Hackney White Heat was an English basketball team from the district of Hackney in London. The club were members of the top tier of the former National Basketball League before the competition was reformatted into the current English Basketball League.[1]

Hackney White Heat
LeagueEBL Division 3 (South)
Established1996
HistoryLondon Towers B
1996-1998
London Towers A
1998-1999
Islington White Heat
1999-2000
InterBasket London
2000-2002
Hackney White Heat
2002-present
ArenaThe SPACe Centre, Hackney Community College
LocationHackney, London
Team coloursWhite / Black
Head coachJames Hoyle

History edit

The team originally began as the "B" team of the London Towers, largely consisting of the Towers' under-23 players. The club joined NBL Division 2 in 1996, and quickly earned promotion to Division 1 in 1998 by claiming 3rd place in the league and the runner-up position in the playoffs. After a single season in Division 1, they were forced to break away from their link to the Towers, following a ruling banning 'reserve' teams from the division. The newly independent team competed for a year as the Islington White Heat, and were almost removed again when the NBL rebranded their upper rank as the NBL Conference. Following an appeal, the team were allowed to continue in the new league, and took the name Inter-Basket London to try and appeal to a wider community.

The club's time in the short-lived NBL Conference saw little return for their efforts, never finishing above the bottom three. By the time the English Basketball League was formed in 2003, the club had rebranded themselves again, becoming the Hackney White Heat. The new league saw new, tougher rules for their upper tier, leaving Hackney no choice but to drop from the new EBL Division 1 into EBL Division 2 before a single game had tipped off. Further decline was to follow, as they finished next to bottom in Division 2 in 2005, leading to relegation to Division 3.[2]

Season-by-season records edit

Season[3][4] Division Played Won Lost Points League Playoffs National Cup National Trophy Patron's Cup National Shield
London Towers 'B'
1996-97 D2 26 22 4 44 2nd Semi-final 1st Round DNE DNE
1997-98 D2 24 19 5 38 3rd Runner-up Quarter-final DNE DNE
London Towers 'A'
1998-99 D1 26 17 9 34 5th Quarter-final 3rd Round DNE DNE
Islington White Heat
1999-00 D1 24 12 12 24 6th Quarter-final Quarter-final DNE DNE
InterBasket London
2000-01 Conf 21 7 14 14 6th Quarter-final Runner-up DNE DNE
2001-02 Conf 18 5 13 10 8th Quarter-final 1st Round DNE DNE
Hackney White Heat
2002-03 Conf 22 3 19 6 11th DNQ Quarter-final DNE DNE
2003-04 D2 20 12 8 24 5th Semi-final 1st Round DNE Runner-up DNE
2004-05 D2 19 5 14 10 10th DNQ 3rd Round DNE 1st Round DNE
2005-06 D3 SE 16 9 7 18 5th DNQ 2nd Round DNE DNE 1st Round
2006-07 D3 S 16 9 7 18 4th Semi-final 1st Round DNE DNE 2nd Round
2007-08 D3 S 22 10 12 20 7th DNQ 2nd Round DNE DNE 3rd Round
2008–09 D3 S 22 9 13 18 8th DNQ 1st Round DNE DNE 2nd Round
2009–10 D3 S 17 5 12 10 8th DNQ 2nd Round DNE DNE 2nd Round
2010–11 D3 S 20 5 15 10 11th DNQ 2nd Round DNE DNE 2nd Round
2011–12 D3 S 20 11 9 18 6th DNQ 1st Round DNE DNE 2nd Round
2012–13 D3 S 17 8 9 16 6th DNQ 1st Round DNE DNE 3rd Round
2013–14 D3 S 20 12 8 24 4th Semi-final 1st Round DNE DNE 2nd Round

Notes:

  • From 2000-2003 the NBL Conference operated as the second tier league, ahead of Division One.
  • In 2003 the NBL was replaced by the EBL, which reinstated Division One as the second tier.

Former players edit

References edit

  1. ^ "EuroBasket Team Profile". EuroBasket.com.
  2. ^ "Hackney White Heat History". pawprint75.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008.
  3. ^ "Hackney White Heat History". pawprint75.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008.
  4. ^ "League Table History". Basketball England. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015.