The lift doors slid shut, the jubilant crowd were left behind and suddenly the top scorer on the night Brighton Bears won the league had time to reflect.

Not long. Just the few seconds it takes to get from the main arena at the Brighton Centre to the inner sanctum of the changing room.

In that time, though, Yorick Williams did enough to sum up why winning the BBL title was such an important achievement for him, his colleagues and the Bears as a club.

A little while earlier, the showman from Manchester had been strutting across the court punching the air.

Now, with the delirium below him and a night of celebration ahead, he took his winner's medal out of its case, had a look at it and admitted: "This is my first one of these.

"I've got a few medals but they're all for coming second."

He wasn't the only one. They may be talented, they may be highly confident and they may play with a swagger but, as a team and as individuals, the Bears squad which clinched the BBL title by thrashing Leicester on Saturday were due a bit of glory.

It came in the toughest domestic competition of all, a 36-game league marathon sandwiched between cup, trophy and European commitments.

Take Andrew Alleyne, a revelation this season at the age of 35, who enjoyed success with his national team but then headed for mid-table obscurity at Milton Keynes before his move south last summer.

The big Bajan centre said: "I've waited a long time for this one.

"I came over in 2000. I went to a couple of Trophy finals and didn't get over the hurdle but today we did it and it felt good.

"This is right up there with winning the Caribbean Championship in 2000 and 1994 with Barbados.

"I'm happy Nick (Nurse) gave me the opportunity to play. I've got to give all the thanks to Nick and my team mates."

Sullivan Phillips, celebrating his first honour as a professional, pinpointed the first win at Sheffield, when Bears came from 16 points down, as a key part of the season.

He added: "After that we controlled our own destiny. It's good to get it over with. I'll enjoy it today, then back to work tomorrow."

Tom Frederick, in his first season out of college, knew the title was coming as he sat on the bench in Saturday's fourth quarter.

Assistant coach Pat Connelly had been told second-placed Sheffield had lost to Chester.

Frederick said: "Pat snuck it to me and I was like 'Yes, it's finally done'. We deserve it, we're better than any other team.

"I don't really know what else to say. Just chuffed."

At the other end of the experience spectrum, Jason Siemon could hardly believe he had a winner's medal to go with his one previous honour, the National Cup with Thames Valley in 1998.

He said: "It means a lot. This is my 11th season so being able to finally win a championship is a dream come true.

"From top to bottom this team is the best I've been on. We're solid in every position, every player can do something different but the most important thing is we can play together.

"We've been travelling through Europe and playing and practising with these guys day in day out is just great.

"I enjoy my job, I enjoy playing basketball and I really like being down here in Brighton."

Kendrick Warren admitted he feared another season of under-achievement after losing the Trophy final.

Not now. His verdict? "It's the best feeling in the world.

"It's a relief for me because this is my third year and I haven't won anything except the southern conference championship."

Mike Brown and Rico Alderson won the National Cup in 2003, as did Randy Duck, who also has a play-off medal from his first season at London Towers.

And that's it. For Bears too, this was a second first place after coming second four times in less than two years.

Which is why Nurse and his men must be wondering whether winning the league title is just the start of something big.

It was certainly something to tell the family about.

Alleyne was calling his basketball-playing wife Astrid after the game while Brown was thinking of his mother in the States.

He said: "I've got to email my Mom right now.

"She came over in February and she was really excited because she hadn't seen me play professionally.

"We email back and forth and when we lost to Scottish Rocks she told me 'Don't worry about the loss, keep your head up'.

"It's really good that my Mom's there and I can tell her. She'll be over the moon."

A bit like Yorick. Twenty-nine points and a winner's medal. Reason for exuberant celebration ... and some quiet satisfaction.