Plumb to return, hungry for new challenge

The London Lightning will enter a new era with the coach who’s led them to two straight NBLC titles. And Doug Plumb is excited for the new challenges ahead in the Basketball Super League (BSL).

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Perhaps it is no surprise that the back-to-back Coach of the Year – who led his squad to back-to-back NBL Canada championships – will be, well, back behind the bench for the London Lightning next season.

Lightning head coach Doug Plumb announced last week that he will return in 2023-24 to helm the Lightning for the inaugural Basketball Super League (BSL) season. It will be his third season as head coach.

Plumb said the decision to return to the Forest City was an easy one despite his strong personal and professional ties to the West Coast.

“I always ask myself, ‘What’s the next challenge?’ For me, the challenge is that this is a completely new landscape for me and the organization,” said Plumb, who owns and operates GRIT, an athletic skills development and training company, in Vancouver, BC.

“It’s going to be harder to win. We’ll be playing on a more level playing field. It’s legit.”

All four former NBL Canada teams – the London Lightning, KW Titans, Sudbury Five, and Windsor Express – have agreed to join the newly created Basketball Super League (BSL), scheduled to tip off with seven teams on Boxing Day 2023. The schedule, set to be released this week, will also feature games against TBL opponents.

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Plumb views the added competition as working in his squad’s favour.

“Nobody is going to outwork our team in terms of getting to know the other team, in preparing for them,” he explained. “That fact didn’t really help us the last few years in the NBL Canada, if I’m being honest. With only four teams, it didn’t really matter how good I was at scouting, or how detailed the staff was, because we played the same teams so many times that, at a certain point, you just figured each other out.

“This will be a better challenge in terms of scouting, diligence, and preparation for every single game. That behind-the-scenes element of hard work is my calling card – I want to win the game before the game even starts. So this is an exciting challenge ahead.”

The BSL will follow TBL rules – basically, a mix of NBA and FIBA rules.

Plumb said the changes in rules will influence players he eyes for key positions. Big men, for example, will need to be more athletic under rules that enforce defensive three-seconds, which essentially eliminates zone defenses.

In another departure from NBL Canada rules, teams will no longer be required to carry a minimum of three Canadians on the 12-man roster. But that removal won’t lead to the over-Americanization of the league, Plumb predicted.

“There’s a lot of really good talent in Canada,” he said. “Here’s the difference to me between the Americans and the Canadians: Are the Americans often more talented? Sure. But because we have a smaller pool of players we draw from in this country, everyone knows everyone. You cannot be a lone wolf here as much. People are going to know about your character. It’s too small of a world.

“That has been a massive contributor to our success in London. We care about the type of personalities and character attributes of the people we go get.”

Plumb said he will continue to recruit American players, but “will still be rocking with more Canadians than anyone else in the league.”

He continued, “I am Canadian. I trust my network to let me know the kid before I bring them in. I tend to have less issues with buy-in – and that’s why we win. You can be the best coach, but if you don’t have the right people, it won’t matter. You’ll still be seeing a lot of Canadians on the court.”

Plumb started his coaching career as an assistant and then head coach with the St. John’s Edge in the NBLC. He joined the Lightning as an assistant in 2016-17 before taking over the clipboard in 2019-20. That season, he led the Lightning to a 15-8 record, topping the central division before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the season’s cancellation.

In 2022, his Lightning squad rocketed off to an 11-0 start, finishing 20-4 in the regular season (tops in the league) and 6-0 in the playoffs, with a perfect home record (12-0, 4-0) in both the regular and postseason.

In 2023, the B.C. native led the Lightning to a 25-6 regular season record, including a 14-3 mark at home, earning the franchise another top seed in the playoffs. The squad then marched through the postseason, capping it with a 3-2 Finals win over the Windsor Express for their second straight league championship (and sixth in franchise history).

Plumb earned back-to-back NBL Canada Coach of the Year honours in 2022 and 2023.

“Let’s see what this new league offers. I’m excited to play in some new cities, meet some new people, face some new teams and challenges, do some new things,” Plumb said. “Hopefully, we can continue to grow the league and create something exciting for the team and its fans.”

Last season, a sixth – and final – NBL Canada title cemented the Lightning as the premiere franchise in league history. The only member of the Original Seven to last the duration of the league, London is home to more than half of the 10 NBL Canada titles handed out in the league’s 11-season history – with all six coming in back-to-back fashion (2011-12 & 2012-13; 2016-17 & 2017-18; and 2022 & 2023).

Plumb has been part of half of those titles.