Úrvalsdeild karla (English: Men's Premier League), also known as Subway deildin for sponsorship reasons, is the highest men's professional basketball competition among clubs in Iceland, where play determines the national champion. It is organized by the Icelandic Basketball Federation (Icelandic: Körfuknattleikssamband Íslands - KKÍ).The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 22 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals, semifinals and finals series are best-of-five. The bottom clubs are relegated, and replaced by the top team from the regular-season phase and the four-team playoff round winner of the second-level First Division (Icelandic: 1. deild karla).
| Founded | 1951 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1952 |
| Country | Iceland |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | 1. deild |
| Domestic cup(s) | Bikarkeppni KKÍ |
| Supercup | Meistarakeppni karla |
| Current champions | Tindastóll (1st title) |
| Most championships | KR (18 titles) |
| All-time top scorer | Valur Ingimundarson |
| CEO | Hannes S. Jónsson |
| TV partners | Stöð 2 Sport |
| Website | www |
 2023–24 Úrvalsdeild karla | |
History edit
Creation and first years 1951-1959 edit
The league was founded in 1951 as 1. deild karla (English: Men's 1st division) and its first season was played in April 1952 with five teams, Íþróttafélag Keflavíkurflugvallar (ÍKF), Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur (ÍR), Íþróttafélag Stúdenta (ÍS), Gosi and Glímufélagið Ármann, participating. The team of ÍKF had the advantage of its close proximity with the US Naval Air Station at Keflavík International Airport and therefore could play competitive games with American players who had high school and college experience. They were furthermore coached by two American naval personnel, Gene Crowley and John Wahl. During the tournament, ÍKF won all four of its games with an average of 10.8 points.[1]
For the first years decade the league was dominated by ÍKF (with 4 wins) and ÍR (with 3 wins); with ÍS finally breaking their dominance in 1959.
ÍR's dominance and the arrival of the Americans 1960-1980 edit
From 1960 to 1964, ÍR, under the leadership of Helgi Jóhannsson, won five straight championships followed by KR winning four straight. From 1969 to 1977, ÍR added seven championships in 9 years. Its last victory in 1977 marked an end of an era and the rise of the Suðurnes rivals Keflavík and Njarðvík.
In September 1975, Jimmy Rogers became the first foreign born professional basketball player in Iceland[2] when he signed a three-month contract with Ármann in preparations for their games against Honka Playboys in the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup.[3] Shortly later, KR signed fellow American Curtis Carter who immediately caught the attention of the fans and media with his powerful play and dunks.[4] Together, they were credited for revolutionizing the Icelandic basketball scene.[5][6] More Americans followed, including Rick Hockenos, Tim Dwyer and Danny Shouse.
Njarðvík's leadership edit
The next two decades, exactly from 1980–81 season to the 1997–98 season, Njarðvík (known as ÍKF until 1969)[7][8] lead the league with 10 wins. In the same period, Keflavík won 4 titles and the KR won their eighth title.
Modern era edit
From the 2000–01 season, many teams have divided the lead of the league. In the 2005–06 season, the Njarðvík won their thirteenth title. In the following season, the 2006–07 season, the KR won their tenth title and one more year later, in the 2007–08 season, the Keflavík won their ninth title.
Teams edit
The Úrvalsdeild karla originated in 1951 and, currently, consists of 12 teams. The current Úrvalsdeild karla teams for the 2021–22 season are:
| Team | City, Region | Arena | Founded | Colours | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Álftanes | Álftanes | Forsetahöllin | 2007 |  Kjartan Atli Kjartansson | |
| Grindavík | Grindavík | HS-Orku Höllin | 1972 | Jóhann Þór Ólafsson | |
| Haukar | Hafnarfjörður | Ásvellir | 1971 | Máté Dalmay | |
| Höttur | Egilsstaðir | MVA Höllin | 1974 | Viðar Örn Hafsteinsson | |
| ÍR | Reykjavík | Hertz Hellirinn | 1950 |  Borce Ilievski | |
| Keflavík | Keflavík | Blue Höllin | 1974 | Pétur Ingvarsson | |
| KR | Reykjavík | DHL Höllin | 1956 | Jakob Sigurðarson | |
| Njarðvík | Njarðvík | Ljónagryfjan | 1952 (as ÍKF) | Benedikt Guðmundsson | |
| Stjarnan | Garðabær | Mathús Garðabæjar Höllin | 1993 | Arnar Guðjónsson | |
| Tindastóll | Sauðárkrókur | Sauðárkrókur | 1907 | Pavel Ermolinskij | |
| Valur | Reykjavík | Origo Höllin | 1951 (as Gosi) | Finnur Freyr Stefánsson | |
| Þór Þorlákshöfn | Þorlákshöfn | Icelandic Glacial Höllin | 1991 | Lárus Jónsson |
Champions edit
Notes edit
- ^ As KR and ÍR tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
- ^ Last name sometimes spelled Benzing.
- ^ The Icelandic Basketball Association lists Bensing as the coach of the 1966 team[20] but other sources state that he left the job in December 1965 and that Curren started coaching at the club in January 1966. Curren was the head coach of the team during its games in the 1966–67 FIBA European Champions Cup in December 1966.[21]
- ^ As KR and ÍR tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
- ^ As ÍR and KR tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
- ^ ÍR won the championship after the leagues first playoffs.[23] A playoff format was not used again until the 1983–84 season.
- ^ As KR and ÍR tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
- ^ As KR and ÍR tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
- ^ As KR and Ármann tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
- ^ As KR and Njarðvík tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
- ^ As KR and Valur tied at the end of the season, an extra game was played for tiebreaking.
Titles per club edit
| Titles | Club |
|---|---|
| 18 | KR |
| 17 | Njarðvík / ÍKF1 |
| 15 | ÍR |
| 9 | Keflavík |
| 3 | Grindavík |
| 3 | Valur |
| 1 | Ármann, Haukar, ÍS, Snæfell, Tindastóll, Þór Þorlákshöfn |
- ÍKF merged into Ungmennafélag Njarðvíkur in 1969 and became its basketball subdivision. It is today known as Njarðvík. The club won 4 titles under the ÍKF name and added 13 more after the merger
Statistical leaders edit
The league has kept scoring stats since adopting the Úrvalsdeild karla name in 1978. During the 1988–1989 season, it added more categories, including rebounds, assists and steals and prior to the 1994–1995 season it added blocks.
Úrvalsdeild karla all-time scoring leaders edit
Player nationality set by the player's national team affiliation. In bold, active players.
Stats through end of 2018–19 Úrvalsdeild karla season:
| Rank | Player | Games | Points | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Valur Ingimundarson | 400 | 7,355 | 18.4 |
| 2. | Páll Axel Vilbergsson | 407 | 6,949 | 17.1 |
| 3. | Guðjón Skúlason | 409 | 6,649 | 16.3 |
| 4. | Teitur Örlygsson | 405 | 6,579 | 16.2 |
Úrvalsdeild karla all-time rebounding leaders edit
Player nationality set by the player's national team affiliation. In bold, active players.
Stats through the end of the 2020–21 Úrvalsdeild karla season:[29][30]
| Rank | Player | Games | Rebounds | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hlynur Bæringsson | 344 | 3,635 | 10.6 |
| 2. | Guðmundur Bragason1 | 332 | 3,260 | 9.8 |
| 3. | Friðrik Erlendur Stefánsson | 357 | 3,212 | 9.0 |
| 4. | Ómar Örn Sævarsson | 366 | 2,847 | 7.8 |
| 5. |  John Rhodes | 136 | 2,548 | 18.8 |
| 6. | Páll Axel Vilbergsson | 407 | 2,471 | 6.1 |
| 7. | Rondey Robinson | 167 | 2,476 | 14.8 |
| 8. | Jónatan James Bow | 221 | 2,118 | 9.6 |
1 Statistics for rebounds where not kept during Guðmundur's first season. Overall, he played 348 games in the Úrvalsdeild.[31]
Úrvalsdeild karla all-time assists leaders edit
Player nationality set by the player's national team affiliation. In bold, active players.
Stats through the end of the 2020–21 Úrvalsdeild karla season:
| Rank | Player | Games | Assists | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Justin Shouse | 230 | 1,486 | 6.5 |
| 2. | Jón Arnar Ingvarsson | 340 | 1,393 | 4.1 |
| 3. | Jón Kr. Gíslason1 | 214 | 1,359 | 4.1 |
| 4. | Hörður Axel Vilhjálmsson | 225 | 1,337 | 5.9 |
| 5. | Eiríkur Önundarson | - | 1,308 | - |
| 6. | Sverrir Þór Sverrisson | - | 1,300 | - |
1 Assists where not counted during Jón Kr. Gíslason's first five seasons where he played 93 games.
Awards and honors edit
Domestic All-First Team edit
The Men's Domestic All-First Team is an annual Úrvalsdeild honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every season.
Domestic Player of the Year edit
Foreign Player of the Year edit
Úrvalsdeild Men's Playoffs MVP edit
Úrvalsdeild Playoffs MVP award is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the Úrvalsdeild playoffs.
Defensive Player of the Year edit
Newcomer of the Year edit
Coach of the Year edit
See also edit
- Icelandic Men's Basketball Cup
- Úrvalsdeild karla (disambiguation)
- Úrvalsdeild kvenna (basketball), the women's basketball league
References edit
- ^ Skapti Hallgrímsson (2001). Leikni framar líkamsburðum (in Icelandic). pp. 34–35. ISBN 9979-60-630-4.
- ^ "Ármenningar fá bandarískan risa". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 10 September 1975. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "Ármenningar sömdu við einn svartan í nótt!". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). 10 September 1975. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- ^ ""Trukkurinn" vakti mikla hrifningu". Tíminn (in Icelandic). 14 October 1975. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ "Vallarstarfsmenn fyrstu meistararnir". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 7 November 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ Stefán Kristjánsson (27 February 1988). "Bylting í körfunni". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ Ytri aðstæður og innri efling starfsins
- ^ Fram stofnar körfuknattleiksdeild
- ^ Íþróttafél. Keflavíkurstarfsmanna vann Íslandsmótið
- ^ a b c Ágúst Ásgeirsson (11 March 2007). Heil öld til heilla - Saga ÍR í 100 ár. Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur. p. 569.
- ^ "Íþróttafélag stúdenta Íslandsmeistari í körfuknattleik 1959". Þjóðviljinn (in Icelandic). 17 April 1959. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
- ^ Í.R. vann verðskuldaðan sigur
- ^ ÍR Íslandsmeistari í körfuknattleik
- ^ "Tímarit.is".
- ^ ÍR Íslandsmeistari 1962
- ^ ÍR átti mótið
- ^ Takmarkið með þátttöku er aðöðlast reynslu í harðri keppni
- ^ ÍR í evrópukeppnina í haust
- ^ "KR Íslandsmeistari". Þjóðviljinn (in Icelandic). 4 May 1965. p. 5.
- ^ "Meistaratitlar karla". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Association. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ "Evrópumeistararnir Simmenthal leika við KR 18. þ.m." Þjóðviljinn (in Icelandic). 2 November 1966. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ ÍR-ingar endurheimta Íslandsmeistaratitilinn í körfuknattleik
- ^ a b "ÍR hlaut titilinn". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 24 March 1970. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ Íslandsmeistarar 1971
- ^ Sigurinn blasti við HSK
- ^ Átök, en síðan yfirburðasigur
- ^ ÍR-ingar urðu íslandsmeistarar í körfubolta
- ^ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (18 March 2020). "Körfuboltatímabilið blásið af - Engir Íslandsmeistarar". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Körfuboltakvöld: Umræða um Sigga Þorsteins". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Heildartölfræði einstaklinga á úrvalsdeildarferlinum". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Association. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Guðmundur L Bragason: Ferillinn í úrvalsdeild". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Association. Retrieved 10 February 2020.