BBL Returns One Team And Adds Another For Upcoming Season

The "resurrected Manchester Giants have confirmed" they will be a part of the British Basketball League next season, according to Anthony Jepson of the MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS. The franchise will return to the the BBL with veteran Jeff Jones as their coach, while another team, the East London Royals, join the league as well. The Giants will be based at Wright Robinson Sports College in Gorton, and the owners of the club "plan to become a force in the league again using largely local talent." The Giants' playing operation will again be overseen by Jones, who coached and played for the team in their previous run. Giants were "one of the biggest names" in British basketball until they folded in '01, "when the prohibitive cost of the use of the Manchester Arena as a home venue was one of the reasons that saw them cease to exist." The Royals will be based at the Sporthouse in Mayesbrook Park, Dagenham, which can hold a capacity of 4,000 (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 6/19).