1972–73 National Basketball League season
Sports season
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The 1972–73 National Basketball League season was the inaugural season of the newly formulated National Basketball League.
| 1972–73 National Basketball League season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Teams | 6 |
| Roll Of Honour | |
| National League champions | Avenue (Leyton) |
| National League runners-up | Liverpool Bruno Roughcutters |
| National Cup champions | London Latvians |
| National Cup runners-up | Sutton |
By 1972, the Scots had their own thriving National League, though also competing in the "Rose Bowl", but when a London team, Sutton, defeated Edinburgh's Boroughmuir Barrs in the 1972 Final, the Basketball Association decided that it was time to relaunch the idea of an English National League. Therefore, the National Basketball League was inaugurated.[1][2][3]
Liverpool were formed by a flamboyant owner called Vaughan Thomas who ran the Sports Education Department at Liverpool Polytechnic and they were the first club to incorporate a sponsor's name into their title, Bruno Roughcut tobacco from WD & HO Wills. They were also the first club to import an American, Larry Meek, specifically to play basketball. They played their home games at the Deeside Leisure Centre.[4]
League Standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avenue (Leyton) | 10 | 8 | 2 | 878 | 758 | 18 |
| 2 | Liverpool Bruno Roughcutters | 10 | 8 | 2 | 747 | 719 | 18 |
| 3 | Sutton | 10 | 6 | 4 | 798 | 758 | 16 |
| 4 | Loughborough All-Stars | 10 | 5 | 5 | 754 | 748 | 15 |
| 5 | Sheffield YMCA Scorpions | 10 | 3 | 7 | 821 | 769 | 13 |
| 6 | RAF Fliers | 10 | 0 | 10 | 635 | 825 | 10 |
League Title Play Off
Avenue defeated Liverpool 92–65 in the play off decider held at Loughborough College.[5]
6 April 1973 |
| Avenue (Leyton) | 92–65 | Liverpool Bruno Roughcutters |
Loughborough College |
National Cup Final
31 March 1973 |
| London Latvians | 70–69 | Sutton basketball team |
Crystal Palace |
Leading Scorers
| Player | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Gattorna | Sheffield YMCA Scorpions | 289 |
| Steve Latham | Liverpool Bruno Roughcutters | 213 |
| Rick Mann | Avenue (Leyton) | 191 |
| Carl Olsson | Loughborough All-Stars | 190 |
| Bob Mackay | Sutton | 186 |
| Len Hoy | Avenue (Leyton) | 166 |