London Badgers

Team History 

2013 Season 

The London Disco finished the 2013 season with an overall record of 44-36 with GM Jorden Lawrence at the helm.  Despite the winning record, the team struggled defensively, ranking 25th in the league in opponent points per game.  Behind an offense led by 23-year-old Shermar Mahara and his 23.4 points per game, the Disco had the 6th most prolific offense in the league.  They also ranked as the best rebounding team in the entire WBA.  25-year-old Wu Dian Fan was also in the starting lineup for this team, averaging nearly 16 points per game.  In 2013, the Disco were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Juggers, four games to zero.  To put into perspective how much the league has changed since 2013, this playoff Disco team had four total players that had blue potential, and only three were currently green.   

 

2014 Season 

The 2014 season saw some youthful roster changes that were intended to set the Disco up for future success.  22-year-old Djoka Andjelic, 25-year-old Chad Nolan, and 19-year-old Keenan Holter were all brought in to bolster the lineup that already included Mahara and Dian-fan.  Unfortunately, the acquisitions did not translate to on-court success, as the Disco finished the year at 32-48 and failed to make the playoffs.  Defense continued to be a major struggle for this team, ending the season with the 24th ranked defense.  Offensively, scoring also took a step back, falling to 14th in the league.  It was a disappointing season in London, after what had seemed to be a promising finish in 2013.  The roster additions just failed to achieve the desired results.   

 

2015 Season 

With Jorden Lawrence still at the helm, the Disco saw a major improvement in the 2015 season, jumping up to a record of 54-26.  The major addition to the team was shooting guard Bishop Stein.  Stein immediately improved the team’s offensive ability, averaging over 24 points per game and 6 rebounds.  Defensively, the team saw growth as well, suddenly being ranked 13th in the league for opponent scoring.  A scoring margin of 8.0, 6th best in the league, catapulted the Disco back into the playoffs.  Facing Milan in the first round of the playoffs, the Disco pulled off a 4-2 series win as the higher seed.  In the second round, the 68-win Dinos overpowered them, leading to a sweep. 

 

2016 Season 

The 2016 season saw new leadership at the GM position.  Jorden Lawrence had moved on and Ryan Whitaker was now at the helm.  Despite his impact on the team, Bishop Stein left the roster and Keanan Carrington was added.  Similar to past seasons, the offense was ranked in the top 10 in the league, and the defense was 17th overall.  A proven method to win games, but not win championships.  The Disco ended the season with a 48-32 record, and once again found themselves in the playoffs.  Led by Shermar Mahara and Wu Dian-fan, the Disco were swept by the Milan Mayhem in round 1.   

2017 Season 

In year two of operations, Ryan Whitaker made some major changes to the Disco roster, with very little change in overall results.  After carrying the team for the past few season, Shermar Mahara and Wu Dian-fan left the team and were replaced by Juwan Bixby, Chance Crowley (had been with the team a few years prior), and Cordell Parks.  Despite the changes, the Disco once again finished 10th in scoring, while ranking 17th in defense.  Rebounding, what had always been a strong point, finished third in the league.  If anything, the roster adjustments made the team older, but unfortunately did not lead to more wins, finishing the season at 44-36.  This Disco team reached the playoffs and was able to do something that previous teams could not, they knocked off the Mayhem in round one, winning the series 4-3.  They were not as fortunate in the second round, getting swept by the Outlaws. 

 

2018 Season 

The 2018 season saw another change in the GM position with Lamar Edwards taking over.  Casey Pointer was a major addition to the team and immediately became the focal point of the offense.  He and Cordell Parks formed a strong duo, but overall depth really impacted the potential of this team.  There was no true point guard on the roster, and a consistent lineup was never really identified.  Without an identify, the offense struggled overall, ranking 23rd in the entire league.  Finishing the season at 36-44, this Disco team failed to make the playoffs. 

 

2019 Season 

Yet another GM change took place in the 2019 season, and the turmoil was really beginning to take a toll on the roster and team performance.  Earl Breese took over as GM and struggled to find success in year number one.  Finishing the season with a record of 23-57 was a low point for the team that had previously had a decent amount of sustained success and at least reached the playoffs.  The Disco were in the lottery, and there was a generational talent available in the draft – quite possibly the best player the league had ever seen.  Amazingly, the Disco ended up with the first overall pick, and despite the record, this season suddenly became the most important season in team history.  At this point, it did not matter who else was on the roster.  All attention turned to the future with Benet Da Gama. 

 

2020 Season 

The Da Gama affect was real, but GM Earl Breese could not manage to get enough weapons around him in order to have a great season.  The 2020 season ended with only 33 wins, but Da Gama proved his abilities by scoring over 31 points per game and bringing down nearly 9 rebounds per game.  It was clear that putting a competitive roster around BDG would prove to be a winning strategy for the future, but how much time would it take?  Ajan Estay was another key addition to this team, providing a point guard with the ability to distribute the ball and get Da Gama more opportunities.  Defense was once again the weakness, as the team ranked 26th in the league. 

 

2021 Season 

Drama surrounded the 2021 season, and despite GM Earl Breese finishing the season, there was some frustration around the league at the decision to place Da Gama in the D-League.  In a season that should really be forgotten in Disco history, the team won a measly 18 games while the best player in the league was not even playing.  Even with BDG it likely would have been a 30 to 40 win season, but without him the team depth was nowhere near competitive.  There was once again a GM opening after the season. 

 

2022 Season 

To start the 2022 season, GM David Morfeld made a choice that he is starting to question as he reads about the number of GM changes that London has had in the recent past.  After remaking a Las Vegas Gamblers roster into a playoff contender, he felt compelled to move to London and oversee operations around a once-in-a-lifetime player that had been completely misused.  He immediately began to make roster changes and, over the course of the year, acquired Lonny Jordan, Timi Rambuka, Friedrich Egg, Djoka Andelic, and drafted Etienne Malfait.  The team catapulted to a record of 49-31, winning 12 of their last 15 games.  Similar to London teams in the past, the team scored a lot of points but could not prevent opponents from doing the same.  Offensively they finished third in the league in points, but defensively ranked 18th.  The same formula for an early playoff exit was achieved, and the Paris Honey Bees swept the Disco 4-0 on their way to a WBA Championship.  Benet Da Gama would win WBA MVP and Etienne Malfait would win Rookie of the Year.