| 2019–20 NBL Canada season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League of Canada |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | December 26, 2019 – March 11, 2020 (suspended) |
| Number of games | 36 (20–25 games played before suspension) |
| Number of teams | 8 |
The 2019–20 NBL Canada season was the ninth season of the National Basketball League of Canada. The regular season was supposed to run from December 26, 2019, to April 23, 2020. However, on March 12, the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[1]
On April 1, the season was officially cancelled with the league saying they will "begin preparations for its tenth season in 2020–21".[2] The 2020–21 season was also cancelled.[3]
League changes
Because of financial difficulties, two of the league's teams, Saint John Riptide and Cape Breton Highlanders, were granted a one-year sabbatical, with the goal of finding new sponsors in order to rejoin the league next season, reducing the league to eight teams.[4] The decrease in the number of teams also caused a change in the playoff format with the top two teams in each division qualifying for the postseason.[5]
Offseason coaching changes
- The Halifax Hurricanes hired Ryan Marchand as head coach after the Hurricanes' head coach for the previous three seasons, Mike Leslie, was named team president and general manager.[6]
- The London Lightning hired Doug Plumb, who had most recently been the head coach of the St. John's Edge. Plumb replaced Elliott Etherington who had been promoted during the previous season after the Lightning had fired Keith Vassell.
- The St. John's Edge removed the interim status of head coach Steven Marcus.[7]
Regular season
Standings as of March 11:[8]
| Atlantic Division | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moncton Magic | 23 | 19 | 4 | .826 | — | 16–3 |
| St. John's Edge | 20 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 6.5 | 6–6 |
| Halifax Hurricanes | 24 | 8 | 16 | .333 | 11.5 | 4–10 |
| Island Storm | 23 | 6 | 17 | .261 | 13 | 4–11 |
| Central Division | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Lightning | 24 | 15 | 9 | .625 | — | 12–6 |
| Sudbury Five | 23 | 13 | 10 | .565 | 1.5 | 9–6 |
| Windsor Express | 22 | 11 | 11 | .500 | 3 | 7–9 |
| KW Titans | 25 | 9 | 16 | .360 | 6.5 | 4–10 |
- 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 11 March 2020
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Lightning | 42,245 | 7,914 | 1,244 | 3,250 | +6.9% |
| 2 | St. John's Edge | 23,599 | 5,475 | 1,781 | 2,950 | −22.2% |
| 3 | Sudbury Five | 19,094 | 3,027 | 1,523 | 2,387 | +16.6% |
| 4 | Windsor Express | 21,121 | 4,136 | 600 | 1,760 | +52.6% |
| 5 | Halifax Hurricanes | 22,869 | 4,249 | 1,123 | 1,759 | −16.0% |
| 6 | Moncton Magic | 22,344 | 2,389 | 1,330 | 1,719 | +49.2% |
| 7 | KW Titans | 17,452 | 3,766 | 938 | 1,587 | +22.0% |
| 8 | Island Storm | 11,707 | 1,410 | 771 | 976 | −20.3% |
| League total | 178,252 | 7,914 | 600 | 1,981 | +6.4% |
Awards
Player of the Week award
| For games in week ending |
Player of the week | Canadian player of the week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| December 29, 2019 | Damon Lynn | KW Titans | Alex Campbell | Island Storm |
| January 5, 2020 | Xavier Moon | London Lightning | Alex Campbell (2) | Island Storm |
| January 12, 2020 | Karrington Ward | St. John's Edge | Garrett Williamson | London Lightning |
| January 19, 2020 | Chris Jones | Windsor Express | Shaquille Keith | Windsor Express |
| January 26, 2020 | Billy White | Moncton Magic | Junior Cadougan | St. John's Edge |
| February 2, 2020 | Akeem Ellis | KW Titans | Jarryn Skeete | Sudbury Five |
| February 9, 2020 | A.J. Gaines | London Lightning | Alex Campbell (3) | Island Storm |
| February 16, 2020 | Cane Broome | St. John's Edge | Marvell Waithe | Halifax Hurricanes |
| February 23, 2020 | Billy White (2) | Moncton Magic | Kemy Osse | Windsor Express |
| March 1, 2020 | Cameron Forte | London Lightning | Tyrell Green | London Lightning |
Coach of the Month award
| Month | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| January | Joe Salerno | Moncton Magic |
| February | Joe Salerno (2) | Moncton Magic |
References
- ↑ "NBLC Suspends Remainder of 2019-20 Season Until Further Notice". nblcanada.ca. March 12, 2020.
- ↑ "NBLC Announces Cancellation of the 2019-20 Season". nblcanada.ca. April 1, 2020.
- ↑ "NBLC Announces Cancellation of the 2020-21 Season". OurSports Central. March 5, 2021.
- ↑ "NBLC Grants Riptide & Highlanders One-Year Sabbatical". NBLCanada.ca. August 30, 2019.
- ↑ "NBLC Announces Playoff Format for the 2020 Postseason". NBLCanada.ca. November 11, 2019.
- ↑ "Hurricanes Announce Front Office Moves". OurSports Central. 20 December 2019.
- ↑ "Marcus officially named Edge coach". The Telegram. September 27, 2019.
- ↑ "2019–20 NBL Canada Standings". NBL Canada. Retrieved 28 November 2019.