2003 New Zealand NBL season
| 2003 New Zealand NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 23 April – 16 August |
| Number of games | 18 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| Minor premiers | Waikato Titans |
| Season MVP | David Cooper (Manawatu Jets) |
| Top scorer | John Whorton (Canterbury Rams) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Wellington Saints |
| Runners-up | Waikato Titans |
The 2003 New Zealand National Basketball League season was the 22nd running of the competition. New Zealand basketball legends, Pero Cameron and Phill Jones, dominated through the 1990s, with one or the other steering their teams to a championship every year from 1994 to 2002.[1] That string ended in 2003 with the Wellington Saints' championship win over the Waikato Titans, as the Saints claimed their fifth league title.[2]
2003 marked the first year a league-wide MVP award winner was named, allowing imports the opportunity to be recognised; in all previous seasons, only a Kiwi MVP was named, an award given to the best New Zealand player. Australian import David Cooper of the Manawatu Jets was subsequently awarded the first league MVP. 2003 also marked the return of a Taranaki side to the NBL, with the team having pulled out of the league in 2000 due to a lack of funding. After winning the 2002 Conference Basketball League championship, the Taranaki Stormers re-entered the NBL as the Mountainairs.
Standings
| # | Regular Season Standings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | PTS | |
| 1 | Waikato Titans | 16 | 2 | 89 | 32 |
| 2 | Wellington Saints | 12 | 6 | 67 | 24 |
| 3 | Manawatu Jets | 12 | 6 | 67 | 24 |
| 4 | Auckland Stars | 12 | 6 | 67 | 24 |
| 5 | Nelson Giants | 11 | 7 | 61 | 22 |
| 6 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 8 | 10 | 44 | 16 |
| 7 | Otago Nuggets | 7 | 11 | 39 | 14 |
| 8 | Taranaki Mountainairs | 5 | 13 | 28 | 10 |
| 9 | Canterbury Rams | 4 | 14 | 22 | 8 |
| 10 | Harbour Heat | 3 | 15 | 17 | 6 |
Finals
| Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Waikato Titans | 98 | |||||||
| 4 | Auckland Stars | 77 | |||||||
| Waikato Titans | 88 | ||||||||
| Wellington Saints | 97 | |||||||
| 2 | Wellington Saints | 89 | |||||||
| 3 | Manawatu Jets | 70 | |||||||
Awards
Player of the Week
| Round | Player | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Issiah Epps | Otago Nuggets | [3] |
| 2 | Dillon Boucher | Waikato Titans | [3] |
| Mike Pegues | Canterbury Rams | [3] | |
| 3 | Issiah Epps | Otago Nuggets | [3] |
| 4 | Dillon Boucher | Waikato Titans | [3] |
| 5 | Ed Book | Nelson Giants | [3] |
| Dillon Boucher | Waikato Titans | [3] | |
| 6 | Lindsay Tait | Auckland Stars | [3] |
| 7 | John Whorton | Canterbury Rams | [3] |
| 8 | John Whorton | Canterbury Rams | [3] |
| 9 | David Cooper | Manawatu Jets | [3][4] |
| 10 | Paul Henare | Hawke's Bay Hawks | [3][5] |
| 11 | Casey Frank | Auckland Stars | [3][6] |
| 12 | Willie Banks | Taranaki Mountainairs | [3][7] |
| 13 | John Whorton | Canterbury Rams | [3][8] |
| 14 | Mark Dickel | Otago Nuggets | [3] |
| 15 | Michael Tompson | Wellington Saints | [3][9] |
| SF | Iona Enosa | Waikato Titans | [3] |
| GF | Ben Knight | Wellington Saints | [3][10] |
Statistics leaders
Stats as of the end of the regular season[11]
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | John Whorton | Canterbury Rams | 29.3 |
| Rebounds per game | John Whorton | Canterbury Rams | 16.5 |
| Assists per game | George Le'afa | Wellington Saints | 6.2 |
| Steals per game | Dillon Boucher | Waikato Titans | 4.5 |
| Blocks per game | David Cooper | Manawatu Jets | 2.8 |
Regular season
- Most Valuable Player: David Cooper (Manawatu Jets)
- NZ Most Valuable Player: Dillon Boucher (Waikato Titans)
- Regular Season Winners: Waikato Titans (16–2)
- Keith Carr Trophy – Most Outstanding Guard: Lindsay Tait (Auckland Stars)
- John Macdonald Trophy – Most Outstanding NZ Guard: Lindsay Tait (Auckland Stars)
- Commissioners Cup – Most Outstanding Forward: David Cooper (Manawatu Jets)
- Stan Hill Trophy – Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre: Dillon Boucher (Waikato Titans)
- Alan Bland Memorial Trophy – Scoring Champion: John Whorton (29.3) (Canterbury Rams)
- Garry Pettis Memorial Trophy – Rebounding Champion: John Whorton (16.5) (Canterbury Rams)
- Dave Taylor Trophy – Assist Champion: George Le'afa (6.2) (Wellington Saints)
- Nial Forsyth Trophy – Best Team Free Throws: Auckland Stars
- Rookie of the Year: Adrian Majstrovich (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
- Coach of the Year: Mike McHugh (Wellington Saints)
- Administrator of the Year: Janie Granger (Nelson Giants)
- All-Star Five:
- G: Paul Henare (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
- G: Lindsay Tait (Auckland Stars)
- F: Dillon Boucher (Waikato Titans)
- F: Link Abrams (Taranaki Mountainairs)
- C: David Cooper (Manawatu Jets)
References
- ↑ Long live the Kingpin
- ↑ "2003 National Basketball League". Basketball.org.nz. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "Players of the Week". Basketball.org.nz. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006.
- ↑ Player Of The Week IX
- ↑ Player Of The Week X
- ↑ Player Of The Week XI
- ↑ Player Of The Week XII
- ↑ Player Of The Week XIII
- ↑ Player Of The Week XV
- ↑ Player Of The Week (Final)
- ↑ "2003 Burger King League – League Leaders". Basketball.org.nz. Archived from the original on 19 November 2004.