The 2018 CIBACOPA season was the 18th season of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA), one of the professional basketball leagues of Mexico. It started on 5 April 2018 and ended on 19 July 2019. The league title was won by the Tijuana Zonkeys, who defeated the Garra Cañera de Navolato in the championship series, 4–2. It was the Zonkeys' third CIBACOPA title, which tied the Trigueros de Ciudad Obregón for the most in league history.[2]
| 2018 CIBACOPA season | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 18 | |||||||||
| Dates | 5 April 2018 – 19 July 2019 | |||||||||
| Number of teams | 10 | |||||||||
| Regular season | ||||||||||
| Top seed | Garra Cañera de Navolato | |||||||||
| Season MVP |  Mychal Ammons[1] | |||||||||
| Finals | ||||||||||
| Champions | Tijuana Zonkeys | |||||||||
| Runners-up | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | |||||||||
| Statistical leaders | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
← 2017 2019 → | ||||||||||
Overview
Format
Ten teams participate, playing in one single group. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs, which are three rounds in a best-of-7 format.
The start of the season was postponed by a month to allow players to return from playing in other international leagues.[3]
Teams
All ten teams in the league returned from the previous season. The owner of the Mineros de Cananea, René Quiroga, attempted to revive the franchise and relocate to either Nogales or Agua Prieta as the 11th team in the league, but this did not materialize.[4]
Draft
The 2018 CIBACOPA draft was held on 26 and 27 February.[5] Each team received three picks across three rounds, though five teams declined to make a selection in the third round.[5] The Náuticos de Mazatlán declined to participate in the draft as they already had their roster filled out.[5]
Regular season
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garra Cañera de Navolato | 38 | 24 | 14 | 3347 | 3245 | +102 | 62 | 2018 CIBACOPA playoffs |
| 2 | Rayos de Hermosillo | 38 | 22 | 16 | 3477 | 3412 | +65 | 60 | |
| 3 | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 38 | 16 | 22 | 3369 | 3429 | −60 | 54 | |
| 4 | Tijuana Zonkeys | 38 | 21 | 17 | 3309 | 3202 | +107 | 59 | |
| 5 | Caballeros de Culiacán | 38 | 21 | 17 | 3451 | 3353 | +98 | 59 | |
| 6 | Náuticos de Mazatlán | 38 | 16 | 22 | 3413 | 3489 | −76 | 54 | |
| 7 | Águilas Doradas de Durango | 38 | 18 | 20 | 3447 | 3450 | −3 | 56 | |
| 8 | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 38 | 17 | 21 | 3397 | 3423 | −26 | 55 | |
| 9 | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 38 | 19 | 19 | 3357 | 3367 | −10 | 57 | |
| 10 | Frayles de Guasave | 38 | 16 | 22 | 3330 | 3527 | −197 | 54 |
Playoffs
Source:[6]
| 2018 winners |
|---|
| Tijuana Zonkeys 3rd title |
The Tijuana Zonkeys won the 2018 CIBACOPA title after defeating the Halcones de Ciudad Obregón, four games to two.[7] The Zonkeys clinched the title with an 87–73 victory over the Halcones in front of a sold-out crowd in Tijuana in Game 6.[7][8]
Two Zonkeys players, Trayvon Lathan and Luis "Chupa" Ramírez, announced their retirement following the win.[7]
Statistics
Source:[9]
Individual statistic leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Sammy Yeager | Frayles de Guasave | 25.3 |
| Rebounds per game |  Tavario Miller | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 10.3 |
| Assists per game | Jeff Stubbs | Águilas Doradas de Durango | 7.2 |
| Steals per game | Bruce Massey | Caballeros de Culiacán | 2.3 |
| Blocks per game | Brandon Swannegan | Garra Cañera de Navolato | 1.6 |
| Fouls per game | Derek Roscoe | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 3.4 |
| Minutes per game | Sammy Yeager | Frayles de Guasave | 36.8 |
| FG% | Jevonlean Hedgeman | Águilas Doradas de Durango | 64.2% |
| FT% | Omar Richards | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 86.5% |
| 3FG% | Tahj Tate | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 44.0% |
Individual game highs
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Musa Abdul-Aleem | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 44 |
| Rebounds | Israel Gutiérrez | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 20 |
| Jimmy Hall | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | ||
| Assists | Jeff Ledbetter | Náuticos de Mazatlán | 18 |
| Steals | Geron Johnson | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 7 |
| Blocks | Tavario Miller | Pioneros de Los Mochis | 9 |
| Three pointers | Jaylen Bland | Caballeros de Culiacán | 11 |
Team statistic leaders
| Category | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Rayos de Hermosillo | 90.3 |
| Rebounds per game | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 37.8 |
| Assists per game | Águilas Doradas de Durango | 18.7 |
| Steals per game | Caballeros de Culiacán | 8.8 |
| Blocks per game | Ostioneros de Guaymas | 3.5 |
| Turnovers per game | Águilas Doradas de Durango | 14.1 |
| Fouls per game | Halcones de Ciudad Obregón | 17.9 |
| FG% | Tijuana Zonkeys | 48.9% |
| FT% | Garra Cañera de Navolato | 76.0% |
| 3P% | Tijuana Zonkeys | 36.7% |
All-Star Game
The 2018 CIBACOPA All-Star Game was played in Culiacán, Sinaloa, at the Polideportivo Juan S. Millán on 19 May 2018.[10] Zona Sur defeated Zona Norte, 137–128.[10] A. J. West led all scorers with 31 points, but Erick Frederick was named the All-Star Game MVP recording 30 points and four rebounds and leading Zona Sur to the victory.[11][12]
Luis Ramírez won the three-point shootout, defeating the defending champion Steve Monreal, as well as Nick Murphy, José Medina, Erick Frederick, Sammy Yeager, Martín Samargo, Adrián Villalobos, and Justin Ávalos.[10] Michael Bryson won the dunk contest.[10]
Teams
Source:[13]
Notes
References
External links
- CIBACOPA official standings
- 2018 season on Latinbasket.com