The 1996–1997 Úrvalsdeild kvenna was the 40th season of the top-tier women's basketball league in Iceland. The season started on 5 October 1996 and ended on 27 March 1997. Grindavík won its 1st title after sweeping defending champions Keflavík 2–0 in the semi-finals[1] and KR 3–0 in the Finals.[2]
| Úrvalsdeild kvenna | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 5 October 1996 – 27 March 1997 | |||||||||
| Teams | 7 | |||||||||
| Regular season | ||||||||||
| Top seed | Keflavík | |||||||||
| Relegated | Breiðablik | |||||||||
| Finals | ||||||||||
| Champions | Grindavík (1st title) | |||||||||
| Runners-up | KR | |||||||||
| Semifinalists | Keflavík, ÍS | |||||||||
| Awards | ||||||||||
| Domestic MVP |  Guðbjörg Norðfjörð | |||||||||
| Statistical leaders | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | ||||||||||
Competition format
editThe participating teams first played a conventional round-robin schedule with every team playing each opponent twice "home" and twice "away" for a total of 18 games. The top four teams qualified for the championship playoffs while the bottom team was relegated to the second-tier Division I.
Regular season
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keflavík | 18 | 18 | 0 | 1620 | 928 | +692 | 36 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | KR | 18 | 14 | 4 | 1317 | 854 | +463 | 28 | |
| 3 | ÍS | 18 | 11 | 7 | 1089 | 890 | +199 | 22 | |
| 4 | Grindavík | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1235 | 1091 | +144 | 20 | |
| 5 | Njarðvík | 18 | 7 | 11 | 967 | 1204 | −237 | 14 | Folded after the season |
| 6 | ÍR | 18 | 2 | 16 | 738 | 1406 | −668 | 4 | |
| 7 | Breiðablik | 18 | 1 | 17 | 810 | 1403 | −593 | 2 | Spared from relegation due to vacant berth |
Source: Úrvalsdeild kvenna 1997–1998
Playoffs
editBracket
edit| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
| 1 | Keflavík | 0 | |||||||
| 4 | Grindavík | 2 | |||||||
| 1 | KR | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Grindavík | 3 | |||||||
| 2 | KR | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | ÍS | 0 | |||||||
Semifinals
edit| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keflavík | 2–0 | Grindavík | 43–57 | 55–61 | |
| KR | 0–2 | ÍS | 60–36 | 61–50 |
Final
edit| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR | 0–3 | Grindavík | 47–50 | 47–59 | 55–62 |
Source: 1997 playoffs
Awards
editAll official awards of the 1996–97 season.
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| F |  Guðbjörg Norðfjörð |
KR |
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Alda Leif Jónsdóttir |
ÍS |
| Anna María Sveinsdóttir |
Keflavík |
| Birna Valgarðsdóttir |
Keflavík |
| Erla Reynisdóttir |
Keflavík |
| Guðbjörg Norðfjörð |
KR |
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Þórunn Bjarnadóttir |
ÍR |
| Coach | Team |
|---|---|
 Antonio Vallejo |
ÍR |
References
edit- ^ "Grindavík sló meistarana út". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 18 March 1997. p. 18. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Sveinsson, Skúli Unnar (2 April 1997). "Ævintýrin gerast enn". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 May 2020.