Everything about London Towers totally explained
Gary Lyttle
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The
London Towers is a
basketball team which currently plays in the
English Basketball League Division 3 (South). The current first team was formed out of the reserve team of the professional senior team, who pulled out of
Britain's top league, the
BBL, in the summer of
2006.
Franchise history
High risers
Established as
Tower Hamlets, in the borough of the same name, the
London-based team entered
NBL Division 2 in
1984. By
1989 they finished eleventh, out of the eleven teams in the league and were due to be relegated. However, the
BBL was suffering a membership crisis at the time, and was about to be reduced to just seven teams. With the newly built
Docklands Arena available as a possible venue not too far from the team's roots, the Tower Hamlets franchise was admitted to
Britain's top professional league as
capital's representatives, London Docklands, for the
1989/
90 season.
On the move again
The following season, the Docklands Basketball team left the big
Arena as they, in common with other basketball teams at the time, struggled with the cost of a big arena rent. They returned 'home' to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and the Newham Leisure Centre, although their first two seasons yielded just three League victories.
The Towers rise
It was 1991 when the franchise which came to sit astride British basketball finally gained its most well-known label. Renamed London Towers, but still playing at Newham, the club's fortunes turned around in the
1991/
92 season, as they finished fourth, and a move to the Sobell Sports Centre in
Islington saw them finish third in
1993. In
1994 they moved to the
Wembley Stadium Complex, and it was there that they enjoyed their best seasons, winning five titles in two seasons, from
1995 to
1997.
Euro Trip
The
1997-98 season saw the Towers make the European debut appearance, competing in the Euro Cup, however all didn't go to plan and the
London team were shamed with a 1-9 record in Group E, finishing in last place. The Towers made another appearance in Europe in
2001 where they took part in the prestigious
Euroleague, but again the Towers collapsed with a 0-14 record, good enough only for 8th place in Group B.
Moving in Together
Once more though, in 1998 the Towers arena proved too big to pay for and the team moved out of
Wembley, "merging" with fellow BBL team
Crystal Palace and splitting games between the two arenas until in 1999 they moved full time to the
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
In
2005, the Towers launched a second team in the
English Basketball League as a stepping-stone for their development players. In their first season in Division 3, the team finished runners-up.
The End?
Plans for their own Arena, linking with their community and development work, have been rumoured for several years, but in
2006, the London Towers first team pulled out of
BBL, for a "one year break". As a result, the development team now acts as the first team, and the club still operates all of is youth and development teams. Such a step has been taken in the past by teams from both Manchester and Derby and neither has returned to the top league. Rumours abound that the new
Croydon Arena in
Croydon,
South London, will provide the Towers with a new home upon completition.
Home arenas
» London Arena (1989-1991)
Newham Leisure Centre (1991-1992)
» Sobell Sports Centre (1992-1994)
Wembley Arena (1994-1999)
» Crystal Palace Sports Centre (1999-2007)
Harris Sports Centre
(External Link) (2007-present)
Trophies
- 1995/96 League Champions, National Cup Winners, League Trophy Winners
- 1996/97 Championship Winners, League Trophy Winners
- 1998/99 Tournament of Champions Winners, Championship Winners
- 1999/00 Southern Conference Champions, League Trophy Winners
- 2000/01 Tournament of Champions Winners, Southern Conference Champions
Players
Current roster
The numbers are established according to the official websites of the team (www.london-towers.co.uk).
As of November 10 2006
Further Information
Get more info on 'London Towers'.
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