–78 86–76 87–77 68–55 78–60
— 89–79 87–73 91–84 87–82 81–86 81–75 99–60 72–76 87–70
Caledonia Gladiators 76–88 — 117–96 89–81 60–84 92–83 81–77 91–76 77–60 88–70
90–82 — 83–78 92–66 61–93 106–97 77–83 96–80 77–71 102–77
Cheshire Phoenix 74–81 78–61 — 91–105 74–89 103–99 80–77 71–78 49–62 90–61
82–87 77–73 — 96–92 65–86 78–74 82–70 101–82 83–80 105–81
Leicester Riders 91–73 100–67 89–85 — 75–81 102–89 89–79 92–89 71–58 77–72
106–89 84–81 100–82 — 77–102 104–84 87–78 111–68 85–76 99–77
London Lions 95–60 95–87 75–60 89–78 — 91–83 100–69 87–63 75–63 88–62
82–64 99–67 89–79 83–81 — 95–71 89–68 96–62 80–82 88–75
Manchester Giants 95–103 95–94 104–80 82–89 76–87 — 99–97 92–79 105–102 106–93
110–99 73–91 84–87 82–83 90–96 — 99–96 109–69 70–65 97–92
Newcastle Eagles 89–78 94–87 67–75 87–91 72–85 64–84 — 108–96 84–70 74–79
66–68 88–78 72–91 92–85 85–88 92–97 — 79–95 71–82 79–72
Plymouth City Patriots 70–96 93–85 67–90 79–101 79–88 103–96 98–93 — 69–88 91–68
93–108 80–85 68–85 85–99 51–102 77–87 68–90 — 68–63 90–83
Sheffield Sharks 73–91 70–74 73–88 72–86 73–86 83–92 66–59 64–71 — 92–74
65–73 82–72 89–75 72–64 87–81 80–71 87–62 82–77 — 75–70
Surrey Scorchers 85–93 99–92 81–96 67–86 64–83 85–86 86–88 95–105 54–60 —
78–73 81–84 66–76 81–90 67–88 106–103 78–79 87–89 67–70 —
Updated to match(es) played on 23 April 2023. Source: BBL.org.uk
Legend: Blue = home team win; Red = away team win.

Ladder progression

Leader and qualification to playoffs
Qualification to playoffs
Last place
2022–23 BBL Championship
Team ╲ Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829
Bristol Flyers33322222133333222222222222333
Caledonia Gladiators——687888867545666554454555444
Cheshire Phoenix44445656756764444446666676655
Leicester Riders—6568433322212333333333333222
London Lions12111111211121111111111111111
Manchester Giants51233344578887555665545444576
Newcastle Eagles—810109999999999999999999999998
Plymouth City Patriots25776777684456777777778888889
Sheffield Sharks79854565445678888888887767767
Surrey Scorchers679910101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010
Updated to match(es) played on 23 April 2023. Source: BBL.org.uk

BBL Cup

First round

2 October 2022 Caledonia Gladiators 81–72 Surrey Scorchers Emirates Arena, Glasgow
17:00 Scoring by quarter: 23–15, 20–16, 19–24, 19–17
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 200
9 October 2022 Plymouth City Patriots 75–77 Newcastle Eagles Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth
15:00 Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 19–22, 23–25, 13–9
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a

Quarterfinals

25 November 2022 London Lions 74–65 Cheshire Phoenix Copper Box Arena, London
20:00 Scoring by quarter: 25–14, 17–20, 21–13, 11–18
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 1,500
26 November 2022 Bristol Flyers 95–76 Manchester Giants SGS College Arena, Bristol
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 25–18, 24–21, 19–16
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 750
26 November 2022 Leicester Riders 94–73 Newcastle Eagles Morningside Arena, Leicester
19:45 Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 25–17, 29–13, 16–23
Sky Sports boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a
27 November 2022 Sheffield Sharks 68–77 Caledonia Gladiators Ponds Forge, Sheffield
16:00 Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 17–27, 12–17, 22–7
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a

Semifinals

19 December 2022 Bristol Flyers 79–97 London Lions SGS College Arena, Bristol
19:00 Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 15–20, 22–26, 21–19
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 770
21 December 2022 Leicester Riders 89–68 Caledonia Gladiators Morningside Arena, Leicester
19:45 Scoring by quarter: 30–13, 20–20, 16–23, 23–12
Sky Sports boxscore
report 		Attendance: 666

Cup Final

29 January 2023 Leicester Riders 71–79 London Lions Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
15:30 Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 16–20, 18–23, 21–15
Sky Sports Pts: Dekker 22
Rebs: Koufos 12
Asts: Taylor 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Jackson 16
Rebs: Nelson-Henry 11
Asts: MacKenzie, Whelan 4 		Attendance: 10,000

Note: Cup MVP: Sam Dekker

BBL Trophy

The BBL Trophy retained the same 16-team bracket format as introduced for the 2018–19 season. The ten BBL teams were drawn in the first round by six invited teams; St Mirren from the Scottish Basketball Championship, Basketball Wales, and Worthing Thunder, Derby Trailblazers, Nottingham Hoods and Thames Valley Cavaliers from the National Basketball League.

First round

7 January 2023 Plymouth City Patriots 105–52 St Mirren Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 21–12, 26–20, 39–6, 19–14
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a
12 January 2023 London Lions 89–53 Worthing Thunder Copper Box Arena, London
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 17–9, 28–18, 22–15, 22–14
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a
13 January 2023 Bristol Flyers 72–78 Surrey Scorchers SGS College Arena, Bristol
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 26–11, 13–27, 13–22, 20–18
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 770
13 January 2023 Caledonia Gladiators 97–86 Newcastle Eagles Emirates Arena, Glasgow
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 22–17, 25–22, 25–25
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 500
13 January 2023 Derby Trailblazers 91–67 Basketball Wales Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre, Derby
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 30–12, 23–20, 24–16, 14–19
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a
15 January 2023 Sheffield Sharks 98–66 Thames Valley Cavaliers Ponds Forge, Sheffield
16:00 Scoring by quarter: 35–13, 23–17, 15–17, 25–19
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 450
15 January 2023 Manchester Giants 107–114(OT) Leicester Riders National Basketball Centre, Manchester
17:00 Scoring by quarter: 18–28, 28–22, 30–28, 23–21, Overtime: 8–15
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 400
15 January 2023 Cheshire Phoenix 129–80 Nottingham Hoods Cheshire Oaks Arena, Ellesmere Port
17:30 Scoring by quarter: 44–24, 30–21, 30–20, 25–15
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a

Quarterfinals

10 February 2023 Caledonia Gladiators 52–50 London Lions Emirates Arena, Glasgow
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 14–17, 17–9, 10–10, 11–14
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 500
10 February 2023 Leicester Riders 78–79 Sheffield Sharks Morningside Arena, Leicester
19:45 Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 24–13, 14–23, 20–17
Sky Sports boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a
11 February 2023 Surrey Scorchers 74–93 Cheshire Phoenix Surrey Sports Park, Guildford
18:00 Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 28–20, 16–23, 10–26
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 500
12 February 2023 Plymouth City Patriots 89–99 Derby Trailblazers Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth
15:00 Scoring by quarter: 20–31, 20–24, 28–19, 21–25
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a

Semifinals

1 March 2023 Derby Trailblazers 65–83 Caledonia Gladiators Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre, Derby
19:45 Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 12–16, 14–18, 15–25
Sky Sports boxscore
report 		Attendance: n/a
5 March 2023 Cheshire Phoenix 82–78 Sheffield Sharks Cheshire Oaks Arena, Ellesmere Port
17:30 Scoring by quarter: 18–27, 29–12, 11–22, 24–17
YouTube boxscore
report 		Attendance: 1,200

Trophy Final

26 March 2023 Cheshire Phoenix 70–73 Caledonia Gladiators Emirates Arena, Glasgow
15:30 Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 19–18, 18–21, 14–16
Sky Sports Pts: Austin, Evans, Teague 12
Rebs: Austin 10
Asts: Evans 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Bailey 16
Rebs: Alihodžić, Bailey 8
Asts: Onwas 6 		Attendance: 6,000

Note: Trophy MVP: Jeremiah Bailey

Playoffs

The quarterfinal matchups and tip-off times were confirmed by the league, on 23 April 2023. Each tie in the quarterfinals and semifinals phase are played over two legs.[7]

Bracket

Quarterfinals Semifinals Playoff Final
             
1 London Lions 108 99 207
8 Newcastle Eagles 78 86 164
1 London Lions 82 102 184
5 Cheshire Phoenix 74 81 155
4 Caledonia Gladiators 86 80 166
5 Cheshire Phoenix 102 84 186
1 London Lions 88
2 Leicester Riders 80
2 Leicester Riders 79 74 153
7 Sheffield Sharks 70 70 140
2 Leicester Riders 84 74 159
3 Bristol Flyers 77 79 156
3 Bristol Flyers 97 82 179
6 Manchester Giants 71 81 152

*Note: Pairings are reseeded after quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
London Lions 207–164 Newcastle Eagles 108–78 99–86
Leicester Riders 153–140 Sheffield Sharks 79–70 74–70
Bristol Flyers 179–152 Manchester Giants 97–71 82–81
Caledonia Gladiators 166–186 Cheshire Phoenix 86–102 80–84

(1) London Lions vs. (8) Newcastle Eagles

28 April 2023 Newcastle Eagles 78–108 London Lions Vertu Motors Arena, Newcastle
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 16–31, 23–24, 20–27, 19–26
YouTube Pts: Mockford 31
Rebs: Johnson 9
Asts: Cohn, Defoe, Gordon 5 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Sharma 18
Rebs: Oni 8
Asts: Nelson, Taylor 5 		Attendance: 2,214
1 May 2023 London Lions 99–86 Newcastle Eagles Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London
15:00 Scoring by quarter: 33–19, 18–27, 24–25, 24–15
YouTube Pts: Sharma, Taylor 18
Rebs: Sharma 5
Asts: Nelson 7 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Hamlet 24
Rebs: Johnson 11
Asts: Cohn, Johnson 5 		Attendance: 1,039

(2) Leicester Riders vs. (7) Sheffield Sharks

28 April 2023 Sheffield Sharks 70–79 Leicester Riders Ponds Forge, Sheffield
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 17–28, 16–15, 16–19, 21–17
YouTube Pts: Koch 17
Rebs: Pipkins 8
Asts: Pipkins 6 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Mackenzie 19
Rebs: Jackson, Loving 11
Asts: Love, Jackson, Mackenzie, Whelan 3 		Attendance: 666
30 April 2023 Leicester Riders 74–70 Sheffield Sharks Morningside Arena, Leicester
15:15 Scoring by quarter: 22–17, 20–17, 15–19, 17–17
Sky Sports Pts: Jackson 25
Rebs: Nelson-Henry 11
Asts: Whelan 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Ramsey 19
Rebs: Ratinho 7
Asts: Nelson 5 		Attendance: 1,400

(3) Bristol Flyers vs. (6) Manchester Giants

27 April 2023 Manchester Giants 71–97 Bristol Flyers National Basketball Performance Centre, Manchester
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 23–18, 17–20, 10–28, 21–31
YouTube Pts: Lee 16
Rebs: Lee 8
Asts: Fletcher 6 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Olison 29
Rebs: Delpeche 9
Asts: Miller 6 		Attendance: 250
30 April 2023 Bristol Flyers 82–81 Manchester Giants SGS College Arena, Bristol
16:00 Scoring by quarter: 26–18, 21–25, 19–20, 16–18
YouTube Pts: Miller 17
Rebs: Miller 9
Asts: Olison 6 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Fletcher, Roberson 19
Rebs: Roberson 11
Asts: Fletcher 6 		Attendance: 770

(4) Caledonia Gladiators vs. (5) Cheshire Phoenix

28 April 2023 Cheshire Phoenix 102–86 Caledonia Gladiators Cheshire Oaks Arena, Ellesmere Port
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 28–21, 25–27, 20–18, 29–20
YouTube Pts: Archibald 35
Rebs: Ulph 9
Asts: Evans 8 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Durham 23
Rebs: Alihodžić 14
Asts: Durham 7 		Attendance: 200
29 April 2023 Caledonia Gladiators 80–84 Cheshire Phoenix Emirates Arena, Glasgow
15:00 Scoring by quarter: 23–19, 16–21, 17–24, 24–20
YouTube Pts: Durham 28
Rebs: Bailey 12
Asts: Bailey, Durham, Onwas 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Evans 19
Rebs: Jack, Ulph 9
Asts: Austin Jr. 5 		Attendance: 450

Semifinals

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
London Lions 184–155 Cheshire Phoenix 82–74 102–81
Leicester Riders 159–156 Bristol Flyers 84–77 75–79

(1) London Lions vs. (5) Cheshire Phoenix

7 May 2023 London Lions 82–74 Cheshire Phoenix Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London
14:30 Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 20–19, 28–18, 15–13
YouTube Pts: Zubčić 15
Rebs: Sharma 9
Asts: Taylor 8 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Archibald 24
Rebs: Ulph 11
Asts: Archibald 4 		Attendance: 912
8 May 2023 Cheshire Phoenix 81–102 London Lions Cheshire Oaks Arena, Ellesmere Port
18:00 Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 16–32, 27–23, 22–21
YouTube Pts: Jack 34
Rebs: Ulph 8
Asts: Austin 7 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Best, Sharma 16
Rebs: Best 7
Asts: Nelson, Soluade, Taylor 5 		Attendance: n/a

(2) Leicester Riders vs. (3) Bristol Flyers

5 May 2023 Bristol Flyers 77–84 Leicester Riders SGS College Arena, Bristol
19:30 Scoring by quarter: 11–26, 17–15, 25–23, 24–20
YouTube Pts: King 23
Rebs: Delpeche 12
Asts: Delpeche, Miller 4 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Mackenzie 14
Rebs: Jackson 8
Asts: Love 5 		Attendance: 770
7 May 2023 Leicester Riders 75–79 Bristol Flyers Morningside Arena, Leicester
17:15 Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 19–24, 14–22, 21–15
Sky Sports Pts: Loving 18
Rebs: Jackson, Nelson-Henry 7
Asts: Love 7 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Delpeche 23
Rebs: Bell 10
Asts: Miller 5 		Attendance: 666

Playoff Final

(1) London Lions vs. (2) Leicester Riders

14 May 2023 London Lions 88–80 Leicester Riders The O2 Arena, London
16:15 Scoring by quarter: 22–14, 22–22, 25–19, 19–25
Sky Sports Pts: Best, Taylor 15
Rebs: Oni 10
Asts: Taylor 7 		boxscore
report 		Pts: Jackson 20
Rebs: Jackson 9
Asts: Love 7 		Attendance: 3,000

Awards

2022–23 BBL Team of the Year

# Player Team
PG David Sloan Caledonia Gladiators
SG Dirk Williams Manchester Giants
SF V. J. King Bristol Flyers
PF Sam Dekker London Lions
C Tajh Green Manchester Giants

Source: 2022–23 Molten BBL Team of the Year

2022–23 BBL All-British Team of the Year

# Player Team
PG Jelani Watson-Gayle Bristol Flyers
SG Luke Nelson London Lions
SF Kimbal Mackenzie Leicester Riders
PF Patrick Whelan Leicester Riders
C Josh Sharma London Lions

Source: 2022–23 BBL All-British Team of the Year

2022–23 BBL Defensive Team of the Year

# Player Team
PG Larry Austin Jr. Cheshire Phoenix
SG Anthony Roberson Manchester Giants
SF Prince Onwas Caledonia Gladiators
PF Jamell Anderson Cheshire Phoenix
C Josh Sharma London Lions

Source: 2022–23 BBL Defensive Team of the Year

British clubs in European competitions

Team Competition Progress
London Lions EuroCup Eighthfinals
Leicester Riders Champions League Qualifying round

References

  1. ^ "Glasgow Rocks rebrand to Caledonia Gladiators amidst lofty ambitions". Hoopsfix.com. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  2. ^ "MACLEOD TO TAKE ON NEW ROLE THIS SUMMER". NewcastleEagles.com. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  3. ^ "MARC STEUTEL CONFIRMED AS NEW EAGLES BBL HEAD COACH". NewcastleEagles.com. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Official Club Statement". surreyscorchers.com. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  5. ^ Blain, Michael (2022-07-16). "VINCE MACAULAY TAKES GIANTS REINS". Manchester Giants. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  6. ^ "2022-23 season to have revamped format across BBL Championship, Cup and Trophy Competitions". British Basketball League | BBL. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  7. ^ "League launches Golden Ball Treasure hunt ahead of end-of-season Play-off Finals". British Basketball League | BBL. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Sam Dekker ends debut campaign with Molten Player of the Year title". bbl.or.uk. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Lions complete terrific treble at O2 Arena". bbl.or.uk. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  10. ^ "London Lions Head Coach Ryan Schmidt named Molten Ed Percival BBL Coach of the Year". bbl.or.uk. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
Preceded by BBL seasons
2022–23 		Succeeded by