Essex Leopards: Difference between revisions

| coach = {{flagicon|ENG}} Thomas Baker

The '''Essex & Herts Leopards''' arewere aan [[UnitedEnglish Kingdom|British]]semi-professional [[basketball]] club, based in [[Brentwood, Essex|Brentwood]] in, Essex and [[St Albans]], Hertfordshire. The Leopards competed in HertfordshireDivision 1 of the [[English Basketball League]]. 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 (1994–2003)|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.

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 1999-001999–00, 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 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.<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Ware Rebels strike partnership with the University of Hertfordshire | url = http://www.hertfordshire.com/pages/news/show-news.asp?id=192 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = Hertfordshire.com | date=2003-09-30}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Rebels break two National Cup records | url = http://www.hertfordshire.com/pages/news/show-news.asp?id=202 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = Hertfordshire.com | date=2003-10-21}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Record-breaking Rebels almost shock Thunder | url = http://www.hertfordshire.com/pages/news/show-news.asp?id=225 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = Hertfordshire.com | date=2003-12-24}}</ref>

In the summer of 2003 it was announced that [[British Basketball League]] (BBL) team, and twice former League champions, Essex Leopards would be dropping out of the League as a buyer for the struggling franchise could not be found.<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Leopards pull out | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/3141969.stm | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = BBC Sport | date=2003-08-11}}</ref> 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, Essex|Brentwood]].<ref>{{cite news| author = Richard Taylor | title = Leopards' resurrection is on the cards | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/basketball-leopards-resurrection-is-on-the-cards-6172382.html | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisherwork = The Independent | date=2004-03-20}}</ref> Initially seeking to enter a team into the BBL, the supporters group opted for the [[English Basketball League]] due to the expected costs of running the team.<ref>{{cite news| author = Richard Taylor | title = Leopards' resurrection is on the cards | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/basketball-leopards-resurrection-is-on-the-cards-6172382.html | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisherwork = The Independent | date=2004-03-20}}</ref> It was formally announced in May 2004 that Leopards Alive and the Ware Rebels were merging for the 2004–05 season, and would be re-branded as the '''Essex & Herts Leopards''', taking the names of both [[county|counties]] (Essex and Hertfordshire) they would be representing.<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Ware Rebels merge to become Essex & Herts Leopards | url = http://www.hertfordshire.com/pages/news/show-news.asp?id=286 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = Hertfordshire.com | date=2004-05-06}}</ref>

Jon Burnell, coach of the Ware Rebels in their final season, 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, totalling 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 Roundround, 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]]. <ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Leopards announce Goresbrook move | url = http://www.hertfordshire.com/pages/news/show-news.asp?id=286 | year = 2004 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = Hertfordshire.com | date=2005-05-17}}</ref> On-court, the Leopards went from strength to strength and the 2005–06 season would prove to be one of their strongest yet. The club competed for the first time in the [[BBL Trophy]] as an invitee, though they lost all four games to [[Birmingham Bullets]], [[Leicester Riders]], [[Milton Keynes Lions]] and Leopards' old BBL rival [[London Towers]] . In the National Cup, Leopards fared much better and after early round victories over Colchester and [[London United (basketball)|London United]], a 101–75 win over [[Solent Stars]] in the Quarter-final and an 84–51 Semi-final victory against [[Worcester Wolves]], Leopards had qualified for their first National Final in the franchise's history. In front of a packed [[National Indoor Arena]] in [[Birmingham]] the Leopards defeated [[Reading Rockets]] 79–75 and claim the club's first-ever piece of silverware.<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Men's National Cup Begins | url = http://www.englandbasketball.com/news/default.aspx?newsid=190 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = EnglandBasketball| date=2006-09-26}}</ref> 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.

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 [[United Kingdom|Britain]]'s capital city, whilst following a disagreement with the new owners of the club's home venue, the Brentwood Centre, the Leopards would play all home games between Wodson Park and the Goresbrook Centre. The newly renamed side underperformed in all three knockout competitions, with a 3rd Roundround exit in the National Cup after an 85–123 defeat to [[PAWS London Capital|London Capital]], and 1st Roundround 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 club's 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.

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.<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = London Leopards and Barking Abbey to Merge | url = http://www.hoopsfix.com/2010/04/london-leopards-and-barking-abbey-to-merge/ | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = HoopsFix.com| date=2010-04-19}}</ref> 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 fulfil 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 (basketball)|Leeds Carnegie]] in the Final. The addition of American forward [[Ousman Krubally]], from [[Georgia State University|Georgia State]], in December brought extra firepower 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 season's 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 [[Slovenia]]n Dejan Mihevc, a former Coach of various Slovenia international youth teams.<ref>{{cite news | title = Mihevc to coach Leopards | url = http://www.leopardsbasketball.co.uk/info/newsarch.htm | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = LondonLeopards.co.uk | date = 2011-07-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111102035335/http://www.leopardsbasketball.co.uk/info/newsarch.htm | archive-date = 2011-11-02 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Mihevc's first move as new Head Coach was to resign last season's MVP Ousman Krubally, whilst bringing-in [[Lithuania]]n 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]].<ref>{{cite news| author = | title = Essex Pirates statement | url = http://www.bbl.org.uk/?essex-pirates,2419 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-11-09 | publisher = BBL.org.uk | date=2011-09-16}}</ref>

In November 2011 the Leopards organisation announced that they were intending to apply for a [[British Basketball League]] franchise, bidding to return to the top flight as soon as the [[2012-13 BBL season|2012–13 season]].<ref>{{cite news| author = Mark Woods | title = Leopards aim to pounce on BBL | url = http://www.mvp247.com/2011/11/leopards-apply-bbl/ | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-12-29 | publisher = MVP 24–7 | date=2011-11-28}}</ref> The bid was later deferred for two seasons

Younblood’sYounblood's opening game in charge saw the Big Cats slip to a controversial defeat at Tees Valley Mohawks in the National Trophy pool game, but his side recovered to finish second behind the Mohawks and qualify for the knockout stages. Derby Trailblazers were hammered in the quarter-final before a fine performance from American guard Simon Cummings saw Leopards win at Hemel Storm in the semi-final. Mohawks where the opponents in the final at Leicester, and after trailing by nine at half-time, Youngblood stepped up with his biggest game of the season to take the game into overtime and Leopards then took control to win 99–91 and win the one piece of silverware that had eluded them the previous year. American big man Greg Hernandez took home the MVP award after recording 26 points and ten rebounds while Cummings had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

The Leopards completed the 2014–15 season as Division 1 Champions.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hoopsfix.com/2015/03/essex-leopards-claim-d1-championship-london-lituanica-take-d2-title/|title=Essex Leopards Claim D1 Championship; London Lituanica Take D2 Title - Hoopsfix.com|date=2015-03-30|newspaper=Hoopsfix.com|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-24}}</ref> The Big Cats secured the Division One title after beating the only remaining challengers Team Northumbria 84–72 in a must-win game at Brentwood Centre. The Leopards claimed their 18th win of the season to build an unassailable lead at the top of the standings with just one regular season game remaining. Robert Youngblood’sYoungblood's side were beaten just once at home going into the title showdown and a strong finish wrapped up their first D1 Championship since the 2011–12 season.

During a turbulent 2016–17 season, the Leopards were relegated to Division 21 for the first time in 13 years. A new head Coach Thomas Baker was brought in with three games remaining to try and keep the Leopards in Division 1, however, relegationRelegation was confirmed in the penultimate game against [[Lancashire Spinners]] where a final second shot saw them go down 83–82.

==Current rosterPlayers==

{{player3Bs player| num no=10 6| nat = UK ENG|pos=G| name =[[James Kevin MoyoCummings (basketball)|James pos = G Cummings]]}}

===Notable former players===

* {{flagicon|USAALB}} [[RicoElvisi AldersonDusha]]

*[http://{{official web site|www.leopardsbasketball.co.uk Essex Leopards]}}

[[Category:Sport in EssexHertfordshire]]

[[Category:Sports clubs and teams in Essex]]