1973–74 National Basketball League season
The 1973–74 Clarks Men's Shoes National Basketball League season was the second season of the newly formulated National Basketball League.[1]
| 1973–74 National Basketball League season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Roll of Honour | |
| National League champions | Sutton & Crystal Palace |
| National League runners-up | Islington & London Latvian Embassy All-Stars |
| National Cup champions | Sutton & Crystal Palace |
| National Cup runners-up | Islington & London Latvian Embassy All-Stars |
The league and cup was sponsored by Clarks Men's Shoes and the number of teams increased to eight. The Avenue club moved from Leyton to Edmonton and the Sutton club merged with Crystal Palace. Four new teams appeared in the form of the Doncaster Panthers, the Manchester Giants and two more London based teams the Islington & London Latvian Embassy All-Stars and the London YMCA Metros.[2]
The Sutton & Crystal Palace team completed the double of National League and Cup beginning what would soon be a dynasty for the Crystal Palace team.[3] There were no playoffs for the League during this era and an American called Jim Guymon was the season MVP.
League standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | N/R | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sutton & Crystal Palace | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1211 | 1013 | 27.5 |
| 2 | Islington & London Latvian Embassy All-Stars | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1298 | 1154 | 25.5 |
| 3 | London YMCA Metros | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1131 | 1080 | 22 |
| 4 | Avenue (Edmonton) | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1154 | 1078 | 22 |
| 5 | Doncaster Wilson Panthers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1104 | 1058 | 21 |
| 6 | Loughborough All-Stars | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 1004 | 1020 | 19 |
| 7 | Liverpool B&K Motors | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1050 | 1252 | 17 |
| 8 | Manchester ATS Giants | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 883 | 1180 | 14 |
National Cup Final
6 April 1974 |
| Sutton & Crystal Palace | 120–100 | Islington & London Latvian Embassy All-Stars |
| Pts: Jim Guymon 32, Fred Petty 23, Bob Mackay 19, Tom Wisman 16, Paul Philp 14 | Pts: Pete Sprogis 33, Stuart Turpie ??, Bernie Dignan ??, Stephens ?? |
Crystal Palace |
Leading scorers
| Player | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Sprogis | Embassy All-Stars | 426 |
| Steve Latham | Liverpool | 311 |
| Ian Day | Doncaster | 279 |
| Jim Guymon | Sutton & Crystal Palace | 278 |
| Carl Olsson | Loughborough | 261 |
| Mike Gattorna | Doncaster | 259 |
References
- Matthews & Morrison, Peter & Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records & Results. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
- "Basketball". Daily Mirror. 8 April 1974. Retrieved 21 October 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Men's Senior League Winners". Basketball England.