London Lions (Basketball)
2012/13: 8th Place
London Lions is a professional basketball team from London, England. The team was originally founded in Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead than Lakers in 1977 and in the meantime firmierende as Royals team left Hertfordshire in 1998 and played as Lions in Milton Keynes before 2012 moved the seat to London. As of 2013, the crew of the closed professional league British Basketball League (BBL ) to play in the built for the Olympic Games 2012 Hall Copper Box.
Due to their origin and history, the Lions except the name can not connect to the previously existing ice hockey and speedway teams of the same name, as well as the football team " London Maccabi Lions ".
History
Founding in Hertfordshire ( 1977-1998 )
The team was referring to when it was founded in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire in name and team colors on one of the most successful franchises of the highest endowed professional league NBA in the United States, the Los Angeles Lakers. After being 1977/78 for the first time participated in the second division in the game operation of the " National Basketball League " ( NBL ) was reached after the second season in 1979 the rise in the then highest national league " NBL Division One ". After the first season in the top flight at first fourth of the final table was, was reached in the second season 1980/81 with a third place for the time being his best final placement which is repeated two years later in 1983. Two years later, one designated in Hemel Royals around and was in season 1987/88 founding member of the closed professional league British Basketball League (BBL ), which combined the best English and Scottish teams in a league.
In the first BBL season 1987/88, the Royals reached among 15 teams an eleventh degree square in the lower third of the table. For the following season four teams already eliminated again off again and the Royals reached seventh place with nearly balanced record this season for the first time a play-off position in the BBL. In the first round, however, one difference against defending champion Murray BC from Livingston (West Lothian ) from. However, the Royals fell back for the next season of the BBL and started again in the now second-rate NBL Division One in which we achieved a fourth place in the 1989/90 season.
Even after a year returned the Royals for the season 1990/91 in the BBL back in which one despite only four wins this season with eighth place among nine teams a further qualification for the play- offs reached where, in the first round against the at that time belonged to Kingston Kings retired. In the following season 1991/92 is improved with 13 wins in 30 games to a seventh place out of ten teams in the final table. In the first play-off round was the terminus again to eventual runner- Thames Valley Tigers. In the season 1993/94 BBL had grown again to a thickness of twelve teams and the Royals occupied by again only four wins this season, knocked off the bottom of the table. A season later, it was even just three wins this season and again a twelfth degree course, which thanks to only one season victory of the Oldham Celtics but not meant to last place. In the 1994/95 season was a bit better again; you won a quarter of the season games and was in tenth place in the table three teams behind them.
The 1995/96 season meant for Hemel Royals but again a setback. With six wins this season, they reached three wins less than in the previous season. With this balance, it was, however, re- Table in the comprehensive 13-team league. Since the venue barely met the requirements of the time, you wore in the following season now plays in neighboring Watford and Hemel & Watford Royals renamed itself to attract new supporters. These were but rather quenched after only two wins this season and another last place in the 1996/97 season, so that the complete move to Watford for the 1997/98 season then nothing brought, especially as after three victories this season, the traditional last place in the completion table occupied. The Royals now left Hertfordshire, a year later it did them with the NBL club Stevenage Rebels after another basketball team from Hertfordshire. In the early 1990s, the Rebels had not yet played themselves in Watford, in 1999 they moved to Worthing on the south coast, where the migrated to Brighton BBL franchise Bears replaced and even later than Worthing Thunder inclusion in the BBL found.
Milton Keynes Lions (1998 to 2012)
With the promise to get a new hall, the franchise moved under Vince Macauley, who had taken over the Royals in 1993 as owner and himself a former player in the BBL was in 1998 to Milton Keynes, where you played as Milton Keynes Lions in the Bletchley Leisure Centre but which has been replaced by a new building in 2009. In addition to the new name was later changed the club colors to black, gold and white. The new environment also revived the franchise again. After they had left in the first season at the new location the traditional last place and in the end was only third from bottom, they moved in 2000 as a table fourth in the " Southern Conference " in the play-offs one in which one against eventual champions Manchester Giants in the first round was eliminated. At the end of the season of 2000/ 01 is then experienced a first. For the first time you joined a regular season of the BBL season off with a positive balance. The 21 wins in 34 games ranged for third place in the Southern Conference, but in the play-off qualifying round would retire to the North Fourth Leicester Riders with two points difference, which it then to the title win in the play-offs managed.
The following season, 2001/ 02, it was enough for the Lions to a balanced record this season, but southern third survived to the qualifying round and was eliminated in the play-off quarter-final against Sheffield Sharks from. Play -off winners were the Chester Jets, who won all titles this season and also the first title success the Lions prevented that lost in the final of the League Cup BBL Trophy with a point of difference against the Jets. Then the Lions stagnated again in subsequent seasons and reached consistently negative balances season in the Championship. From 2003 to 2005, this was enough as a table of eight in the now without Conferences reunited BBL each still for making the play -offs, in each case was in the quarter-final stage. In the season 2005/ 06 they missed even tenth qualifying for the final round, but rather just because it was just two wins away from sixth place. This placement was achieved with balanced record this season then a season later, even if you did not come again on the first round out into the play-offs.
Owner Macauley was the 2007/08 season even head coach and had in the first season success. In the final of the cup competition BBL Cup they beat Newcastle Eagles with three points difference and won his first title. With a positive record this season you could defeat the same opponent and main round in the first play-off semi-final as fourth in the main round. In the final of the play-offs but they lost the Guildford Heat. In the following season they missed the season with a negative balance in ninth place just the play-offs. At the end of the season, venue Bletchley Centre was replaced by a new building. For the Lions next to the stadium was: mk as a new venue, the arena: mk provided, the implementation was postponed. The Lions were now on the permanent search for a suitable venue. After the temporary use of the Middleton Hall is then played two years in the prestige HomeArena, also called MK Lions Arena, a converted warehouse with a capacity of 1,400 spectators at basketball games. In the 2009/10 season, the Lions had returned with balanced record this season a place in the play-offs, where they immediately eliminated in the first round. The following two seasons with negative balances season, however, led to a renewed miss the final round.
London Lions (since 2012)
The argument about a new hall, as well as the venue MK Lions Area did not provide for continuous operation, however, had the Lions moved to a new move. After the end of the London Towers franchises such as the London Capital and London, United had tried unsuccessfully to get the tradition of successful basketball teams from the British capital upright. The buildings for the 2012 Olympics now gave the opportunity to settle in the capital in a modern venue. Since the Copper Box was rebuilt after the games yet, moved the Lions with their old club colors as London Lions temporarily in the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, where once already, the multiple champion Crystal Palace and London Towers had their games played. There was enough in the 2012/13 season in eighth place, at least in making the play -offs, which again was followed by an early corner.