The 2020–21 WBBL season was the 7th season of the Women's British Basketball League, the top British women's professional basketball league, since its establishment in 2014. The season featured 11 teams from across England, Scotland and Wales.
| 2020–21 WBBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | WBBL |
| Season | 2020–21 |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Regular season | |
| League | Sevenoaks Suns (3rd title) |
| WBBL Cup | Leicester Riders (1st title) |
| WBBL Trophy | London Lions (1st title) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | London Lions (1st title) |
Teams edit
| Team | Location | Arena | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
 Caledonia Pride
|
Edinburgh | The Crags Centre |  Bart Sengers
|
 Cardiff Met Archers
|
Cardiff | Archers Arena |  Stef Collins
|
 Durham Palatinates
|
Durham | Sports and Wellbeing Park | Lee Davie
|
| Essex Rebels
|
Colchester | Essex Sports Arena | Tom Sadler
|
| Leicester Riders
|
Loughborough | Loughborough University |  Jesper Sundberg
|
| London Lions
|
London (Barking) | Barking Abbey School | Mark Clark
|
| Manchester Met Mystics
|
Manchester | National Basketball Centre |  Jeff Jones
|
| Newcastle Eagles
|
Newcastle upon Tyne | Eagles Community Arena | Chris Bunten
|
| Nottingham Wildcats
|
Nottingham | Nottingham Wildcats Arena | Kenrick Liburd
|
| Oaklands Wolves
|
St Albans | Oaklands College | Lee Ryan
|
| Sevenoaks Suns
|
Sevenoaks | Sevenoaks Sports Centre | Len Busch
|
WBBL Championship edit
Each team played each other once home and once away for a 20-game regular season. The top 8 teams qualified for the post-season playoffs.[1]
Standings edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sevenoaks Suns (C) | 20 | 19 | 1 | 1496 | 1180 | +316 | 38 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Leicester Riders | 20 | 18 | 2 | 1518 | 1142 | +376 | 36 | |
| 3 | London Lions | 20 | 16 | 4 | 1740 | 1418 | +322 | 32 | |
| 4 | Nottingham Wildcats | 20 | 11 | 9 | 1444 | 1354 | +90 | 22 | |
| 5 | Manchester Met Mystics | 20 | 10 | 10 | 1429 | 1425 | +4 | 20 | |
| 6 | Essex Rebels | 20 | 10 | 10 | 1395 | 1452 | −57 | 20 | |
| 7 | Newcastle Eagles | 20 | 7 | 13 | 1387 | 1494 | −107 | 14 | |
| 8 | Oaklands Wolves | 20 | 7 | 13 | 1299 | 1406 | −107 | 14 | |
| 9 | Cardiff Met Archers | 20 | 5 | 15 | 1245 | 1484 | −239 | 10 | |
| 10 | Durham Palatinates | 20 | 4 | 16 | 1238 | 1520 | −282 | 8 | |
| 11 | Caledonia Pride | 20 | 3 | 17 | 1220 | 1536 | −316 | 6 |
WBBL Playoffs edit
Quarter-finals edit
Semi-finals edit
Final edit
16 May 2021
15:00 |
| London Lions | 93–71 | Newcastle Eagles |
| Scoring by quarter: 21-16, 24-21, 24-18, 24-16 | ||
| Pts: S Beckford-Norton 30 Rebs: K Leonard 10 Asts: K Leonard 12 |
Pts: A Gorrell 30 Rebs: A Gorrell 9 Asts: A Gorrell 5 | |
WBBL Cup edit
The 2020-21 WBBL Cup was held at the start of the season. Caledonia Pride, Durham Palatinates and Essex Rebels did not participate.[2] The remaining clubs were split into two regional groups, playing each other once home or away. The top two teams from each group advanced to the semi-finals. Leicester Riders won their first WBBL Cup title, defeating Sevenoaks Suns in the final.[3][4]
Qualification Stage edit
North
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester Riders | 3 | 3 | 0 | 222 | 165 | +57 | 6 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Nottingham Wildcats | 3 | 2 | 1 | 213 | 187 | +26 | 4 | |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 3 | 1 | 2 | 200 | 228 | −28 | 2 | |
| 4 | Manchester Met Mystics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 189 | 244 | −55 | 0 |
South
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sevenoaks Suns | 3 | 3 | 0 | 155 | 110 | +45 | 6 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Cardiff Met Archers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 121 | 133 | −12 | 2 | |
| 3 | London Lions | 3 | 1 | 2 | 128 | 141 | −13 | 2 | |
| 4 | Oaklands Wolves | 3 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 40 | −20 | 2 |
Semi-finals edit
Final edit
| 12 February 2021 | Sevenoaks Suns | 67–78 | Leicester Riders | National Basketball Centre, Manchester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:30 | ||||
| Pts: J Monakana 25 Rebs: T Clark 14 Asts: C Carr 6 |
boxscore | Pts: K Oliver 18 Rebs: K Oliver 14 Asts: H Winterburn 8 |
||
WBBL Trophy edit
The 2020-21 WBBL Trophy was a straight knockout competition featuring all eleven clubs. One match was forfeited (London vs. Sevenoaks) due to COVID-related player isolations. London Lions won their first WBBL Trophy title, defeating Nottingham Wildcats in the final.[5]
First round edit
Quarter-finals edit
Semi-finals edit
Final edit
| 21 March 2021 | Nottingham Wildcats | 64–96 | London Lions | Worcester Arena, Worcester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:30 | ||||
| Pts: C Shumpert 27 Rebs: P Egharevba 10 Asts: T Freeman 5 |
boxscore | Pts: C Breen 25 Rebs: C Charles 8 Asts: K Leonard 9 |
||