British Basketball League 2007-08

The 2007-08 BBL season, the 21st since the establishment of the British Basketball League, commenced on September 9, 2007, when the Plymouth Raiders succombed to the Guildford Heat in the inaugural BBL Cup Winners' Cup. The regular season started two weeks later on September 21 with 12 teams including new additions Birmingham Panthers, Everton Tigers and London Capital the later of whom stepped up from EBL Division 1 during the summer.

The Guildford Heat will be looking to retain the regular season Championship crown, as well as the BBL Cup, while Plymouth Raiders will be out to defend the BBL Trophy title they won during the previous season.

The post-season Playoff's will begin in April 2008, which will conclude with the BBL Finals Weekend, where Newcastle Eagles will be looking to defend their 2007 Playoff crown.

Notable occurrences

* The league features three new teams, the Birmingham Panthers and Everton Tigers, both start-up franchises, and London Capital, who stepped up from the English Basketball League.
* Just two weeks before the start of the season, London United's directors announced on September 5 that they have withdrawn from all competitions for the upcoming season because of financial difficulties.
* A new pre-season competition, the BBL Cup Winners' Cup, a two-legged face-off between the previous winners of the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy, opened the new season, with Guildford Heat claiming a 176-168 aggregate win over the Plymouth Raiders.
* On October 2, just days before their inaugural home game, Birmingham Panthers finally secure a deal with the University of Wolverhampton, to use their Walsall Campus as a home venue. This comes after deals with two other venues had previously fallen through, and the club were banned by the league from relocating to Telford. [cite web| author = Collin Tattum | title = Panthers banned from making Telford switch | url = http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/sport/tm_method=full%26objectid=19881350%26siteid=50002-name_page.html | year = 2007 | accessdate = 2007-10-02 | publisher = Birmingham Mail ]
* Guildford made their debut in European competition (ULEB Cup) on November 6, just two years after they formed. They lost 84-68 away to Bosnians KK Bosna in Sarajevo.
* During the early hours of Saturday November 10, Guildford star Brian Dux was involved in a serious car accident and slipped into a coma. [cite web| author = Harold McNeil | title = Ex-Canisius basketball star Brian Dux injured in car crash in England | url = http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/205732.html?imw=Y | year = 2007 | accessdate = 2007-11-26 | publisher = The Buffalo News ] He was finally rushed to hospital over two hours after his car was found, [cite web| author = Surrey Advertiser | title = Inquiry into 999 response while basketball pro remains in a coma | url = http://www.surreyad.co.uk/news/2017/2017931/inquiry_into_999_response_while_basketball_pro_remains_in_a_coma | year = 2007 | accessdate = 2007-11-26 | publisher = Surrey Advertiser ] and put into immediate intensive care.
* The BBL Cup Final took place at the National Indoor Arena, in Birmingham, on January 13, 2008. A sell-out crowd of over 6,000 people saw a valiant Milton Keynes Lions comeback over Newcastle Eagles to claim their first ever piece of silverware, with a 69-66 victory.
* A television deal was struck on February 17 with international broadcaster Setanta Sports which, beginning with the 2008 Trophy Final, will see one game a week shown live on Setanta Sports 2 every Wednesday night at 7.15pm. [cite web| author = Simon Rushworth | title = Basketball back on the box | url = http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/basketball/2008/02/17/basketball-back-on-the-box-50081-20484797/ | accessdate = 2008-02-17 | publisher = Sunday Sun | year = 2008 ]
* Despite having an earlier attempt to relocate to Telford blocked by the BBL, Birmingham Panthers played their first game at Telford's TCAT Arena on February 17 against Newcastle Eagles, who stormed to a 59-104 victory. The temporary move suggests the franchise may be relocating to Telford after just one season in Birmingham. [cite web| author = Colin Tattum | title = Panthers trounced in Telford | url = http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/other-sport/basketball/2008/02/18/panthers-trounced-in-telford-97319-20489150/ | accessdate = 2008-02-18 | publisher = Birmingham Mail | year = 2008 ]
* Guildford triumphed with their first ever BBL Trophy victory over Newcastle at the Plymouth Pavilions on March 2. In front of a sell-out crowd and broadcast live on Setanta Sports 2, the Heat ran out 86-79 winners in the action-packed final.

BBL Championship

Final standings

Group 3

Monthly awards

Notes