The league has witnessed some stunning championship finals over the years, with performers and MVPs stamping their name in the history of the EABL.
You can click the ribbons below for a detailed report of championship final in EABL history, re-living how some of the league's greatest showpiece games played out.
This section will be updated upon the completion of each season.
Charnwood College Riders won their fourth EABL title but were made to work for it by City of London Academy - Southwark, eventually coming through 64-59.
The final appeared to be ticking along in Charnwood's favour, with the Riders leading by as many as 18 points in the second quarter. Entering the fourth still up by 15, the 2021/22 champs were comfortable but a 16-3 run from CoLA to begin the final frame pulled the contest back to a surprising two point game with 2:50 remaining.
That brought the crowd alive for both teams as the programmes traded buckets down an exciting final stretch.
Charnwood regained their composure to get themselves over the line, thanks in part to the MVP play of Oscar Curran. Steady from the line to ice the game, the Riders guard chipped in nine points to go with an impressive ten assists and four steals, avoiding a single turnover across 33:04 of action.
Lewis Malcolm (15pts, 11reb) top scored for the winners, with Edward Oniya (7pts, 10reb, 4ast, 4blk) also putting in a strong two-way performance.
CoLA were left disappointed in their first-ever EABL final but they have plenty to build on going forward. That includes first year guard Khyle Capanzana, who had a 20 point, 10 rebound double-double. Captain Mou Wol (11pts) was the only other player to reach double digits on the score board.
A proud Will Maynard reacts to his Charnwood team’s EABL Final victory 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ExIPQT6F3f
— Academy Basketball England (@academybballeng) March 27, 2024
Barking sealed their first solo EABL title since 2017/18 with a solid 75-60 victory over Myerscough.
These two finalists shared the 2019/20 title when the season was curtailed due to COVID-19, but the Londoners made this crown their own thanks to an MVP performance from Moziah King-Danchie.
With a well-rounded stat line of 16 points, five assists and four rebounds, the talented guard former a solid one-two combo with forward Ignas Juskevicius, who enjoyed a 14 point, 12 rebound double-double.
South conference MVP Nedas Cholevinskas closed on a game-high 17 points.
Barking moved out to an early 10 point lead in the first before Myerscough battled back to leave the game evenly poised at 39-36 Barking come half time.
A 12-2 run to start the third resulted in 22-11 frame to the South #1 seeds, and that proved to be the difference between the sides as BA held onto their lead the rest of the way.
Myerscough shot just 27% from the floor as the North West programme were beaten finalists for the second year in a row, with Dayvantia Campbell-Deeble (13pts, 11reb) and Daniel Azancot (11pts) the only players to make it to double digits on the scoreboard.
.@AbbeyBasketball MVP Moziah King-Danchie on his performance and getting it done in the third 🏆#GameTime | #EABL pic.twitter.com/Nq993oCPoq
— EABL (@OfficialEABL) March 29, 2023
Charnwood securing their third EABL title as they edged Northern conference rivals Myerscough 83-74.
In a game where neither team led by more than five points for the majority of three quarters, the Riders came alive late to grab a famous victory, led by MVP Victor Ndoukou.
The Charnwood forward dropped a game-high 30 points alongside 11 boards, with Kanu Gudza (12pts, 8ast) and Ben Woog (15pts, 9reb, with 7 on offence) playing well in support.
In a game that contained plenty of quality from both teams, Myerscough refused to go quietly and for large periods were very much the equal of the Riders.
That led to a narrow 38-37 Charnwood advantage by half time, setting the stage perfectly for an explosive final 20 minutes.
Led by Zeki Cavli (22pts) and Bryan Akanmu (21pts, 9reb), the North West programme edged ahead after the break but started to come unstuck late in the quarter as they were on the receiving end of a 10-3 run that finally put some daylight between the two teams.
The see-saw battle continued into the final frame as Charnwood's advantage shrunk once again, but a three point deficit was as close as Myerscough would get before the Riders pulled away to their first title since 2018/19.
That winning feeling 🏆 #GameTime | #EABL pic.twitter.com/u0JffzXsPN
— EABL (@OfficialEABL) March 30, 2022
MVP Victor Ndoukou and coach Will Maynard discuss more success for the @CharnwoodBball, and pay credit to Myerscough 👏 #GameTime | #EABL pic.twitter.com/ssZi0s0qOt
— EABL (@OfficialEABL) March 30, 2022
No season took place in 2020/21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barking Abbey & Myerscough College were crowned co-champions in 2019/20 as the season was curtailed due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The season had progressed as normal up to that point, though national lockdown restrictions were imposed shortly before the final was set to take place.
The climax to an intense day of finals saw one of the competition's greatest ever comebacks as Charnwood College denied Barking Abbey a third straight EABL title following a 75-63 win.
With three quarters in the books, Barking had established a healthy lead, up 63-44 with 10 minutes remaining. What followed left the crowd at Essex Arena stunned as Charnwood reeled off a 31-0 4th quarter, shutting out their hugely talented opponents in the frame for an unforgettable victory.
The first quarter was tightly contested with both teams trading baskets to keep the score close. But through a few strong post moves by Hosana Kitenge and a great and-one lay up, Charnwood would go into the break up 19–14.
The second quarter started with a strong run from Barking, taking the London side into lead following an impressive basket from Jonathan Brown in transition. Lloyd Gardener's team continued their positive play as Barking built a slender advantage before Charnwood responded in kind to leave the score evenly balanced at 35–31 by the half.
Coach Lloyd Gardener clearly said all the right things during the break as Barking came out all guns blazing to quickly push the game in their favour behind some great play from Ade Adebayo.
Barking continued to work hard and slick offence was coupled with intense defence, forcing multiple misses from Charnwood as the difference on the score board grew.
To end the quarter, Tautvydas Mieliauskas and Chris Feeney hit back to back threes for BA to take the quarter 32-9 and an overall lead of 63-44. With that kind of momentum on their side, it made the 4th quarter even harder to believe.
The final frame started with a quick 5- 0 run for Charnwood that at the time looked to simply make the game a little more interesting. Barking then got into foul trouble with both Robin Bedford and Jonathan Brown fouling out mid way through the quarter.
Charnwood's momentum then began to tell as the Midland's programme moved through the gears at both ends of the court to quickly diminish their arrears.
With Charnwood's Niall Harris showing why he was Northern Conference MVP with an impressive scoring display, he eventually helped to push his side out in front and seal a comeback that will be talked about for a long time to come.
Charnwood Top Scorers: Niall Harris with 17, Joe Bielak and Blaize Sagna with 16 and Hosana Kitenge with 13.
Barking Abbey Top Scorers: Ade Adebayo with 13, Chris Feeney and Nathaniel Powell with 12 and Spyridon Kapsalos and Jonathan Brown with 8.
MVP: Niall Harris with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals.
Barking Abbey successfully defended their EABL title after beating Myerscough 96-83 in a convincing display in Thursday's final at Leicester Arena.
Caleb Fuller was named MVP after contributing 18 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the win with Ade Adebayo also impressing with 18 points along with 6 assists and 5 steals.
"Me and my team put in a lot hours in the gym leading up to this game so today we were very confident due to our hard work," declared Fuller.
Sean Nealon-Lino added 13 points with Theo Hughes also in double figures with 10, while three other players all hit 9 points for BA in a balanced scoring attack.
BA produced a dominant start as they poured in 32 points in the opening quarter to establish early control with a double-digit advantage.
Myerscough were slow to recover and despite edging the second quarter, they still trailed by 11 at 49-38 going into the half-time break. And, BA broke further clear in the third with a 12-3 start before Andre Laviner netted three consecutive treys to help his side to a 73-51 lead.
It was a long way back with 10 minutes to go, but Myerscough fought until the end as they scored 32 points in the final period in an entertaining finish as BA were able to celebrate victory in the EABL final for the second year in a row.
"We did a really good job today," said BA Head Coach Lloyd Gardner. "Coming in I was worried about how we defend the perimeter but we did a really good job defensively.
"We have a lot of weapons on offence and we showed that today."
Konrad Kantorski fired in 26 points in defeat for Myerscough with Mate Okros putting up 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
"I think we've done really well with this group to get to this position," Myerscough Head Coach Neal Hopkins said.
"We knew it was going to be tough against this BA team that are stacked at every position, super well coached and played their hearts out. They caught us from the first quarter and we found it really hard to recover from that."
And despite the final loss, Hopkins reflected on the season positively:
"It was a difficult season coming into it, I think we've overachieved with a really good group; they're a super group and done really well for me. I can't discredit anything they've done this year, they've been awesome."
Caleb Fuller takes home the MVP award after finishing with 18 points along with 8 rebounds & 7 assists in the win for @AbbeyBasketball!#theEABL pic.twitter.com/MKBYFZlXNQ
— EABL (@OfficialEABL) March 22, 2018
Barking Abbey completed a perfect season after defeating Charnwood 82-65 to win their first EABL Championship title since 2014.
Dan Akin put in a dominant performance with 28 points, on 13-of-15 shooting, whilst adding 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals on his way to claiming the MVP award.
BA finished the regular season 14-0, and then completed another three wins to finish up 17-0, as they jumped out to an early lead on Charnwood and never looked back.
"It's great - we worked the whole season to get this," Akin said.
"Our goal at the beginning of the season was to win a Championship so it's great to get this. Charnwood didn't come out too strong, we expected a much better matchup, but we were the better team on the day."
Meanwhile, BA Head Coach Lloyd Gardner was elated with the win.
"I'm really proud of the guys - the effort they've put in this season, the coaching staff as well. Myself and James (Vear) are here today - but all the guys not here - are all grafting behind the scenes and might not be seen.
"I'm really proud of the performance as well. I thought it was a difficult place to come and play. We've had a difficult schedule of late, we responded absolutely brilliantly and I'm really proud of the performance as well as the victory."
And on the perfect season, he added:
"I didn't even think about it, to be honest - coming in it wasn't about the undefeated, it was about winning.
"Being undefeated doesn't mean a lot, unless you win the final game - that's the only thing that matters."
Amin Adamu had 14 and RJ Eytle-Rock added 13 points for BA, whilst Charnwood were led by 21 points from Sesan Russell and 16 and 10 rebounds from Henri Lanton.
It was Charnwood who struck first to take an early lead, but a 6-0 BA run, punctuated by a huge dunk from Dan Akin saw BA regain control and from there they never allowed Charnwood back into the game.
Holding a 20-11 lead after the opening quarter, BA opened the period with an 8-0 run and it wasn't long before the deficit was 20.
Halftime saw BA lead 44-25, as Akin already had 14 points on 7 of 8 shooting, whilst Sesan Russell was doing all he could to keep his side in the game.
However, it would not be enough. BA never let up as they cruised in the second half to become the only time two time EABL National Champions.
Congratulations to @AbbeyBasketball - a perfect undefeated season and regaining the title they last won in 2014! 🏆 🏆#theEABL pic.twitter.com/PvTBmZyqE1
— EABL (@OfficialEABL) March 29, 2017
Play of the game: @abbeybasketball's @officialrj_1 finds Dan Akin for a huge finish! 😤🏀 #theEABL pic.twitter.com/D5zWcU7elJ
— EABL (@OfficialEABL) March 30, 2017
Charnwood College pulled away for a 73-62 win over Myerscough College and claimed the 2016 EABL National Championship on Wednesday evening at Leicester Community Sports Arena.
Charnwood rushed the floor in jubilation as the final buzzer sounded, having handed defending champions Myerscough their first loss in almost two years in the competition.
Thomas Yome picked up MVP, finishing with 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, while missing just two shots.
"It's crazy, the journey we've had as a team," said Yome. "We've had to regroup and now we're champs of the EABL. It wasn't easy, we kept to the game plan and kept to what Coach wanted us to do."
Despite trailing since the opening period, Myerscough refused to go down without a fight, led by a third quarter charge from Kyle Carey who finished with a game-high 23 points, adding 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Carey had 9 points over the final 4 minutes of the third period, as Myerscough reduced the deficit to two points, but that was as close as they would get.
Key baskets from Tim Fava, Morgan Carter and Andre Arissol opened up the fourth quarter, before Yome's heroics where he reeled off 9 consecutive points for Charnwood to put the game out of reach for good.
"It feels fantastic, still a little bit surreal - it's still sinking in," said Charnwood's Head Coach Josh Merrington.
"Fantastic effort. I'm extremely proud of the players, we've had a lot of ups and downs this season behind the scenes that people don't see but these guys have been really good. They've allowed me to coach them hard which I appreciate and they deserve this for all their hard work and commitment to the programme this year, it's a great group of individuals and I'm so happy for them.
"It's the fifth time we've played them and the first time we've managed to beat them. Myerscough are a great programme, I think that's their first loss in the past two years so respect to Neal Hopkins and his team, he does an outstanding job up there and we has to play really, really well to beat them."
Arissol scored a team-high 21 points, while Fava added 12 and 11 rebounds - it was the perfect last game for the senior trio who will graduate from Charnwood this summer.
Merrington added:
"I want to mention our three Senior guards who we're going to lose this year; Tom Yome, Tim Fava, and Andre Arissol, who've just been outstanding leaders for this programme, and shown the first and second year guys how to operate. They've set the bar really high now for the standards that we expect in this programme."
Carey was the only player in double digits for Myerscough, with Zion Tordoff adding 8 points and 13 rebounds, while Ayo Nuwe also finished with 8 points.
Myerscough College were crowned the 2015 EABL National Champions with a 70-56 victory over SGS College on Saturday evening at UEL SportsDock.
Emmanuel Kabengele picked up MVP, with a 13 point, 13 rebound double double, as SGS had no answer for the Myerscough side who turned it up in the second half to pull away in the third quarter for good.
It is only Myerscough's second year in existence as a basketball programme, and what a second year it has been, claiming four national titles, with the EABL Championship being the icing on the cake.
Myerscough also gained revenge for their Elite 8 exit last year, which was at the hands of their final opponents, SGS.
"Unbelievable," said an elated Neal Hopkins, Head Coach of Myerscough.
"These guys have worked tirelessly all year, the staff have worked tirelessly all year. I want to thanks all the guys that have been involved back at Myerscough, and the college for backing us and putting us in a position where we can compete at the highest level."
Kiko Stavrev added a 16 point, 10 rebound double double and Tadhg Hickey joined them in double figures with 10 points.
Kabengele earned himself the nickname the "manchild" for his physicality on the glass and dominance inside throughout the Final Four.
"It feels great (to win)," said Kabengele, who is looking at options in both the US and Europe for next season.
"The fact that we've won four national titles this year, makes it even better."
With Myerscough unable to shake SGS in the first half, it was the third quarter where they took control.
"We only had a 10 point lead at half time," Kabengele added. "Coach Neal just told us to step it up, not slack off as they could comeback anytime and that's what we did and ended up winning."
SGS were led by 22 points and 10 rebounds from Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, but were harassed into just 9% shooting from beyond the arc (2/22) and 32% from the field, as they were unable to get the storybook ending they were looking for. The defeat marked the third consecutive year they have fallen in the EABL Championship Final.
Barking Abbey were crowned the 2014 EABL National Champions, beating SGS College 76-74 in the final in front of 500 people at UEL Sports Dock on Saturday evening.
It was a fitting end to the season as the two best teams in the league battled down to the wire, with Barking Abbey going on a furious come from behind rally over the final minutes of the game to take their inaugural under-19 championship.
SGS College had three attempts to win or send it to overtime on their last possession after successive offensive rebounds, but were unable to convert, as the Barking Abbey bench stormed the court in celebration on the final horn, before soaking their coaching staff with water.
It was two Daniel Ogunseye free throws with less than 30 seconds remaining that ended up being the game winners, but the talking point was MVP Josh Steel's back to back three pointers with just over three minutes left that gave BA a two point lead after trailing by as many as seven in the final period.
"He hit some clutch shots," said BA Head Coach Frank Holloway. "Those two threes he nailed, they were huge, it was intense. I'm glad he made them, he's a hell of a player and he deserves to be the MVP."
"It's taken us three years since I've been playing in this league, and I'm just so happy to finally win it," said Steel, who finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. "We've never won this league before so for us to win it as this group feels so special.
"SGS were very worthy opponents. I didn't expect for them to be as tough as they were, they kept coming back and just wouldn't go away."
SGS were the only undefeated team in the EABL heading into the final and refused to go down without a fight, appearing to be in control for large parts of the game, which featured no less than 15 lead changes and 11 ties.
"We got a good look, to be honest," said SGS Head Coach Andreas Kapoulas, referring to their last possession.
"At the end of the day, it was a great day of basketball, Barking played really well, I think both of us played really well and I think it was an exciting game, but in every game there was a loser and a winner and this time around it was Barking's time."
"The guys deserve it," said BA Head Coach Frank Holloway. "They played their best game, they played their hardest, they didn't give up. I couldn't be happier with them right now. It's just a testament to what we do at Barking, being the GB Institute, the amount of hours the guys put in, the individuals, the playing schedules, playing in the UK & the US, they've showed they're champions and today they proved it."
Dwayne Orija added 13 points and 7 rebounds for BA, Daniel Ogunseye had 12 points and 11 rebounds while coming up huge down the stretch and Joe Lockwood added 10.
It was SGS College's dynamic duo of Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye and Tamas Okros who led from the front, with Lautier-Ogunleye finishing a rebound short of a triple double with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists, whilst Okros had 21.
Harris Academy Beckenham won the 2012/13 EABL title after cruising past South Gloucestershire & Stroud (SGS) Academy 80-56 in the final at Fenton Manor Sports Complex, Stoke on Trent.
The side from South London were led by an MVP performance from Terence Mustre, who finished with 21 points, all on three pointers, as he connected on 7 from behind the arc, 5 after the halftime break.
Rowell Graham had 21 of his own with a number of big dunks, whilst Kavell Bigby-Williams added 14.
Harris Academy proved too big and strong for both Barking Abbey in their semi, and SGS in the final, as they dominated the glass and overpowered their opponents.
SGS were led by Jack Griffiths’ 12 points whilst England Under-18s, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye and Tamas Okros, were held to just 12 points between them.
Derby College/Noel Baker School defeated defending champions Loreto College, 73-67, to claim their first ever EABL title.
The win capped a perfect season for the Midlands team, who went 6-0 in the regular season before a 4-0 playoff run.
Derby's Rema Lascelles was selected as the Final's MVP.
Loreto College romped to the first Under-19s British Colleges Premier National Title.
The Hulme-based outfit beat SEEVIC College (Essex) 82-72 in the final in Birmingham.
The team, made up of Manchester Magic's successful under-18 players, held strong in the final after a convincing win in the semis.
Josh McGinn and Joe Kilpatrick top-scored in the final with 14 apiece, while guard Tom Devitt took the MVP award.
The team was led by Paul Middleton, who also coaches the Magic Under-18 team. He was assisted by Garry Latham.
