2014–15 NBL Canada season
The 2014–15 NBL Canada season was the fourth season of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). The NBL Canada contracted to 8 teams for 2014–15 after the ownership of the Ottawa SkyHawks were revoked by the league following the 2013–14 season.[1]
| 2014–15 NBL Canada season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League of Canada |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | November 1, 2014 – February 28, 2015 March 2, 2015 – April 12, 2015 (Playoffs) April 15 – 30, 2015 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 32 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | BeIN, EastLink TV, The Score, Rogers Media |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Jordan Weidner |
| Picked by | Mississauga Power |
| Regular Season | |
| Top seed | Windsor Express |
| Season MVP | Quinnel Brown (Windsor) |
| Top scorer | Quinnel Brown (Windsor) |
| Playoffs | |
| Atlantic champions | Halifax Rainmen |
| Atlantic runners-up | Island Storm |
| Central champions | Windsor Express |
| Central runners-up | Brampton A's |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Windsor Express |
| Runners-up | Halifax Rainmen |
| Finals MVP | Kirk Williams |
Offseason
During preseason, the NBL Canada's Board of Governors voted to revoke the ownership rights of Bytown Sports & Entertainment Inc., who operated the Ottawa SkyHawks. The league is working to find a new ownership group to bring the NBL Canada back to Ottawa, as soon as next season.[2]
Sam Hill was appointed NBL Canada Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel[3]
The owner of the Moncton Miracles, Kim Blanco, left the team without an owner during the off season.[4]
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 2013–14 season | 2014–15 season |
| Halifax Rainmen | Craig Hodges | Josep Clarós |
| London Lightning | Michael Ray Richardson | Carlos Knox |
| Mississauga Power | David Joseph | Kyle Julius |
| Moncton Miracles | Serge Langis | |
| Saint John Mill Rats | Rob Spon | Julian King |
| General Manager changes | ||
| Offseason | ||
| Team | 2013–14 season | 2014–15 season |
| London Lightning | Taylor Brown | Bill Smith |
| Moncton Miracles | Joe Salerno Sr. | |
Rule changes
The league will play a 32 game schedule (down from 40 in the previous two seasons) and take a break in the weeks heading up to Christmas.[5]
The minimum number of Canadians on a team has been increased from 3 to 4.[6]
The off season protected players list has been increased from 5 to 6.[7]
Offseason
On July 17, 2014, the London Lightning hired Carlos Knox as head coach.[8]
Offseason
On September 10, 2014, the London Lightning hired Bill Smith as general manager.[9]
On October 1, 2014, the Moncton Miracles hired Joe Salerno Sr. as general manager.[10]
Draft
The 2014 NBL Canada Draft took place on August 24 at the Wegz Stadium Bar in Vaughan, Ontario. 160 players competed over the weekend at the Pre-Draft Combine at the Athlete Institute in Mono, Ontario. 40 players were nominated to attend the Draft with the possibility of being selected. Following the combine, the Mississauga Power drafted Indiana Wesleyan guard Jordan Weidner with the first overall pick.[11]
Regular season
The regular season began on November 1, 2014 and concluded on February 28, 2015.
Standings
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Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBL Canada Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Halifax* | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Moncton | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Halifax | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Island | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Island | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Saint John | 2 | ||||||||||||
| A1 | Halifax | 3 | ||||||||||||
| C1 | Windsor | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Windsor* | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Mississauga | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Windsor | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Central Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Brampton | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Brampton | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | London | 2 | ||||||||||||
* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Finals
- All times local.
Notable occurrences
- NBL Canada's Board of Governors voted on July 30 to remove the Ottawa SkyHawks' ownership group. The SkyHawks will not participate in the 2014-15 season.[12]
- Sam Hill was appointed deputy commissioner and general counsel of the NBL Canada on August 7.[13]
References
- "Ottawa SkyHawks will not participate in the 2014-2015 Season". nblcanada.com. August 1, 2014.
- "Ottawa SkyHawks kicked out of National Basketball League of Canada". cbc.ca. July 31, 2014.
- "Sam Hill Appointed NBL Canada Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- "Miracles Looking for New Owner and Coach". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- "League Owners Announce Changes for 2014-2015". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- "League Owners Announce Changes for 2014-2015". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- "League Owners Announce Changes for 2014-2015". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- "Our Coach". lightningbasketball.ca. July 17, 2014. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
- "Lightning welcomes new GM Bill Smith". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- "Moncton Miracles Hire Joe Salerno Sr. as General Manager". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- "2014 NBL Canada Draft Results". nblcanada.ca. August 26, 2014. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- "Ottawa SkyHawks Will Not Participate in the 2014-15 Season". nblcanada/ca. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- "Sam Hill Appointed NBL Canada Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel". nblcanada/ca. August 7, 2014. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.