London Leopards
Encyclopedia
The BA London Leopards is a British
basketball
team who competes in the English Basketball League
Division 1. The team was established in 1997 as Ware Fire, but following the demise and eventual closure of the former British Basketball League
franchise Essex Leopards
in 2003, a supporters group known as 'Leopards Alive' merged with the Ware-based club and rebranded the team as Essex & Herts Leopards in 2004. The franchise was renamed again in 2006 to London Leopards and following a merge with Barking Abbey Basketball Academy in 2010, the BA prefix was added to reflect this.
was home to National League
(NBL) basketball following the arrival of the original Rebels franchise, who moved from Watford
in 1991. The Rebels team consistently finished in the top three of NBL Division 1 and were crowned Champions in 1997, after finishing two points ahead of Plymouth Raiders
with an overall record of 21 wins and 5 losses. Following their most successful season, the team was uprooted and moved to Stevenage to become the Stevenage Rebels, though the success didn't follow and the franchise would eventually relocate again in 1999 to become Worthing Rebels.
Following the Rebels' move to Stevenage, a brand-new team, Ware Fire, was established and admitted to NBL Division 3 for the 1997-98 season. In their rookie season they finished 7th out of 11 teams with an amicable 9-17 record. A mild improvement to 6th place in the 1998-99 season was followed with a successful campaign in 1999-00, finishing in 4th place (16-8) and earning promotion to Division 2 (though with the "clean-sheet" League restructuring that followed that season, Division 2 became the third tier division). After destroying Birmingham University 117-71 in Play-off Quarter-finals, Ware were comfortably beaten in their first Semi-final appearance, losing 84-72 away to Division champions Doncaster Eagles.
The 2000-01 season saw the club compete in Division 2 for the first time and also brought a new name for the club with the return of the Rebels name following the original club's rebranding from Worthing Rebels to Worthing Thunder in the same year. The reincarnated Ware Rebels went on to have their most successful season to date, finishing third in the Division with 17 wins and 7 losses and earning promotion to Division 1. The post-season Play-off's saw a rematch of the previous season's Semi-final match-up against Doncaster, though the new and improved Ware swept them aside with a 92-54 home victory in the Quarter-final. The Semi-finals againt proved to be the stumbling block though as Ware were defeated 86-75 to eventual winners Ealing Tornadoes.
Rebels continued their rise through the League in the 2001-02 season, competing for the first time in Division 1. Another 3rd place finish in the League with a 16-6 record and another promotion followed. The post-season Play-off's saw Rebels sweep aside Westminster Warriors 109-96 in the Quarter-finals before being matched up with familiar foes Ealing, who knocked out the Rebels for the second consecutive year with a 99-88 defeat, in the Semi-final. Ware's first appearance in the new NBL Conference for the 2002-03 season saw them pitted against much tougher opponents in the second-tier league and unsuprisingly Rebels successes of the previous season's were not replicated. Finishing 10th out of the 12 teams competing, Ware could only put together 4 victories out of 22 games, whilst missing out on the Play-off's for the first time in the club's history.
The 2003-04 season would see Rebels fare much better in the newly rebranded English Basketball League
(EBL) Division 1, following a change in administration from the now defunct National Basketball League. In the 12-team competition, Ware managed to finish in 8th place with 9 wins and 13 defeats. The season saw the start of a new partnership with the University of Hertfordshire
, which saw the first team use the venue facilities of the brand-new Hertfordshire Sports Village as well as their traditional Wodson Park home. However the season will be best remembered for three records broken by the Rebels, thanks in-part to the three-point shooting abilities of American-import Michael Williamson. In Rebels' 117-87 National Cup first round win over Northampton Neptunes, Williamson scored a National Cup record 13 three-pointers, scoring two within the first 10 seconds of the game, whilst the team broke the record for a team effort, scoring a 20 three-pointers in total. Two months later, Williamson along with teammates Hayden Herrin and Ben Wallis, combined to score 21 three-pointers in a 116-105 defeat to Worthing Thunder, setting a new NBL/EBL record.
(BBL) team, and twice former League champions, Essex Leopards
would be dropping out of the League as a buyer for the struggling franchise couldn't be found. A supporters group called "Leopards Alive" was set-up in September 2003, aiming to resurrect the Leopards franchise and bring professional basketball back to their base in Brentwood
. Initially seeking to enter a team into the BBL, the supporters group opted for the English Basketball League
after realising that "without a major backer, the expense of running a professional team in the BBL was too great." It was formally announced in May 2004 that the Leopards Alive organisation and the Ware Rebels were merging together for the 2004-05 season, and be rebranded as the Essex & Herts Leopards, taking the names of both counties
(Essex and Hertfordshire) they would be representing.
Mark Clark, coach of the Ware Rebels, was given the Head Coach job for the new-look Leopards. The 2004-05 season was business as normal on-court as the team finished 8th for the second consecutive season, totaling 9 wins and 13 defeats. An early exit in the National Cup came at the hands of Nottingham Knights after a 58-62 defeat at Wodson Park in the 3rd Round, whilst they didn't fare much better in the post-season Play-offs, exiting in the Quarter-final after a 103-72 defeat at the hands of Division Champions Sheffield Arrows.
It was announced in the summer of 2005, after just one season of splitting home games between both Ware's venue, Wodson Park, and Essex's Brentwood Centre, that the club would drop Wodson Park in favour of the Goresbrook Centre in Dagenham
, "as top division EBL basketball simply isn't financially viable at Wodson Park" On-court, the Leopards went from strength to strength and the 2005-06 season would prove to be one of the best yet, however it started poorly with an early exit in the National Trophy from a group containing Reading Rockets
and Worthing Thunder
. The club were also competing for the first time in the BBL Trophy
as an invitee, though they lost all four games to Birmingham Bullets
(74-115), Leicester Riders
(55-75), Milton Keynes Lions
(80-107) and Leopards' old BBL rival London Towers
(53-86). In the National Cup, Leopards fared much better and after early round victories over Colchester and London United
, a 101-75 win over Solent Stars
in the Quarter-final and a 84-51 Semi-final victory against Worcester Wolves
, Leopards had qualified for their first National Final in the franchise's history. Infront of a packed National Indoor Arena
in Birmingham
the Leopards, billed as the underdogs of contest, overcame foul trouble to defeat Reading 79-75 and claim the clubs first-ever piece of silverware. In Division 1, the team finished in 6th place, the highest placing the club has achieved to date, with a 17-9 record. In the Play-offs, they were matched up with Sheffield Arrows for the second consecutive season and again for the second time were knocked out in the Quarter-final after losing 69-93.
's capital city, whilst following a disagreement with the new owners of the clubs home venue, the Brentwood Centre, the Leopards would play all home games back at Wodson Park or the Goresbrook Centre. The newly renamed side underperformed in all three knockout competitions, with a 3rd Round exit in the National Cup after a 85-123 defeat to London Capital
, and 1st Round exits in the National Trophy and the BBL Trophy, to which Leopards competed as invitees again. In Division 1, the team recorded a 4th place finish, the clubs highest ever league placing and secured home-court advantage in the Division 1 Play-offs for the first time, however they couldn't use this to their advantage, losing 70-80 to local rival London Capital in the Quarter-final.
A full-time move back to the clubs original home at Wodson Park in Ware greeted the 2007-08 season and a poor showing in the Trophy started off the season with the Leopards team failing to progress from the group stage. The Leopards reached the Quarter-final in the National Cup, but were narrowly beaten by Worthing Thunder in a close 77-79 home defeat. In a condensed Division 1, the team finished with a 50% record, tallying 9 wins and 9 losses and narrowly missed out on a 4th place finish and home court advantage in the Play-offs, after losing the last three regular season games. The Leopards lost in the Quarter-finals of the Play-off away to Bristol Flyers
with a 96-105 loss.
The franchise returned to the Brentwood Centre in 2008 after a two year absence, whilst still using Wodson Park as a secondary venue. The 2008-09 season opened with five consecutive victories in the Trophy and National Cup, however the team were eventually knocked out of the Trophy by Manchester Magic
in a close 81-89 Semi-final defeat, whilst in the National Cup a narrow 72-75 loss meant a Quarter-final exit at the hands of familiar foes Reading. Leopards still fared better than previous seasons and their form was much improved in the League, finishing the season with an all-time high third place (12-6) behind Reading and Manchester. Croatian
player Hrvoje Pervan's 22.1 points-per-game proved instrumental in the season's success which continued through to the Play-offs. A 74-71 win at home to Coventry Crusaders
meant that for the first time in the club's history, they had won a Play-off game and advanced to the Semi-finals and the Final Four's weekend at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester. However after being pitted against the hosts, Manchester Magic, in the Semi-finals, the occaision proved too much and Leopards fell to 92-76 defeat with Manchester's Stefan Gill posting a game-high 35 points, driving the hosts into the Final.
Leopards couldn't capitalize on their successes of the previous season and so the 2009-10 campaign saw a disappointing 9th place finish (out of 12 teams) with a 6-16 record, meaning that the London team didn't qualify for the post-season Play-offs for the first time since the Rebels-Leopards merger. An early exit in the Trophy in a group that contained Reading and London Mets was quickly forgotten after a promising run of results in the National Cup. Victories against Milton Keynes Lions II
, Hackney White Heat
, London Westside and Brixton TopCats
saw Leopards earn a place in the Semi-finals for only the second time in the franchise's history, but in a repeat of Leopards' Play-off Semi-final clash last season, the London side were defeated by Manchester 69-77.
In April 2010, the club announced a merger with Barking Abbey Basketball Academy, one of the country's leading basketball academy's. As a result, the senior men’s Division 1 team was renamed as the BA London Leopards, whilst the women’s team and the men’s second team were rebranded as Barking Abbey Leopards to reflect the new partnership. Due to the new partnership, the senior team was made up mainly of Barking Abbey recruits, with American import-player Josh Sharlow brought in to add experience to the team. The new-look team enjoyed their best season yet in the League and also another encouraging run in the Trophy, after overcoming the group stage including wins over Brixton and London Capital (after the team failed to fulfill a fixture), Leopards progressed through the 1st Knockout Round with a comfortable 78-56 away win over Bristol to progress to the Semi-final. The London side were edged out narrowly though by their traditional Cup rivals Reading in a close 62-60 defeat, whilst Reading went on to win the competition, beating Leeds Carnegie
in the Final. The addition of American forward Ousman Krubally, from Georgia State
, in December brought extra fire power to the team and helped propel the team to second-place finish in Division 1, with a 14-4 record, beating the previous best from last seasons campaign. Krubally finished the season averaging 22.1 points-per-game, the second highest in the Division. The Leopards overcame Durham Wildcats
in the Play-off Quarter-finals with a 77-68 victory at the Brentwood Centre, in a game that Leopards always held the lead. Unfortunately poor free-throw shooting contributed to a disappointing Semi-final exit at the hands of Reading at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester. Reading ran out winners with a 69-80 scoreline, meaning Leopards failed to reach yet another major Final.
Following the end of season, Coach Mark Clark stepped down from his position to concentrate on his work with the Academy, with his replacement coming in the form of Slovenian
Dejan Mihevc, a former Coach of various Slovenia international youth teams. Mihevc's first move as new Head Coach was to resign last season's MVP Ousman Krubally, whilst bringing-in Lithuanian
Vilius Šumskis and former young star Lukas Volskis. Following the late withdrawal of Essex Pirates
from the BBL, Leopards accepted an invite to compete in the BBL Trophy in their place, pitting them in a group with Leicester Riders
and Milton Keynes Lions
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team who competes in the English Basketball League
English Basketball League
The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League....
Division 1. The team was established in 1997 as Ware Fire, but following the demise and eventual closure of the former British Basketball League
British Basketball League
The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy....
franchise Essex Leopards
Essex Leopards
The Essex Leopards, or just Leopards as they were more commonly known, was a British basketball team competing in the British Basketball League...
in 2003, a supporters group known as 'Leopards Alive' merged with the Ware-based club and rebranded the team as Essex & Herts Leopards in 2004. The franchise was renamed again in 2006 to London Leopards and following a merge with Barking Abbey Basketball Academy in 2010, the BA prefix was added to reflect this.
Basketball in Ware
For much of the 1990's the town of Ware in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
was home to National League
National Basketball League (United Kingdom)
The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a British basketball league. The league started in 1972 and continued through to 2003 renamed the English Basketball League.-1972-1993:...
(NBL) basketball following the arrival of the original Rebels franchise, who moved from Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
in 1991. The Rebels team consistently finished in the top three of NBL Division 1 and were crowned Champions in 1997, after finishing two points ahead of Plymouth Raiders
Plymouth Raiders
The Plymouth Raiders, officially called UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders for sponsorship reasons, is South-west England's leading basketball team. Based in the city of Plymouth, they play their home games at the Pavilions arena and have competed in the top-tier British Basketball League since 2004...
with an overall record of 21 wins and 5 losses. Following their most successful season, the team was uprooted and moved to Stevenage to become the Stevenage Rebels, though the success didn't follow and the franchise would eventually relocate again in 1999 to become Worthing Rebels.
Following the Rebels' move to Stevenage, a brand-new team, Ware Fire, was established and admitted to NBL Division 3 for the 1997-98 season. In their rookie season they finished 7th out of 11 teams with an amicable 9-17 record. A mild improvement to 6th place in the 1998-99 season was followed with a successful campaign in 1999-00, finishing in 4th place (16-8) and earning promotion to Division 2 (though with the "clean-sheet" League restructuring that followed that season, Division 2 became the third tier division). After destroying Birmingham University 117-71 in Play-off Quarter-finals, Ware were comfortably beaten in their first Semi-final appearance, losing 84-72 away to Division champions Doncaster Eagles.
The 2000-01 season saw the club compete in Division 2 for the first time and also brought a new name for the club with the return of the Rebels name following the original club's rebranding from Worthing Rebels to Worthing Thunder in the same year. The reincarnated Ware Rebels went on to have their most successful season to date, finishing third in the Division with 17 wins and 7 losses and earning promotion to Division 1. The post-season Play-off's saw a rematch of the previous season's Semi-final match-up against Doncaster, though the new and improved Ware swept them aside with a 92-54 home victory in the Quarter-final. The Semi-finals againt proved to be the stumbling block though as Ware were defeated 86-75 to eventual winners Ealing Tornadoes.
Rebels continued their rise through the League in the 2001-02 season, competing for the first time in Division 1. Another 3rd place finish in the League with a 16-6 record and another promotion followed. The post-season Play-off's saw Rebels sweep aside Westminster Warriors 109-96 in the Quarter-finals before being matched up with familiar foes Ealing, who knocked out the Rebels for the second consecutive year with a 99-88 defeat, in the Semi-final. Ware's first appearance in the new NBL Conference for the 2002-03 season saw them pitted against much tougher opponents in the second-tier league and unsuprisingly Rebels successes of the previous season's were not replicated. Finishing 10th out of the 12 teams competing, Ware could only put together 4 victories out of 22 games, whilst missing out on the Play-off's for the first time in the club's history.
The 2003-04 season would see Rebels fare much better in the newly rebranded English Basketball League
English Basketball League
The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League....
(EBL) Division 1, following a change in administration from the now defunct National Basketball League. In the 12-team competition, Ware managed to finish in 8th place with 9 wins and 13 defeats. The season saw the start of a new partnership with the University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...
, which saw the first team use the venue facilities of the brand-new Hertfordshire Sports Village as well as their traditional Wodson Park home. However the season will be best remembered for three records broken by the Rebels, thanks in-part to the three-point shooting abilities of American-import Michael Williamson. In Rebels' 117-87 National Cup first round win over Northampton Neptunes, Williamson scored a National Cup record 13 three-pointers, scoring two within the first 10 seconds of the game, whilst the team broke the record for a team effort, scoring a 20 three-pointers in total. Two months later, Williamson along with teammates Hayden Herrin and Ben Wallis, combined to score 21 three-pointers in a 116-105 defeat to Worthing Thunder, setting a new NBL/EBL record.
Merger with Leopards Alive
In the summer of 2003, it was announced that British Basketball LeagueBritish Basketball League
The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy....
(BBL) team, and twice former League champions, Essex Leopards
Essex Leopards
The Essex Leopards, or just Leopards as they were more commonly known, was a British basketball team competing in the British Basketball League...
would be dropping out of the League as a buyer for the struggling franchise couldn't be found. A supporters group called "Leopards Alive" was set-up in September 2003, aiming to resurrect the Leopards franchise and bring professional basketball back to their base in Brentwood
Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
. Initially seeking to enter a team into the BBL, the supporters group opted for the English Basketball League
English Basketball League
The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League....
after realising that "without a major backer, the expense of running a professional team in the BBL was too great." It was formally announced in May 2004 that the Leopards Alive organisation and the Ware Rebels were merging together for the 2004-05 season, and be rebranded as the Essex & Herts Leopards, taking the names of both counties
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
(Essex and Hertfordshire) they would be representing.
Mark Clark, coach of the Ware Rebels, was given the Head Coach job for the new-look Leopards. The 2004-05 season was business as normal on-court as the team finished 8th for the second consecutive season, totaling 9 wins and 13 defeats. An early exit in the National Cup came at the hands of Nottingham Knights after a 58-62 defeat at Wodson Park in the 3rd Round, whilst they didn't fare much better in the post-season Play-offs, exiting in the Quarter-final after a 103-72 defeat at the hands of Division Champions Sheffield Arrows.
It was announced in the summer of 2005, after just one season of splitting home games between both Ware's venue, Wodson Park, and Essex's Brentwood Centre, that the club would drop Wodson Park in favour of the Goresbrook Centre in Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, "as top division EBL basketball simply isn't financially viable at Wodson Park" On-court, the Leopards went from strength to strength and the 2005-06 season would prove to be one of the best yet, however it started poorly with an early exit in the National Trophy from a group containing Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets is a basketball club based in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Currently Reading Rockets play in the English Basketball League Division 1. Reading Rockets work with around 1,000 young players every week in Berkshire...
and Worthing Thunder
Worthing Thunder
Worthing Thunder is a basketball team from Worthing, England. Founded in 1999, until recently they competed in the top-tier British Basketball League, having previously having dominated the lower leagues in recent years, winning back-to-back English Basketball League Division One titles in 2006 and...
. The club were also competing for the first time in the BBL Trophy
BBL Trophy
The BBL Trophy is one of three cup competitions operated by the British Basketball League. The competition begins with a regional group format and comprises the BBL clubs divided into four regional qualifying groups of three...
as an invitee, though they lost all four games to Birmingham Bullets
Birmingham Bullets
The Birmingham Bullets is a basketball team from Birmingham, who competed in the British Basketball League . The club resigned from the BBL league in the summer of 2006 and soon after went into liquidation, and currently no-longer exist as a basketball franchise.-The future of Birmingham...
(74-115), Leicester Riders
Leicester Riders
The Leicester Riders, officially known as the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders for sponsorship reasons, is a British professional basketball team that play in the British Basketball League...
(55-75), Milton Keynes Lions
Milton Keynes Lions
The Milton Keynes Lions, officially called Prestige Homes Milton Keynes Lions due to sponsorship, is a basketball team which represents Milton Keynes in the British Basketball League, the top level men's basketball league in the United Kingdom. The franchise’s only trophy success to-date is the BBL...
(80-107) and Leopards' old BBL rival London Towers
London Towers
London Towers was a professional basketball team based in London, England. They were one of the most successful and recognised British sports teams of the 1990s, collecting many titles in the British Basketball League as well as regularly competing in European competitions such as the Euroleague...
(53-86). In the National Cup, Leopards fared much better and after early round victories over Colchester and London United
London United
London United is basketball team from London, England, currently competing in English Basketball League Division 2. In 2006 they were elected into the professional British Basketball League to replace the London Towers as the sole representatives for the capital city...
, a 101-75 win over Solent Stars
Solent Stars
The Solent Stars is a basketball team from Southampton, who until 2007 competed in the English Basketball League, Division 1. From 1987-1990 they competed in the British Basketball League, and were one of the founder teams....
in the Quarter-final and a 84-51 Semi-final victory against Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves is a basketball team from the city of Worcester which plays in the British Basketball League. The Wolves currently play at in the 800-seat capacity Sports Hall of the University of Worcester, although they are to use the new Worcester Arena as their home venue once completed in...
, Leopards had qualified for their first National Final in the franchise's history. Infront of a packed National Indoor Arena
National Indoor Arena
The National Indoor Arena is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. It is situated in central Birmingham, England and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
the Leopards, billed as the underdogs of contest, overcame foul trouble to defeat Reading 79-75 and claim the clubs first-ever piece of silverware. In Division 1, the team finished in 6th place, the highest placing the club has achieved to date, with a 17-9 record. In the Play-offs, they were matched up with Sheffield Arrows for the second consecutive season and again for the second time were knocked out in the Quarter-final after losing 69-93.
Return of the London Leopards
The 2006-07 season saw another major rebranding for the franchise as the club was renamed as London Leopards in an effort to attract a bigger fanbase from BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's capital city, whilst following a disagreement with the new owners of the clubs home venue, the Brentwood Centre, the Leopards would play all home games back at Wodson Park or the Goresbrook Centre. The newly renamed side underperformed in all three knockout competitions, with a 3rd Round exit in the National Cup after a 85-123 defeat to London Capital
London Capital
London Capital, officially called PAWS London Capital in reference to their partnership with PAWS Foundation, is a basketball team based in London, England...
, and 1st Round exits in the National Trophy and the BBL Trophy, to which Leopards competed as invitees again. In Division 1, the team recorded a 4th place finish, the clubs highest ever league placing and secured home-court advantage in the Division 1 Play-offs for the first time, however they couldn't use this to their advantage, losing 70-80 to local rival London Capital in the Quarter-final.
A full-time move back to the clubs original home at Wodson Park in Ware greeted the 2007-08 season and a poor showing in the Trophy started off the season with the Leopards team failing to progress from the group stage. The Leopards reached the Quarter-final in the National Cup, but were narrowly beaten by Worthing Thunder in a close 77-79 home defeat. In a condensed Division 1, the team finished with a 50% record, tallying 9 wins and 9 losses and narrowly missed out on a 4th place finish and home court advantage in the Play-offs, after losing the last three regular season games. The Leopards lost in the Quarter-finals of the Play-off away to Bristol Flyers
Bristol Flyers
The Bristol Academy Flyers is a professional basketball team from the city of Bristol competing in the English Basketball League, Division 1. Formed from a merger between the Bristol Bombers and the Filton Flyers in 2006, the team play their home games at the WISE Arena at Filton College, where one...
with a 96-105 loss.
The franchise returned to the Brentwood Centre in 2008 after a two year absence, whilst still using Wodson Park as a secondary venue. The 2008-09 season opened with five consecutive victories in the Trophy and National Cup, however the team were eventually knocked out of the Trophy by Manchester Magic
Manchester Magic
Manchester Magic is an English basketball team from Manchester, competing in the English Basketball League, Division 3. They play their home games at the Amaechi Basketball Centre, which was funded by former NBA star John Amaechi....
in a close 81-89 Semi-final defeat, whilst in the National Cup a narrow 72-75 loss meant a Quarter-final exit at the hands of familiar foes Reading. Leopards still fared better than previous seasons and their form was much improved in the League, finishing the season with an all-time high third place (12-6) behind Reading and Manchester. Croatian
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
player Hrvoje Pervan's 22.1 points-per-game proved instrumental in the season's success which continued through to the Play-offs. A 74-71 win at home to Coventry Crusaders
Coventry Crusaders
The Coventry Crusaders is a Coventry-based basketball team competing in Division 1 of the English Basketball League. They play their home games at the Coventry Sports Centre, alternatively at the North Solihull Sports Centre, and the junior teams play at the Coventry Sports Centre...
meant that for the first time in the club's history, they had won a Play-off game and advanced to the Semi-finals and the Final Four's weekend at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester. However after being pitted against the hosts, Manchester Magic, in the Semi-finals, the occaision proved too much and Leopards fell to 92-76 defeat with Manchester's Stefan Gill posting a game-high 35 points, driving the hosts into the Final.
Leopards couldn't capitalize on their successes of the previous season and so the 2009-10 campaign saw a disappointing 9th place finish (out of 12 teams) with a 6-16 record, meaning that the London team didn't qualify for the post-season Play-offs for the first time since the Rebels-Leopards merger. An early exit in the Trophy in a group that contained Reading and London Mets was quickly forgotten after a promising run of results in the National Cup. Victories against Milton Keynes Lions II
Milton Keynes Lions
The Milton Keynes Lions, officially called Prestige Homes Milton Keynes Lions due to sponsorship, is a basketball team which represents Milton Keynes in the British Basketball League, the top level men's basketball league in the United Kingdom. The franchise’s only trophy success to-date is the BBL...
, Hackney White Heat
Hackney White Heat
Hackney White Heat is an English basketball team from the district of Hackney in London competing in the English Basketball League, Division 3. Established in 1999. Pops Mensah-Bonsu played for the team....
, London Westside and Brixton TopCats
Brixton TopCats
Brixton TopCats is a British basketball team based in the Brixton area of London. Established in 1985, the first team currently compete in the English Basketball League Division 1, but the club is particularly notable for its highly-rated development programme, which has produced the likes of Luol...
saw Leopards earn a place in the Semi-finals for only the second time in the franchise's history, but in a repeat of Leopards' Play-off Semi-final clash last season, the London side were defeated by Manchester 69-77.
In April 2010, the club announced a merger with Barking Abbey Basketball Academy, one of the country's leading basketball academy's. As a result, the senior men’s Division 1 team was renamed as the BA London Leopards, whilst the women’s team and the men’s second team were rebranded as Barking Abbey Leopards to reflect the new partnership. Due to the new partnership, the senior team was made up mainly of Barking Abbey recruits, with American import-player Josh Sharlow brought in to add experience to the team. The new-look team enjoyed their best season yet in the League and also another encouraging run in the Trophy, after overcoming the group stage including wins over Brixton and London Capital (after the team failed to fulfill a fixture), Leopards progressed through the 1st Knockout Round with a comfortable 78-56 away win over Bristol to progress to the Semi-final. The London side were edged out narrowly though by their traditional Cup rivals Reading in a close 62-60 defeat, whilst Reading went on to win the competition, beating Leeds Carnegie
Leeds Carnegie (basketball)
Leeds Carnegie is a basketball team based in Leeds, England. They currently compete in the English Basketball League Division 1, the second-tier competition, after gaining promotion from Division 2 in 2010. Their primary colours are green and black. They play their home games at the Leeds...
in the Final. The addition of American forward Ousman Krubally, from Georgia State
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
, in December brought extra fire power to the team and helped propel the team to second-place finish in Division 1, with a 14-4 record, beating the previous best from last seasons campaign. Krubally finished the season averaging 22.1 points-per-game, the second highest in the Division. The Leopards overcame Durham Wildcats
Durham Wildcats
Durham Wildcats is a basketball team based in County Durham, England. Established in 2005, the club has enjoyed a rapid rise through the English Basketball League system with three promotions in the past three seasons...
in the Play-off Quarter-finals with a 77-68 victory at the Brentwood Centre, in a game that Leopards always held the lead. Unfortunately poor free-throw shooting contributed to a disappointing Semi-final exit at the hands of Reading at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester. Reading ran out winners with a 69-80 scoreline, meaning Leopards failed to reach yet another major Final.
Following the end of season, Coach Mark Clark stepped down from his position to concentrate on his work with the Academy, with his replacement coming in the form of Slovenian
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
Dejan Mihevc, a former Coach of various Slovenia international youth teams. Mihevc's first move as new Head Coach was to resign last season's MVP Ousman Krubally, whilst bringing-in Lithuanian
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
Vilius Šumskis and former young star Lukas Volskis. Following the late withdrawal of Essex Pirates
Essex Pirates
Essex Pirates is currently inactive British Basketball League team from Southend-on-Sea, in the county of Essex. They were founded in 2009 and play their home games at the Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre...
from the BBL, Leopards accepted an invite to compete in the BBL Trophy in their place, pitting them in a group with Leicester Riders
Leicester Riders
The Leicester Riders, officially known as the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders for sponsorship reasons, is a British professional basketball team that play in the British Basketball League...
and Milton Keynes Lions
Milton Keynes Lions
The Milton Keynes Lions, officially called Prestige Homes Milton Keynes Lions due to sponsorship, is a basketball team which represents Milton Keynes in the British Basketball League, the top level men's basketball league in the United Kingdom. The franchise’s only trophy success to-date is the BBL...
.
Home arenas
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- Wodson Park (1997-2009)
- Goresbrook Centre (2005-2007)
- Brentwood Centre (2004-2006 and 2008-present)
- Barking Abbey Academy (2009-present)
External links
- Official London Leopards website
- London Leopards on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...