Not only do British Basketball League fans have the return of the UNBEATABLE All-Star action to look forward to this weekend, but the Copper Box will also host some history on Sunday afternoon as the League’s Hall of Fame will induct its first-ever class of members.
Established to honour and recognise individuals from all eras of the Men’s and Women’s Leagues who have made a significant contribution to the sport in the UK, 10 individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday.
The Hall of Fame consists of five categories and the 10 inductees this weekend will be split between: Men’s Players; Women’s Players; Coaches; Officials; and Services to the League.
You can read more about the selection criteria and process by clicking here.
We’re delighted to confirm the names of the 10 individuals inducted into the first-ever British Basketball League Hall of Fame Class as follows:
Alan Cunningham (Men’s Player)
Years active in the League: Portsmouth (1987-88), Glasgow Rangers (1988-89), Kingston Kings (1989-1992), Worthing Bears (1992-96), London Towers (1996-97)
One of the League’s first superstars, Cunningham won the first-ever Championship title in 1987/88 with Portsmouth and would go on to win at least one piece of silverware in nine of the League’s first 10 seasons with Portsmouth, Glasgow, Kingston, Worthing and London.
He ranks third all-time in trophies won, with a whopping 21 to his name and only counts the 1995/96 campaign as a trophyless outing – his final season with Worthing – and won the quadruple on two occasions in 1989/90 and 1991/92, both with Kingston.
Individually, Cunningham ranked highly in the League’s all-time statistics, holding third spot in blocks made and sixth in blocks per game. At 6’8” and incredibly athletic, shooters weren’t safe with Cunningham speeding around swatting shot attempts!
A former Harlem Globetrotter, former forward was nicknamed ‘Vitamin C’, and won League MVP honours in 1988/89 and reached an incredible eight consecutive Playoff Finals – which is still a record to this day.
Andrew Sullivan (Men’s Player)
Years active in the League: London Towers (1995-96), Newcastle Eagles (2004-06, 2008-10), Mersey Tigers (2010-11), Leicester Riders (2011-14, 2015-17), London Lions (2014-15)
An integral part of two of the most dominant dynasties in recent British Basketball League history, Andrew Sullivan’s impact in his illustrious career was indisputable, as a focal cornerstone of both the eruption of Newcastle’s Eagles and the rise of Leicester’s Riders.
Winning eight major titles with the Eagles and nine with the Riders, as well as two MVP titles – one with each club – wherever Sullivan went, winning followed, as he even landed a terrific treble in his one season at Everton in 2010/11.
With 20 titles in total to his name, tied for fifth all-time amongst all the League’s players, Sullivan also ranked inside the top 20 for assists (20th), total rebounds (19th), and blocks made (16th).
A three-time treble winner and one-time quadruple winner, the 44-year-old also won 100 caps for Great Britain and captained his country at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 2006.
Peter Scantlebury (Men’s Player)
Years active in the League: Bracknell Tigers (1987-90), Sunderland Saints (1990-91), Thames Valley Tigers (1990-91, 1993-97), London Towers (1991-1993), Newcastle Eagles (1997-1999), Sheffield Sharks (1999-2003)
Another British Basketball League O.G., ‘Scants’ – as he was more affectionately known to fans of the League – completed 17 seasons of service as a player and was an absolute bucket from start to finish for Sheffield, Sunderland and Thames Valley, retiring as the all-time top scorer in League history.
A five-time Team of the Year member, Scantlebury won nine titles during his time as a player in the League and is ranked in the top 20 all-time for steals (5th), assists (14th), offensive rebounds (4th), total rebounds (9th), defensive rebounds (10th), blocks made (11th) and games played (4th) on top of his all-time scoring record of 8,324 Championship points.
As his historical stats show, Scantlebury was as versatile as anybody who has ever stepped foot on the hardwood in this League, and an elite two-way player with incredible longevity. Even at 38, he was a starter for a Sheffield side that won the Championship title but never won the Playoffs nor – remarkably – a season MVP title.
Stepping into coaching after his playing career, Scantlebury continued to develop his legacy, finally winning a Playoff crown as he led the Sharks to that honour in 2004, before coaching fellow Hall-of-Famer Andrew Sullivan to bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Cat Carr (Women’s Player)
Years active in the League: Sevenoaks Suns (2014-22)
A cornerstone of the incredible success the Sevenoaks Suns had during their time, Cat Carr accomplished pretty much everything there was to achieve during her time on British shores.
A two-time League MVP and winner of eight major honours with Sevenoaks, the American guard helped the Suns rise from the lower rungs of the ladder to an unstoppable dynasty that conquered all challengers in the late 2010s.
A fierce, relentless competitor and one of the most dominant players the League has ever seen, Carr brought an incredible career to an end in 2022 having left an indelible mark on the league she called home for almost a decade. She is the League’s all-time top-scorer and ranks inside the top 15 for assists (2nd), steals (8th), rebounds (1st), defensive rebounds (1st) and games played (6th).
Helen Naylor (Women’s Player)
Years active in the League: Sheffield Hatters (2015-20, 2021-23), Manchester Giants (2020-21)
Dropping 30 points to win the first-ever Playoff Final MVP in the showpiece event of the League’s inaugural season, Naylor made a huge impact from the moment the Women’s League was founded to the day she retired at the end of the 2022/23 season.
Involved with the Hatters since her teenage years – before the formation of the Women’s League as it is now – Naylor was a prolific scorer and ranks only behind Carr currently in all-time Championship points. She got the better of Carr famously in one of their many clashes, as she scored the game-winner in the 2019 Cup Final to give her Sheffield side the victory over Sevenoaks, which was the final title Naylor won before retirement.
Winning six major honours in total, including at least one of all five of the competitions up for grabs during her time in the League, Naylor was an all-action forward with incredible longevity, finishing her career ranking inside the top 20 all-time for a whopping 10 statistical categories.
Ta’Yani Clark (Women’s Player)
Years active in the League: Brixton Topcats (2014-15), Northumbria (2015-16), Sevenoaks Suns (2016-21)
The other half of one of the most dominant duos in League history alongside fellow Hall-of-Famer, Carr, when these two stepped onto the floor together alongside the rest of that rampant Sevenoaks roster, they had an aura about them that had many other teams already feeling beaten before opening tip.
If Carr was the unstoppable force for that incredible Suns dynasty, then Clark was the immovable object. Capable of locking up any player defensively, no matter their position or skillset, the American was a juggernaut for both the Suns and Northumbria during her time in the League and walked away from the game with a super seven titles to show for her efforts, as well as a number of individual honours.
Like her fellow Hall-of-Famers in this category, Clark stuffed the stats sheet during her time in the League and her name is etched throughout the all-time records, ranking in the top 20 for steals (6th), assists (8th), scoring (19th), rebounds (2nd), steals per game (13th), assists per game (19th) and rebounds per game (19th).
Kevin Cadle (Coach)
Years active in the League: Kingston Kings (1997-98, 1989-92), Glasgow Rangers (1988-89), Guildford Kings (1992-94), London Towers (1994-1998)
Second all-time in titles won, ranking only behind Fabulous Flournoy in that regard, Kevin Cadle’s career was as legendary and impactful as his aura. The hugely respected and revered American coached almost 500 games in the League, with a staggering overall record of 397 wins, 97 losses and two ties, holding the greatest win percentage in League history.
Cadle won each of the four major titles five apiece and oversaw a jaw-dropping period of dominance at the helm of Glasgow and Kingston between 1988 and 1992, when he masterminded a stellar run which collected 14 out of the 15 pieces of silverware on offer in that spell, and four of his eventual five Coach of the Year awards as well.
During the same period, he took Kingston to the Quarter-Final Round of the Champions Cup – the equivalent of the modern-day EuroLeague – masterminding victories against European giants such as Maccabi, Aris, Scavolini, CSKA and Limoges.
As well as calling the plays at Falkirk, Manchester and London Towers during his illustrious club career, Cadle also coached the England, Scotland and Great Britain teams – as well as several League All-Star Games.
The League’s monthly coaching award, the Molten Kevin Cadle Coach of the Month, was also named in his honour following his passing in October 2017.
Dale Aitcheson and Mary Clark (Officials)
A well-known face to basketball fans, players and coaches across the country, Dale Aitcheson has been one of the top referees in British basketball for over 20 years and was active in the League from the 1990s to the late 2010s.
In May 2000, Aitcheson became the first black English referee to receive FIBA certification, successfully completing the FIBA exam clinic whilst earning plaudits from the panel of assessors for his ability. As well as officiating in the League, Aitcheson also held the title of officiating supervisor for both Leagues in the past, giving vital mentorship and guidance to the next generation of officials.
With hundreds of appointments to his name both domestically and across Europe, the Nottingham native has officiated more British Basketball League Finals than anyone else. With 19 appearances and counting (eight Playoff Finals, Four Cup Finals and seven Trophy Finals), he continues to be incredibly well-respected across the sport.
Mary Clark acted as a table official for over 30 years from the 1970s to the 2000s at all levels of British basketball and was a vital advocate for aspiring future officials before her passing in 2005.
Introduced to officiating in a way so many can relate to, as her partner at the time was a player and the game he was taking part in needed a table official, Clark learnt the ropes quickly and would later go on to be instrumental in improving education standards and opportunities for young officials wanting to get involved in the game.
Basketball England named their annual Services to Officiating award after Clark following her passing, and her induction into the League’s Hall of Fame continues the memory of a wonderful legacy in the game.
John Atkinson (Services to the League)
Once the leading British basketball historian and one of the most prominent guardians of the game in this country, Atkinson – or ‘Statkinson’ as he was affectionately known – sadly passed away just under two years ago, but his legacy lives on every day thanks to the incredible historical records and statistics that he worked tirelessly to maintain.
Recognising the lack of archived data that was stored regarding the game’s history in this country, Atkinson took it upon himself in the 1990s to work with a small group of like-minded people and collate information about the national team programmes, as well as the British Basketball League and other leagues in this country.
John had been involved with British Basketball for just over half a century and in his final years he worked tirelessly to establish the National Basketball Heritage Centre at the University of Worcester, where he took it upon himself to ensure the sport was left in a better place than how he found it.
You can read more about John’s incredible impact and legacy here on the League website.
The League’s Hall of Fame will initially take pride of place on the League website, and as the League continues to grow over the coming years, plans are in place to have a physical Hall of Fame space at the League office in addition to online.
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