2017–18 NBL Canada season
2017–18 NBL Canada season | |
---|---|
League | National Basketball League of Canada |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | November 18, 2017 – April 2, 2018 |
Number of games | 40 |
Number of teams | 10 |
Total attendance | 400,811 (2,004 per game) |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | ? |
Picked by | ? |
Regular Season | |
Top seed | Halifax Hurricanes |
Season MVP | ? |
Top scorer | ? |
Playoffs | |
Atlantic champions | Halifax Hurricanes |
Central champions | London Lightning |
Finals | |
Champions | London Lightning |
Runners-up | Halifax Hurricanes |
Finals MVP | Garrett Williamson |
The 2017–18 NBL Canada season is the seventh season of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC). The regular season ran November 18, 2017 to April 2, 2018.
League changes
After two years as league commissioner, Dave Magley left the league to found North American Premier Basketball. He was replaced on an interim basis by London Lightning owner and league president Vito Frijia.
After years of league ownership, the Moncton Miracles were folded to make way for an expansion team under new ownership called the Moncton Magic.[1] The league also awarded expansion franchises in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador,[2] and Sudbury, Ontario. However, the Sudbury ownership group delayed their launch in the league until 2019.[3] The Orangeville A's folded in the Central Division, leaving the league with six teams in the Atlantic region and four in the Central. As a result, the new St. John's Edge were scheduled to play in the Central Division.[4]
Offseason coaching changes
- The Cape Breton Highlanders hired longtime NBLC head coach Rob Spon away from the Saint John Riptide, replacing their fired inaugural head coach Dean Murray and the interim Ben Resner.
- The Island Storm hired Tim Kendrick to replace longtime Storm head coach, Joe Salerno.
- The London Lightning hired Keith Vassell, former Niagara College head coach and the interim head coach of the Niagara River Lions the previous season. During the 2017 playoffs, then-Lightning head coach Kyle Julius notified ownership he would not return for the following season.
- The Moncton Magic hired Joe Salerno as its inaugural head coach. Salerno had coached the previous season for the Island Storm.
- The Niagara River Lions hired Joe Raso as its permanent head coach after Grâce Lokole stepped down during the previous season and Keith Vassell coached the rest of the season.
- The Saint John Riptide hired Nelson Terroba to replace Rob Spon.
- The St. John's Edge hired Jeff Dunlap as its inaugural head coach.
Midseason coaching changes
- The KW Titans released Serge Langis on 25 February 2018 after a 5–22 record, and replaced him with former Titans' player Cavell Johnson.[5]
Teams
2017-18 National Basketball League of Canada | |||||
Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic | Cape Breton Highlanders | Sydney, Nova Scotia | Centre 200 | 5,000 | |
Halifax Hurricanes | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Scotiabank Centre | 10,500 | ||
Island Storm | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island | Eastlink Centre | 4,000 | ||
Moncton Magic | Moncton, New Brunswick | Moncton Coliseum | 6,554 | ||
Saint John Riptide | Saint John, New Brunswick | Harbour Station | 6,603 | ||
Central | KW Titans | Kitchener, Ontario | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | 7,312 | |
London Lightning | London, Ontario | Budweiser Gardens | 9,000 | ||
Niagara River Lions | St. Catharines, Ontario | Meridian Centre | 4,030 | ||
St. John's Edge | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Mile One Centre | 6,750 | ||
Windsor Express | Windsor, Ontario | WFCU Centre | 6,500 |
Map of teams
Regular season
Standings as of 2 April 2018:[6]
Atlantic Division | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
z — Halifax Hurricanes | 40 | 28 | 12 | .700 | — | 21–8 |
x — Moncton Magic | 40 | 23 | 17 | .575 | 5 | 16–13 |
x — Saint John Riptide | 40 | 20 | 20 | .500 | 8 | 15–16 |
x — Island Storm | 40 | 19 | 21 | .475 | 9 | 15–16 |
Cape Breton Highlanders | 40 | 13 | 27 | .325 | 15 | 9–23 |
Central Division | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
c — London Lightning | 40 | 27 | 13 | .675 | — | 23–8 |
x — St. John's Edge | 40 | 25 | 15 | .625 | 2 | 20–11 |
x — Windsor Express | 40 | 20 | 20 | .500 | 7 | 16–14 |
x — Niagara River Lions | 40 | 17 | 23 | .425 | 10 | 11–19 |
KW Titans | 40 | 8 | 32 | .200 | 19 | 6–23 |
Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the division playoffs
- x – Clinched playoff spot
Attendance
As of games played 2 April 2018
Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | London Lightning | 84,081 | 8,236 | 1,534 | 4,204 | −19.3% |
2 | St. John's Edge1 | 68,028 | 4,803 | 1,821 | 3,401 | n/a |
3 | Niagara River Lions | 41,085 | 3,941 | 1,582 | 2,054 | +17.2% |
4 | Halifax Hurricanes | 39,164 | 3,667 | 1,032 | 1,958 | +1.7% |
5 | Saint John Riptide | 37,670 | 5,392 | 1,245 | 1,884 | +1.5% |
6 | Island Storm | 37,503 | 3,111 | 1,454 | 1,875 | −3.1% |
7 | Cape Breton Highlanders | 27,078 | 4,236 | 950 | 1,354 | −8.2% |
8 | KW Titans | 25,289 | 2,768 | 563 | 1,264 | −3.1% |
9 | Moncton Magic | 21,418 | 2,186 | 562 | 1,071 | −30.0% |
10 | Windsor Express | 19,495 | 1,451 | 804 | 975 | −5.7% |
League total | 400,811 | 8,236 | 562 | 2,004 | +9.4% |
Source: [1]
Notes:
1: New team.
Playoffs
Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBL Canada Finals | ||||||||||||
A1 | Halifax | 3 | ||||||||||||
A4 | Island | 1 | ||||||||||||
A1 | Halifax | 4 | ||||||||||||
Atlantic Division | ||||||||||||||
A2 | Moncton | 1 | ||||||||||||
A2 | Moncton | 3 | ||||||||||||
A3 | Saint John | 2 | ||||||||||||
A1 | Halifax | 3 | ||||||||||||
C1 | London | 4 | ||||||||||||
C1 | London | 3 | ||||||||||||
C4 | Niagara | 1 | ||||||||||||
C1 | London | 4 | ||||||||||||
Central Division | ||||||||||||||
C2 | St. John's | 2 | ||||||||||||
C2 | St. John's | 3 | ||||||||||||
C3 | Windsor | 0 |
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Draft
The 2017–18 NBL Canada Draft and Combine was held on October 20–22. The St. John's Edge selected Aaron Williams first.[7]
Rnd. | Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Aaron Williams | United States | St. John's Edge | Chicago State |
1 | 2 | Zachary Valliere | United States | Island Storm | Fitchburg State |
1 | 3 | Duke Mondy | United States | Cape Breton Highlanders | Oakland |
1 | 4 | Steven Toyloy | United States | Moncton Magic | Cincinnati |
1 | 5 | Matthew Hart | United States | Niagara River Lions | George Washington |
1 | 6 | Torrence Dyck | United States | Island Storm | Daemen College |
1 | 7 | Scottie McRae | United States | Windsor Express | Albany |
1 | 8 | Cleon Roberts | United States | Saint John Riptide | La Salle |
1 | 9 | Andrew Hayles | United States | Windsor Express | Alabama State |
1 | 10 | Shawn Amiker | United States | Halifax Hurricanes | Youngstown State |
1 | 11 | Bright Mensah | United States | London Lightning | William Paterson |
2 | 12 | Zach Gordon | United States | St. John's Edge | Cal Poly |
2 | 13 | Jean-Rony Cadot | Bahamas | Windsor Express | TCU |
2 | 14 | Damarcus Harrison | United States | Cape Breton Highlanders | Clemson |
2 | 15 | Willie Connor | United States | KW Titans | Buffalo |
2 | 16 | Robert Ukawuba | United States | Windsor Express | NJIT |
2 | 17 | Georges Serresse | Canada | KW Titans | Laurentian |
2 | 18 | Kyle Steward | United States | Saint John Riptide | UMKC |
2 | 19 | James Johnson | United States | Windsor Express | Culver–Stockton |
2 | 20 | Daryl Hunter | United States | Halifax Hurricanes | |
2 | 21 | Boyd Vassell | Canada | London Lightning | St. Mary's |
Awards
Player of the Week award
Coach of the Month award
Month | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
December | Jeff Dunlap | St. John's Edge |
January | Keith Vassell | London Lightning |
February | Mike Leslie | Halifax Hurricanes |
March | Mike Leslie (2) | Halifax Hurricanes |
End-of-season awards
Source:[8]
- Most Valuable Player: Carl English, St. John's Edge
- Canadian Player of the Year: Carl English, St. John's Edge
- Newcomer of the Year: Franklin Session, Island Storm
- Defensive Player of the Year: Du'Vaughn Maxwell, Island Storm
- Rookie of the Year: Jaylon Tate, Niagara River Lions
- Sixth Man of the Year: Ta'Quan Zimmerman, Halifax Hurricanes
- Coach of the Year: Mike Leslie, Halifax Hurricanes
References
- ^ "Magic retires Miracles: Moncton welcomes new pro basketball team". CBC News. July 22, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "What is St. John's getting into with NBL Canada? | The Telegram". www.thetelegram.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "Sudbury Expansion team to start fall of 2018". NBLC. 1 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
- ^ "St. John's Edge shows off jerseys ahead of pro-basketball debut". CBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "KW TITANS RELEASE HEAD COACH SERGE LANGIS". KWTitans.com. 25 February 2018. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ "2017–18 NBL Canada Standings". NBL Canada. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ "St. John's Edge look forward with draft picks". thetelegram.com. October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
- ^ "NBLC Awards".