Who won the NBA2K College Lockdown Championships?

The AoC Sport NBA2K College Lockdown Championships tournament has concluded and the winners have been revealed. 

British Esports school and college liaison officer Alice Leaman looks back on the competition.

 

Close-fought final sees Middlesbrough win through – PlayStation 4 recap

12 teams took part in the PS4 tournament across the country. The final was between Sandwell College and Middlesbrough College. 

For the final fixture, this was a close game between both teams, however Middlesbrough secured their 5-4 win with a strong display in all their matches. 

Middlesbrough College was represented by Jake Butler, Harry Appleby and Lennon Armitage. 

 “I’m really pleased AOC organised this tournament during these unprecedented times,” said Steve Butler, Live Well Learn Well Project Officer at Middlesbrough College.

“My players have thoroughly enjoyed playing in the tournament and are really pleased to be crowned AOC champions. The guys did exceptional in the final with some dominating displays, which was a cracking way to end a great tournament. 

“I’m so pleased we won the National tournament, our guys were ready to play each and every Wednesday afternoon, looked forward to taking on other players from other colleges and enjoyed the online aspect of the game.”

Result: Sandwell College 4-5 Middlesbrough College (view the final group standings here)

 

Nottingham dominate in Xbox One tournament

In the Xbox One tournament there were 9 teams involved overall, with Hartlepool Sixth Form College and Nottingham College facing off in the final.

Nottingham carried on their strong stance from the group stages and quickly ensured a dominant victory for the college.

Nottingham College was represented by Cameron “RuthlessSixV2” Nix, Gracjan “pullup2fast” Kamracki and Kevin “Hennxzy” Akhadia.

Will Thompson, wellbeing coordinator at Nottingham College, commented: “The students have really enjoyed the competition. It’s great to have more opportunities for students to compete nationally with something they love and to win overall is incredible. We’re really looking forward to take part in more competitions in the new academic year.” 

Result: Hartlepool Sixth Form College 1-8 Nottingham College (view the final group standings here)

 

About the Lockdown Championships

The British Esports Association partnered with further education body AoC Sport to run the NBA2K tournament for students from colleges and academy teams playing in AoC Sport’s physical basketball leagues.

With lockdown affecting students’ abilities to partake in their college sport activities, the NBA2K Championships had a vital role in enabling students to continue to represent their college online in a national competition, from home, while improving similar aspects such as teamwork, communication and sportsmanship. 

Teams from 12 individual colleges competed in the championships overall. Each team consisted of three players.

Weekly fixtures took place every Wednesday from June 17th to July 22nd, with a strict code of conduct and ruleset in place. Both tournaments utilised a group stage and the top team from each group then progressed to the final playoffs. Many colleges appointed student captains to help organise the fixtures, giving students more chances for higher levels of responsibility and leadership.

 

‘Esports allows students to represent their institutions with pride and be part of a team’

“Many congratulations to Nottingham College and Middlesbrough College on their victories in our inaugural NBA2K Esports tournament,” said Dean Hardman, AoC Director of Sport and Student Experience.

“As we saw with our FIFA tournament earlier this summer, esports has proven very popular indeed over the past few challenging months and we are delighted that colleges and their students have seen the many benefits that participating in these formats bring. These competitions have allowed students to continue to represent their institutions with pride and be part of a team and we very much hope and expect participation to continue to rise over the next few months and years.”

Alice Leaman, Schools and Colleges Liaison Officer for British Esports, added: “Well done to all the teams who took part in the NBA2K competition. During the busy end of term period, along with many institutions introducing a phased return, it has been fantastic to see the continued level of dedication, responsibility, and engagement from the staff and students alike towards the competition.

“We are proud to offer students further opportunities to represent their college during these challenging times, and encourage more colleges to discover the benefits of esports.” 

 

The British Esports Championships – how to get involved

The British Esports Association runs the separate British Esports Championships for students aged 12+ in schools and colleges across the UK.

School and college teams play each other throughout the academic term in weekly online fixtures, across 3 different age appropriate games: Overwatch (12+), Rocket League (3+), and League of Legends (12+).

The next Championships will get underway in September 2020, check out the links below for more information and to learn more.

If you are interested in taking part, you can find out more about the British Esports Championships and register your interest here.

 “My players have thoroughly enjoyed playing in the tournament and are really pleased to be crowned AOC champions. The guys did exceptional in the final with some dominating displays, which was a cracking way to end a great tournament.”
Steve Butler, Middlesbrough College“The students have really enjoyed the competition. It’s great to have more opportunities for students to compete nationally with something they love and to win overall is incredible.”
Will Thompson, Nottingham College“We are proud to offer students further opportunities to represent their college during these challenging times, and encourage more colleges to discover the benefits of esports.”
Alice Leaman, British Esports Association