2016 New Zealand NBL season

2016 New Zealand NBL season
LeagueNew Zealand NBL
SportBasketball
Duration10 March – 4 June
Number of games18
Number of teams7
Regular season
  Minor premiersCanterbury Rams
Season MVPMcKenzie Moore (Canterbury Rams)
Top scorerEric Devendorf (Super City Rangers)
Final Four
ChampionsWellington Saints
  Runners-upSuper City Rangers
Finals MVPTai Wesley
New Zealand NBL seasons

The 2016 NBL season was the 35th season of the National Basketball League. The league's team total dropped to an all-time low for the 2016 season, with the departure of the Manawatu Jets leaving the competition with seven teams.[1][2][3]

The 2016 pre-season tournament was held at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua from Friday 26 February through Sunday 28 February.[4] The four-team event featured the Canterbury Rams (2–1), Nelson Giants (3–0), Wellington Saints (0–3) and a Porirua invitational team (1–2).[5][6][7] The regular season commenced on Thursday 10 March in Wellington with the Wellington Saints hosting the Super City Rangers at TSB Bank Arena. The season contained 12 weeks of regular season games and a Final Four series on Queens' Birthday weekend in June.[8] As the only team based north of Hawke's Bay, the Rangers utilised two new 'home' venues around the Upper North Island, Te Awamutu and Whangārei, providing increased exposure for elite basketball in that area of the country.[8]

The regular season concluded with the Rams earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2002 and their first minor premiership since 1993,[9][10] while the Hawks recorded their first winless season in franchise history and joined the 1998 Northland Suns, 2009 Taranaki Mountainairs, 2010 Otago Nuggets and 2015 Taranaki Mountainairs as the only sides in NBL history to go an entire season without a win.[11]

For the first time in the competition's history, Invercargill hosted the Final Four weekend, with the semifinals on Friday 3 June, followed by the championship game on Saturday 4 June.[12][13]

  1. ^ "Manawatu Jets out of 2016 National Basketball League". Stuff.co.nz. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  2. ^ Anderson, Niall (12 November 2015). "Manawatu Jets Out Of 2016 NBL". NZhoops.co.nz. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  3. ^ Anderson, Niall (14 December 2015). "2016 NBL Draw Released, Includes One Live Streamed Game A Week". NZhoops.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  4. ^ "2016 NBL pre-season tournament". Australiabasket.com. 28 February 2016. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  5. ^ Rollo, Phillip (28 February 2016). "Nelson Giants satisfied with early efforts at National Basketball League's Blitz". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  6. ^ Egan, Brendon (28 February 2016). "Mixed bag from Canterbury Rams at National Basketball League pre-season". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  7. ^ Hyslop, Liam (28 February 2016). "Wellington Saints set for fitness blitz after being blitzed at the Blitz". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  8. ^ a b "DRAW FOR NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE 2016". Basketball.org.nz. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  9. ^ Egan, Brendon (26 May 2016). "Canterbury Rams claim NBL regular season title". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  10. ^ Egan, Brendon (29 May 2016). "Super City Rangers await Canterbury Rams in National Basketball League semifinals". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  11. ^ Anderson, Niall (9 May 2016). "Promise for Bay Hawks despite 0-14 record". NZHerald.co.nz. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  12. ^ Savory, Logan (31 May 2016). "Wellington Saints owner Nick Mills says Southland Sharks crowd worth 10 points". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  13. ^ Savory, Logan (2 June 2016). "The big five in the 2016 New Zealand Basketball League finals". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 June 2016.