The 2022 NBL1 season was the third season of the NBL1. With the West Conference introduced in 2021 alongside the South, North and Central conferences, the NBL1 expanded further in 2022 with the inclusion of an East Conference.
The 2022 season was the NBL1's first full season to be completed since 2019 and the first to feature the NBL1 National Finals.
The NBL1 had expanded in 2021 with the West Conference introduced alongside the South, North and Central conferences.[1][2] In 2022, the NBL1 expanded to five conferences after partnering with Basketball New South Wales to make the Waratah League the new East Conference.[3][4]
An additional conference, known as the NBL1 Wildcard Series, was introduced in 2022 after a partnership with Basketball Australia saw the Centre of Excellence feature in one-off games against the top teams from all five NBL1 State Conferences of the prior year. 20 men's and 16 women's games were played in the Wildcard Conference. The team who finished on top of the NBL1 Wildcard ladder, based on points percentage, were granted entry as the sixth women's and men's teams in the 2022 NBL1 National Finals alongside the State Conference champions.[5]
Conference seasons
The season began on 2 April for the East Conference, 8 April for the West Conference, 9 April for the Central Conference, 10 April for the Wildcard Conference, 21 April for the South Conference and 29 April for the North Conference.[6] All conference finals were concluded by 3 September.[7][8][9]
The women's grand final saw the Ringwood Hawks defeat the Bendigo Braves 89–73[12] while the men's grand final saw the Hobart Chargers defeat the Mount Gambier Pioneers 78–62.[13]Marena Whittle of the Ringwood Hawks was named women's grand final MVP while Sam McDaniel of the Hobart Chargers was named men's grand final MVP.[12][13]
The women's grand final series saw the Townsville Flames defeat the Logan Thunder 2–0, with 85–57 in game one and 80–48 in game two,[16][17] while the men's grand final series saw the Gold Coast Rollers defeat the USC Rip City 2–0, with 101–86 in game one and 118–71 in game two.[18][19]Stephanie Reid of the Townsville Flames was named women's grand final MVP while Jason Cadee of the Gold Coast Rollers was named men's grand final MVP.[17][19]
The women's grand final saw the West Adelaide Bearcats defeat the Sturt Sabres 82–75[22] while the men's grand final saw the South Adelaide Panthers defeat the Woodville Warriors 88–58.[23]Madelynn Utti of the West Adelaide Bearcats was named women's grand final MVP while Alex Starling of the South Adelaide Panthers was named men's grand final MVP.[22][23]
The women's grand final saw the Warwick Senators defeat the Willetton Tigers 87–61[25] while the men's grand final saw the Rockingham Flames defeat the Geraldton Buccaneers 91–79.[26]Leonie Fiebich of the Warwick Senators was named women's grand final MVP while Devondrick Walker of the Rockingham Flames was named men's grand final MVP.[25][26]
The women's grand final saw the Albury Wodonga Bandits defeat the Sutherland Sharks 85–72[28] while the men's grand final saw the Canberra Gunners defeat the Maitland Mustangs 76–73.[29]Unique Thompson of the Albury Wodonga Bandits was named women's grand final MVP while Glenn Morison of the Canberra Gunners was named men's grand final MVP.[28][29]
Wildcard
The BA Centre of Excellence women recorded a 10–6 record in their 16 Wildcard games while the men's team recorded a 15–5 record in their 20 Wildcard games.[9]
The Southern Districts Spartans from the North Conference finished on top of the Wildcard women's ladder while the Frankston Blues from the South Conference finished on top of the Wildcard men's ladder.[9] Both teams were subsequently granted entry into the NBL1 National Finals.[30][31]
The 2022 NBL1 National Finals took place at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne between Friday 9 September and Sunday 11 September.[32] It served as the inaugural National Finals after the 2021 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33]
The champions from each of the five conferences, plus the Wildcard conference winners, faced off on Friday and Saturday for a spot in the Championship Games on Sunday.[34][35][36] Each team played two preliminary games in which they generated ranking points, with the top two ranked women's and men's teams then playing in the Championship Game.[32]
Ranking points over the first two days included three points for a win, one point for each quarter won, and half a point for tied quarters. The schedule for Friday was determined by a random draw. On Saturday, the highest point scorer from Friday played fifth place, the second highest played fourth place, and the third highest played sixth place. On Sunday, the top two point scores over Friday and Saturday played in the Championship Game, while third place to sixth place competed in consolation games.[34]
