Cheshire Phoenix

2012/13: 10th place

Cheshire Phoenix is a professional basketball club from Chester in England. The club was founded in 1984 in neighboring Ellesmere Port as jets. After the name change to Cheshire Jets in 1988, the club was 1991 inclusion in the closed professional league British Basketball League. In 1993, one the venue and took his seat in neighboring Chester, the administrative center of the unitary authority of Cheshire today's West and Chester. After installation you initially joined on as Chester Jets, before 2007 the old name Cheshire Jets took again. The club was temporarily suspended by the league in November 2012 and took after a change of ownership its gaming operations as Cheshire Phoenix again.

History

Start until moving to Chester ( 1984-1993 )

The Jets were founded in 1984 in Ellesmere Port, after the previous club Saint Saviours had retired from the game. First one went under the name sponsor Moto Craft Centre, but was called after its withdrawal only jets. 1991 you won the championship in Division 2 of the then " National Basketball League," said English Basketball League and reached the inclusion in the closed professional league British Basketball League (BBL ). There you achieved in the first year only two wins this season and landed on the last place in the final table. Since in this league the previous Venue Leisure Centre claims are not sufficient in Elle More Port, they changed in 1993 in the Northgate Arena in Chester and was then called Chester Jets.

Chester Jets (1993 to 2007)

The club used the results from the Bosman ruling change the foreigner restrictions in the BBL to stand out in 1996 to establish among the gambling stronger teams of the BBL. Had they always ended in previous years, the season on the last three places in the table, 1997 to qualify for the play-offs for the first time managed to win the championship. Here we narrowly lost after extra time the semi-finals against the Greater London Leopards. The following two seasons you missed rather just the play-offs. 2000 and 2001 they reached the play-offs and won the League Cup BBL Trophy his first title in the BBL.

After the first title success in 2001 they won in the 2001/ 02 season, all relevant to titles awarded in the BBL. In the regular season they won the Northern Conference of the BBL with the best record of all teams and was unbeatable in the BBL play-offs. The cup competitions BBL Trophy, which was preceded by a group phase, and National Cup had previously won without defeat. Dave Gardner, who had been playing up to three seasons for the Jets since 1990, finished his career with 38 years and his jersey number 11 was ( retired German ) in his honor " retired ". Having already Loren Meyer as a player the Jets the "Most Valuable Player " ( MVP ) of the 2000/01 season had been chosen previously, was John Thomas, his successor in 2002. Kenny Gregory was the third Jets players in a row MVP of the 2002/ 03. In that season, however, it was only enough to defend their title the BBL Trophy, which they won in a row for the third time. Having lost the final of the National Cup against Brighton Bears, one difference in the BBL play-offs against the eventual champion Scottish Rocks early in the quarter-finals from.

In the 2003 /04 season they won for the fourth time in a row the BBL Trophy. The main round they won fifth place in the play- offs at first a mere three points against defending Scottish Rocks and close to a point opposite the Brighton Bears, against which it had won in that order in the play-offs Trophy. However, in the finals then won the Sheffield Sharks, who had previously won the BBL Cup now called cup competition, against the Jets their first play-off title. In the main round of the season 2004/ 05 they reached the best record of all teams, but different in the cup competitions in each case before the finale. In the play-offs, it was enough with BBL MVP Trey Moore to reach the final, where they were the Newcastle Eagles inferior, who had dethroned the jets already in the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy. Thus, the most successful period of the Jets in the BBL was completed.

Cheshire Jets (2007 to 2012)

While we had just achieved a place in the play-offs in 2006, it passed a year later, in ninth place in the final table for the first time since 2000 no longer qualify for the championship finals. Mike Burton, who served 19 years as an owner and trainer at the Jets, was his office, and the lack of funds could initially be compensated by the entry of the new name sponsor BiG Storage, of the name change from Chester Jets back on ( BiG Storage) Cheshire Jets caused.

After 2008, the play-offs missed, would retire in 2009 as a table of eight in the first round against the eventual champions Newcastle Eagles from. After the departure of the sponsor BiG Storage one was now assisted by the management of the newly established unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. In the 2009/10 season is also different in the first play-off round against the eventual champions Everton Tigers from, but in the cup competitions, it was enough for each entry into the finals, but both were lost. In the 2010/11 season is presented by Jeremy Bell While the BBL MVP, but except for a play-off semi-final defeat against defending champions Mersey Tigers could no major successes. The same turned on in the following season 2011/ 12, as it was eliminated in the play-off semi-final against eventual champions Newcastle Eagles.

Cheshire Phoenix (since 2012)

The financially troubled Jets were acquired in September 2012 by the new owner Haydn Cook. However, this said after the start of the season 2012/13 end of October 2012, the significant deficit can not balance and intention to terminate all player contracts. The league management then suspended after seven games in the 2012/13 season, the franchise and allowed the transfer of the license to the new franchise Phoenix to support from local sponsors, as the naming rights were on the old franchise yet with Cook. The Phoenix finished the season second from bottom place in front of the severed and winless Mersey Tigers. For the following 2013/14 season could John Lavery undertake as a coach, who had managed the team already in the season 2011 /12. He will be assisted by Mike Burton longtime coach of the most successful periods of jets. On realization of the new arena in Ellesmere Port, which is to replace the original home of the Jets, also a return to Ellesmere Port is possible in the future, as the previous venue Northgate Arena in Chester with a capacity of just over 1,000 spectators no longer meet the requirements BBL equivalent.