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For British Basketball Junkies (by basketmedia365.com)
Archive for September, 2009
September 19, 2009 at 5:52 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Yet again another British basketball site is closed due to a lack of interest and contributions. If a first ever appearance for GB at Eurobasket can’t get people meeting promises to regularly write some features and blogs then nothing will. Thanks to those who have submitted the handful of articles during the short time in existence.
Disappointed that yet another attempt to get a British basketball website successful has ended in failure and went down a cul-de-sac but it is not for the want of trying or commitment. Back to an existence on message boards and the handful of other sites I guess.
Regards
Paul Nilsen
September 18, 2009 at 5:17 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Courtesy of the BBL – The Eagles see the return of young stars Aaron Neilsen, Jamie Glen and Will Spragg for the 2009-10 season as the club continue to drive forward with its youth development policy.
The three young players; Aaron 19, from Newcastle, Will 19, from Gateshead and Jamie 19 from Bolton and a product of the Manchester junior programme, all picked up valuable playing time across the 2008-9 season with the Eagles. They also played with Eagles nursery side Team Northumbria in EBL Division II, helping the University side reach Division II Play-Off Final success.
Eagles managing Director Paul Blake explained; ‘Aaron and Will are both examples of what can be achieved by developing local talent and have now been in the Eagles senior squad training programme for 5 years. Jamie came to the club last season and has really impressed on and off the court. We look forward to seeing his development continue.’
‘All three players look up to both Andrew Bridge and Darius Defoe as examples of what can be achieved with the right work ethic. Darius came to us at 18 and six years later is a solid starter for the club.’
‘With so many young talented players coming through our developemnt programme we are adopting a new policy of ‘Local Talent First’. Our National League Under 18s side coached by Marc Steutel have been promoted to the Northern Premier League this season and have some real talent. We believe that the correct route for the club is to move identified talent from the junior training groups at an earlier age into the senior training squad. Marc will be joining Bill Spragg on the Eagles team bench this season as Eagles Assistant Coach. His current role is Academy Coach at Tyne Met College, which has now become the signposted educational outlet for talented 16-18 year old Eagles players. From 18 years of age we are encouraging the move up to our partner club Northumbria University.’
We also have a strong core of players in the Northumbria training squad – 6 of whom are attending Eagles and Team Northumbria sessions; players like Welsh International Chris Pearce, Liam O’Mahoney and ex Worthing player Ian Berry. Inevitably there are more talented players coming through than spots available, however we want to make sure we are giving opportunities to play at all levels, whether it be with the senior team, Team Northumbria in National League Division II, Tyne Met College Trojans in National League Division III, or into Junior National Leagues, which now start for us at Under 13s from this season.’
‘We already have the next group of talented athletes on the radar. Young players like Ross Wilson (16), Hamish Crackett (15), Richie Summerbell (17), Connor Cole (15) and new recruit to Tyne Met College Lamar Morrison (16) – all of whom have represented England in recent seasons.’
‘I now believe that we have the most comprehensive development model for young players in the country, with a clear pathway from 10 years of age to the BBL side. Our focus is to keep young talent in the country with a focus on improving British Basketball and we will not move away from this goal. We are pushing hard to achieve the ambition of a British Eagles team that can compete at European level. It will not happen overnight but is achievable with the right structure.’
The club also announce the departure of two players from last season’s roster; Sam Attah and Brian McCotter.
Blake said; ‘ Sam came into the Eagles roster last season at 24 years of age for his first full year, and has taken the decesion to move on. Both Fab and I would like to wish him the best.’
‘Brian McCotter has had a great three seasons with the club since moving to the area from Scotland. He has taken the decision to step down due to work commitments clashing with the club’s new morning training programme and again we would like to wish Brian the best. We will no doubt see him around the club on a regular basis.’
The Eagles new season starts in earnest on Friday 25th September at home to Cheshire Jets. Tickets are now available on the Eagles website at www.newcastle-eagles.com.
September 18, 2009 at 5:14 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Courtesy of the BBL – PAWS London Capital can officially confirm that they will be retaining much of their English born talent this season, whilst adding a few new faces to the squad.
After a tough season in 2008/09, player-coach Milek Jivens has managed to retain impact players Santa Ataha and Ibrahim Gariba. Both performed well in the BBL last year, with 6’9” Centre Gariba averaging 15.9 points per game, in the 32 games he played for the club. Ataha, who has also had spells with the club at EBL Level, has also played at London United and Milton Keynes Lions in the BBL, before settling at Capital last season, where he started at the Point Guard position in 33 games.
Also returning is Darren Mills. The English born 6’5” small forward will be looking to build upon a solid first season for the club and has had spells at London Leopards and Glasgow Rocks. However, he spent the majority of his career at the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders, where he won the BBL Cup and Play-off Championship in 2001.
Whilst Jivens has also added Tomas Vichy and Isaac Nsiah to his squad, British born Xavier Lutaaya and explosive 6’3” guard Ryan Cadogan are set to return to the Capital. Cadogan, now in his third season with London, brings a scoring threat and a wealth of experience, having played for many EBL teams, as well as Milton Keynes Lions and Thames Valley Tigers in the BBL.
Club Director Brandon Bethel is pleased with how recruitment is progressing ahead of Capital’s third season in the top flight: ‘To retain the nucleus of last year’s squad along with our coach is very important for us. We feel that the additions we have made will strengthen the depth of the team, but to be able to keep a core of British talent is exactly what we are all about.’ He added: ‘We look forward to helping these players relish their chance to prove themselves in this league.’
September 18, 2009 at 5:11 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Courtesy of the BBL – The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders are delighted to announce that they have signed a sponsorship deal with NIKE which sees them work in collaboration with NIKEiD and NIKE Team Sports for the 2009/10 season.
The deal is a major coup for the league’s oldest franchise, and it will see the global sporting giant provide the team with an extensive range of products, from personalized playing and training kit, to personalized on and off court shoes, for the upcoming season.
NIKE UK’s Head of Communications, Leo Sandino-Taylor said: ‘Having worked with other teams in the league, We’re delighted to welcome the Riders to the NIKE family. NIKE is the leading Basketball brand in the world and we’re excited about the prospect of extending the NIKE Basketball vision with the Leicester Riders’
Nike ID will also provide a whole host of products for the Riders players, including personalized footwear, t-shirts and bags.
Leicester Riders’ General Manager Russell Levenston Commented: ‘Everybody at the club is excited about working with NIKE, the world’s biggest sporting brand. One thing I have wanted to do since I took over two years ago was to move the club forward each season. Over the past two years, we have worked tirelessly to lay some foundations to be in a position to bring in a global sporting company like NIKE, and partnerships such as these are what basketball needs, both in Leicestershire and Great Britain, to take it to the next level of professionalism.’
Levenston also emphasized the influence that the partnership will have on the Riders community programme. He added: ‘The deal will really help promote our identity in the community, and with the support of NIKE, we hope to take the Leicester Riders brand to a new level of professionalism. Working with the NIKE team over the summer has ensured not only that NIKE are on board, but that the products we receive are also personalized for the club.’
The Riders take on the Derby Trailblazers and USA Select in pre-season friendly games this weekend, with league action beginning on Saturday 26th September, with a home game against the Sheffield Sharks. To take advantage of the pre-season games 2 for 1 offer, go to www.leicesterriders.co.uk or call the Rides office on 01162558635.
September 17, 2009 at 10:16 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Courtesy of the BBL - Jets Captains James Hamilton and Calvin Davies are getting set to welcome back fans favourites John Simpson and Richard Murphy to the Northgate for the 09/10 season.
Simpson who started out playing for the Ellesmere Port Panthers makes his return after a season at Everton Tigers. The combo guard started with the Jets back in 2004/05 and played a massive part in the league winning team of 2006/07.
Coach Paul Smith said;
“John is an excellent player who I know will do a great job for the Jets, it’s great to have him back where he belongs at home, John was voted the fans MVP for 2006 so there’s a lot of history between him and the club. What John will bring to this years squad is great defence, he’s a fantastic team player and no-one is more delighted to have him back than James, Calvin and Shawn.”
Assistant Coach Richard Murphy has also put pen to paper and re-signed for the coming season. Player/coach Murphy has been with the Jets since 2004.
Coach Smith added;
“Its great news for me and the team that Murph is returning as assistant coach he brings with him what I call tremendous basketball IQ and as a player he is one of our best 3 point shooters. Rich will be taking on a wider role in the community this season, in particular development within Warrington an area that is really thriving for Basketball. ”
September 17, 2009 at 10:12 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Yorick ...on the right 
Courtesy of the BBL – Marshall MK Lions have announced that Great Britain International, Yorick Williams is back in the Black and Gold for the coming season.
The colourful Manchester-born player, known as, the Boss from Moss Side, averaged 12.3 points per game whilst only playing 24 minutes per game, whilst also shooting 45% from the floor.
Lions Chief, Vince Macaulay commented “I get on very well with Yorick and the Lions fans love him, he is exciting, athletic and can shoot the ball”.
Williams, a 6’4″ shooting guard, is a previous BBL Championship and BBL Cup winner, he also featured for Chris Finch’s GB squad last summer. the leading scorer on that team. Apart from the 2001-02 season, when he played for ARIS Thessaloniki in Greece, Williams has spent the entirety of his fourteen-year professional career in the BBL, and each year bringing significant impact to his teams.
” Yorick is already a legend to British players” added Macaulay, all young English players look up to him and he leads the youngsters in letting them know how far they can go in their basketball so I am glad to have him here”.
Williams joins up with returnees, Dru Spinks, Mike New, and Robert Youngblood, whilst a host of new faces make up the Lions line up. EJ Harrison joins from Guildford whilst guard Dawud Morris is a new face alongside Lithuanian, Irmantas Griksas and young British players, Craig Pringle, Ishmael Fontaine and Maximillion Simon. Macaulay expects to make another two signings before the season starts.
The Lions enter their first action of the new season as Team USA Select visit Milton Keynes this Sunday the 20th, tip off at 4pm, and the season proper opens up on the 25th of September when the Worcester Wolves are the visitors.
September 16, 2009 at 6:52 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Courtesy of the BBL – Newcastle Eagles are delighted to announce that they have retained the services of fans favourite “Prince” Charles Smith for the forthcoming 2009/10 BBL season.
Smith, a 10 year graduate from Rider College will want to start where he left off last season, with some game winning performances which took the Eagles to treble winning success. In one of his most consistent seasons with the club, Smith averaged 12 points and 4 rebounds a game and brought veteran experience to a youthful Eagles front line.
Eagles coach Fab Flournoy underlined the importance of the need for Smith in the Eagles line up this season.
He said “Charles continues to bring a wealth of experience to the team. He is a savvy player that can score on you in bunches if you turn your eye. He can do this from inside or outside as we saw in the Team USA game this week. There were many games last season where Charles’ offensive game got us out of tight spots – we look forward to seeing more of that!”
Eagles Managing Director Paul Blake was pleased to see the return of Smith for his eighth season with the club.
“Charles is officially an adopted Geordie now and has been a true glue player for the team over the last two seasons. He is the player that consistently comes up big in the must win games and for that reason alone he is a key for the team. Its great to have the Prince back again this season.”
“His fitness levels definitely improved across last season as he was largely clear of injuries. I am hoping that this continues and looking at pre-season so far it certainly seems to be the case.”
The Eagles now look forward to two weeks of pre- season before hosting Cheshire Jets at the Newcastle MetroRadio Arena on Friday 25th September in the opening game of the season. Tickets are now available from the club and Arena box office.
September 15, 2009 at 6:53 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Courtesy of the BBL – PAWS London Capital are pleased to announce that Lithuanian duo Giedrius Knysas and Tomas Janusauskas will be joining them for the 2009/10 season. Knysas comes to London from Charleston Southern University, where he played for four years and averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in his senior season. The 6’10” starting Centre’s most productive year was in 2006/07, when he averaged 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 27 games.
Joining him at Capital is fellow countryman Tomas Janusauskas. The 7’0” Centre attended Central Park High School and Austin Peay State University in the USA, where his team reached the OVC Tournament Finals on three occasions, eventually winning the tournament in 2008, and also became regular season champions in both 2005 and 2007. Janusauskas, 29, played 19 games last season back in his native country for Taurages Bremena -KTU Zalvaris in the NKL, where he averaged a solid 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing.
Club Director Brandon Bethel commented: ‘We are delighted to have signed two quality big men from Lithuania, a hotbed of European Basketball. These are young guys who are making their way in the professional game, and I’m sure they will be keen to make their mark in the BBL.’
September 15, 2009 at 6:50 am · Filed under British Basketball League (BBL)
Courtesy of the BBL – Scottish guard Scott Russell is to return to the Glasgow Rocks for his 3rd season with his local side. Originating from Johnstone, Russell’s role has increased year on year since he signed with the Rocks in 2007 and player/coach Sterling Davis is pleased to have retained him for another year:
“Scott is a great guy to have on your team. He works hard everyday in practice on which his efforts have really paid off in his development through his time here. Scott is one of those guys who do all the intangibles on a team whether it be through encouragement, leading by example or just asking if you need that extra hand; he’s that guy. He is a big part of our community efforts and a real role-model for Scottish kids who aspire to play at the next level both on and off the court.”
Russell is a key figure in the Rocks community programmes, Jump2it and Twilight basketball and when he’s not training and playing with the Rocks, Russell is out in the community coaching kids and inspiring them to lead a healthier life style.
Ian Reid, chief executive of Scottish Sports Futures commented on the work Scott does for the organisation:
“Scott is a real ambassador for what we do here. He has worked with us through the summer on a number of initiatives and we are glad to have him returning to his role at the Rocks and Scottish Sports Futures”
A product of the Scottish National League set-up, Russell is enthusiastic about the Rocks move into the lower divisions and the inroads the club is making into player development.
“I began my basketball career with Falkirk Fury and was able to get my break into the pro league through the Rocks open tryouts. If I hadn’t impressed that day making the jump would have been difficult but with the Rocks now being represented at lower division levels, players like I was then, will have the chance to break into the first team It’s a big jump but one day I hope to see more Scottish players on the Rocks squad.”
Fellow Scot, Mike McGregor will also return to the squad following his rookie season at pro level. McGregor is another product of the Rocks open tryouts and Rocks player/coach Sterling Davis believes his first year has seen great improvement in his game:
“When Mike first came in last season, he was very conscious of his role on the team and kind of held in a lot of the talent he has. Now that he has that first season behind him and knows what to expect, we are really beginning to see a different side of him on the court. He is a very smart player and knows the game well and has the ability to adjust quickly which is what is necessary for anyone to be a good player.”
“I think both Mike and Scott are great ambassadors for Scottish basketball and its development. The way they both carry themselves on and off the court would definitely live up to the label that I think they deserve.”
Russell and McGregor will join their team mates for the official pre-season launch of the Glasgow Rocks next Monday 21st September (7.00pm, Kelvin Hall). The Rocks tip-off the new season later that week on Sunday 27th September with the visit of BBL rivals Newcastle Eagles.
September 14, 2009 at 2:18 pm · Filed under Team GB
Sammy Nanneh for gbbasketball
Ben Gordon of the Detroit Pistons says he is now sure he will represent Great Britain in future, despite missing this month’s European Championships in Poland. His withdrawal from EuroBasket was a major blow, but to some degree understandable following a multi-million dollar move from Chicago to the Detroit Pistons.
“I’m definitely on board to play for Great Britain, this summer to me was about getting situated and moving from Chicago to Detroit,” said Gordon. “I didn’t want to make a commitment as far as when I was going to play until I felt I was totally committed to that cause. “I wanted to have everything in order in my life before going overseas and representing the country”
“If you look at our roster, you see that could potentially have two NBA All-Stars and another NBA player in myself Pops Mensah-Bonsu ”
Luol Deng was also out, but with a leg injury, and so despite playing impressively it was not huge surprise GB lost all three games in Poland. A wild card entry to next year’s World Championships in Turkey ahead of the 2012 Olympics is still on the cards and as Gordon said, a possible three NBA stars in the roster could temp the organisers.
Forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu of the Houston Rockets and GB, believes the pieces are there for GB to field a squad worth a place in Turkey.
“It would be great if they give us the nod because if you look at our roster, you see that could potentially have two NBA All-Stars and another NBA player in myself,” said the Londoner. “Then you have four or five other guys that play in mainland Europe and you think maybe that’s strong enough for them to give us a nod.”
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