2015–16 NBL Canada season

2015–16 NBL Canada season National Basketball League of Canada Basketball NBL Canada Anniversary logo.png December 26, 2015 – April 30, 2016 160 (40 per team) 8 187,939 through 94 Games(1,999 per game) EastLink TV, The Score, Rogers Media Draft 2015 NBL Canada draft Erik Copes List of first overall NBL Canada draft picks Niagara River Lions Regular Season NBL Canada Most Valuable Player Award Logan Stutz (Niagara River Lions) List of National Basketball League of Canada season scoring leaders Halifax Hurricanes Playoffs Atlantic Atlantic Division (NBL Canada) Central Central Division (NBL Canada) Finals Halifax Hurricanes London Lightning List of NBL Canada seasons NBL Canada 2014–15 NBL Canada season 2014–15 2016–17 NBL Canada season 2016–17 The 2015–16 NBL Canada season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC). The regular season began on December 26, 2015 and concluded on April 30, 2016. There were 40 total games played by each team, eight more than the previous year. The new expansion Niagara River Lions team are competing in their first season. The Halifax Hurricanes also began play, replacing the defunct Halifax Rainmen. During the offseason, the Mississauga Power folded to make way for Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League. Prior to the season, the league also enforced new policies to help improve its standard, including rules regarding sportsmanship, addressing the brawl that ended the 2015 NBL Canada Finals. The first regular season game featured the Island Storm and the Saint John Mill Rats.Scores & Schedule http://nblcanada.ca/14522/scores-schedule NBL Canada 9 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151202104721/http://nblcanada.ca/14522/scores-schedule 2 December 2015 dead Transactions Coaching changes + Coaching changesOffseasonTeam2014–15 season2015–16 seasonHalifax Hurricanes Hugo LópezLondon LightningCarlos KnoxKyle JuliusNiagara River Lions Ken MurrayOrangeville A'sDave MagleyChris ThomasSaint John Mill RatsJulian KingRob SponWindsor ExpressBill JonesTony Jones (interim) On May 7, 2015, the Saint John Mill Rats hired Rob Spon as head coach.MILL RATS RETURN CHAMPIONSHIP COACH http://www.nblcanada.com/news/100739/mill-rats-return-championship-coach NBL Canada 19 September 2015 On May 8, 2015, the NBL Canada suspended Windsor Express head coach Bill Jones for one season.Windsor Express coach Bill Jones fined $4K, suspended 1 year http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-express-coach-bill-jones-fined-4k-suspended-1-year-1.3066415 CBC 19 September 2015 On May 29, 2015, the NBL Canada hired Brampton A's head coach Dave Magley as league commissioner.NBL Canada Unanimously Hires New Commissioner http://www.nblcanada.com/p/14578/nr/100744/nbl-canada-unanimously-hires-new-commissioner NBL Canada 19 September 2015 On July 14, 2015, the Windsor Express hired Tony Jones as interim head coach, temporarily replacing his brother, Bill.Express Hire Tony Jones as Interim Head Coach http://www.windsorexpress.ca/news/100226/express-hire-tony-jones-as-interim-head-coach WindsorExpress.ca 19 September 2015 On July 29, 2015, the London Lightning fired head coach Carlos Knox after one year with the team.Lightning dismiss Knox http://www.lightningbasketball.ca/index.cfm?DocID=Press%20Releases&nr=100185 LightningBasketball.ca 19 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054525/http://www.lightningbasketball.ca/index.cfm?DocID=Press%20Releases&nr=100185 4 March 2016 dead On August 19, 2015, the London Lightning hired Kyle Julius as head coach.London Lightning welcome Kyle Julius to club http://lightningbasketball.ca/p/14539/nr/100187/london-lightning-welcome-kyle-julius-to-club LightningBasketball.ca 19 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150911200502/http://www.lightningbasketball.ca/p/14539/nr/100187/london-lightning-welcome-kyle-julius-to-club 11 September 2015 dead dmy-all On February 12, 2016, the Moncton Miracles hired Paul Mokeski to replace Serge Langis. Preseason Out-of-league On October 23, 2015, Raptors 905 of the NBA D-League, who replaced the Mississauga Power earlier in the offseason, announced that they would be facing two NBL Canada teams—the Windsor Express and London Lightning—in their three-game preseason schedule. The team would visit the WFCU Centre to face the Express on the road and compete with the Lightning at their home arena, the Hershey Centre.Raptors 905 Announce Preseason Schedule http://raptors905.dleague.nba.com/news/raptors-905-announce-preseason-schedule/ NBA.com 9 December 2015Windsor Express to play Raptors 905 from NBA D-League http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-express-to-play-raptors-905-from-nba-d-league-1.3272745 CBC 9 December 2015 On November 5, Raptors 905 defeated the Express, 117–114. Adrian Moss, who scored 38 points, helped Windsor make a comeback after facing an 18-point deficit at halftime.Shalapata Ian Windsor Takes Raptors 905 To The Wire http://sports.windsorsquare.ca/archives/81023/windsor-takes-raptors-905-to-the-wire Windsor Square 9 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151210215007/http://sports.windsorsquare.ca/archives/81023/windsor-takes-raptors-905-to-the-wire 10 December 2015 dead Raptors 905 picked up another win over the Lightning on November 9, after pulling off a 126–111 victory. Tyshawn Patterson, a draft combine addition, led London with 26 points.Dalla Costa Morris D-League Raptors beat London Lightning in exhibition game https://lfpress.com/2015/11/09/d-league-raptors-beat-london-lightning-in-exhibition-game London Free Press 9 December 2015 The Windsor Express played another preseason game against the Lima Express of the Midwest Professional Basketball Association (MPBA) on December 13 at the St. Clair College SportsPlex in Windsor, pulling off the 108–82 win.LIMA EXPRESS TO JOIN MPBA http://www.thelimaexpress.com/news_article/show/559782?referrer_id=1067145 TheLimaExpress.com 10 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151222144244/http://www.thelimaexpress.com/news_article/show/559782?referrer_id=1067145 22 December 2015 dead Maurice Bolden led Windsor with 24 points while Lima's Jody Hill put up a game-high 26 points.Express Beat Lima in International Exhibition Game Sunday http://www.nblcanada.ca/p/14578/nr/100802/express-beat-lima-in-international-exhibition-game-sunday NBL Canada 18 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151222134045/http://www.nblcanada.ca/p/14578/nr/100802/express-beat-lima-in-international-exhibition-game-sunday 22 December 2015 dead #eee November 5 7:30 pm Hershey Centre, Mississauga, Ontario Raptors 905 117 Windsor Express 114 Recap #eee November 9 7:30 pm WFCU Centre, Windsor, Ontario London Lightning 111 Raptors 905 126 Recap #eee December 13 7:30 pm St. Clair SportsPlex, Windsor, Ontario Windsor Express 108 Lima Express 82 Recap In-league On December 18, 2015, the Halifax Hurricanes and Island Storm competed in a preseason game at Centre 200 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, with the Hurricanes winning, 106–103.Jala David Hoops sneak preview at Sydney's Centre 200 http://www.capebretonpost.com/Sports/2015-12-18/article-4380849/Hoops-sneak-preview-at-Sydneys-Centre-200/1 Cape Breton Post 19 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151222105254/http://www.capebretonpost.com/Sports/2015-12-18/article-4380849/Hoops-sneak-preview-at-Sydneys-Centre-200/1 22 December 2015 dead Centre 200 is expected to be the home of the future NBL Canada team, the Cape Breton Highlanders. On December 19, the London Lightning defeated the Windsor Express, 97–87, behind 19 points from Chad Posthumus and Stephen Maxwell.Lightning Zap Express in Pre-Season Match http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=5082064 OurSportsCentral 20 December 2015 The Hurricanes also won their second preseason contest over the Moncton Miracles, that same day, pulling away for a 110–91 victory.Mosher Monty Criswell makes case for roster spot with 20 points in Hurricanes win http://thechronicleherald.ca/hurricanes/1328557-criswell-makes-case-for-roster-spot-with-20-points-in-hurricanes-win The Chronicle Herald 20 December 2015 On December 21, the Miracles defeated the Storm, 115–110, in a fundraising game at Crandall University. Moncton's James Justice led all scorers with 27 points.MonctonMiracles on Twitter https://twitter.com/MonctonMiracles/status/679115620940517376 Twitter 22 December 2015 On December 23, the Saint John Mill Rats defeated the Miracles, 128–110, behind 33 points from Doug Herring, Jr. They set a franchise record for most fans at the Harbour Station, with an attendance of 6,646.RECORD CROWD SEES MILL RATS DISMANTLE MIRACLES 128-110 http://www.millratsbasketball.ca/p/14579/nr/100188/record-crowd-sees-mill-rats-dismantle-miracles-128-110 MillRatsBasketball.ca Saint John Mill Rats 24 December 2015NBL Canada Takes Show On The Road http://www.nblcanada.ca/p/14578/nr/100801/nbl-canada-takes-show-on-the-road NBL Canada 18 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151222110152/http://www.nblcanada.ca/p/14578/nr/100801/nbl-canada-takes-show-on-the-road 22 December 2015 dead #eee December 18 8:00 pm Centre 200, Sydney, Nova Scotia Island Storm 103 Halifax Hurricanes 106 Recap 1,100 #eee December 19 7:00 pm Budweiser Gardens, London, Ontario Windsor Express 87 London Lightning 97 Recap 5,000+ #eee December 19 7:00 pm Scotiabank Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia Moncton Miracles 91 Halifax Hurricanes 110 Recap 2,000+ #eee December 21 7:00 pm Crandall University, Moncton, New Brunswick Island Storm 110 Moncton Miracles 115 Recap #eee December 23 6:00 pm Harbour Station, Saint John, New Brunswick Moncton Miracles 110 Saint John Mill Rats 128 Recap 6,646 Teams 2015-16 National Basketball League of Canada Division Team City Arena Capacity Atlantic Halifax Hurricanes Halifax, Nova Scotia Scotiabank Centre 10,500 Island Storm Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Eastlink Centre 4,000 Moncton Miracles Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton Coliseum 6,554 Saint John Mill Rats Saint John, New Brunswick Harbour Station 6,603 Central London Lightning London, Ontario Budweiser Gardens 9,000 Niagara River Lions St. Catharines, Ontario Meridian Centre 4,030 Orangeville A's Orangeville, Ontario Athlete Institute 1,000 Windsor Express Windsor, Ontario WFCU Centre 6,500 Map of teams left 10px Atlantic Division 10px Central Division 780 450 275 300 445 Canada 850 Canada 44.65 -63.58 Blue pog.svg 70 right Hurricanes Canada 46.25 -63.12 Blue pog.svg 70 top Storm Canada 46.10 -64.83 Blue pog.svg 70 left Miracles Canada 45.28 -66.06 Blue pog.svg 70 bottom Mill Rats Canada 42.98 -81.25 Red pog.svg 70 left Lightning Canada 43.16 -79.24 Red pog.svg 70 right River Lions Canada 43.93 -80.04 Red pog.svg 70 top A's Canada 42.32 -82.93 Red pog.svg 70 left Express Regular season Standings + Atlantic Division # Team W Games won L Games lost PCT Winning percentage GB Games back Div Division record GP Games played 1 Halifax Hurricanes 29 11 0.725 0 14-7 40 2 Saint John Mill Rats 25 15 0.625 4 13-9 40 3 Moncton Miracles 15 25 0.375 14 10-13 40 4 Island Storm 14 26 0.370 15 7-15 40 + Central Division # Team W Games won L Games lost PCT Winning percentage GB Games back Div Division record GP Games played 1 London Lightning 26 14 0.650 0 14-9 40 2 Windsor Express 21 19 0.525 5 15-10 40 3 Niagara River Lions 16 24 0.400 10 10-13 40 4 Orangeville A's 14 26 0.350 12 7-14 40 Statistics As of February 24, 2016. Individual statistic leaders Category Player Team Statistic Points per game Logan Stutz Niagara River Lions 23.8 Rebounds per game Stephen Maxwell London Lightning 12.7Assists per game Sammy Zeglinski Niagara River Lions 8.8Steals per game Brandon Robinson Windsor Express 2.8Blocks per game Anthony Stover Saint John Mill Rats 3.9 Turnovers per game Sammy Zeglinski Niagara River Lions 4.3 Fouls per game Gabe Freeman Saint John Mill Rats 4.2 Billy White Halifax Hurricanes Minutes per game Brandon Robinson Windsor Express 41.2 FG% Mike Glover Halifax Hurricanes 0.640FT% Corey Allmond Saint John Mill Rats 0.9233P% Brandan Kearney Moncton Miracles 0.519Double-doubles Stephen Maxwell London Lightning 13 Triple-doubles Anthony Stover Saint John Mill Rats 1 Individual game highs Category Player Team StatisticPoints Anthony Anderson Saint John Mill Rats 51 Rebounds Stephen Maxwell London Lightning 22Assists Sammy Zeglinski Niagara River Lions 18Steals Adrian Moss Windsor Express 7Blocks Anthony Stover Saint John Mill Rats 10 Three Pointers Clinton Springer-Williams Niagara River Lions 10 Team statistic leaders Category Team Statistic Points per game Saint John Mill Rats 111.6 Rebounds per game Niagara River Lions 50.8 Assists per game Windsor Express 25.2 Steals per game Halifax Hurricanes 10.6 Blocks per game Saint John Mill Rats 5.9 Turnovers per game Niagara River Lions 20.4 Fouls per game Halifax Hurricanes 29.1FG% Halifax Hurricanes 0.486 FT% Saint John Mill Rats 0.773 3FG% London Lightning 0.376 Attendance Team HomeGames Average Total London Lightning 20 5,659 113,176 Island Storm 20 1,950 39,009Halifax Hurricanes 20 1,929 38,581Saint John Mill Rats 20 1,774 35,480 Moncton Miracles 20 1,545 30,896Niagara River Lions 20 1,305 26,108Windsor Express 20 1,262 25,249 Orangeville A's 20 341 6,822 League 160 1,971 315,321 NBLC Weekly Report Feb21 http://nblcanada.ca/14774/2016-2017-pre-season-media-guide NBL Canada 22 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161221041021/http://nblcanada.ca/14774/2016-2017-pre-season-media-guide 21 December 2016 dead Awards Players of the Week Week Player Team Ref. 01 Dec. 27 Doug Herring, Jr. Saint John Mill Rats NBL Players of the Week http://www.nblcanada.com/nblcanada/images/NBL-C_Weekly_16_11.pdf NBL Canada 7 March 2016 Logan Stutz Niagara River Lions01 Jan. 3 Justin Johnson Halifax Hurricanes 01 Jan. 10 Brandon Robinson Windsor Express 01 Jan. 17 Tyshawn Patterson London Lightning 01 Jan. 24 Mike Glover Halifax Hurricanes Stephen Maxwell London Lightning01 Jan. 31 Nick Okorie London Lightning 01 Feb. 7 Anthony Stover Saint John Mill Rats 01 Feb. 14 Kyle Hunt Halifax Hurricanes 01 Feb. 21 Anthony Anderson Saint John Mill Rats 01 Feb. 28 Brian Addison Island Storm 01 Mar. 6 James Justice London Lightning Playoffs Division Semifinals Division Finals NBL Canada Finals Atlantic Division Central Division 1 Halifax 3 4 Island 0 2 Saint John 3 3 Moncton 1 1 London 3 4 Orangeville 0 2 Windsor 3 3 Niagara 0 1 Halifax 4 2 Saint John 0 1 London 4 2 Windsor 2 A1 Halifax 4 C1 London 3 NBL Canada Finals #eee June 2 7:00 pm Scotiabank Centre, Halifax London Lightning 115 Halifax Hurricanes 105 Box score 23–23 25–21 32–29 35–32 Shane Gibson 18 Akeem Wright 25 Kyle Hunt 9 Stephen Maxwell 9 Cliff Clinkscales 6 Ed Horton 6 1,438 London leads series 1–0 #eee June 3 7:00 pm Scotiabank Centre, Halifax London Lightning 119 Halifax Hurricanes 133 Box score 35–36 28–30 30–33 28–34 Joel Friesen 28 Garrett Williamson 23 Renaldo Dixon, Mike Glover 6 each Stephen Maxwell 7 Cliff Clinkscales 9 Akeem Scott 6 1,904 Halifax ties series 1–1 #eee June 6 7:00 pm Budweiser Gardens, London Halifax Hurricanes 101 London Lightning 96 Box score 22–20 19–18 32–31 28–27 Akeem Scott 25 Kyle Hunt, Justin Johnson 16 each Akeem Wright 13 Mike Glover 7 Akeem Scott 12 Cliff Clinkscales 12 2,964 Halifax leads series 2–1 #eee June 8 7:00 pm Budweiser Gardens, London Halifax Hurricanes 99 London Lightning 98 Box score 21–21 26–23 25–27 27–27 Akeem Scott 26 Shane Gibson 20 Akeem Wright 5 Mike Glover 9 Akeem Scott, Akeem Wright 4 each Cliff Clinkscales 7 3,790 Halifax leads series 3–1 #eee June 10 7:00 pm Budweiser Gardens, London Halifax Hurricanes 81 London Lightning 92 Box score 15–20 19–28 23–20 24–24 Akeem Scott 19 Justin Johnson 20 Stephen Maxwell 8 Joel Friesen 10 Akeem Scott 9 Cliff Clinkscales 6 7,583 Halifax leads series 3–2 #eee June 12 7:00 pm Scotiabank Centre, Halifax London Lightning 93 Halifax Hurricanes 91 Box score 29–23 12–20 31–22 21–26 Justin Johnson 26 Akeem Scott 24 Cliff Clinkscales, Joel Friesen, Shane Gibson, Kyle Hunt, Kevin Loiselle, Billy White, 5 each Stephen Maxwell 9 Cliff Clinkscales 9 Akeem Scott 9 2,133 London ties series 3–3 #eee June 13 7:00 pm Scotiabank Centre, Halifax London Lightning 117 Halifax Hurricanes 125 Box score 24–23 20–32 43–27 30–43 Justin Johnson 41 Stephen Maxwell, Garrett Williamson 25 each Kyle Hunt 8 Ryan Anderson 12 Cliff Clinkscales 9 Garrett Williamson 7 2,399 Halifax wins series 4–3 Notable occurrences Offseason center center right vertical 200 Brampton Dominion Building.jpg Downtown orangeville nov 5 2006.jpg The A's relocated from Brampton (top) to Orangeville, Ontario (bottom) during the offseason. The league established a team from St. Catharines, Ontario called the Niagara River Lions. They begin play at the Meridian Centre as a member of the Central Division.Niagara River Lions Officially Arrive in the NBLC http://www.nblcanada.com/news/100743/niagara-river-lions-officially-arrive-in-the-nblc NBL Canada 19 September 2015 The NBL Canada unanimously hired Brampton A's head coach and general manager Dave Magley as commissioner, succeeding Paul Riley. The Mississauga Power franchise folded with the creation of Raptors 905, a D-League affiliate to the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) acquired the team's rights.The Mississauga Power Join MLSE To Become Raptors 905 http://www.nblcanada.com/news/100746/the-mississauga-power-join-mlse-to-become-raptors-905 NBL Canada 19 September 2015 The Halifax Rainmen filed for bankruptcy in the fallout of the 2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl. The franchise later gets new ownership and is rebranded as the Halifax Hurricanes.Professional basketball returning to Halifax for 2015-16 NBLC season with local ownership http://www.nblcanada.com/news/100765/professional-basketball-returning-to-halifax-for-2015-16-nblc-season-with-local-ownership NBL Canada 19 September 2015Halifax Rainmen file for bankruptcy http://www.nblcanada.com/p/14578/nr/100748/halifax-rainmen-file-for-bankruptcy NBL Canada 19 September 2015 The Brampton A's relocated from Brampton to Orangeville, Ontario. Their home arena changed from the Powerade Centre to the Athlete Institute. They were also renamed the Orangeville A's.Inscoe Robin UPDATE: National Basketball League of Canada approves Brampton A's move to Orangeville http://www.orangeville.com/sports-story/5843641-update-national-basketball-league-of-canada-approves-brampton-a-s-move-to-orangeville/ Orangeville Banner 19 September 2015 The league announced the Cape Breton Highlanders, a new expansion team from Sydney, Nova Scotia, who were expected to operate in the 2015–16 season in the Atlantic Division.MacDonald Glenn Group expected to announce NBL team for Sydney on Tuesday http://thechronicleherald.ca/sports/1311768-group-expected-to-announce-nbl-team-for-sydney-on-tuesday The Chronicle Herald 19 September 2015 However they later announced they would not join until the 2016–17 season. The Saint John Mill Rats unveiled a new logo, slightly resembling their previous one, and an official slogan "Building Amazing Now".Mill Rats Unveil New Logo and Sign Two NBL Canada MVP's http://www.nblcanada.com/news/100781/mill-rats-unveil-new-logo-and-sign-two-nbl-canada-mvps NBL Canada 12 December 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20151222154345/http://www.nblcanada.com/news/100781/mill-rats-unveil-new-logo-and-sign-two-nbl-canada-mvps December 22, 2015 The Mill Rats signed two former NBL Canada Most Valuable Players in Anthony Anderson and Gabe Freeman in a key offseason acquisition. The league's Board of Governors approved of a stricter drug policy, a dress code, and created rules to promote sportsmanship.NBL CANADA Board Make Rulings to Improve League http://nblcanada.ca/news/100790/nbl-canada-board-make-rulings-to-improve-league NBL Canada 9 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151210220930/http://nblcanada.ca/news/100790/nbl-canada-board-make-rulings-to-improve-league 10 December 2015 dead The defending champions Windsor Express got new members from a private local partner to add to its ownership.NBL Canada's Defending Champion Adds Local Ownership Group http://www.nblcanada.ca/p/14578/nr/100799/nbl-canadas-defending-champion-adds-local-ownership-group NBL Canada 12 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151219082439/http://www.nblcanada.ca/p/14578/nr/100799/nbl-canadas-defending-champion-adds-local-ownership-group 19 December 2015 dead The Mill Rats set a franchise record with an attendance of 6,646 in a preseason game vs the Moncton Miracles on December 23, 2015. Doug Herring, Jr. of the Mill Rats and Logan Stutz of the River Lions become the first co-Players of the Week on December 27, 2015.Logan Stutz & Doug Herring Jr. Named NBLC Co-Players of the Week http://www.nblcanada.ca/p/14578/nr/100822/logan-stutz-doug-herring-jr-named-nblc-co-players-of-the-week NBL Canada 28 December 2015September 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes References 30em Category:National Basketball League of Canada seasons