Leicester Riders
Encyclopedia
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
(BBL). They are the oldest operating basketball team in the country, though recently they have hit hard times financially and faced liquidation
several times during 2007 before fans and local businesses stepped in to save the club.
They were founder members of the National Basketball League
in 1972 and the BBL in 1987.
The club moved from Loughborough
to Leicester
in 1981 before moving back to play at Loughborough University
in 1997, barely a stone's throw from Victory Hall where the club played its first game.
In 2004 the Riders agreed a sponsorship deal with De Montfort University
(DMU) and moved back to Leicester where they now play their games at the DMU's John Sandford Sports Centre.
In February 2007, the Riders encountered several financial difficulties, which resulted in the team's players and coaches not being paid. Facing the prospect of liquidation
half way through the 2006-2007 season
, former director of the team, Mike Steptoe, and the supporters club formed a consortium which raised funded enough money to keep the side running.
The clubs future was looking brighter, however, during the close-season following the loss of a major cash-injection, the club were again thrown into financial chaos in August 2007. Given only three weeks to raise the necessary funds to compete for the upcoming 2007-08 season
, fans of the club and local business Jelson Homes came together to save the club once again. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6971807.stm
Part of the sponsorship deal with Jelson Homes was to ensure the future of the club by investing in a 'basketball in the community' scheme, providing the youth of Leicester with basketball coaching programmes.
Notes:
(www.bbl.org.uk).
2 seasons: '05-'07 Mark Hawley 2 seasons: '97-'99 Marty Headd Dave Jones 2 seasons: '00-'02 Lonnie Legette Carl Olssen Steve O'Shea Kenny Pemberton Nate Reinking
1 season: '06-'07 Andrew Alleyne 1 season: '06-'07 Chris Webber 3 seasons: '98-'99, '02-'04 Shawn Myers
1 season: '06-'07 Steve McGlothin 3 seasons: '00-'02, '04-'05 Anthony McHenry
1 season: '05-'06 Billy Singleton
4 seasons: '97-'99, '00-'02
Aaron Westbrooks
Tony Windless
3 seasons: '08-'11 Robert Youngblood
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...
professional 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 that play in the 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....
(BBL). They are the oldest operating basketball team in the country, though recently they have hit hard times financially and faced liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
several times during 2007 before fans and local businesses stepped in to save the club.
Franchise history
Founded on 26 April 1967 and then known as the Loughborough All Stars, the Leicester Riders are the oldest club in British basketball.They were founder members of the National Basketball 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:...
in 1972 and the BBL in 1987.
The club moved from Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in 1981 before moving back to play at Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
in 1997, barely a stone's throw from Victory Hall where the club played its first game.
In 2004 the Riders agreed a sponsorship deal with De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
(DMU) and moved back to Leicester where they now play their games at the DMU's John Sandford Sports Centre.
In February 2007, the Riders encountered several financial difficulties, which resulted in the team's players and coaches not being paid. Facing the prospect of liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
half way through the 2006-2007 season
British Basketball League 2006-07
The 2006-07 season, the 20th since its establishment of the British Basketball League, started on September 29, 2006 when reigning champions Newcastle Eagles began with a 85-83 loss away to Sheffield Sharks....
, former director of the team, Mike Steptoe, and the supporters club formed a consortium which raised funded enough money to keep the side running.
The clubs future was looking brighter, however, during the close-season following the loss of a major cash-injection, the club were again thrown into financial chaos in August 2007. Given only three weeks to raise the necessary funds to compete for the upcoming 2007-08 season
British Basketball League 2007-08
The 2007-08 season, the 21st since the establishment of the British Basketball League, commenced on September 9, 2007, when the Plymouth Raiders succumbed to the Guildford Heat in the inaugural Cup Winners' Cup competition...
, fans of the club and local business Jelson Homes came together to save the club once again. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6971807.stm
Part of the sponsorship deal with Jelson Homes was to ensure the future of the club by investing in a 'basketball in the community' scheme, providing the youth of Leicester with basketball coaching programmes.
Home arenas
- Victory Hall (1967-1981)
- Granby HallsGranby HallsThe Granby Halls was a popular live music, exhibition and sports arena in the city of Leicester, in England, also notable as the long serving home of professional basketball team, the Leicester Riders, from 1980 until 1999....
(1981-2000) - Loughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
(2000-2004) - John Sandford Centre (2004-present)
Season-by-season records
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pld. | W | L | Pts. | Play Offs | Trophy | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loughborough All-Stars | |||||||||
| 1972–1973 | NBL 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:... |
|4th | 10 | 5 | 5 | 15 | N/A | N/A | 1st Round |
| 1973–1974 | NBL 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:... |
|6th | 14 | 5 | 9 | 19 | N/A | N/A | Semi-final |
| 1974–1975 | NBL 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:... |
|7th | 18 | 8 | 10 | 26 | N/A | N/A | Semi-final |
| 1975–1976 | NBL 1 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:... |
|6th | 18 | 6 | 12 | 24 | N/A | N/A | Quarter-final |
| 1976–1977 | NBL 1 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:... |
|6th | 18 | 8 | 10 | 26 | N/A | N/A | Quarter-final |
| 1977–1978 | NBL 1 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:... |
|5th | 18 | 9 | 9 | 18 | N/A | N/A | Quarter-final |
| 1978–1979 | NBL 1 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:... |
|6th | 20 | 10 | 10 | 18 | DNQ | N/A | Quarter-final |
| 1979–1980 | NBL 1 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:... |
|6th | 20 | 10 | 10 | 18 | DNQ | N/A | Semi-final |
| 1980–1981 | Hiatus | |- | |||||||
| Leicester All-Stars | |||||||||
| 1981–1982 | NBL 2 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:... |
1st | 16 | 16 | 0 | 32 | DNQ | N/A | |
| 1982–1983 | NBL 1 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:... |
|6th | 24 | 16 | 8 | 32 | DNQ | N/A | |
| 1983–1984 | NBL 1 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:... |
|6th | 36 | 23 | 13 | 45 | DNQ | N/A | |
| 1984–1985 | NBL 1 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:... |
|6th | 26 | 15 | 11 | 30 | Semi-final | N/A | |
| 1985–1986 | NBL 1 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:... |
|8th | 28 | 14 | 14 | 28 | |||
| N/A | |||||||||
| Leicester City Riders | |||||||||
| 1986–1987 | NBL 1 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:... |
|5th | 24 | 16 | 8 | 32 | |||
| N/A | |||||||||
| 1987–1988 | BBL 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.... |
|9th | 28 | 14 | 14 | 28 | DNQ | 1st Round | Semi-final |
| 1988–1989 | BBL 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.... |
|4h | 20 | 14 | 6 | 28 | Semi-final | Semi-final | 2nd Round |
| 1989–1990 | BBL 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.... |
|6th | 28 | 7 | 21 | 14 | DNQ | 1st Round | 2nd Round |
| 1990–1991 | BBL 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.... |
|4th | 24 | 14 | 10 | 28 | Semi-final | Semi-final | Runner-up |
| 1991–1992 | BBL 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.... |
|6th | 30 | 14 | 16 | 28 | Quarter-final | Runner-up | Semi-final |
| 1992–1993 | BBL 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.... |
|8th | 33 | 12 | 21 | 24 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Semi-final |
| 1993–1994 | BBL 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.... |
|7th | 36 | 20 | 16 | 40 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
| 1994–1995 | BBL 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.... |
|11th | 36 | 8 | 28 | 16 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
| 1995–1996 | BBL 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.... |
|9th | 36 | 11 | 25 | 22 | DNQ | 1st Round | 4th Round |
| 1996–1997 | BBL 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.... |
|8th | 36 | 15 | 21 | 30 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
| Leicester Riders | |||||||||
| 1997–1998 | BBL 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.... |
|9th | 36 | 15 | 21 | 30 | DNQ | Quarter-final | Runner-up |
| 1998–1999 | BBL 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.... |
|12th | 36 | 9 | 27 | 18 | DNQ | Semi-final | 1st Round |
| 1999–2000 | BBL N 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.... |
|7th | 36 | 10 | 26 | 20 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
| 2000–2001 | BBL N 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.... |
|4th | 36 | 17 | 19 | 34 | Winners | 1st Round | Winners |
| 2001–2002 | BBL N 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.... |
|5th | 32 | 11 | 21 | 22 | DNQ | 1st Round | 1st Round |
| 2002–2003 | BBL 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.... |
|11th | 40 | 3 | 37 | 6 | DNQ | 1st Round | 1st Round |
| 2003–2004 | BBL 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.... |
|9th | 36 | 5 | 31 | 10 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter Final |
| 2004–2005 | BBL 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.... |
|10th | 40 | 11 | 29 | 22 | DNQ | 1st Round | 1st Round |
| 2005–2006 | BBL 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.... |
|6th | 40 | 18 | 22 | 36 | Quarter-final | Runner-up | 1st Round |
| 2006–2007 | BBL 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.... |
|7th | 36 | 13 | 23 | 22 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
| 2007–2008 | BBL 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.... |
|10th | 33 | 10 | 23 | 20 | DNQ | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
| 2008–2009 | BBL 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.... |
|3rd | 33 | 21 | 12 | 42 | Semi-final | 1st Round | Quarter-final |
| 2009–2010 | BBL 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.... |
|6th | 36 | 21 | 15 | 42 | Quarter-final | 1st Round | Semi-final |
| 2010–2011 | BBL 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.... |
|8th | 33 | 17 | 16 | 34 | Quarter-final | Semi-final | Quarter-final |
Notes:
- From 1999-2002 the BBL operated a Conference system. Leicester competed in the Northern Conference.
- DNQ denotes Did Not Qualify.
Current roster
The following information is established according to the official websites of the team (www.leicesterriders.co.uk) and Britain's top professional league, the BBLBritish 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....
(www.bbl.org.uk).
Notable former players
David Aliu 1 season: '06-'07 Andy Betts 1 season: '93-'94 Karl Brown 5 seasons: '99-'03 Steve BucknallSteve Bucknall
Steven Lee Bucknall is a retired English professional basketball player, and former head coach of British Basketball League expansion franchise London Capital....
2 seasons: '05-'07 Mark Hawley 2 seasons: '97-'99 Marty Headd Dave Jones 2 seasons: '00-'02 Lonnie Legette Carl Olssen Steve O'Shea Kenny Pemberton Nate Reinking
Nate Reinking
Nathan "Nate" James Reinking is a American-British professional basketball point guard who plays for the Sheffield Sharks.-Pro career:...
1 season: '06-'07 Andrew Alleyne 1 season: '06-'07 Chris Webber 3 seasons: '98-'99, '02-'04 Shawn Myers
Shawn Myers
Shawn Myers is a professional basketball player of Trinidad origin who currently plays for the Milton Keynes Lions.-Career: Silute, 1997–1998 Tampereen Pyrbasket, 1998–1999 Tindastoll, 1999–2001 Newcastle Eagles, 2001–2002 Chester Jets, 2002 Scottish Rocks, 2002–2003 Newcastle Eagles, 2003–2004...
1 season: '06-'07 Steve McGlothin 3 seasons: '00-'02, '04-'05 Anthony McHenry
Anthony McHenry
Anthony Duane McHenry is an American professional basketball player who plays for Japan's bj league side Ryukyu Golden Kings....
1 season: '05-'06 Billy Singleton
Billy Singleton
Billy Singleton is a former professional basketball player, most notable for his career in the British Basketball League...
4 seasons: '97-'99, '00-'02
Aaron WestbrooksAaron Westbrooks
Aaron Westbrooks is an Irish basketball player.-Career:Aaron played for Trinity College in Connecticut & St. Fintan's High School. He joined Dart Killester before joining the Leicester Riders in 2009. Aaron made his BBL debut against the Sheffield Sharks...
Tony Windless
Tony Windless
Tony Windless is an American retired professional basketball player with a notable career stretching over a decade in the British Basketball League....
3 seasons: '08-'11 Robert Youngblood
External links
- Official Leicester Riders website
- Leicester Riders 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...
- Riders Ball Online, an unofficial fans' website