2001–02 British Basketball League season
The 2001–02 season was the 15th season in the history of the British Basketball League. The regular season ran from September 27, 2001, to March 31, 2002, whilst the post-season Play-offs culminated with the Grand Final at Wembley Arena on April 27. Chester Jets claimed a famous "clean-sweep" by winning all three BBL competitions as well as the. Jets' head coach Robbie Peers was awarded the League's Coach of the Year accolade whilst John Thomas, also of the Jets, claimed that Player of the Year award.
London Towers represented the United Kingdom in Europe's most prestigious competition, the Euroleague, however the capital-based team came up against giants Kinder Bologna, FC Barcelona and Union Olimpija in Group B and eventually finished with a 0-14 record. Birmingham Bullets made a brief appearance in the North European Basketball League.
The Manchester Giants franchise, once one of the League's title contenders, were withdrawn from the BBL midway through the season by League officials following ongoing financial difficulties. Prior to withdrawing in December, the Giants had a 2-7 record in the Northern Conference.
Notable occurrences
- It was announced on December 7, 2001, that the Manchester Giants franchise had been withdrawn by League officials. The team had a 2-7 record in the Northern Conference before being expelled from the competition due to unfulfilling a fixture and a lack of finance.
- The Southern All-Star's claimed the annual All-Star Game with an emphatic 196-142 victory against the Northern All-Stars at the Telewest Arena. Greater London Leopards' Rico Alderson was named as the game's MVP with 34 points and 15 rebounds. Brighton Bears' Albert White lead the game scoring with 38 points.
- The Birmingham Bullets' regular season home match against Edinburgh Rocks on February 2, 2002, was abandoned due to a waterlogged court. Severe heavy rain and a leak in the Aston Villa Leisure Centre roof caused the main court to flood and the game to be postponed.
BBL Championship (Tier 1)
Final standings
Northern Conference
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
1 | Chester Jets | 32 | 24 | 8 | 0.750 | 48 |
2 | Sheffield Sharks | 32 | 21 | 11 | 0.656 | 42 |
3 | Newcastle Eagles | 32 | 17 | 15 | 0.531 | 34 |
4 | Edinburgh Rocks | 32 | 13 | 19 | 0.406 | 26 |
5 | Leicester Riders | 32 | 11 | 21 | 0.344 | 22 |
6 | Derby Storm | 32 | 3 | 29 | 0.094 | 6 |
Southern Conference
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
1 | London Towers | 32 | 21 | 11 | 0.656 | 42 |
2 | Brighton Bears | 32 | 21 | 11 | 0.656 | 42 |
3 | Milton Keynes Lions | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0.500 | 32 |
4 | Greater London Leopards | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0.500 | 32 |
5 | Birmingham Bullets | 32 | 15 | 17 | 0.469 | 30 |
6 | Thames Valley Tigers | 32 | 14 | 18 | 0.438 | 28 |
The Play-offs
1st Round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
National League Conference (Tier 2)
Final standings
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
1 | Teesside Mohawks | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0.944 | 34 |
2 | Plymouth Raiders | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0.778 | 28 |
3 | Solent Stars | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0.611 | 22 |
4 | Kingston Wildcats | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0.556 | 20 |
5 | Manchester Magic | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0.500 | 18 |
6 | Worthing Thunder | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0.500 | 18 |
7 | Reading Rockets | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0.389 | 14 |
8 | Inter-Basket London | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0.278 | 10 |
9 | Coventry Crusaders | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0.222 | 8 |
10 | Sutton Pumas | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0.222 | 8 |
Play Off Final – Teesside 127 Solent 117
National League Division 1 (Tier 3)
Final standings
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
1 | Derbyshire Arrows | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0.909 | 40 |
2 | Ealing Tornadoes | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0.864 | 38 |
3 | Ware Fire | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 32 |
4 | Oxford Devils | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 32 |
5 | Hull Icebergs | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0.545 | 24 |
6 | Westminster Warriors | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0.500 | 22 |
7 | North London Lords | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0.318 | 14 |
8 | NW London Wolverines | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0.318 | 14 |
9 | Worcester Wolves | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0.318 | 14 |
10 | Mansfield Express | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0.273 | 12 |
11 | Cardiff Clippers | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0.273 | 12 |
12 | Liverpool | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0.136 | 6 |
Play Off Final – Derbyshire 83 Ealing 81
NTL National Cup
Last 16
Quarter Finals
Semi Finals
Final
BBL Trophy
This season's BBL Trophy featured all 12 BBL teams. The First Round saw all 12 teams split into two groups with the top four finishing teams advancing to the knockout stage.Group Stage
Group ATeam | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
1.Chester Jets | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
2.Brighton Bears | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.800 |
3.Greater London Leopards | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
4.Thames Valley Tigers | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
5.Derby Storm | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0.200 |
6.Leicester Riders | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 |
Group B
Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
1.Milton Keynes Lions | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.800 |
2.Sheffield Sharks | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.800 |
3.London Towers | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
4.Newcastle Eagles | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
5.Birmingham Bullets | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0.200 |
6.Edinburgh Rocks | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 |
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
All-Star Game
Statistics leaders
Category | Player | Stat |
Points per game | John McCord | 25.5 |
Rebounds per game | Antonia Garcia | 14.9 |
Assists per game | Nigel Lloyd | 6.8 |
Seasonal awards
- Most Valuable Player: John Thomas
- Coach of the Year: Robbie Peers
- Defensive Player of the Year: Brendan Graves
- Most Improved Player: Victor Payne
- Sixth Man Award: Rodger Farrington