CPL Big Number Archive

2017/18:

Our first big number is 115.

This is the difference between the total amounts of points scored in the opening round of the 2017/18 season compared to the 2016/17 season. What can we say has caused this increase? Well it is not the amount of players playing in the first round. For both 2016/17 and 2017/18 season openers a total of 114 players took the courts. This means that the average points per player has risen from 6.2 points per player in 2016/17 to 7.3 points per player in 2017/18. The most points scored in the opening round of 2016/17 were 22. The 2017/18 season opener had 28 as the most points scored. Well what is the answer? Men lie, Women lie, Stats don’t. The CPL continues to get better every season.


Our second big number is 3.

Yes 3. Now I hear you saying, “3, that is literally the third lowest number”. But you need to remember that 3 is more than 2. In the CPL 2017/18 season so far 149 three pointers have been made. This is an average of 4.65 per team. 3 is not only a big number, it is also a difference maker. Winning teams shot 84 three pointers compared to losing teams with 65 three pointers. To put that in perspective, that is 252 points for winning teams compared to the 195 for losing teams. That gives winning teams an extra 57 point advantage. Winning teams scored on average 5.25 three pointers per game compared to 4.06 for losing sides. Teams that currently sit undefeated after two rounds shot 60 three pointers compared to teams yet to win a game on 36. That is an extra 72 points for undefeated teams. With all these large numbers it is easy to see why 3 is such a big number. Maybe try thinking of it mathematically next time you want to shoot the ball as 3 is always one more than 2.


Our third big number is 274.

This is the difference between fouls committed and steals made. Currently in the CPL season there have been 969 fouls committed compared to 695 steals. This is a ratio of 0.7 steals per foul per player. Currently the best ratio for a player is 9 steals per 1 foul. So is it worth reaching that extra length for the ball? Teams that had 8 or more steals a game were more likely to score 6 more points than teams with less than 7 steals per game. However teams that had 8 or more steals per game did average 11 fouls per game. Do these thieves hurt your team’s chance at winning or maybe these players are just risk takers, living life on the edge.


Our forth big number is 46.

This is the average points scored per game by CPL teams that have been in the league for more than one season. New teams to the CPL average 40 points per game. The highest average for points per game for a CPL veteran team is 65, whilst the highest average for a rookie CPL team is 59.6. On the other end of the scale, the lowest average of points per game by a veteran CPL team is 31.3. For rookie CPL teams this number is 28.4 points per game. In terms of rebounds the rookies hold their own with a respectable 31 rebounds per game which is identical to the CPL veteran squads who also average 31 rebounds per game. Assists tell a different story with rookie teams averaging 9.7 assists per game compared to the CPL veteran teams who average 11 assists per game. The veteran teams also average more steals and blocks per game. Rookie CPL teams are you going to let these veteran teams treat you that way? Now I know that the veteran CPL teams have pedigree and the season is only young, but show the CPL that they’re not gonna rook us.


Our fifth big number is 62.

This is the amount of wins so far in five rounds of Division 1 and 2, and 11 rounds of Division 3. This also means there have been 62 losses. Crazy I know. But what makes these 62 wins special. Well for starters, winning teams have amassed 2,994 points, whilst losing teams have scored 2,181 points. But far more interesting is that winning teams have achieved 2,070 rebounds compared to 1,778 rebounds for losing teams. That is a difference of 292 rebounds. Winning teams are also better thieves with 583 steals compared to losing teams with 478. This is a difference of 105 steals. Blocks are a little more respectable at 158 for winning teams and 140 for losing teams. So with all these stats is it defence that is causing teams to win? Winning teams averaged 33.4 rebounds per game, 9.4 steals per game and 2.5 blocks per game. Losing teams averaged 28.7 rebounds per game 7.7 steals per game and 2.3 blocks per game. Or does winning come down to who can score more points? Winning teams do average 48.3 points per game, while losing teams only average 35.2 points per game. One thing we do know, offense wins games and sells tickets, but defence wins championships.


Our sixth big number is 1.

Yep 1… as in the first, the first time the CPL has ever hosted a Draft night. As most of you would be aware players from Division three were drafted into new teams to play a round robin tournament. This resulted in a win for Shane’s Fresh Fruit Salad. But here is something you may not know. On the CPL Draft night, there was a total of 168 minutes of basketball played across 7 games. This is 24 minutes per game. There were 4 teams consisting of 32 players. There were 241 rebounds, 59 assists, 100 steals and 24 blocks total across the 7 games. There was a total of 245 points scored. It wasn’t all harmony as many players took the advantage to foul their regular team mates. There were 78 fouls committed on the night. But the fouls aside there were 21 MVP votes cast resulting in a tight race for MVP of the night. Oh and if you haven’t seen it already there were 4 of the freshest basketball jerseys around. So how did all the teams do? Well teams averaged 60 rebounds, 14.75 assists, 25 steals and 6 blocks 19.5 fouls and 61.25 points on the night. Not bad considering that none of these players had played together before. All the players that participated on the night performed exceptionally well and should be thanked for giving it their all and making it a good night. Oh and one final number. This was all done with just 2 referees. Well done and a big thank you to those 2 referees.


The seventh big number is 8.

We all know one. We pretty much all have one in our teams. That’s right this week the number 8 represents the most popular jersey number in current CPL season. The number 8 is worn in 19 of the 23 teams across all three divisions. That means that there are four teams that don’t show love for Kobe Bryant, Patty Mills, Deron Williams, Moses Malone, Nicolas Batum and even Scotty Pippen at the Olympics. So far 239 players have played in all three divisions. 27 of those players wore the number 8. That is 11.3 percent of all CPL players. The jersey number 9 is next best with 7.5 percent of players in the CPL who wear this number. Players who wear the number 8 have amassed 93 games so far this season. Jersey number 11 was the next highest in games played at 84. They have also scored the second most points so far with 491. First place honour goes to players that wear the number 12 with 581 points. So 8 is pretty special. The numbers don’t lie. A lot of players want to wear it. In the CPL there are only nine players with unique numbers. So is it better to stand alone or join along with other players when picking your jersey number? But ultimately the question should be why anyone doesn’t want to wear the numbers 19, 28, 29, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 56-90, 92-98. Does no one idolise Dirk, AK47, Metta World Peace…

 

… or even MJ in his return?


Our eighth big number is 3605.

This is the number of minutes of Basketball played in the CPL so far this season. That equates to 60.1 hours of Basketball. That is almost the equivalent of watching all seasons of ‘Breaking Bad’, six seasons of ‘Game of thrones’, all of ‘OZ’ and almost the complete series of ‘The Golden Girls’. This also means that 60.1 hours has been spent watching basketball and carefully taking statistics… statistics that can be turned in to humorous weekly write ups. So what do we know so far? 7,698 points have been scored in all three divisions; that’s 128 points an hour, or 2.14 points a minute. There have been 448 blocks so far this season; that’s 7.46 blocks per hour. 1,542 Steals have occurred at a rate of 25.7 steals per hour and 0.43 steals per minute. There have been 1,911 assists at 31.8 assists per hour; this is 0.53 assists per minute. There have also been 5,593 rebounds so far this season; that’s 93.1 rebounds per hour or 1.55 rebounds per minute. That is pretty impressive right? Well, what is particularly impressive is the work that players do to ensure that these statistics are taken at a high quality. The CPL can only be as strong as the players supporting it. And with the players support we can learn things like: 63 percent of points scored are assisted by other players. For every Block there are 12 rebounds. 20 percent of all shots made are 3 pointers and that there are 1.3 fouls for every steal. The CPL is proud of the statistics that it collects and treats them with the respect that they deserve. The CPL will always endeavour to have these statistics available for players as long as players continue to collect them – because with the players support, it makes it more than just a game.


The ninth big number is 140.

This is the average number of players that play CPL basketball every week across the three divisions. The most has been 145 players and the least has been 136 players. So on average 7 players represent their teams each week in the CPL. Not too shabby. Each week 879 points are scored on average; this is 6.3 points per player, or 44 per team. There are 621.9 rebounds averaged per round; 31 rebounds per team, 4.4 rebounds per player. There is also 217.2 Assists, 170.1 Steals, and 50.8 Blocks averaged per round. How do these figures hold up? Well for starters they are far more than what is being recorded in the NBA at the moment. But in terms of these figures from previous seasons, the average amount of players per round has increased. The amount of points scored on average per round has increased from 718.8 in the 2016/17 season. That is an increase of 160.2 points per round. Rebounds have increased from 480.3 per round in the 2016/17 season. That is an increase of 141.6 rebounds per round. Assists, steals and blocks have all increased from the 2016/17 season as well. Needless to say the CPL did add 5 more teams to the mix, 2 extra games a night, and 40 more players. But don’t let that blur the fact that the CPL is getting better (unlike the Knicks, sorry NYK fans).


Our tenth big number is 10.

This is the number of rounds that Div 1 and 2 have played so far this season. Div 3 is currently on 14 rounds, but for the sake of this week’s big number we will be using 10 for everything. With 10 rounds in the books I suppose you are asking yourself which has been the best round. As a purist at heart I say all of them, but that is just me. Statistically speaking we do actually know which round has been the best. Round 10 has been the best so far in terms of statistics. It ranks second in points scored (959) only behind round 1 (967). It is ranked first in rebounds (670) the next closest is round 2 (656). Round 10 also takes top spot for assists with 254. The next closest round is round 7 at 222. Round 10 is fourth in steals (176) and a very disappointing tenth in blocks (38). So what is the actual order of rounds statistically? See for yourself:

  1. Round 10
  2. Round 5
  3. Round 6
  4. Round 1
  5. Round 7
  6. Round 9
  7. Round 8
  8. Round 2
  9. Round 4
  10. Round 3

Now I hear you asking what does this have to do with me. What does it mean for my team? Well the question I pose to you: What round did you have your bye? Did that round do well in the rankings? Or was that round one of the lower ones? Food for thought.


The eleventh big number is 4,747.

This is the number of points scored in the inaugural CPL season. With the temporary departure of a CPL Hall of Famer, Mac Fryz, I thought it might be nice to step in the way back machine. We arrive on the 18th of September 2008, the start of the Canberra Players League. In that inaugural season, eight teams played 14 games each. Of which three teams are still active in today’s CPL. 78 players played in the 2008/2009 season; of those 78 players, nine players are still active in the 2017/2018 Season (Well nine this week, eight next week). So how did these eight teams go? One team finished the season undefeated, whilst one team finished winless. Five of the eight teams finished with a win percentage above 500. There were four draws and only one forfeit. 4,747 points were scored as mentioned above. That is 593 points per team for the season, or 339 points per round. 820 points were scored by the team that finished first and 377 points were scored by the team that came last. There were 2,605 rebounds recorded as well as 884 assists. There were 916 Steals and 198 blocks. Fouls were still prominent with 1,012 recorded. This is a ration a 1.1 fouls to every steal. Not bad considering the current CPL season ratio is 1.35 fouls to every steal. Looking back to that inaugural season does stir up a lot of nostalgia, especially for the nine players who were there at the beginning. So with that in mind I present to you the eight inaugural teams of Canberra Players League:

  • Cunning Stunts
  • Hawks
  • Spartans
  • Wingmen
  • Globehoppers
  • Kings
  • Regulators
  • Shoot the J

Our twelfth big number is 1,386.

The great equaliser, the freest of free – the humble, free throws made. So far after 12 rounds, 1,386 free throws have been made, that is a one free throw for every 3.5 minutes of basketball. After 12 rounds there has been 10,780 points scored. 12.85 percent of those points came from the charity stripe. Per round the CPL averages 115.5 free throws. Per team it is 5.8 free throws per game. To give some perspective, the Houston rockets averaged 26.5 free throws per game last season. But they did have James Harden. The rockets lead the NBA in free throws made. The highest amount of free throws made by a CPL team is 88, which is an average of 8 free throws per game. The most free throws made in a round was 158 in round 9 and round 11 saw the least amount of free throws made at 92. Looking further at the stats we see that 49.7 percent of fouls lead to free throws. Now we don’t collect stats on misses (thankfully) so we are not able to regale you with what percentages of free throws are made. But we do know that by definition these shots are free and can make a big difference. The CPL has seen more than 15 games finish by 3 points or less. So an increase in the amount of free points made of 3 could lead to that victory. But then again, ball don’t lie.


The thirteenth big number is 878.

This is the number of points scored in the first lottery round of the 2017/2018 season. This is a 50 point improvement on the previous season where 828 points were scored in the first lottery round of the 2016/2017 season. Rebounds increased by 10 from 561 in the 2016/2017 season to 571 in the 2017/2018 season. So it appears that the lottery rounds are getting better. Well that is where you will be wrong. 196 assists were recorded in both the 2017/2018 season and 2016/2017 season and then it starts going down from there. There were 20 more steals in the 2016/2017 season with 142 compared to the 2017/2018 season with 122. Blocks didn’t fare much better either. 54 blocks were recorded in 2016/2017 compared to 38 in the 2017/2018 lottery round. There were more fouls in the 2017/2018 lottery round with 191 compared to the 2016/2017 lottery round at 177. The 2016/2017 season even had more Division 2 wins than the 2017/2018 season. Mind you it was only one. But it is still 100 percent more. So what can be done to curve this trend? For starters’ Division 2 teams, there is more on the line than an extra competition point; bragging rights are a powerful thing especially from the underdog. Holding the win over Division 1 teams can be a deep burn, one that doesn’t go away. And Division 1 teams; are you going to let this Division 2 teams coming into your house put their muddy feet up on your couch. No! You need to put the smack down on these teams! We haven’t even seen 100 points scored in a game yet.


The fourteenth big number is 63.

This is the number of times a player was marked on the sheet as being Inactive/Injury Attendance so far in the 2016/2017 season. Why are we celebrating this number? Well for starters these players are attending the game even though they can’t play, which helps their team qualify enough players for finals. But they also help the team out in other ways… These players committed zero fouls, missed zero shots, and committed zero turnovers. That is pretty impressive! These unsung heroes of our game make it easier for the team. The CPL salutes the IA players.


The fifteenth big number is 11,569.

This is the total amount of points scored so far after 14 rounds and 1 lottery round in Division 1 and 2. This is 551 points more than last year at the same round (11,018 points in the 2016/2017 season). So far we have had some impressive scores. 84 points has been the highest score by a team in one game, which happened in round 7. On the flip side the lowest points scored occurred in round 5 and was 14 points. The highest amount of points scored in one round by all teams was 878, which occurred in the lottery round. Teams are averaging 47.8 points per game; this has increased from last year which was 45.5 points per team. But games are not all blow outs… The highest amount of points scored in a match was 136. In fact teams are averaging 95.6 points per game; this is an increase from the 2016/2017 season which averaged 91.05 points per match. So far the player leading the points scored across both divisions has 242 points. 42 might be the ultimate answer to life, but it is also the highest amount of points scored so far by one player. There have been 219 players in Division 1 and 2 so far this season and of those players 38 have amassed 100 points or more. Whilst the CPL is a social competition and we all play for the love of the game, it is great to see that the quality of games that are being played are at a high standard and continues to get better. As we move forward into the next part of the season, just know that the ceiling is the roof.


Our sixteenth big number is 133.

With the commencement of Season 2 of Division 3, we thought it might be time to look at season 2 of the Canberra Players League. That’s right, it’s time we get in the way back machine again, and head back to the swinging 2009… Obama has been elected president, we tragically lost MJ and Swayze, the Lakers had just gentlemanly swept the Magic, and Blake Griffin was heading to the Clippers, Curry to the Bay, and Harden was joining the crew in OKC. The CPL had just added a second Division and grew to 14 teams. The second season of CPL saw 133 games played, with 163 players. Of those 163 players, 25 still play in the league to this date. There are currently 4 teams that were in the second season that still play under their current name: Cunning Stunts, Hawks, Hellfish, and Spartans… although some may argue that a 5th team is also still in the league but did change their name. That’s right we’re looking at you Cougars/Hornets. There were 11,654 points scored in the 2009 season across all 14 teams. The highest point scorer amassed 573 points for the season. There were 2,052 assists with the leading player getting 83 assists for the season, which just goes to show that players will share the ball no matter what season we are in. Defensively there were 1,860 steals, with the one player recording 59 for the season. There were 502 blocks, with one player recording 27 for the season. However we still had a penchant to foul, giving away 2,760 fouls, with one player racking up 53 fouls for the season. The teams were not too bad a rebounding, bringing in 6,309 rebounds for the season, the player high being 135 for the season. Coming back from 2009 we see that the teams playing in the CPL are still enjoying the quality of basketball that grew from the creation of this league. Whilst the league did expand to two Divisions in 2009, it took until 2017 to see a third Division added. But this third Division does mean that we get the return of the Division 1 2009 champions, the Dragons.


The seventeenth big number is 12,243.

This is the number of points scored after 16 rounds of the 2017/2018 Season for Division 1 and 2 (Sorry Div 3, soon…). Or to put it visually:

That is a breakdown of 1,105 3-pointers, 3,731 field goals, and 1,466 free throws. The highest amount of points comes from Round 12 with 867, and the lowest coming from Round 3 with 652 points. The most 3-pointers came in Round 1 with 88, and the least in Round 3 with 48. Round 9 saw the most free throws made with 121, and on the flip side, Round 11 had the least with 76. Round 3 takes the worst scoring award so far with 199 field goals made, and Round 12 took the most with 264 made. And just for comparison, here are all the rounds played so far: Round:          Points:

  1.           827
  2.           750
  3.           652
  4.           748
  5.           777
  6.           760
  7.           770
  8.           762
  9.           728
  10.           817
  11.           785
  12.           867
  13.           711
  14.           737
  15.           789
  16.           763

The eighteenth big number is 3,249.

This is the number of fouls, tech fouls, and unsportsmanlike fouls that have been issued by the CPL referees across our 3 divisions of basketball. So far this season, after 17 rounds of Division 1 and 2, and 3 rounds of Division 3, 27 referees have been used across 5,830 minutes of basketball. That is roughly 97 hours of premium CPL basketball. That is a lot of officiating of basketball; just over four days’ worth of it. So what exactly are we getting for four days’ worth of officiating? For starters referees are blowing a foul every 1.8 minutes. They are also issuing a Technical foul every 253 minutes, and handing out unsportsmanlike foul every 292 minutes. An average round of CPL sees 191 fouls issued across all 3 Divisions, and on average, 11 fouls are issued per team. The team that is currently leading the foul count has recorded 215 fouls so far, with second place recording 200 fouls. Do fouls hurt your team? 38 percent of fouls lead to free throws, which by definition are free shots that your team is giving away. 42 players have fouled out of games, leaving your team short. This could also lead to sloppy play, more fouls given, more free throws awarded, and eventually more players leaving the court. It’s a vicious cycle. So is there an epidemic in the CPL? Are the referees just giving away fouls just for the fun of it? Are players roughing up other players on purpose? Well to answer those questions we only need to look at past CPL seasons. Fouls were committed at the start and fouls will continue to be committed long into the future, it’s the nature of the game. Fouls can be strategic as well, stopping the clock can help you nudge out the win or push your team into overtime. Are we worried? No. In the words of one of the 27 referees “it’s a clean comp” (although an unsportsmanlike foul had just been awarded…).


Our nineteenth big number is 3,634.

This is the number of assists that have been recorded so far across all three Divisions. This number is cool, and it is big, but do you know what number is bigger? 14,557. This is the number of points scored so far in the 2017/2018 season; an average of 808 points per round. But one thing to note is that these two numbers go hand-in-hand. There is a clear relationship between assists and points; mainly because you can’t have one without the other (we’ll let you figure out which one is more reliant on the other one). 23.4 Assists are averaged per game in the CPL each week. Whilst that number is not bad, it tells us that only 25% of points are assisted on.

Looking at the table above we can see how the relationship with assists can have an effect on a team’s performance. In rounds where teams averaged more assists they also scored more points. You can also see where teams that had less assists scored far less points. So what can you do to help your team? Well for starters, if someone passes you the ball, make that shot (it is common curtsey). But more importantly, remember that basketball is a team game and that one extra pass might find an open player for a better shot.


Our twentieth big number is 18.

With the completion of Round 18 (for Division 1 and 2) and it being roughly the halfway mark of the season, we thought it might be interesting to see how this season is stacking up against the previous season. Now we know that usually anything that comes after the first is not as good, i.e. ‘Jaws 2’, and ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’ (honestly who thinks “I know what would make a good movie plot, an out of control cruise ship!”). However not all sequels are bad, we do have ‘Aliens’, and ‘Terminator 2 Judgement Day’. But we digress… So how does the 2017/2018 season stack up to the 2016/2017 Season after 18 rounds? Answer: Better. Across all statistics the 2017/2018 season is doing better. So far in this season, 25 more 3 pointers have been made, 431 more rebounds have been made, and 210 more assists have been given. We are sneakier this season amassing 103 more steals than the previous season, and defence is still helping win games with players getting 63 more blocks. Oh and we are getting less fouls with 31 less in the 2017/2018 compared to the 2016/2017 season. But the most impressive statistic is that we have scored 548 more points this season compared to last year. Don’t just take my word for it:

Some other interesting facts about the two seasons:

  • The team that is currently leading in scoring this season on 986 was also leading at the same point last season on 926.
  • The team with the lowest point total this season (621) is 104 points more than the team with the lowest points total in the 2016/2017 season after 18 rounds.
  • The player who had the highest amount of points (281) after 18 rounds in the 2016/2017 season is also the current points (304) leader in the 2017/2018 season.
  • The numbers of players who have played in the CPL have increased as well from 216 in the 2016/2017 season to 230 in the 2017/2018 season.

So do we have a ‘Godfather II’ in the making for the 2017/2018 season, or could it simply be that the 2016/2017 season was more like the ‘Phantom Menace’? Good luck for the second half of the season.


The thirteenth big number is 2.

Why 2 you ask… well we thought it might be good to share some of the Division 3 love for a change. Whilst it is not held in the same location as Division 1 and 2, and it is often forgotten as the younger brother, it does celebrate a milestone. It has successfully reached its mandatory period in which the stats averages can be displayed. We’ll pause to allow you to finish cheering……… Now that you have finished your celebrations we can finally answer why this week’s Big Number is 2; it’s because CPL Division 3 is currently in its second season. After a very successful trial season, the powers that be decided to bring it back for a second run. The number 2 also relates to amount of new teams added to the competition, as Division 3 expanded from five teams and 15 rounds in the 2017 Season to seven teams and 28 rounds in the 2017/2018 Season. As Division 3 continues to grow its quality is also improving. On average teams are scoring more points; teams averaged 153.4 points after six rounds in Season 1, compared to 159.3 points per team in Season 2. Rebounds have also increased from 146.6 per team after six rounds in the 2017 Season, to 172.7 rebounds per team in the 2017/2018 Season. Every category has increased for the 2017/2018 season compared to the 2017, except for fouls. We are committing two extra fouls per team (maybe the two new teams are leading the rest into bad habits?). But don’t just take our word for it, here are the numbers:

So it looks like the second season of Division 3 is only getting better, and we have 22 more rounds to see how good it can actually get. Whilst the little brother can be a pain to the existence of its older siblings, Division 3 is slowly chugging along causing no problems for its older brethren in Division 1 and 2. But just remember, parents may say they love all their children equally… but we all know that the youngest is always the favourite.


The fourteenth big number is 9.

To answer why this week’s big number is 9 we need to look at what is happening in the Basketball world at the moment. The NBA season is fast approaching, and we have reached the halfway mark of the Division 1 and 2 season. Nowadays in the NBA we are seeing the rise of the super team, so we thought it might be interesting to see if any super teams exist in the CPL. Yes, 9 do. Based purely on Statistics, 9 teams across all three divisions can be classified as being a super team (by CPL standards). These 9 teams have either one player who averages a double-double, two or more players who average double digit points per game, or both. Three teams have a player who averages a double-double. These three teams also have more than two players who average double digit points per game. Six teams have more than two players who average double digit points per game. So do these players make these teams’ super teams? Well the 9 teams that fall under the CPL’s super team banner statistically hold a 60% win record. So what can you do to make your team a super team? Well you could play harder… or you could take the cupcake option and recruit better. There are currently 48 players who average in the double digits for points per game, and only 35 of these players play on one of the 9 super teams. Maybe if your team is not a super team you should try to recruit one of these 13 players who currently are not on a super team. Or if you are one of the 13 players who are not on a super team, maybe you could join one of the already super teams and go for dominance next year or Kyrie it this year and demand a trade. Food for thought.


The fifteenth big number is 76.

Before we answer what 76 is, we need to get in the way back machine to 2008/2009 Season when the Hawks first entered the league. That’s right folks; we are taking an in-depth look at one of the founding teams that is still playing in the CPL. The Hawks have had 76 players play for their side since 2008. Of those players five have surpassed 100 games played. The longest serving active player started in the 2009/2010 season. The player with the most games played has amassed 158 games played for the one club. Since entering the CPL the Hawks have won 172 games. In total the hawks have shot 717 3-pointers (3-pointers numbers were first collected in the 2010/2011 Season). One Hawks player amassed 235 3-pointers, which is 30% of the team’s total 3-pointers. They have made 812 free throws (free throws numbers were first collected in the 2012/2013 Season). The highest amount of free throws made by a player is 158 (19%). They have amassed an amazing 7,535 rebounds, with one Hawks player totalling 1,118 rebounds. That is 14% of all rebounds for that one player. The Hawks have also added 3,249 assists. The leading Hawks player has amassed 436 assists (13%). The Hawks have been pretty sneaky totalling 2,015 steals. One Hawks player has totalled 260 steals (13%). Their defence has been on point with 563 blocks. The top block getter for the Hawks has 168 blocks (30%). They are not without fault though, totalling 2,851 fouls. The leader of the Hawks fouls amassed 336 fouls (12%). The Hawks have not been shy about scoring points either, cumulating 12,198 points total. The Hawk with the most points has 2,412 (20%). Whilst they have also been deemed to be quite good with 532 MVP votes. The leading Hawk with MVP votes had 94 (18%). These are all impressive stats for one of the few teams that has played in every season of the CPL from beginning to now. And as the Hawks continue in the 2017/2018 Season they can only keep adding to these stats (all stats do not include the current 2017/2018 Season).


Our sixteenth big number is 30.

“Why?” we hear you all ask; well it’s because this is the minimum number of stats it takes to make a Triple-Double. During round 23 in Division 1 we had one such Trip-Dub. Now it was not 30, it was more like 34, but for round-ness we have used 30. What makes this such a special Triple-Double is that in the all the recent recorded CPL statistics (sorry to the earlier seasons) this is only the 3rd triple double. Here is what those three recorded Triple-Doubles consist of: 34 Rebounds 30 Assists 51 Points Oh, and only two players! It is an illustrious club and one that these players worked hard to gain entry to. This duo aren’t gifted their stats like Westbrook either; they earned every rebound, every assist, and every point. We are pretty sure that no giant Kiwi was letting the ball fall to them (we could be wrong though). So, congratulations, you have done well! Let’s see if we can’t get a few more players up in this club. (Again, apologies to the players that racked up this feat previously, our record keeping in the past has been less than desirable.)


Our seventeenth big number is 899.

This is the number of players who have played in the CPL in some shape or form. Now whilst it is 1 shy of 900, we do acknowledge that not all record keeping in previous seasons has been as good as it is now. But it is also worth noting that these 899 players have amassed an incredible 31,476 games played amongst them. Not too shabby. And these players are some of the reason for those 31,476 games played:

Who will be the first to crack 300?


The eighteenth big number is 4.

This is the amount of bonus points that Division 2 teams left with after the Lottery Week 2. Coincidentally, it is also the total amount of bonus points that Division 2 teams claimed in Lottery Weeks this season. That’s right folks we had four upsets. What’s that you say “relegation for the Division 1 losing teams?”… No, but it is always fun when the underdog gets one up. So how did this lottery round compare to the first one? For your viewing pleasure we have included a nice table below.

Some other interesting facts about this season’s second lottery week:

  • Highest point scored got 36 points.
  • Highest amount of rebounds for one player was 20.
  • Highest assists for one player were seven.
  • Highest steals for one player was six.
  • Only one player fouled out.

So to finish this year’s Lottery Week, four Division 2 teams can hold bragging rights over their Division 1 rivals, whilst five Division 1 teams can feel safe in the knowledge that they are much better than their Division 2 challengers… for now.


The nineteenth big number is 1,828.

For all those playing at home, Division 3 held its second Draft Night with the results again showing that basketball is the winner. Just like the last Draft Night it was a great opportunity for Division 3 players to mix teams for the night and play some enjoyably basketball… and to absolutely flatten their regular season team mates. However, this time around the Draft Night went bigger: more players (41), more teams (8), and more games (13). So how did this Draft Night turn out? Let’s break it down by the numbers: 470 rebounds on the night, 466 points scored on the night, 260 minutes of basketball, 139 fouls committed (players still enjoyed fouling their own team mates), 123 steals made, 110 assists were dished out on the night, 39 blocks made (of which the most enjoyable were those committed against their own regular season team mates), 36 points scored by one player across the night (highest), 36 three pointers made in the draft night (this does not include the 3-point competition occurring on the adjacent court), 20 minutes per game, 10 minutes per half, 10 steals made by one player in the night (highest), 9 fouls by one player (most), 8 assists by one player (most), 5 blocks by one player (most), 5 referees who without would have definitely led to chaos, and 1 team that won the night; congratulations to ‘Stu’s Phantom Shin Kickers’ on going undefeated to take the title.


The twentieth big number is 38.

For this week’s big number we thought we would answer a question that often gets thrown around; does the time a team plays influence the outcome of the game? Based on the seasonal data available where time of games was recorded we are able to determine that in fact the time a team plays does influence how they play. For example, when comparing the amount of points scored, 38 percent of all points are scored at the 8pm time slot, whilst 32 percent are scored at the 7pm time slot. Bringing up the rear, 30 percent of points are scored at the 9pm time slot. It appears that the 8pm time slot is the time to play as it does have a lot higher percentage of points, rebounds and assists.

So what does this mean, should the CPL classify the 8pm time slot now as the Show Time slot? Or should teams request to play more 8pm time slots? One thing that does not play into factor is the individual efforts at these times. The highest amount of points scored by an individual at 42 was done during a 9pm game. The CPL has also seen several 30 plus games played at either 7pm or 9pm. The highest amount of rebounds recorded in a game at 27 was done at the 9pm time slot. Whilst there have been several more 20+ rebounding efforts at 7pm and 9pm. So what can we take from this? Teams may perform better when they play at 8pm. But as they say “playas, they gonna play, and haters, they gonna hate. Shot callers are gonna call. Ballers, they gonna ball”. Or so we are lead to believe.


Our twenty-first big number is 55.

For those of you not aware, the CPL hosted a hugely successful night of basketball at the Palace on Saturday the 25th of November 2017; where basketball was brought back to the hallowed grounds and selected players had the opportunity to take centre court. But this night belonged to one man, number 55 from Cal’s Legends, the man himself Cal Bruton. Not only did his team walk away with the win, but Cal also unanimously collected the MVP of the game. With a stat line of 15 points, 6 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals it is not hard to see why he got it. Comparing Cal’s game to current NBA guards, his 15 points for the game is in line with NBA players Jrue Holiday, Reggie Jackson, and Eric Bledsoe who all average 15 points a game. Cal’s 6 rebounds compare to Kyle Lowry, Jaylen Brown, and PJ Tucker, who all average 6 rebounds a game. Whilst his 6 assists are in line with Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, and Stephen Curry, who all average 6 assists per game. Cal also was kind enough to nail 5 three-pointers for the night and considering that 8 three-pointers were made in the Legends game he contributed 63 percent of them. Some other big numbers from the Legends game: There were a total of 78 rebounds with the highest rebounder getting 13. There were 46 assists with the highest assist getter registering 11. There were also 15 steals and 6 blocks, whilst only 16 fouls were committed… oh and there was also a modest 110 points scored as well. 16 players took the court for the legends game; 5 CPL Hall of Fame members, 2 former CPL presidents, 2 NBL Hall of Fame members, 6 CPL MVP award winners, and over 1,645 CPL games played. Now that the Legends game has been completed and the CPL committee members are still trying to recover from such an amazing night, the only big questions left answering are these: will Cal’s Legends defend next year, and will Cal defend his MVP trophy?


The twenty-second big number is 280.

280 is the total amount of points scored during the 2017/2018 All-Star games. That’s right, the games were so good that we are still talking about them two weeks after the event. All three Division’s teams were split into North (Black) and South (White), and the games were nothing short of spectacular, with the final count of points scored being 139 for North and 141 for South. Yes, the South teams took out the night with wins in the Division 1 and 2 games, but North held their own through those games.

South had the slight edge in points, but it is behind the arc that they held their best advantage; scoring 18 3-pointers to the Norths four. Whilst the North shot more field goals (47) and free throws (33) compared to the South, who shot 36 field goals and 15 free throws. The North did also have an almighty throw down dunk which had the crowd buzzing. The North took the edge in rebounding, lodging 123 compared to the Souths 112. But the South took control on all other stats; the South had four more assists than the North at 33, they got nine more steals than the North at 29, and they also doubled the North’s Block total at 10. The South was even more aggressive on the night, recording 49 fouls to the North’s 37. And whilst this year belonged to the South, watch out for next year, because the North remembers…


Our twenty-second big number is 6,466.

This week we wanted to look at the question: do teams that record more assists, also score more points, and more importantly, do those assists lead to individual players scoring more points? 6,466 is the total amount of assists recorded in the 2017/2018 season so far. Now comparing these assists to the total amount of points (25,440), we can see that 25 percent of points are assisted upon. That is some pretty decent team play right there! But do these assists mean that players are benefiting more on the scoring end? It’s no secret that the team that has the highest amount of assists (447) also has the highest amount of points scored (1,514)… unless this was not known to you, then we are truly sorry that we made that incorrect assumption regarding the secrecy of this fact. When comparing each divisions top three assist leaders to the top three points leaders, only four teams have a player in both… and impressively, two players are in both lists! So it is pretty obvious to say that there is no real correlation to teams with high assist getters and high point scorers. It would seem that “hero ball” is the flavour of the day when it comes to points being scored. So should teams go to iso ball? No. Teams that recorded high amounts of assists also recorded high amount of points. In fact, the top two teams in assists are also the top two teams in points. These teams have figured out how to be a team. But don’t just take our word for it, here is something from the man himself: “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan


Our twenty-third big number is 9,590.

Whilst this time of year a lot of people like to look back and reflect on what has been, the CPL has decided to help you do it. For this week’s big number, we will need to hop back into the way-back machine again and travel all the way back to the 13 October 2009 where Kevin Rudd is in power, Rio has been awarded the Olympics, Jordan reached a deal to become the majority owner of the Bobcats, and the Lakers would begin their journey to getting another title. We also arrive at Season 3 of the CPL. Season 3 was roaring into existence with 16 teams across 2 divisions and 172 players. The level of player was continuing to grow with 9,590 points scored, of which 349 were scored by one player. There were 6,081 rebounds, with the highest rebounder getting 128 (coincidently the same person as the point leader). 1,871 assists were recorded, with the highest amount recorded by one player being 64… this player is still in the league and is recording high assist averages. There were 1,620 steals and 494 blocks for the season. The highest stealer was 37 and the leader in blocks swatted away 30. Players continued to foul, racking up 2,718 fouls, with the foul leader achieving 56. Season 3 finished on the 9th of April 2010 with a pretty decent ladder showing:

Seven teams still remain in the comp from Season 3, along with 53 players. Not too bad considering the humble beginnings of CPL, and as always, the CPL continues to grow even better with every season.


Our twenty-forth big number is 93.

During this time of the year, a lot of people wonder about the value of rest. We here at the CPL know that the holiday season is a good time to have a break and unwind, but do players suffer from rust after not playing for an extended period of time? Should the CPL just keep games running over the Christmas break? The answer to that is 93. Teams that played on the last game of the year in 2017 and played the first game of the year in 2018 did actually perform better. 93 points better to be exact; 1,033 points in 2018, compared to 940 in 2017. Of the 19 teams that could be counted due to games played, 11 teams scored more points in the new year than they did in the old year. The best point margin difference from 2017 to 2018 was 37 points, with one team scoring 33 points in 2017 and 70 in 2018. The worst decrease in points was 18, with one team scoring 66 points in 2017 and 48 in 2018. There was one team who decided that rest and rust didn’t sway them, scoring the same points in 2017 as they did in 2018, with 26. So, if you rest you rust, but the CPL break is clearly not long enough for signs of rust to be showing… well at least not on everyone.


Our twenty-fifth big number is 12,540.

A lot can be said for the teams that make up the CPL, and this week we’re going to take an in-depth look at one of them. Longevity is definitely one term that can be used when discussing this team, as they are one of the two teams that are currently in the competition that was there from the beginning… that’s right, we talking about the Spartans. The Spartans joined the competition in the inaugural 2008/2009 season with 10 players, three of which are still playing in the 2017/2018 season. The Spartans are also the second highest point scoring team of the CPL behind the Hawks (the other team with longevity). Not including the 2017/2018 season, as this is still under way, the Spartans have played in two CPL Divisions and have had 63 players wear the Spartans colours. The highest games played for a Spartans player is 243. The Spartans have scored 12,540 points. Of those points, 37% came from one player, who has scored a whopping 4,686 CPL points. Impressively the Spartans have shot 726 3-pointers since that stat started being collected in the 2010/2011 season. Even more impressive is that 51% of the 3-pointers came from one player, who nailed 367 of them. The Spartans have rebounded 7,413 times, their rebounding leader amassing 972 rebounds, for a nice 13% of the total. They have registered 2,560 assists since joining the competition, with 15% of those assists coming from one player at 395. The Spartans have also racked up the steals and blocks; with 1,854 steals and 563 blocks. The player with the highest steals register has 246 (13% of the total), while the player with the highest blocks has 158 (28% of the total). With all these impressive totals it is easy to see why the Spartans have gained 427 MVP votes. It’s not all “positive” stats though; the Spartans have given up 3,006 fouls, with the worst offender registering 608 fouls (20% of the total) … this player also leads the CPL in career fouls across all three Divisions. Are all this numbers madness? Nope. THIS IS SPARTANS!


Our twenty-sixth big number is 29,711.

This is the total amount of points scored in Divisions 1 and 2 for the 2017/2018 season. Now that the playoffs have well and truly commenced for Divisions 1 and 2 we thought it would be a good opportunity to see how the CPL did this season. That’s right folks, it is time for a season in review. One thing that the CPL prides itself on is that it is continually getting better and the 2017/2018 season did not disappoint. In comparison to its previous year the 2017/2018 season outperformed in all categories except one. There were 8,895 Field goals made, which is 206 more than the 2016/2017 season. 2,758 3 pointers were made in the 2017/2018 season, a whopping 251 more than the previous season. 11 more free throws were made in the 2017/2018 season at 3,645, compared to the 2016/2017 season at 3,634. Players were more effective on the glass this season bringing down 19,654 rebounds, to be 884 more than the 2016/2017 season. CPL players still showed they cared about their team members, with 7,581 assists in the 2017/2018 season, which was 536 assists higher than the 2016/2017 season. Crafty players still exhibited their skills in the 2017/2018 season recording 4,644 steals, which is 71 steals more than the previous season. The next stat can be shared amongst the players and the referees; 6,868 fouls were issued in the 2017/2018 season, which is 87 more than the 2016/2017 season. The most impressive stat line was the amount of points scored; 29,711 points were scored in the 2017/2018 season, which was 1,163 points more than the 2016/2017 season. The only negative stat (if you can call it that) is blocks, which were 1,297 for the 2017/2018 season, compared to the 1,300 for the 2016/2017 season… a difference of 3 blocks. As you can imagine, the CPL is not concerned about the decrease in this stat line. Seasons come and seasons go, and whilst the 2017/2018 season was a winner, in the CPL’s mind, Basketball is always the winner. Here’s a graph………


Our twenty-seventh big number is 5,214,203.

This is by far the biggest number we have had. But before we explain what the significance of that mammoth number, the CPL would like to congratulate the following teams: Division 1: Hawks Division 2: Phantoms Division 3: Owls What are we congratulating them for? Well, eagle-eyed readers may have noticed a lovely gold box around teams in the schedule on our website.

Teams that are highlighted this way own the belt. What is the belt you ask?

Just like in boxing or the UFC, the champion enters the competition with the belt around their waste. At the start of this season the belt owners were Pork swords, Phantoms, and Robo Pandas, and just like a heavyweight title match the belt would go to the winner of each bout.

So with the conclusion of the regular seasons for all three Divisions, we now have the belt holders: Hawks, Phantoms, and Owls. How did the belts go this season? Division 1: The belt changed hands five times, between four teams. The HBW Cannons held the belt for an impressive 26 rounds, and as we said before, it finished in the possession of the Hawks. Division 2: The belt changed hands 14 times and was passed around eight teams. AKOM took the most rounds held honour with 13. Phantoms, who took the belt into the season, also came out with the belt in the end. Division 3: The belt changed hands 13 times between six teams. Robo Pandas held the belt for nine rounds, but the Owls were the team to walk away with it once the dust had settled. Whilst there is no physical belt and there are no prizes for finishing with the belt, it is fun to brag about holding rights. It’s important to also be aware that the belt may still have new owners going into next season, as finals are currently being played. Oh and what does the number 5,214,203 have to do with any of this? Nothing at all to be honest, we are just proving a point to someone. Thanks for another great regular CPL season, we hope to see you again in the Big Numbers next season.


The big number big reveal!

Sorry about us…


2018/19:

Our first big number for 2018/19 is 60.

As the start of the new CPL season draws ever so close, the topic of new teams comes to mind. The 2018/2019 season will see the inclusion of five new teams, which when added to the historical number of teams, brings the total of teams to play in the Canberra Players League to 60. That’s right, over the course of the 10 years of CPL history (yes folks, the CPL celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year, so prepare to purchase some gifts of Tin or Aluminium for us), there have been 60 teams. Many of these teams have actually been renamed or reimaged from previous iterations of team names. There have been the odd one and done teams, and the CPL still has two teams that have been around since its establishment in 2008. Another interesting fact; two players have played on 11 teams each, which is 18 percent of all CPL teams. Three players have played on eight teams each, and one player has played on seven teams. So with the start of the new season just around the corner, will your team be a one and done, or will your team be a dynasty that is spoken about for years to come in CPL lore. Good luck everyone in the upcoming CPL season.


Our second big number is 182.

Round 1 saw a grand final rematch between the 2017/2018 Season Division 2 Champion Diablos and the Phantoms, and the 2017/2018 Season Division 1 Champion HBW Cannons and the Hawks. However this time around the runner up teams flipped the script, with both Champion teams losing on the opening night. On a night where the championship winning teams were looking to make a statement for their title defence, the runners up showed they had a lot to prove. The Hawks averaged 43 Points in the grand final matches last season and in their first game back they scored 44. However, they held the HBW Cannons to 38 points, who averaged 58 points against them in the grand final series. The Diablos averaged 49.5 points in the grand final matches last season, whilst limiting the Phantoms points to 37. However, it was the Phantoms turn to keep the points low allowing the Diablos to score 37 points, whilst putting up 63 of their own. Although it is only one game and the season is long, should we be worried about the defending champs this season? Our worry level is low; milk one day past it’s used by date low.


The third big number is 114.

This is the difference between the points scored in the opening round of the 2017-18 season and the 2018-19 season. You may be thinking to yourself “this seems good, an increase of 114 is just what the doctor ordered”… well you should stop that immediately, because it is not good, this is in fact a decrease from the previous season. We’re sorry if you feel silly now. To elaborate, in the 2017-18 season, 1,001 points were scored in the opening round; however, in the opening round of our current season only 887 points were scored. So who is to blame? To find the underlying cause of this, we’ll first look at Division 3. There was 174 points scored in the 2017-18 season Round one opener. This increased to 184 points scored in the 2018-19 season opener. It is not the fault of Division 3, and we thank those seven teams for their extra offence. What about Division 2? In the season opener of the 2017-18 season, Division 2 teams scored a combined 371 points, while in the season opener of the current season they scored a combined 351 points. Therefore, Division 2 dropped 20 points. Not terrible, but that still contributed to this loss of points. Finally, Division 1. In the 2017-18 season opener, Division 1 teams combined for 456 points. However, in the season opener of the current season, only 352 points were scored. That is a decrease of 104 points! The bulk of our point difference comes from the Division 1 pool of teams. So, should we point and shame the teams in Division 1? Without a doubt, yes. However, do so at your own risk. Division 1 teams did score the most points in our opening round with 352, and last season they scored a whopping 14,718 points for the year, which is 44% of all the points scored in the CPL 2017-18 season! So perhaps we should cut the Division 1 teams some slack, this may just have been an off night offensively for some teams. Alternatively, maybe the 2018-19 season is all about defence. We will leave this for you to decide, all we know is that we love this game!


Our fourth big number is 136.

Recently the CPL added an update to its already bursting at the seams website that allows players to look back at CPL history and view statistics from the past. This week’s big number does just that. Did you know that there have been 136 players who have won a championship in the CPL? We did… Since the creation of the CPL in 2008, there have been 23 titles on the line across three divisions. 15 teams have been privileged enough to have claimed one of these 23 titles. The most a team has won is three, which two teams have done, including going back-to-back. However, on a sombre note, 17 teams did not reach the glory in those seasons finishing as runners up to the championship teams. Nevertheless, the CPL season is only fresh and at this stage, everyone is still in the hunt for a playoff spot. So keep winning and hopefully your team can join the other 15 teams in glory, unless your team is already on this list, then keep trying to deny the rest of the league a chance. In the meantime, why not head over to check out the historical stats, we are sure you will like them. http://canberraplayersleague.com/stats-archive/


The fifth big number is 12.

This week saw the return of an old friend from 2011, the CPL 12. The CPL 12 is a dozen simple questions that offer a fascinating insight into the minds of some of the characters in our league. Here are the questions:

  1. What’s your name?
  2. Now tell us your nickname.
  3. Who do you play for in the CPL?
  4. What position do you play on the court?
  5. What jersey number do you wear and why?
  6. What do you do outside of basketball?
  7. All time favourite basketball player?
  8. Favourite team?
  9. What’s your favourite feature of the CPL?
  10. Best CPL memory to date?
  11. Favourite place in the world?
  12. Drop some wisdom on us… what’s your life-rule or favourite saying?

Along with this 12, we thought it would be fun to look at some other 12’s. 71 players have worn the number 12 in CPL history, with 10 championship titles being held by players who wore 12. Four MVP, five Defensive Player of the Year, and one Sportsmanship Award trophies belong to players who wore 12. There have been two players to have registered 12 assists in a game in CPL history. So far, in the 2018/2019 season 17 players have recorded 12 rebounds in a game, and 38 players have finished a game with 12 points. Whilst these are some interesting number 12’s we do encourage you to go and check out the CPL 12. You just never know who will pop up next… it might ever be you!


The sixth big number is 2,586.

There is some public perception that due to a certain ugly incident that reared its head recently, that the wonderful sport of basketball is a game for thugs. Now, the CPL has never seen the likes of a Malice in the Palace, or the educational lesson that was Australia vs Philippines fiasco, but we do have fouls called in our games, 2,586 fouls so far this season to be exact. However, before you go calling the police for a hard foul, we would like to point out that compared to the 2017/2018 season we are looking like we are playing Checkers or Tiddly Winks. The CPL has committed 203 less fouls this season after 11 rounds. That’s right, in the 2017/2018 season, after 11 rounds, there were 2,789 fouls committed. Now that we have successfully ducked that flying karate kick, we can point out that the team with the most fouls so far has recorded 139. And before you charge into the stands, we will also point out that the team with the least fouls has a measly 71. Whilst there is no one stand out, we can Artest that two players currently have 29 fouls each after 11 rounds, which leads the league. So, should the CPL do something to stop all the fouls, to make the game friendlier, to Kickert the niceness up a notch? The answer is a firm no! We are not going to apologise for the fouls, they are a part of the game and we can see from the trend that they are decreasing. We should however apologise for the poor puns in this big number, before it’s time for us to meet our Maker.


The seventh big number is 10.

M*A*S*H, Married… With Children, Happy Days, Friends, American Chopper, Curious George, and the CPL. All wonderful viewing to crack the big 10 years. Unlike these shows however, the CPL is only looking to keep going. Moreover, whilst some of these shows kept going longer than they should have, the CPL is yet to jump that shark. The CPL first began a decade ago, on the 18th September of 2008, and a lot has happened since the first game between the Hawks and Shoot the J.

Cashing in on the spin-offs, the CPL is now consists of three divisions, growing from one in the inaugural season. The second division began in 2009, whilst the third division began in 2017. Speaking of Hawkeyes, since it began, CPL players in regular season games have scored 239,823 points. A long way from the 4,747 points scored in that inaugural season. 155,584 rebounds have been recorded, along with 54,911 assists. There have been 40,012 steals and 11,789 blocks so far. In addition, there has been 58,553 fouls recorded to date. The CPL, since its very first game, has seen 658 rounds played. With 61 teams having played in the League. The CPL has seen 23 championships awarded. In addition, whilst most shows are content with putting up a season a year, not the CPL, we’ve crammed 13 seasons into our 10 years. The best thing about the CPL is that even after 10 years the competition is still so close. With no clear-cut competition leaders despite 20 rounds already played. Whilst it is fun to sit back and watch re-runs of old classics, we at the CPL believe that the best is still yet to come. Here’s looking forward to syndication!


The eighth big number is 25.

We are not sure if you are aware of this, but the CPL likes to hand out an award at the end of the season for the Most Valuable Player in each Division. This award has been given out after every season in the 10 years the CPL has existed. There have been 24 MVP awards across all three Divisions, with 17 players taking those honours. This season is no different; three MVP awards will be handed out at the End of Season Party. In addition, if you have not seen it before the race for the MVP is certainly on. However, did you know that 25 percent of all the MVP votes this season are held by the top five MVP vote getters? What does this mean? Well for Division 3 – 95 players are eligible for MVP votes. Of those 95, five players have 25 percent of the votes with 76 combined votes. In Division 2 – 112 players are eligible for MVP votes. Of those 112, five players have 26 percent of the votes with 109 combined votes. In Division 1 – 128 players are eligible for MVP votes. Of those 128, five players have 21 percent of the votes with 89 combined votes. Now that we have reached the halfway point of the season, the MVP race has gone behind closed doors, but we can tell you that the race is far from over. Whilst the top five players in each Division do hold the majority votes at this stage, it is not out of the question for players outside the top five to go on a run and make a dent in that 25 percent. So, will the top five remain that way, or will someone else step up? We will leave that up to you the players to figure out.


The ninth big number is 47.

The CPL recently held its third Draft Night and once again, it was a huge success. Thanks in part to the 47 players that participated in the event.

Whilst the result went the way of Stu’s Considerate Crew, we would like to point out that everyone that participated in the Draft Night was a winner. Did you know that there were 541 points scored? That is an average of 11 points per player. The top scorer for the night managed 33 points. 107 fouls were committed on the night, which is an average of eight fouls per game. Eight also being the highest amount of fouls committed by a player. There were 411 rebounds for the night, which is an average of nine rebounds per player. Two players managed to get 20 rebounds on the night. Not for lack of trying, but no 4-point shots were made. However, 45 3-pointers were made, with one player knocking down five on the night. Players were generous as always; dishing out 143 assists on the night, the most one player got was nine. There was also some defence in the way of steals (101) and blocks (28). For the second year in a row, players drafted by CPL Vice President Loz Goodchild were battered and bruised. Sadly, Loz’s squad managed to lose three players to injury on the night. Therefore, in the interest of public safety, Loz will be removed from all future Draft Night events. A big thank you to Loz and Matty K for stepping up in to the squads when they were needed. Now, we know that it was a fun night, but also that it was such a huge success. It actually eclipsed the previous year’s draft night, but don’t take our word for it – the numbers below back that up.

The CPL is only as good as its players, and the Draft Night managed to bring out some of the best qualities in our players. For that, we thank you.


The tenth big number is 5,000.

On Saturday 1 December 2018, the CPL held its annual All-Star event, once again bringing Basketball back to the ‘Palace’ – the hallowed grounds where basketball once was king in Canberra. This year the CPL used the event to raise funds for the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation (NCIF), and we are extremely happy to announce that we managed to raise a whopping $5,000 for them! Whilst all that money was raised for the NCIF at the event, there was also a lot of action happening on the court. That is right let us talk basketball. 66 players took the court across the three Divisions’ All-Star games and the Legends game, including the ‘Black Pearl’ himself – Cal Bruton. There was a total of 385 points scored in the four games, with 130 coming from the North All-Stars and 139 coming from the South All-Stars – thus giving the South All-Stars the overall victory on the night. The Legends game also kicked in an impressive 116 points. This year the CPL Legends were just too much for Cal’s Legends, taking the victory in an impressive 64 to 52 score line. Whilst there was many points scored, there were also many missed shots, leading to many rebounds -300 to be exact. This was a stat that the North did win, grabbing 129 rebounds to the South’s 104. These All-Stars also showed the love to their fellow teammates, dishing out 124 assists. The most impressive amount came from the CPL legends where 25 assists were handed out. Many people will say that it is just an exhibition game; however, try telling that to the players who racked up an impressive 24 blocks and 75 steals, showing that defence is still important. The 3-Point competition was held again this year, with respectable scores of 16, 8, and 7. When those scores are added together, it is one short of the total amount of 3-pointers made during the games on the night – 32. Overall, the night was once again a great spectacle for the CPL, one that the CPL will continue doing whilst it still has the high calibre players to fill out the ranks of All-Star. We look forward to seeing all of you again for the next All-Star Saturday in 2019.


The eleventh big number is 666.

No, the CPL does not have the number of the beast… but it is interesting to note that to date, the CPL has had 666 technical fouls called against its players. With this unnerving revelation in mind, we thought it might be an ideal time to break down the technical foul numbers a little further. Currently for the 2018/2019 season, with six regular season rounds still to play, 85 technical fouls have been issued across the three Divisions. This is one more than at the conclusion of the 2017/2018 season, where 84 technical fouls were handed out for the entire season. The most technical fouls a team has ever achieved in a season has been 17. For the current 2018/2019 season, the most technical fouls a team has received has been 14. Just remember ballers, there is no rewards or accolades for breaking that record. Of the 666 technical fouls that have been handed out to date, one player has 37 of those – that is 6% of all the technical fouls handed out. Considering that 249 players have received at least one technical foul in their CPL careers, this is pretty amazing. There have been 55 teams that have received a technical foul while playing in the CPL. One team has amassed 70 of them, that’s an incredible 11% of all the technical fouls issued. So does this number of technical fouls concern us here at the CPL? The answer is yes, it definitely does, and it is not a trend we would want to see continue. Also concerning is the overall total of 666, it feels like something a little sinister could be happening here.


The twelfth big number is 6.

The CPL season is a long one and it’s no secret that playing in all games is a monumental task, but for 6 of the CPL’s 377 players, that task has been accomplished… we will call them ‘Iron Men’. So far this season:

  • Two players from Division 3 (1x Meme Team, 1x Titans) have played in all 28 of their team’s available games, including draft night.
  • Two players from Division 2 (1x Owls, 1x Spartans) have played in all 31 of their team’s available games.
  • Two players from Division 1 (1x Hawks, 1x Spectres) have played in all of their team’s available games, with one player playing 32 and the other playing 31.

That is a combined 179 games from the Iron Men of the league. Another interesting fact, that we have yet to explore, is that some of our CPL referees have officiated more than 60 games so far this season! So let us ask you, who are the real Iron Men and Women of our league?


The thirteenth big number is 14,834.

We thought it might be interesting to do a deep dive into the quality of the CPL competition. So with that in mind let us start at the top, with Division 1. So far, there have been 14,834 points scored in the 2018/2019 season for Division 1. The most points scored by a team has been 1,833 whilst the lowest scoring team has been 1,323 – a difference of 510 points. The interesting thing to note from the most team points is that this is not the first placed team of Division 1. Even more interesting is that the lowest scoring team is not the last placed team in Division 1. So is there a discrepancy between the top teams in Division 1 and the bottom teams? In Division 1, the average amount of points scored per game is 52.6. The Top four teams in Division 1 average 57.6 points per game, whilst the bottom four teams average 46.5 points per game. The first placed team averages 58 points per game whilst the last placed team averages 43.7 points per game. The top four teams in Division 1 have scored 7,142 points so far this season, whilst the bottom 4 teams have scored 5,859 – a difference of 1,283 points. This is a lot considering that the last placed team has scored 1,398 points. The team placed first has scored 1801 points, making the difference between first place and last place, 403 points. Therefore, to answer the question, yes there is a discrepancy between the top teams and the bottom teams. The top four teams are the top teams for a reason. If you are not one of the top four teams, maybe this was just not your season. If there was not a gap between the top teams and the bottom teams the CPL might be worried that there would be some next-level match fixing going on, or even worse, players could be just playing basketball for the fun of it.


The fourteenth big number is 0, 0, 255.

Huh? Well this week’s number is a code, but what code? Here’s popular (and still relevant) Italian music group Eiffel 65 to help answer that:

That’s right; 0, 0, 255 is the RGB code for Blue. No, the CPL is not feeling down or depressed, although knowing that another season is coming to an end does bring a tear to one’s eye. Blue is the primary colour of uniforms used by 32% of the League’s 25 teams in the 2018/2019 season. Going deeper, three of the four Division 1 teams left in the finals will be wearing blue uniforms, forcing the need for swap-tops, and having the flow on effect of less desirable game photos, as teams won’t be looking their best. Whilst this writer does not mind the colour blue, in fact, Blue is my boy… a little public service announcement for teams looking to change colours next season, or new teams hoping to join the CPL; resist the urge to pick blue to represent your squad, please pick another colour instead.


The fifteenth big number is 3.

Division 3 has wrapped up with Robo Pandas defeating HUSTLA’z two games to nil to take the Division 3 title.

The Pandas had a great season in Division 3, winning 26 games and only losing four. The Pandas also had a winning record against all six other Division 3 teams, only losing to three teams during the season. 12 players wore the Pandas colours in 2018/19, with 11 regular players and one fill-in. Nine players suited up for the Pandas in the post season. The Pandas scored 1,260 points in the regular season and 153 points in the post season. They scored the bulk of their points by field goals, with 516 in the regular season and 51 in the finals. Not known as a 3-point shooting team, the Pandas only scored 28 3-pointers in the regular season and nine in the post season. The Pandas 3-pointers was also the lowest across all 3 Divisions in the League, just going to show you that you don’t need that extra point to win it all. The second lowest team in 3-pointers made was 50. The Robo Pandas were pretty well disciplined too, with 324 Fouls in the regular season and 52 fouls in the post season. They also only collected two technical fouls and two unsportsmanlike fouls in 2018/19. They say that defence wins games and it is very true with the Pandas, as they recorded 388 steals in the regular season – this is the second most in the entire League. They also recorded 39 steals in the post season. To top things off, they chipped in 69 blocks (nice) in the regular season. The Pandas were also effective in passing, recording 340 assists in the regular season, along with 36 in the post season. The Robo Pandas big men were instrumental in bringing in a league average 1,049 rebounds in the regular season, along with 116 Rebounds in the post season. For fun, here is the spread of 2018/19 stats for the Pandas: Most points by a Pandas player – 237 Most rebounds by a Pandas player – 206 Most assists by a Pandas player – 82 Most steals by a Pandas player – 86 Most blocks by a Pandas player – 17 Most fouls by a Pandas player – 54 Most 3-pointers by a Pandas player – 9 A huge congratulations to the Robo Pandas for taking out the Division 3 championship this year. We hope to see them back in the CPL again next season to defend their title.


The sixteenth big number is 2.

Continuing with our in-depth look at the season winners, we present you the 2018/2019 season Division 2 winners – Beavers. The Beavers swept their way through the post season, concluding with a two game final series against Brownies.

The Beavers finished the regular season in second spot, despite having more wins than the team above them (due to bonus lottery week points). The Beavers finished their dominant season with 21 wins and 13 loses. There were 11 players to wear the Beavers colours this season, with nine regular players and two fill-ins. The Beavers used eight players during the post season. The Beavers scored an impressive 1,659 points in the regular season and 213 in the post season. In a growing trend with the championship teams, the Beavers bulk of their points came from field goals with 587 made during the regular season and 65 made during the post season. In what appears to be another trend the Beavers also did not rely heavily on the 3 ball, making only 96 during the regular season and 14 in the post season. This mark of 96 3-pointers was the lowest in all of Division 2. The Beavers players were monsters on the boards, bringing in a whopping 1,138 rebounds during the regular season and 134 during the post season. They also defended their basket pretty well with 103 blocks in the regular season and 17 in the post season. The Beavers flirted the fine line between fouls and steals during the regular season with 256 steals compared to 402 fouls. During the post season, the beavers committed 49 fouls whilst producing 28 steals. The Beavers were also good at sharing the ball giving out 455 assists during the regular season and 56 during the post season. As we did with Division 3, here is the spread of 2018/19 stats for the Beavers: Most points by a Beavers player – 310 Most rebounds by a Beavers player – 220 Most assists by a Beavers player – 97 Most steals by a Beavers player – 46 Most blocks by a Beavers player – 50 Most fouls by a Beavers player – 83 Most 3-pointers by a Beavers player – 41 A very big congratulations to the Beavers for taking out their third championship this year. With such a dominate performance, we expect this team to be back in the finals mix again next season.


The seventeenth big number is 1.

Our final look at the championship winners brings us to 2018/2019 season Division 1 champions – Hawks.

The Hawks looked dominant all season finishing atop the Division 1 ladder with 27 wins and only 7 losses. 15 players suited up for the Hawks this season, with six of those being fill-ins. During the post season, the Hawks utilised nine players. The Hawks were very efficient when it came to scoring, tallying an impressive 1,938 points during the regular season and 244 points in the post season. This came off 149 3-pointers and 615 field goals made in the regular season, and 24 3-pointers and 65 field goals made in the post season. 1,938 points brought the Hawks the fourth highest scoring total in the CPL for the 2018/2019 season. The Hawks big men managed to dominate the boards for another season, bringing in a total of 1,132 rebounds during the regular season and 105 in the post season. This amount of rebounds had them in the top half of all CPL teams for rebounds made. The Hawks were also in the top half of most fouls committed with 372 during the regular season and 54 fouls in the post season. The defensive efforts displayed by the Hawks was impressive with 277 steals and 78 blocks during the regular season. The Hawks also amassed 31 steals, and 14 blocks during the post season. There was no doubt the Hawks were good at sharing the ball, with 541 assists during the regular season, ranking third in all CPL teams. During the post season, the hawks dished out 55 assists. Here is the spread of Hawks stats for the 2018/2019 season: Most points by a Hawks player – 351 Most rebounds by a Hawks player – 202 Most assists by a Hawks player – 88 Most steals by a Hawks player – 50 Most blocks by a Hawks player – 26 Most fouls by a Hawks player – 66 Most 3-pointers by a Hawks player – 50 Shout out to the Hawks for taking out their second championship in Division 1. We look forward to seeing the numbers they will put up next season.


2019/20:

Our first big number of the 2019-20 season is 178.

The new CPL Season is upon us. That is right folks, the CPL has kicked off Season 13, which will span 2019 and 2020… and boy do we have some fun in store for all the teams participating in what we hope will be another classic season.

In the first round of games, the CPL saw 178 players take the court along with seven players who came and watched their team compete.

The CPL now has 27 teams in its roster, the most it has ever had.
7 Teams comprise the Premier Division 1.
11 Teams make up the Rock Star Division 2
9 Teams make up the Little Brother Division 3.

We have had nine new teams join the league, whilst 19 teams returned. We have also had a venue change for Division 3, which has been very well received.

So how did the first round go?

Across the three Divisions, there were:
1,038 Points scored
81 Three pointers made
786 Rebounds
251 Assists
209 Steals
41 Blocks
243 Fouls
0 Tech Fouls
3 Unsportsmanlike fouls

Some pretty good looking numbers there.

For the teams that did not make it into the winner’s column in Week 1, just remember you never lost the game, you just ran out of time.

Welcome back CPL Basketball.


Our second big number is 66.

Something that we like to do at the start of a new season is determine which player numbers are getting the run in the League.

Since the dawning of CPL, a grand total of 66 numbers between 00 and 99 have been used by our players. Over 10 years of players playing in the League and yet a third of the numbers have not been used.

So what numbers do players like using?

Number 11 takes the prize for the most worn number, with 160 players in CPL history donning the jersey. Of all the players to have ever stepped on the court for the CPL, six percent of them aspire to be like Detlef Schrempf, Klay Thompson, Dante Exum, or Mike Conley.

The next most popular numbers are:
8 with 159 players (last season’s most popular number by players)
5 with 142 players
9 with 140 players
7 with 133 players

But what are the 36 numbers that have not been used we hear you ask? Well, here they are:

We know that some teams are still ordering their new jerseys, which might see some of these numbers taken off the shunned list. Nevertheless, did no one grow up wanting to be Andrei Kirilenko, Scot Pollard, Lakers Rodman, Shawn Bradley, Baron Davis, or Metta World Peace’s 96 and 93? Time will tell.


The third big number is 46.

Since its inception in August 2017 during the 2017/2018 Season, there have been 51 occurrences of Player of the Month awards across all 3 Divisions.

To date, 46 players have won the Player of the Month glory, with five players winning it two times.

This week we see three more names added to this list of players to take home the monthly honour, and as always we are excited to see if the players taking home the honour are one of the 46 players that have already taken the honours, or if some new blood gets to bask in the grandeur.

So how do you get this most prestigious award?

For a start, play hard and put up some good numbers stat wise. Also, ensuring that your team has a lot of wins in the results column helps a lot. Most importantly – be a good person. There is nothing we like more in the CPL then rewarding good blokes that play hard.


Our fourth big number is 40.5.

The new season has seen a change in the venue for Division 3, which has also allowed for an expansion to nine teams from the previous seven.

However, the big question on our minds; do the new courts mean an increase in scoring?

To answer that question we will reflect on the Big Number this week: 40.5. In the first five rounds of the 2019/2020 Season teams have averaged 40.5 points per game. During the last five rounds of the 2018/2019 Season (Division 3 introduced the shot clock in the last five rounds) teams averaged 33.8 points per game. That means that Division 3 teams are now scoring 6.7 more points a game this season than they were last season.

In the first five rounds of the 2019/2020 Season, 197 points is the highest amount scored by a team, whilst 170 was the highest amount of points scored in the last five rounds of the 2018/2019 Season.

Now those that have played at both venues will tell you which one they like more. One thing we know for sure is that six extra points per game shows that the change in venue has been a handy one for the shooters out there. Shots are going in at a more proficient level that rebounds have actually dropped by one per game; 34.1 Rebounds per team in the 2018/2019 Season, compared to 33.1 Rebounds per team in the 2019/2020 Season.

Therefore, it does appear that the new courts do improve players scoring, so our tip is to listen to JR Smith –

“Worse come to worse… my motto is, ‘When in doubt, shoot the ball.’ So when in doubt, I’m going to shoot it and hopefully that don’t catch nobody off guard.”

Cannot go wrong with intellect like that.


Our fifth big number is 28.

The CPL has a long history of rewarding each division’s best player with the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, which is presented to the standout players of league at each years End of Season Party. To date, in 12 seasons of the CPL’s, the MVP award has been handed out 28 times.

21 Players have won this prestigious award, with seven players winning it twice.

In the 12 CPL seasons that have passed, there has been co-winners of the award two times.

17 different teams have had players win the MVP award, with two teams notching three winners each.

Whilst the vast majority of players strive for the championship trophy, we’re fairly sure some people occasionally chase stats, in an attempt to gain some MVP votes, and thus the esteemed MVP trophy. However, it’s important to remember that regardless of votes, the MVP will only ever be a player from a team that qualified for the playoffs – so stats are nice, but winning games is most important.

If you want to see whom the league leaders are in the MVP race, check out the ‘Race to the MVP’ post on the CPL Home Page. Keeping in mind that the votes become secret after 15 rounds.

One special shout-out to the men and women behind the whistle that put in the hard work for us all every week… you the real MVP.


Our sixth big number is 51.

The 18th of June is remembered for many historical events occurring on this date. To name a few:

  • The Battle of Waterloo (1815)
  • Amelia Earhart becoming the first women to fly across the Atlantic ocean (1928)
  • Mrs Shakuntala Devi mentally calculated two 13-digit numbers in 28 sec (1980)
  • Bryan Adams releases Billboard song of the Year “(Everything I do) I do it for you” (1991) – a personal favourite of ours
  • The Fast and the Furious premiered (2001)
  • King Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicates the Spanish throne to make way for his son Felipe VI (2014)

However, for the CPL the 18th of June will be remembered as the day that Will Mayfield of the Yvng Kings scored a whopping 51 points.

He scored this impressive total with six field goals (12 points), 12 three pointers (36 points), and three free throws (3 points).

The rest of his stats for the night were not terrible either, showing that he contributed more than just points – with 10 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He also managed to come away clean for the night with no fouls. The most important stat for the night is that the Yvng Kings got the win.

For those of you playing at home, 51 points scored in a game is the current CPL record for most points. This mammoth effort topped the previous benchmark of 49 points, set by the Pork Swords Shaun Mills (2018/19 – Round 20). Unfortunately for Will, he was not able to take the most three pointers mantle from the current record holder Shaun Mills, who racked up 14 three pointers made in his 49 point effort.

Whilst Will is no Bryan Adams, his 51 point outing did “Make a Night to Remember”.


The seventh big number is 8,787.

Nope that is not a typo – this week’s big number is 8,787, which is the amount of points scored so far across all three Divisions in the 2019/2020 Season.

Many people often ask us here at the CPL, is there such thing as the start of “start of season hangover”? Well to try and find out, let’s crunch some numbers…

For the month of May, the three Divisions scored the following points:
Division 1 – 1,277
Division 2 – 1,810
Division 3 – 1,300
That is a combined total of 4,387 points.

Now, for in the month of June, the three Divisions scored the following points:
Division 1- 1,332
Division 2 – 1,812
Division 3 – 1,256
That is a combined total of 4,400 points in the month of June.

So, the short answer is no, there is no start of season hangover as far as we can tell. To that one person who was probably just trying to make awkward conversation with us, “you can stop asking now… okay”.

Interestingly Division 3 has had a dip in offensive performance. However, we understand this may be due to one prolific shooter who was recovering from an overseas trip, but I guess we’ll find out more at the end of July.


The eighth big number is 4.

The CPL has had four presidents since its humble beginning. Starting with the Logo Hardy Vargas, the next president was Scott Culpitt, the CPL’s third president was Alex Burnett, and the current and fourth president is our fearless leader Shane Turner.

Between these four presidents, they have racked up some impressive stats.

Combined they have played 909 regular season games in the CPL, and between the presidents, they have won six championships.

Together the presidents have scored a massive 3,837 points, with the top scoring president currently accounting for 1,681 (44%) of them. The presidents have also netted 425 3-pointers, with 401 (94%) of those coming from just one president.

The presidents defensive skills are also a remarkable sight, with a combined 2,804 rebounds, 345 blocks, and 853 steals… with one president seizing 422 (49%) of those steals. There was no short supply of assists either, with a combined 1,269 of them.

Being the president does not exclude you from being a for the odd foul or two. The presidents combined for 1,211 fouls, with one of those presidents leading the way with 501 (43%) of the violations. They also had four technical fouls and four unsportsmanlike fouls called against them.

The one thing the CPL prides itself on is that it is a league for the players, by the players. So each of these presidents have volunteered to leave no player behind in their quest to make Basketball great again. Each president has brought their own approach to the league and each one has given us change we can believe in. Do you think we could slip a few more puns in here? Yes we can! Thank you to all the past presidents and to our current president.


The ninth big number is 1,184.

The CPL is currently in its 13th season. With 13 seasons comes many players, 1,184 of them to be exact.

With these 1,184 players comes a lot of game experience. In total there have been 41,764 games played by those 1,184 individuals.

So let us break the numbers down:

  • 125 players have played more than 100 games.
  • 67 players have played more than 150 games.
  • 37 players have played more than 200 games.
  • Two players have reached the 300 game milestone.
  • Finally, 216 players have only played one game.

The CPL is a unique competition where players can play over 300 games, or turn up for just one game. Here at the CPL we appreciate all the players who have given their all for the game of basketball, but we are particularly fond of seeing players rack up the big numbers.


The tenth big number is 17,587.

Some say that the game of basketball has evolved due to the introduction of the 3-pointer, while others have the opinion that players like Steph Curry has ruined basketball for those that love the grit and grind of the inside game. Whilst the CPL is no NBA or NBL, our league has evolved as the game itself has evolved.

Since the CPL started collecting statistics on 3-pointers (2010/2011 season), there have been 17,587 3-pointers made (not including the current seasons, or Division 3).

During the 2010/2011 season there were 1,238 3-pointers made by the 16 teams, and during this season teams made on average 2.6 threes per game. Fast forward to the 2018/2019 where there were 18 teams in Division 1 and 2, teams were averaging five 3-pointers per game. The growth of the 3-pointer can be seen in the below chart over the season.

This increase of 2.4 threes per game does not seem like a big deal, but there is a noticeable increase for points scored per team per game in the time. In the 2010/2011 season teams were averaging 42.8 points per game, whilst in the 2018/2019 season teams were averaging 61.4 points per game.

The 3-point shot also brings with it some other increases, like missed shots. As we all know, we do not collect data on misses (which some players are quite thankful for), but we can see the rebounds have increased over this period as well. In the 2010/2011 season teams averaged 27 rebounds per game, while the 2018/2019 season saw teams averaging 32.4 rebounds per game.

Some might argue that the evolution of the 3-pointer has ruined the game, but from where we are standing, it has only made the game more fun – so go out there and shoot that shot, and don’t worry if you miss, there will be no record of it anyway.


The eleventh big number is 20,529.

Justine Bieber is dominating the charts, Apple has just released the iPhone 4, The Walking Dead premiers on our television screens, Simon Cowell shocks the world and leaves “American Idol”, and Kobe Bryant reaches 25,000 career points at 31 years old.

That’s right folks… we are going back to 2010. It is a season in review.

In 2010, Hardy Vargas was the CPL President and Dean Brown was the Vice President (his last season on the Committee). The 2010-2011 season was played at the AIS and began on the 11 of May 2010. There were two Divisions, each Division had eight teams, with 197 players in total. The regular season concluded on 1 March 2011.

Here are the teams:
Division 1
Cunning Stunts
Dragons
Hawks
Eagles
Spartans
Wingmen
Beavers
Big Bangs

Division 2
Shenanigans
Shoot the J
Kambah
Hellfish
Spitfires
Hornets
Outlaws
Big Bangs 2

20,529 points were scored during the regular season with 1,238 of those being 3-pointers. The 2010-2011 season brought with it the beginning of the data collection of 3-pointers made in the CPL – a milestone that we greatly appreciate. One player managed to hit 66 3-pointers during the season.

The highest scoring team for the 2010-2011 season managed 1,594, whilst the lowest scoring team earned a respectable 999 points. The highest scoring player managed 561 points during the season.

During the 2010-2011 season there were 12,956 rebounds made, with one team bringing in 992 of those. The player with the most rebounds attained 265.

The season was a season full of love with 4,010 assists made, with one team dropping 366 of them. The most assists by one player was 122.

Despite the aforementioned love, there was no love lost with the 5,588 fouls committed, one team notched up 339 of them. One player also managed to get 82 fouls on the season.

Steals and blocks were a plenty, with 3,929 steals for the season (with one team recording 339 of those), and 1,161 blocks made (115 of those coming from one team). The highest steals and blocks by players were 77 steals and 87 blocks.

In Division 1, the Cunning Stunts took out the championship defeating the Eagles, and in Division 2 Kambah took the championship defeating Shoot the J. Fast-track to 2019 – none of those teams play in the CPL anymore. In fact, only four of the 16 2010-2011 teams still remain in the CPL… however both the MVP’s from that season still play – Michael Ashton was awarded the 2010-2011 Division 1 MVP trophy and Daniel Richardson won the Division 2 award.

A lot can happen in nine years, we cannot wait to see what the next nine look like.


Our twelfth big number is 742.

There is an interesting theory going around that states that a team that gets more blocks, also gets more rebounds. This big number is about testing to see if that theory holds weight here in the CPL.

So far this season there have been 742 blocks recorded across the three divisions. There have also been 12,931 rebounds recorded. That is a 17 to 1 ration of rebounds to blocks.

The team with the most blocks recorded so far has 53; however, they do not have the most rebounds – they rank fourth, with 526. This gives them a 10 to 1 ratio of rebounds to blocks. Interestingly, the team that is coming first in rebounds (581) has a 20 to 1 ration in rebounds to blocks, almost double that of the team that is leading the league in blocks.

So let us put this all into perspective, based on the average rebound to block ratio, for the theory to be correct the team with the highest amount of blocks (53) should have amassed a whopping 901 rebounds. However, their 526 rebounds is about 375 short of proving this theory to be accurate.

If that does not squash your belief in that theory, how about this one – the team with the lowest amount of rebounds recorded was 367 and they had a ratio of 17.5 rebounds to one block. In comparison, the team with the lowest amount of blocks recorded this season at nine had amassed an impressive 465 rebounds, giving them a staggering 51 to 1 rebound to blocks ratio. Therefore, the team with nine blocks recorded 98 more rebounds than the team with 21 blocks this season.

With all that information, we can safely say that that theory is not true. Sorry for the all the math in this one folks.


Our thirteenth big number is 24.

Just how we know that there are 24 hours in the day and there are 24 beers in a case, we know that there are 24 seconds to get your shot up. That is right, this week we are talking the shot clock and its revolution of the scoring it adds to the CPL.

Previously we have written about how the shot clock had increased the amount of scoring across all of the Divisions; however, we thought it might be good to take an in-depth look at the result it had on Division 3, which thanks to a generous donation from Quattro Architecture now has two working shot clocks for their games.

After 16 rounds of the 2018/2019 Division 3 season, 3,305 points had been scored amongst seven teams, which equates to 472 points per team. Compare that to the 2019/2020 season, where there is an average of 564 points per team (5,076 points total after 16 rounds).

What is the difference you ask? Well apart from the obvious 91 points per team swing to the current teams, the big variance is that fine number at the start of this whole thing, 24.

Team’s having 24 seconds to get the shot up has seen the average points per game increase from 29.5 during the non-shot clock 2018/2019 season, to 35.3 in the post shot clock 2019/2020 season. And we all know that more points equals more fun, right?

The CPL very much appreciates the donation by Quattro Architecture of the shot clocks. Without them in Division 3, we would be stuck in the past where scoring was less than ample and getting bulk buckets was a pipe dream.


The fourteenth big number is 64.

No this number is not a reference to the classic console that gave us Golden Eye, Perfect Dark, or even Mario 64.

It is common knowledge that by playing in a CPL game, you can earn Most Valuable Player (MVP) votes. There are five votes per game to be distributed to deserving players – the referees (bless their hearts) get to hand out one each and three votes are given out by the team performing bench duties.

To date, in the CPL there have been 11,570 MVP votes given to players. However, 513 players have never received a single vote. This is across a combined 3,380 appearances.

What does 64 have to do with players not getting an MVP vote? Well, 64 is the most amount of games played by a player without receiving an MVP. That’s right, one players has amassed a decent amount of games and not once received an MVP vote. However, this player is not alone; in fact, there are five players who have over 50 games each who have never received an MVP vote.

The highest amount of MVP votes given to one player was 206. This player had notched up 260 games when they retired from the CPL. The best performance in terms of votes per game is reserved for one player who has amassed 103 MVP votes from only 76 appearances – this is the least amount of games played with the highest MVP total.

Another interesting fact that was discovered whilst looking into the MVP votes is that 27 players have a perfect record. Meaning that in every game they have played, they have received at least one MVP vote.

What it actually takes to get given an MVP vote is a little up in the air; it can be based on player performance, player attitude, player dress sense, or literally anything else. What we do know is that the votes are not to be taken lightly as their purpose, as anyone who has attended one of the CPL’s famous end of season party’s would know, is to decide the most prestigious individual accolade of the CPL – each divisions Most Valuable Player for the season.

Since its inception, the CPL has handed out 28 MVP trophies to 21 different players. There will be at least three new trophies to distribute in April, the question we have for this season is, will anyone repeat, or will we have some new winners? The power lies with you the players, for after all, this is a league by the players for the players. So use your votes wisely.


The fifteenth big number is 401.

In case you were somehow not aware, the CPL just hosted its annual CPL All-Star Saturday again at the AIS arena. It was once again an amazing turn out of support for CPL basketball, all while raising funds for the Cancer Council ACT. We plan to get some information about how much exactly was raised shortly, but for the time being let us focus on the Basketball.

The All-Star games again were split by North versus South for the three Divisions, and by the CPL Legends versus Cal’s Legends for the Legends game. Sixty-six players took the court during these games and displayed some great basketball for all in attendance.

401 points were scored across the four games, with 126 field goals, 36 three pointers, and 41 free throws made. There were several standout performances; one of the All-Stars scored an impressive 26 points in his sides win, and four other players also made five three pointers each in their games.

Players did not baulk at the opportunity to gobble up the boards with 312 rebounds made, with one Legend bringing in 18 rebounds alone. There were also 106 assists on the night with one player notching up seven of them – showing that even under the bright lights, sharing the ball is still important.

Whilst the All-Star game is about displaying the best basketball, the CPL has to offer that does not mean it is all offense. The defence on display from the All-Stars was again top notch amassing 63 steals and 21 Blocks. Three players had three steals each, whilst two players recorded three blocks each.

So how did the night go? Well four teams got the win and four teams unfortunately lost. In the ever waging war of North versus South, South once again came up with the win scoring an impressive 157 points compared to the North’s valiant 143 points. The CPL Legends once again took the mantle against Cal’s Legends with 60 points compared to 41.

Once again, All-Star Saturday was a great night out for Basketball and the community, which saw a lot of money raised for the ACT Cancer Council. It could not have been done without the tireless work of the committee members and the other volunteers that made the event so great. We all look forward to doing it again next year, and who knows, maybe your number might get the call up for a run.


The sixteenth big number is 27.

The technical foul is a powerful weapon in a referee’s arsenal. Used correctly it can bring control back to an out of control game, remove an unruly player from the game, or guide players to doing the right thing. The tech foul also alerts the CPL to players who may not be suitable to play in the competition.

The number 27 is the number of tech fouls handed out to players during the 2019/2020 Season.

There have been 702 tech fouls handed out in the regular season in CPL history – 408 in Division 1, 250 in Division 2, and 44 in Division 3.

This season so far has seen 10 tech fouls been issued to Division 1, 11 in Division 2, and 6 in Division 3.

265 Players have received tech fouls in the CPL. With the most handed to a player being 37. However, CPL players are quick to learn with only 127 of those players receiving more than one tech foul.

So how does this number of 27 compare to last season?

By Round 27 of the 2018/2019 season, 78 tech fouls had been handed out to players. That is a difference of 51 tech fouls! Dramatically less this season.

We will leave up to you whether you think the CPL players have just become nicer this season, or are the referees just more reluctant to hand out technical fouls.


The seventeenth big number is 12.

Have you ever noticed that on the CPL stats some players are highlighted green?

Did you also per chance notice that these green highlights started appearing around round 14 and 15?

For those in the know these green highlights are a good thing. However, if you are not sure what they mean let us explain it to you.

To qualify to play in the CPL finals, players need to have played in or attended 12 regular season games. Not a whole lot considering it is just over 30% of the season. Any player that has this wonderful green highlight has achieved the goal of participating in at least 12 games.

In our three Divisions, two players currently share the record of having participated in the most games this season, racking up an impressive 28 games played each (including the Division 3 Draft Night and the All-Star game).

Looking at the season so far, there have been 407 players play at least one CPL game, and of those players, 200 of them have already qualified for the finals. However, of those 407 players, 158 of them will not qualify for the finals this season. One of the stats that we find most interesting is that 27 players need to play or attend every remaining game to become eligible to play in the finals.

So will these players make it? What could these players have done differently? Could the teams have done more? Well one thing we like to do here at the CPL is count players who turn up to watch their team as being “IA”. Any player with an IA is attributed as having a game played, but without the stats. So if you cannot play but can attend, you should turn up and watch. You get to support your team, watch some basketball, all while ticking off a game for finals qualification. Sounds like a winner to us.


Our eighteenth big number is 3,263.

Recently the following question was asked to us here at the CPL: “Does having a top point scorer ensure that you are a top team?”

To answer this, we will focus on the top 10 scoring players in the League, across all Divisions.

This groups combined points so far this season are 3,263.

Combined these players have 138 wins and 123 losses, giving them a joint win/loss percentage of 53%. If we compare that to the combined win/loss percentage of each first place team in each of the Divisions – the three number one ranked teams have a combined 66 wins and 12 losses, giving them a joint win/loss percentage of 84%.

The average team ranking of the top 10 scoring players teams’ is the fifth position.

In Division 1, the number one ranked team also has the number one ranked scorer, however in Division 2, the highest ranked team with a player in the top 10 of points scoring is ranked fifth. In Division 3, the number two ranked team has only one player that has cracked the top 10 of point scorers.

So besides winning games, what are these three number one teams doing differently? The simple answer – rebounding! Two of the first placed ranked teams currently rank first and second in rebounds.

As one of the ultimate winners, Pat Summitt, once said: “Offense sells tickets; defence wins games, rebounding wins championships.”


The nineteenth big number is 250.

Are you one of the 250 club? Are you now scratching your head wondering what the 250 club is?

Let us put your mind to rest – the 250 club is the list of players who have played in 250 games or more in their CPL career.

13 players have played in over 250 regular season games in the CPL. There is also a chance for three more players to join this club this season.

Together these 13 players have amassed an amazing 3,667 combined games played.

Of those 13 players, four of them have reached the 300 club.

So how can you join this exclusive club? Playing in 250 games always helps.


The twentieth big number is 24.

Is the CPL superstitious? Are curses real? If you are a fan of the popular EA Sports video game ‘Madden NFL’, you will definitely know that curses are real. For those of you who do not know of this curse we will break it down for you.

Players who appear on the cover of the Madden NFL game will have something bad happen to them the following season ranging from career ending injuries to drops in performance. Some notable victims have included Michael Vick – fractured his fibula a week after the games release. Four years later, he was in jail. Brett Favre – threw a career high 22 interceptions and then hurt his shoulder. Even this year’s cover athlete Antonio Brown – no longer plays in the NFL.

This prompted us to ponder if there is a CPL Player of the Month curse.

Well, so far in the 2019/2020 Season, 24 players have received the honour of being announced as the CPL Player of the Month for their Division.

On average, teams that have had a player get the nod for Player of the Month went on to have a 56% chance of winning their next three games. This is up from every other team without a Player of the Month who only had a 50% chance of winning their next three games.

On average, the CPL Proficiency Rating (CPR)* dropped for each Player of the Month by five percentage points the month after their win, with the highest drop being 14.3 percentage points.

*We will release more on the CPR soon.

So is the Player of the Month curse a real thing? We at the CPL think the curse might actually be real, which is rather unfortunate for the HBW Cannons, Beavers, and Owls this month. Sorry…


The twenty-first big number is CPR

So many things are probably going through your head right now. Like, “where is the number?”, “what does cardiopulmonary resuscitation have to do with the CPL?”, and “what is so big about it?”.

Well, let us confuse you even more.

Here at the CPL we have been looking at ways to give more back to the players – sure; points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks all look good on paper, but, can we do more with them? Can you actually see how affective you really were during the game / month / season?

Drumroll please… we are delighted to announce the latest craze that will surely have players talking – The CPL Proficiency Rating (CPR).

We will not bore you with the calculations, as we fear we may have already lost some readers at this point (we don’t want to lose you all, but the CPR looks at taking each players positive and negative stats and creating an individual number (the CPR) for each individual. Now here at the CPL we are all about the positive side of things, so the CPR does have a certain shine to it that you get from excluding some of the more negative things one could do on the basketball court.

So how does it work? Well, starting shortly you will see the CPR appear in the weekly statistics, along with the historical data. You will also be able to see it in more big numbers, as well as slides at end of season parties.

Is the CPR needed in the CPL? Some people may think it is overkill having this much detail in a social competition. Let’s just ignore those people, and leave this list here…

The top 20 CPR’s in the 2019/2020 Season to date
(minimum 12 games played)


The twenty-second big number is 3.

The Division 3 title has been claimed for the 2019/2020 Season with the number 1 placed Titans defeating the number 2 placed Owls, 2 games to none.

The Titans had a dominant season in Division 3, winning 29 games and only losing three games. The Titans also had a winning record against all eight other Division 3 teams, only losing to three teams during the season.

12 players wore the Titans red this season with eight regular players and four fill-ins. The Titans used all eight of their players in the finals as well. These 12 players combined for 223 games played in the regular season.

The Titans scored 1,544 points in the regular season, with a large amount of those points coming from the 3-point line. The Titans scored 434 Field goals, 161 3-pointers, and 193 Free throws. They say that the 3-point shot has changed the game and the title winning Titans lead Division 3 with 3-pointers made this season, amassing 17 more 3-pointers then the second highest team (who was the second placed Owls). This ability to hit the 3-ball was one of the leading factors to their 421 assists.

One of the successes to every title campaign is defence, with the Titans recording 1,263 rebounds, 333 steals and 74 blocks during the regular season. Whilst the Titans did not take out the Division 3 scoring title for the season, their defence held teams to a low 1,029 points scored against them – this was 158 points less than the next best team. Whilst their defence was good, they still managed to rack up 308 fouls for the season and one technical foul.

During the finals the Titans played four games to secure the title. During that time, they scored 179 points, hit 23 3-pointers and recorded 156 rebounds, 50 assists, and 33 steals. They also recorded 11 blocks and 37 fouls.

The Titans regular season stat leaders for the season were:
337 – Most points by a player
337 – Most rebounds by a player
110 – Most assists by a player
76 – Most steals by a player
19 – Most blocks by a player
66 – Most 3-pointers by a player
77 – Most fouls by a player

Very big congratulations to the Titans for taking out the championship this season. Good luck for next season to defend your title.


The twenty-third big number is 1.

The Division 1 title has been claimed for the 2019/2020 Season, with the third placed Pork Swords coming away with the championship over the first placed Hawks.

The 2019/2020 Division 1 season ended on a peculiar note, with the grand final sadly wrapping up after only having one game played, due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 shutting down all organised sports. A decision that the CPL did not take lightly.

The Pork Swords had a good season making a hard run towards the finals towards the end of the regular season. The Swords finished third for the season with 17 wins and 13 losses.

17 players represented the Swords this season with nine regular players and eight fill-ins. During the finals, the Pork Swords used eight players. Those 17 players combined for 187 games played.

The Pork Swords scored an impressive 1,629 points for the season, which was the second highest amount scored in Division 1. During the finals, the Swords scored 182 points. The Pork Swords scored 218 3-pointers for the regular season with another 19 3-pointers scored during the finals.

The Pork Swords managed to bring in 1,033 rebounds during the regular season, with an additional 105 rebounds during the finals. The Swords liked dealing out the love, with 464 assists during the regular season and another 36 assists during the finals.

The Pork Swords defence was on point during the 2019/2020 season, with 224 steals and 58 blocks during the regular season and 26 steals and four blocks during the finals.

The Pork Swords were not without fault during the season – recording 257 fouls, 5 Tech Fouls and 2 Unsportsmanlike Fouls. During the finals, the Pork Swords recorded 31 fouls.

The Pork Swords regular season stat leaders for the season were:
328 – Most points by a player
179 – Most rebounds by a player
78 – Most assists by a player
36 – Most steals by a player
12 – Most blocks by a player
61 – Most 3-pointers by a player
38 – Most fouls by a player

A very big congratulations to the Pork Swords for taking out the championship this season. Best of luck defending your title next season (whenever that may be).


The twenty-fourth and last big number of the 2019-20 season is 2.

The Division 2 title has been claimed for the 2019/2020 Season with the second placed Beavers coming away with the win over the first placed Brownies. This win secures the Beavers a repeat title having previously taken out the 2018/2019 season. This is also marks the 4th championship win for the Beavers and second back to back championship, having previously taken out the 2012/2013 season and 2013/2014 season.

The 2019/2020 season ended on a weird note with the grand final only having one game played due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 shutting down all organised sports. A decision that the CPL did not take lightly.

The Beavers had a consistent season with 20 wins and 10 losses which put them second for the season. The Beavers also didn’t lose a game during the playoffs and finals.

13 players wore the Beavers uniform for the 2019/2020 Season with eight being regular players and five fill-ins. During the finals the Beavers used eight players. Those 13 players combined for 210 games played.

The Beavers scored 1,423 points for the season, while during the playoffs and finals they scored 206 points. The bulk of the Beavers points came from field goals, with 416 scored compared to the 158 3-pointers they scored during the regular season. During the post season they scored 55 field goals compared to 21 3-pointers.

During the season the Beavers brought in 997 rebounds and during the post season they managed 104 rebounds. The Beavers were also good at sharing the ball around notching up 350 assists during the regular season and 48 assists during the playoffs and finals.

The Beavers defence was on display with 205 steals and 84 blocks during the regular season. During the playoffs and finals, the Beavers managed 9 steals and 15 blocks. The Beavers did record 358 fouls during the regular season and 62 fouls during the post season.

The Beavers regular season stat leaders for the season were:
245 – Most points by a player
185 – Most rebounds by a player
81 – Most assists by a player
35 – Most steals by a player
30 – Most blocks by a player
49 – Most 3-pointers by a player
78 – Most fouls by a player

Congratulations to the Beavers for taking out the championship this season. Good luck for next season to defend your title and go for the three peat.


2021:

The first big number of 2021 is 2021!

The new CPL Season is upon us! Round one of this historical season has been completed and some of you may have noticed a change… whether it was the change of music being played, the new lights, or even the bringing together of all divisions.

This 2021 season brings with it something the CPL has not seen before…. four divisions! That’s right, we created a whole new division, and we’re all under the same roof. No longer does the lake divide the CPL.

So, what to make of this new look CPL? Well for starters there are 34 teams – five more teams than the CPL has ever had in the past, and a long way away from the eight teams that started the CPL journey in the 2008/2009 Season.

But you are not here for a history lesson. Let’s break down the numbers from the first night of the 2021 season. There were 1,295 points scored across the divisions, with 70 points being the most scored by a team. The most amount of points by a player on the night was 25.

Teams brought down an impressive 1,001 rebounds, with one team nabbing themselves a tasty 51 rebounds. The highest rebounder on the night tore down 16 rebounds.

Teams were not shy with passing the ball. During Round 1, teams dished out 334 assists, with one team racking up 21 assists. One player managed to help his team out with eight assists.

There were 223 steals in Round 1, along with 47 blocks. But with solid defence there is also some not so solid defence – there 227 fouls and five unsportsmanlike fouls.

The numbers are starting to rack up, and as we have only just begun the 2021 season, much more will follow. So keep hustling and bringing in those stats, because we here at the CPL like to see them and occasionally write something stupid about them.


The second big number of 2021 is 55.

There have been 1,265 players to have graced the court under the CPL banner, and at one time or another everyone has played in their rookie season for the CPL.

So far in the 2021 season, 284 players have taken the court. Of those players, 55 have never played in the CPL before (rookies). The 55 rookies come from 17 different teams across all divisions, with nine players coming from one team alone.

Will these rookies thrive in the CPL, or will they burn out after one season? We ask because there have been 259 players who have only had one season in the CPL.

Let’s not forget that the CPL is a social league, so there is no pressure on these rookies to succeed – but a message from all the veterans in the CPL to the Rookie class of 2021… “You’re in the big league now.”


The third big number of 2021 is 22,748.

We are three rounds into the new 2021 season and we have already seen some amazing basketball played, but this has got us thinking fondly about seasons past – more specifically the 2020 season.

There were 29 teams that partook in the 2020 season across three divisions and two locations. 337 players took the court during the season. The 2020 season was heavily affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 and what normally would have seen a full season was cut in half, with only 18 rounds played amongst the teams.

The 2020 Season saw three divisional winners (Hawks, AKOM, and Owls) and three runner ups (Pork Swords, Beavers, and TDE).

There were 22,748 points scored, with the highest amount of points for one team being 1,061. There were 2,175 three pointers made and 6,782 field goals made. 15,792 rebounds were gathered during the 2020 season with one team bringing in an impressive 676 rebounds.

Whilst 2020 was the year for isolation, that didn’t stop teams dishing out 5,466 assists. One team lead the league with 276 assists. Defence was key for teams in the 2020 season, with 3,502 steals and 957 blocks.

Teams were not immune to the pesky foul, with 4,898 fouls being committed, with one team committing 205 fouls. There were also 49 tech fouls and 30 unsportsmanlike fouls.

The season started off with very strict rules to help with COVID-19 restrictions and as we progressed through the season, and with the players help, we were able to get back to the new normal. However, the CPL did need to hand out 62 COVID-19 protocol strikes

The one thing that we did learn at the CPL is that all though social distancing was necessary to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The CPL is much better when we are all together.


The fourth big number of 2021 is 1,514.

Since the 2012/2013, season there have been 1,514 double-doubles in the CPL – slightly less than the 1,908 double-doubles recorded during the 2019/2020 NBA season alone.

Our double-doubles range from rebound and points combinations, to assists and points combinations, and are shared between 277 players. The current player record for most double-doubles in the league is 48.

Whilst there is a substantial quantity of double-doubles recorded in the CPL, there is only a small amount of triple-doubles in the league, at seven. This impressive feat has been shared among four different players.

The double-double may be far more common in the NBA, but for the CPL, we are happy to see over 151 of them on average a season, and are always stoked to see one pop up in the box scores.

So, are you one of the 277 players to rack up a big double-double, or will you be trying to join that list this season? Because we’d love to see it if you do.


The fifth big number of 2021 is 48.

It’s no secret that referees are the life blood of the CPL and without them we would not have a competition. So we thought it was about time that we would show them some love with their own big number.

During the 2020 season, 48 referees were used across the three Divisions. Of those 48 referees, 15 were dedicated referees which meant that the League used 33 duty referees during the season.

There were 272 regular season games in the 2020 regular season, along with 10 finals games. That equates to there being 564 instances where referees where required to officiate games. That is 22,560 minutes, or 376 hours, of game time that had two referees running up and down the court.

To put into perspective the difference between the referee’s job and a player’s job, if a player was to play all their games and all the way to the grand final, they would have run for 840 minutes (or 14 hours) – that’s a lot of exercise.

So, with those statistics in mind, make sure you show some love to your referees. Let them know you appreciate all the work they do to help make the CPL a better competition. We here at the CPL sure do appreciate all that the referees do for us.


The sixth big number of 2021 is 23,446.

So far in the 2021 season there have been 23,446 stats recorded so far across all four divisions.

There have been 2,361 field goals, 693 3-pointers and 940 free throws recorded. This totals up to a pleasant 7,741 points, with each team averaging 228 points a piece this season so far.

There are 34 teams with 323 players, and 57 different jersey numbers have been worn by those 323 players.

There have been 5,973 rebounds and 1,801 assists. There have been 1,314 steals and 322 blocks.

There have been 1,818 personal fouls, 18 unsportsmanlike fouls and 18 technical fouls.

If you have stayed with us through all these statistics so far you are probably wondering what type of big number is this? Well it is after round six, so that means player stats for the 2021 season are now available on the CPL website. Whilst bulk stats look nice on paper, nothing compares to seeing individual player stats. Now go on, get out of here and check out those fresh 2021 stats!


The seventh big number of 2021 is 42,948.

To learn what this huge number represents, let’s get in the way back machine for a minute… alllll the way back to August 2017. 1 August 2017 (which has a numeric value of 42948) is when three plucky lads decided to celebrate the CPL ballers who had been playing exceptionally well for that month of basketball and post about it on Facebook and on this very website, so that the CPL community can see.

That is right folks, we are talking about Player of the Month. As you might have seen, the CPL has just announced the four divisional Players of the Month for March 2021. This brings the total Player of the Month awards to 98. This honour has been shared amongst 78 players and 32 teams so far and has been running for five seasons now.

The Player of the Month award was a nice way for the CPL to show some love to outstanding players who might be on a tear over the last month, or who might just be a consistently good person over that span. On top of filling up the box score and keeping your technical foul count low, it also helps if your team has a winning record in the month.

So congratulations again to all the players that have ever been awarded the prestigious Player of the Month title! We would sincerely love to see every single player in the league get the award one day.


The eighth big number of 2021 is 4.

Stop! To this date there have been 4 draft nights in the CPL. So far, all these Draft Nights have occurred amongst Division 3, but this year move over Division 3, ’cause Division 4 takes the reins of Draft Night. Division 4 is the place you wannabe.

The first CPL Draft Night occurred in the 2017 season and has continued to spice up the lives of players ’till the 2019/2020 season. The 2020 season was not only denying players a full season, but also a Draft Night as well. During this time, 96 players have taken the court to compete in the CPL’s Draft Night, with teammate competing against teammate – often with suspect fouls involved.

For most players it is an opportunity to mix socially with players from other teams, when 2 become 1. Some see it as an opportunity to settle the debate about who is the number one player on their own team. Whilst we the drafters love seeing this intensity from the draftees, we also love seeing the comradely of players competing for the first time on the same side of the ball.

But let us not forget that the Draft Night is more than just for the joy of playing. There have been four teams to have won the coveted Gatorade’s: ‘Shane’s Fresh Fruit Salad’, ‘Stu’s Phantom Shin Kickers’, ‘Stu’s Considerate Crew’, and ‘Heart’.

If you have been lucky enough to have played in a draft night maybe you will remember one of the teams listed below and how you fared.

Finally, there are two things we know that truly come from the draft night games:

  1. If you get drafted by Loz, take out good medical insurance.
  2. That 100% of players have an enjoyable night.

The ninth big number of 2021 is 5.

You may think that when you add 2 and 3 together, you’d get 5, but you’d be wrong… you get the first ever CPL Intra-Division round of games!

The 13th of April 2021 saw the first ever Intra-Division round played in the CPL. While the CPL has had rounds of games that pitted division against division in the past (Lottery Week), the Intra-Division round was formatted in a different manner. After nine rounds of regular season basketball, the CPL wanted Division 3 to have a chance to take down their corresponding ranked Division 2 team, i.e. the 1st placed Division 2 team played the 1st placed Division 3 team, the 2nd placed Division 2 team played the 2nd placed Division 3 team, and so on. Like in Lottery Week, if the lower division team won on the night, they would be rewarded with an extra competition point.

So how did it all fair? Well, Division 2 showed why they are the higher division, with all Division 2 teams emerging victorious. The lack of upsets didn’t stop there being many enjoyable games played on the night though.

Here’s some numbers… a total of 126 players took to the courts, 60 of them from Division 2 and 66 from Division 3. 803 points were scored, with Division 2 notching 471 points compared to Division 3’s 332 points. In fact, Division 2 had the higher quantity of statistics in nearly all categories (rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks), with the exception of fouls committed, where Division 3 topped that category.

All in all, the first CPL Intra-Division round was a great success, with lots of great performances by teams and players alike. We’re really looking forward to seeing what happens when Division 2 takes on Division 1 in that Intra-Division round scheduled for the end of August!


The tenth big number of 2021 is 15.

Did you that the CPL has been in existence since 2008 and that we’re currently in our 15th season? Or that the very first President of the CPL was Hardy Vargas, or as you may know him today – ‘The Logo’?

There may be lots of things you may or may not have known about the CPL, but one interesting titbit that you may not be aware of is that there have been five Presidents to lead the CPL charge since its creation. The Generals of the CPL started with Hardy, followed by Scott Culpitt, Alex Burnett, Shane Turner, and current president Matthew Deady.

If you are still not sure who these blokes are, check out the latest addition to the CPL website, the President’s Wing.

So here are some big numbers that might be of interest –
To date, the five Presidents have amassed 58 seasons in the CPL.
Of the five Presidents, four are still active players in the league.
They have recorded 1,298 games played.
The highest amount of games played by one of the Presidents is 341, whilst the lowest is 107.
They have scored 6,662 points in their 58 seasons, with the highest amount of points being 2,064.
They have recorded 5,949 rebounds and 1,793 assists.
The Presidents have also recorded 1,190 steals and 458 blocks.

But more than these stats, the Presidents have logged thousands of hours to help bring an amazing competition to the players. And that is a stat that we can never truly record or understated.