Essex Leopards: Difference between revisions

 

==Franchise history==

For much of the 1990s the town of [[Ware, Hertfordshire|Ware]] in [[Hertfordshire]] was home to [[National Basketball League (United Kingdom)|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]].

 

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 | accessdate = 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 | accessdate = 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 | accessdate = 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 | accessdate = 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 | accessdate = 2011-11-09 | publisher = 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 | accessdate = 2011-11-09 | publisher = 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 | accessdate = 2011-11-09 | publisher = Hertfordshire.com | date=2004-05-06}}</ref>

 

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 | accessdate = 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 | accessdate = 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 Round exit in the National Cup after an 85–123 defeat to [[PAWS London Capital|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 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.