Sheffield Sharks

DBL Sharks Sheffield
League British Basketball League
Established 1991
History Sheffield Forgers
1991–1994
Sheffield Sharks
1994–present
Arena English Institute of Sport
Arena Capacity 1,200
Location Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Team colours Navy Blue and Yellow
         
Main sponsor B. Braun Medical Ltd, Wosskow Brown
Head coach Atiba Lyons
Ownership See Ownership
Championships 1 British Basketball League
Website SharksBasketball.co.uk
Uniforms
Home
Away

Sheffield Sharks is a professional basketball team from the city of Sheffield, England. Sharks currently play in the British Basketball League and play their home fixtures at English Institute of Sport - Sheffield. They are one of the most successful teams in the history of British basketball, second only to Newcastle Eagles, and dominated the domestic scene throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Franchise history

History as "Forgers"

The franchise was established in 1991 when the team, then called the Sheffield Forgers in reference to the city's history as a major steel producer, were admitted to National Basketball League Division 2. After two seasons competing in the division, with an overall 26–16 record, the Forgers were crowned Champions in 1993 and promoted to NBL Division 1.

The 1993–1994 season would prove to be another successful one for the Forgers having reached the National Trophy final where they beat Plymouth Raiders 62–60 on "home" territory at the Sheffield Arena. Their stay in the First Division did not last long, and although they finished in 4th position with a 10–8 record, the Forgers were admitted to the professional top-tier British Basketball League to replace the withdrawing Guildford Kings.

Rename to "Sharks"

The successful franchise was purchased by the Chrysalis Group in 1994 and rebranded as Sheffield Sharks. On court, the team dominated the league in its rookie season, and with a 29–7 league record, marched on to take the BBL League Championship and National Cup with an incredible 89–66 victory in the final against Thames Valley Tigers. However the Tigers got their revenge over the Sharks with a nail-biting 74–69 win in the BBL Trophy final. The Sharks also missed out on the Play-off final following a 72–84 loss to Worthing Bears in the Final Four, despite this the Sheffield team still enjoyed a phenomenal debut season.

European leagues

In 1995, the 1995 McDonald's Championship came to London and the Sharks were entered as the host team, mixing with the elite of world basketball including the NBA's Houston Rockets, Spanish League giants Real Madrid and Bologna of the Italian League amongst others. Sheffield finished the series 0–2, following defeats to Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Sharks' adventure continued into Europe in the following season (1995–96) when they competed in the prestigious Euroleague. After knocking out Luxembourg-based team Residence Helmsange in the Qualifying round, the Sharks were then eliminated in the First Round by Real Madrid after a 57–67 defeat in Sheffield and a 75–78 defeat in Madrid. As a result of losing, Sheffield were then placed in the Third Round of the less glamorous European Cup, where they were subsequently knocked out by Belgian League club Oostende Basket, thus ending their European adventure.

On the domestic scene, the Sharks could not repeat the highs of their previous season, finishing as Runners-up in the League Championship (30–6) to London Towers, and losing the final of the National Cup 58–70 also to the dominating Towers. Their Play-off dreams were also shattered in the Semi-final's by eventual winners Birmingham Bullets, whom they lost to 68–82.

Golden era

The Sharks again reached the BBL Cup final in 1996 and 1997, finishing second then third in the Championship, and their next piece of silverware was the 1998 BBL Trophy. They claimed their second BBL Cup and Championship double in 1999, with Terrell Myers picked as League MVP, before successfully defending the Cup in 2000 after reaching their fifth Cup final in six years. It was during the most successful period of the clubs’ history that owners Chrysalis Group decided to sell off their majority stake.[1][2] After running into off-court financial difficulties and on the brink of a wind-up order from the BBL, the franchise was acquired by Montgomery Leisure Services Ltd in 2001,[3] the same year that a first Play-off final appearance was secured in after topping the Championship. However it was Leicester Riders who triumphed 84–75, and the Sharks were beaten again in the play-off final the following year, 93–82 by Cheshire Jets. The Sharks claimed their third Championship in five years in 2003 and although they failed to reach the play-off final, they got there the following year after a second-placed league finish. It was the Sharks' third play-off final in four years and a case of third time lucky as they beat Cheshire 86–74 to claim their only play-off success to date.

Modern era

In the 2015–16 season, Sheffield won its first BBL championship. In the Final of the Play-offs on 8 May 2016, Sheffield beat Leicester Riders 84–77.[4]

Home arenas

Sheffield Arena (1994–2004)
Ponds Forge International Hall (2004–2006)
English Institute of Sport - Sheffield (2006–present)

Season-by-season records

Season Div. Pos. Pld. W L Pts. Play Offs Trophy Cup
Sheffield Forgers
1991–1992NBL 35th22111122---
1992–1993NBL 31st2015530---
1993–1994NBL 14th1810820-Winners-
Sheffield Sharks
1994–1995BBL1st3629758Semi-finalRunner-upWinners
1995–1996BBL2nd3630660Semi-finalSemi-finalRunner-up
1996–1997BBL3rd36261052Semi-finalSemi-finalRunner-up
1997–1998BBL4th36251150Quarter-finalWinnersQuarter-final
1998–1999BBL1st3631562Semi-finalSemi-finalWinners
1999–2000BBL N2nd3629758Quarter-finalSemi-finalWinners
2000–2001BBL N1st3627954Runner-upSemi-final1st Round
2001–2002BBL N2nd32211142Runner-upQuarter-finalSemi-final
2002–2003BBL1st4033766Semi-final1st Round1st Round
2003–2004BBL2nd36261052Winners1st RoundWinners
2004–2005BBL4th40261452Semi-final1st RoundQuarter-final
2005–2006BBL3rd40261452Semi-final1st RoundQuarter-final
2006–2007BBL2nd3628856Semi-finalSemi-finalSemi-final
2007–2008BBL6th33171634Quarter-final1st RoundQuarter-final
2008–2009BBL6th33161732Quarter-final1st RoundQuarter-final
2009–2010BBL2nd3630660Semi-final1st RoundWinners
2010–2011BBL3rd3324948Runner-up1st RoundWinners
2011–2012BBL7th30131726Quarter-finalSemi-finalQuarter-final
2012–2013BBL7th33171634Quarter-finalWinnersSemi-final
2013–2014BBL2nd3327654Semi-finalSemi-finalSemi-final
2014-2015BBL7th36191738Semi-finalQuarter-finalSemi-final
2015-16BBL3rd33201340WinnersSemi-finalQuarter-final

Notes:

Trophies

League

Playoffs

Cup

Trophy

Players

Current roster

The following information is established according to the official websites of the team (www.sharksbasketball.co.uk) and Britain's top professional league, the BBL (www.bbl.org.uk).

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Sheffield Sharks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht.
G 4 United Kingdom Brownell, George 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
G 5 United Kingdom Brownell, Eddy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
8 United States Davis, Jordan 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
PF 10 United Kingdom Serbia Backovic, Marko 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
F 15 Canada United Kingdom Tuck, Michael (C) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
F 21 United States Davis, Shaheed 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
F 23 United Kingdom Sing, Colin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
G 24 United Kingdom Gachette, Zachariah 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
F 25 United States Mathis, Marquis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
G 35 United States Odister, Kyle 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
C - United States Lithuania Wroblicky, Tony 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Head coach
  • United States Atiba Lyons
Assistant coach(es)
  • Argentina Ariel Parrucci
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: 26th March 2016

Notable former players

Ownership

See also

References

  1. ↑ "www.answers.com/topic/chrysalis-group-plc". Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  2. ↑ "www.sharks-bbraun.com/index.html". Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  3. ↑ "Sharks back in business". BBC News. 2001-06-27.
  4. ↑ "Play-Off Final: Riders 77-84 Sharks". BBL.org.uk. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
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