| 2021 TBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | TBL |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Enid Outlaws |
| Runners-up | Syracuse Stallions |
The 2021 TBL season is the fourth season of The Basketball League (TBL). The season began in April and the teams are each scheduled to play 24 games.[1]
The league announced several new teams for the 2021 season, expanding from 12 teams in the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed 2020 season to 36 teams as of December 30, 2020. Several of the added teams came from the semi-professional American Basketball Association such as the California Sea-Kings, San Diego Guardians, and Syracuse Stallions.[2][3][4] The expansions included a new Shreveport Mavericks,[5][6] as well as the Atlanta Empire, Charleston/Carolina Coyotes, Detroit Hustle, Enid Outlaws, Flint United, Houston Push, Kokomo BobKats, Little Rock Lightning, Midtown Prestige, Omaha's Finest, South Shore Monarchs, Vegas Ballers, Waco Royals, and West Coast Breeze.
In addition, this season marked the first time two female head coaches led professional men's basketball teams: Angela Weathers of the Dallas Skyline and Daria Carrington of the West Coast Breeze.[7][8]
Due to difficult business conditions of certain markets and availability of venues due to the ongoing pandemic, the existing Albany Patroons, and the announced expansion teams the Avon Aces, Fresno Fire, Portland Storm, Salem Capitals, and Temecula Eagles opted not to play this season.[9] As of April 2021, all but the Fresno Fire are still listed as returning in 2022.[10]
Standings
Final standings:[11]
x – qualified for playoffs; z – Conference champion
Central Conference
| Team | GP | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| z Enid Outlaws | 24 | 22 | 2 | .917 |
| x Houston Push | 24 | 22 | 2 | .917 |
| x Shreveport Mavericks | 24 | 17 | 7 | .708 |
| x Omaha's Finest | 24 | 12 | 12 | .500 |
| Dallas Skyline | 24 | 11 | 13 | .458 |
| Lewisville Leopards | 24 | 8 | 16 | .333 |
| Little Rock Lightning | 24 | 7 | 17 | .292 |
| Waco Royals | 24 | 5 | 19 | .208 |
| Midtown Prestige | 24 | 4 | 20 | .167 |
East Conference
| Team | GP | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| z Syracuse Stallions | 24 | 20 | 4 | .833 |
| x Jamestown Jackals | 22 | 16 | 6 | .727 |
| x Carolina Coyotes | 21 | 14 | 7 | .667 |
| xRaleigh Firebirds | 21 | 12 | 9 | .571 |
| Atlanta Empire | 21 | 12 | 9 | .600 |
| Tampa Bay Titans | 21 | 9 | 12 | .429 |
| Tri-State Admirals | 20 | 6 | 14 | .300 |
| Gulf Coast Lions | 20 | 5 | 15 | .250 |
| South Shore Monarchs | 22 | 1 | 20 | .048 |
Midwest Conference
| Team | GP | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| z Kokomo BobKats | 24 | 19 | 5 | .792 |
| x Indy Express | 24 | 16 | 8 | .667 |
| x Owensboro Thoroughbreds | 24 | 16 | 8 | .667 |
| x Dayton Flight | 24 | 10 | 14 | .417 |
| Columbus Condors | 23 | 11 | 10 | .524 |
| Detroit Hustle | 23 | 6 | 18 | .250 |
| Flint United | 23 | 5 | 18 | .217 |
West Conference
| Team | GP | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| z San Diego Guardians | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 |
| Vegas Ballers | 21 | 13 | 8 | .619 |
| x California Sea-Kings | 20 | 9 | 11 | .450 |
| West Coast Breeze | 21 | 6 | 15 | .286 |
Playoffs
| Round 1 | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Championship | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Enid Outlaws | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Omaha's Finest | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Enid Outlaws | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Houston Push | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Houston Push | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Shreveport Mavericks | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Enid Outlaws | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego Guardians | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego Guardians | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| California Sea Kings | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Enid Outlaws | 2[12] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse Stallions | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kokomo Bobkats | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Dayton Flight | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kokomo Bobkats | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Indy Express | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Indy Express | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Owensboro Thoroughbreds | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Indy Express | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse Stallions | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Syracuse Stallions | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Raleigh Firebirds | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse Stallions | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jamestown Jackals | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Jamestown Jackals | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Carolina Coyotes | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
TBL Western Conference
- San Diego Guardians (1) received bye of first round
- California Sea Kings (2) received bye of first round
References
- ↑ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". Our Sports Central. January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Syracuse Stallions take it up a notch, move from ABA to 'The Basketball League'". CNY Central. May 1, 2020.
- ↑ "PORTLAND STORM TO BECOME FULL ABA TEAM". ABA Live Action. April 18, 2020.
- ↑ "San Diego Guardians Support Local Community as New Professional Basketball Team in TBL". The Basketball League. August 3, 2020.
- ↑ "THE SHREVEPORT MAVERICKS ARE PLANNING A COMEBACK!". K945.com. July 23, 2020.
- ↑ "SHREVEPORT MAVERICKS RETURN HOME AS PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM IN THE BASKETBALL LEAGUE". The Basketball League. January 11, 2020.
- ↑ "Former Northwestern State hooper becomes first female head coach in men's The Basketball League". Natchitoches Parish Journal. October 5, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ↑ "West Coast Breeze, nuevo equipo sobre la duela".
- ↑ "Albany Patroons cancel 2021 season Team opts to sit out year with fans not allowed at Washington Avenue Armory". Albany Times Union. February 28, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ↑ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". OurSports Central. April 12, 2021.
- ↑ "The Basketball League 2021 Standings". The Basketball League. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ↑ "TBL 2021 Full Game: Syracuse Stallions vs. Enid Outlaws". YouTube.