Retro Articles Now Exposed for All

Fortunately, next up was a comfortable home win over Surrey United and the visit described in my prog article below to BBL newcomers Leeds Force.

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Opening night saw me endure a roadwork-riddled marathon to see us down last year’s table-toppers, Newcastle Eagles. It was all worth it in order to witness such a fine road W.

Last Friday another negotiation of the M1 cone-fest loomed, to the home of BBL newcomers, the Leeds Force.

Pondering whether to make the trip, l finally decided not to, reasoning that it should be a routine victory for us.

We indeed demolished our hosts, 98-69. But perhaps I should have been there after all, as I missed out on seeing Alex surpass Daniel Gilbert as Wolves’ all-time leading three-point scorer.

A bit galling not to see this feat, particularly as I can especially remember being at Chester in 2011 for Gilbert’s last game in Worcester colours, when he drained a staggering eleven triples.

Anyway, on to the Leeds blowout. We trailed until the seventh minute. Remi hits the first of his four treys, igniting a 14-2 tear.

By HT we’re comfy at 52-42.

After the break it all goes off bigtime. Alex can’t miss, totalling 33 points before the third period closes. 80-57 and we’re already home and hosed.

Chavis Holmes – 14pts, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals. All-round ability.

Alex Owumi – 33pts, 6 for 6 from three-point land. Simply stunning.

Remi Dibo – 16pts, 4 x 3ptrs. Outside threat.

Jamal Williams – 6pts. Tidy.

Kalil Irving – 5pts. Ditto.

Robert Thurman – 10pts, 9 rebounds. Solid.

Donatas Visockis – 6pts. Lively.

Sean Park – 3pts. Limited minutes.

Disraeli Lufadeju – 5pts. Ditto.

I can never out do the legend that is Solly, but I've done some digging and put together some retro stuff from the glory days of GB basketball. I've got most of the reports from the London Olympics (GB & general round-ups plus a few interviews) which I'll publish on the days they occurred in 2012, so it starts on July 28, but in the meantime I've found the Olympic test event from 2011 which saw some pretty decent basketball in Stratford.

Hopefully it'll bring light to lives during these dark days.

And here's part two of the season preview.

1. Whatever happened to Branimar Mikulic and David Evans

2. Whatever happened to Jay Marriot's far-too-snug tank tops?

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Last week I gave you the part one of my predictions of how teams will fare this year. Here goes with Part Two -

Leeds Force

Have found the going tough so far, but may sneak the odd W if someone has an off-day.
Player-to-Watch – three-point threat Branimar Mikulic.
Predicted finish – Cellar-dwellers.

London Lions

Stacked with talent, but can still only get five on the court at once. Egos?
Players-to-Watch – one of our lesser-used former players Ian Salter (now heavily-bearded) and, of course, needing no introduction, the one, the only, Zaire Taylor, Taylor…
Predicted finish – Not as high as they ought to be.

Manchester Giants

Coach Jeff Jones still eschews Americans, but still gets max production from what he has.
Player-to-Watch – David Tin-Tin Watts – if he gets hot, he can get red-hot.
Predicted finish – Sneaking into the play-offs.

Newcastle Eagles

We beat them on Day One, but they will not have lost many more by seasons-end.

Player-to-Watch – greybeard forward Prince Charles Smith.
Predicted finish – Guaranteed top-three.

Plymouth Raiders

Chopping and changing the order of the day since Jay Marriott took the reins. Look good on paper, look erratic on court.
Player-to-Watch – David Evans, storied college career and now producing down in Devon, despite many inactive years.
Predicted finish – Mid.

Sheffield Sharks

Unspectacular, but still find a way to contend.
Player-to-Watch – speedy playmaker BJ Holmes.
Predicted finish – Upper reaches.

Surrey United

Much improved from the 2013 version.
Player-to-Watch – outside specialist Trevor Setty.
Predicted finish – will still not trouble the play-offs.

And BBL new boys Bristol continued to surprise teams.

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Friday 31 October 2014

Worcester Wolves 82-90 Bristol Flyers

Halloween Friday saw Worcester Wolves put forward a frightening performance as they were tumbled out of the BBL Cup by Bristol Flyers.

 
In their debut season at the top level of British basketball, Flyers have already taken victories over several established sides. They have now secured arguably their biggest scalp to date, triumphing 90-82 at the University of Worcester Arena.

Aside from the opening moments of the match, the Wolves were always behind. Trailing by as much as fifteen points, the hosts finally hauled the deficit back to just a single point with four minutes to play.

However, a combination of stuttering offence and a porous defence, throughout the evening, meant that Flyers were once more able to ease clear.

 
Doug Herring led the line for Bristol with a massive 32 points, while no single Wolves player was able to notch greater than half of that total.

Flyers’ imposing centre Alif Bland gave an indication of what was to follow when easily swatting away an early effort from his Worcester counterpart, Robert Thurman.

At the other end of the court Bland laid on a neat pass for forward Greg Streete to convert the first of consecutive triples. Streete returned the favour as Bland nailed the last of his seven opening-quarter points.

A 25-32 deficit only increased as the second period began.

 
Jamal Williams stepped out of bounds when attacking the Flyers’ basket and fellow forward Remi Dibo also gave the ball up on Wolves’ next possession.

Bland and Streete continued to keep the Bristol side of the scoreboard ticking and joined the rest of their team in celebrating a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Herring as the first half concluded at 51-40.

Flyer’s double-figure lead was maintained through the third quarter. Bland stood firm in discouraging any Worcester attacks inside, while outside scoring opportunities were squandered.

The icing on the Bristol cake was provided by former University of Worcester student Roy Owen who managed to hurl up an improbable long-distance success when falling backwards, moving matters to 74-64.

There was a flicker of hope when young Wolves guard Disraeli Lufadeju drained successive triples and Chavis Holmes danced to the basket for two points and a bonus.

However, 79-80 was as close as it got, with Bristol confidently re-grouping, and drawing away.

Wolves’ Coach Paul James expressed his disappointment at what took place, saying:

 
“We had no one tonight who took charge on offence.

“Defensively we were poor, and Bristol took advantage. They played fabulous team basketball and shot the ball exceptionally well.

 
“We got what we deserved in the end.”

Chavis Holmes and Alex Owumi led the Worcester scorers with 16 points apiece.

Herring’s 32 points were backed up by Bland and Streete tallying 17 and 16 points respectively.

Last season’s League Most Valuable Player Zaire Taylor will return to the city next Friday when Wolves host London Lions at the University of Worcester Arena.
 

And revenge for a surprise defeat was gained when Giants came to the city.

But Manchester were really quite competitive in those days.

Jones & Bankevics were heavy-hitters and I also gave due respect to Mike Bernard in my report.

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Friday 14 November 2014

Worcester Wolves 90-81 Manchester Giants

Worcester Wolves consolidated their hold on second place in the British Basketball League with an assured 90-81 victory over Manchester Giants at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

Giants came into the match as the only team to have inflicted a league defeat on the Wolves, having won 93-83 in October.

Last month’s encounter featured a strong second half comeback from the Giants. There was a similar resurgence this time round, with Manchester even edging a point ahead with four minutes remaining.

 
However, on this occasion Worcester kept their focus to re-gain the lead.

Captain Alex Owumi was the night’s leading scorer with 25 points, including six triples. Robert Thurman also especially impressed with a double-double performance of 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Both sides came out firing from the tip-off.

By the close of the first period, Owumi had already sunk a trio of three-pointers, with Wolves’ forwards Remi Dibo and Jamal Williams also successful from distance.

Former Worcester favourite David Watts opened his account with a three at the buzzer to keep his team in touch at 34-24.

The furious early pace understandably slowed in the second quarter, with a switch in emphasis to battles closer to the basket.

36-year-old Manchester centre Mike Bernard could initially only watch as his younger and quicker counterpart Thurman danced past him for a couple of scores.

Refusing to be bowed, Bernard was able to roll back the years and display the veteran footwork that bought him a lengthy and lucrative career on the continent.

An eleven point half-time advantage for the hosts, at 53-42, was maintained by an even third period that ended at 70-59.

But it was in the last quarter where the action heated up.

Thurman provided a sky-hook score and Owumi once more connected from outside the arc to extend the lead to 75-61.

With eight minutes remaining, Watts swished home a basket that ignited a 13-0 run for his side over the ensuing three minutes.

 
Latvian forward Ingus Bankevics pounced on a wayward Worcester pass and gleefully converted his steal into points. A three-pointer got the Giants’ noses in front at 76-77.

Emerging Wolves guard Disraeli Lufadeju thrilled home fans to re-take the lead with two and a half minutes left to play.

Owumi finally put paid to the comeback when confidently floating in another triple.

 
Coach Paul James was pleased to take the victory, saying:

“We played pretty well. Yes we let them get back in the game towards the end, but I always felt confident that we would eventually get the win.”

Wolves are quickly back into action on Saturday night when they travel to lowly Surrey United in a re-arranged fixture.

 
James warned that his team will need to remain focused for a game against a team at the far end of the league table, remarking:

“Despite their record, Surrey can be dangerous, as they showed when we played them at our place a few weeks ago.

“I’ll be reminding the players to stay sharp and keep their minds on what we need to do.”

The next home outing for Wolves will take place at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 28 November, versus Bristol Flyers.

And here's my report on what happened in that night's visit of Bristol.

1. Interesting input from 18-years-old Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye.

2. Dibo and a few other players were, as kids may say (or perhaps used to say), wack... 

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Friday 28 November 2014

Worcester Wolves 79-65 Bristol Flyers

Worcester Wolves secured their fifth win on the when defeating Bristol Flyers 79-65 to stay at the top of the British Basketball League.

Last month the Flyers upset their University of Worcester hosts to progress to the semi-finals of the BBL Cup, led by a 32 point-performance from Doug Herring.

 
On Friday Herring was absent through injury, but Flyers still had other players able to step forward and, at times, threaten another surprise.

18-year-old guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye most caught the eye with an enthusiastic 18-point performance, but he was also supported by a trio of double-digit scorers.

By contrast it was left to experienced hands, Alex Owumi and Chavis Holmes, to contribute two-thirds of Wolves’ points.

As has so often been the case this season, Worcester struggled to settle into an early rhythm. Only Holmes and Robert Thurman were able to score points from the field during the opening quarter, as their side limped to a 12-17 deficit.

It was a couple of minutes into the second period before Wolves could drag back the arrears, drawing level at 19-19 after Owumi began a run of four first-half three-pointers.

A 23-8 tear over the remainder of the half took Wolves clear at 42-27.

A nifty Thurman sky-hook and a lay-in from Holmes stretched the lead to 48-29, before a spell of ill-discipline brought Bristol back into the match.

Thurman was awarded a technical foul for comments made to the referees, and forward Jamal Williams found himself retired to the bench after carelessly picking up his fourth and fifth offences within ten seconds of each other.

In the final minute of the third quarter Remi Dibo excited home fans with a three-pointer to bring up a 60-42 advantage, but then blotted his copybook by following Thurman’s example of disputing officials’ decisions.

 
After being adjudged for successive fouls on his opponents, Dibo was unable to suppress his disagreement, having to be escorted off the court and back to the locker rooms.

A series of made free-throws and an outrageous buzzer-beater from Lautier-Ogunleye pulled matters all the way back to 60-49.

Lautier-Ogunleye sank another triple as the last period began, bringing the scores worryingly close.

 
With three minutes remaining, at 70-63, the outcome was still not settled. However, the calm leadership of Holmes finally decided matters with a burst of steals and clever assists for Thurman to convert into points.

Though pleased to get the win, Wolves’ coach Paul James was unhappy about aspects of his team’s performance, saying:

“We didn’t flow offensively. We were sloppy.

“Bristol were there to be blown away, but some of our players lost their discipline. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, we’re better than that.”

Next up is a visit this Sunday to Glasgow Rocks, who include ex-Worcester favourite Tommy Freeman in their line-up.

“They have a lot of experience in their team, with Great Britain International Kieron Achara and, of course, Tommy Freeman.

“It’ll be nice to see Tommy again but we obviously need to stop him and Achara from having big nights,” added James.

The following Sunday Wolves are on the road again, at Plymouth Raiders, before returning to the University of Worcester Arena on Friday 12 December to host Sheffield Sharks.

And here's my official reports from those next couple of road games.

Interesting that Freeman does well against a former employer and then big Jamal goes off big-time against his former club Plymouth.

BTW whatever happened to "NBA trialist" Jajuan Smith?

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Sunday 30 November 2014

Glasgow Rocks 99-96 Worcester Wolves

There was last-second drama in Scotland on Sunday as Worcester Wolves lost only their second league match of the season, after an agonising overtime battle at Glasgow Rocks.

Rocks were in front at 96-95, with just five seconds remaining, when a long-range attempt from Wolves’ captain Alex Owumi went astray.

Remi Dibo was first to snatch the rebound but was fouled by former Worcester favourite Tommy Freeman before he could get another shot off.
Dibo made one of the two resultant free throws to tie the game at 96-96.

Glasgow’s coach Sterling Davis hastily requested a time-out with just three ticks left on the clock.

From the re-start the ball was inbounded to point guard Jajuan Smith who banked in an unlikely shot from several feet behind the free-throw line, despite defenders’ hands in his face.

Throughout the evening neither side was able to pull decisively clear of the other.

Freeman opened his scoring account with a three-pointer to make it 15-15 after six minutes had elapsed.

At the close of the first quarter Dibo was on hand to rebound a miss from Chavis Holmes and float home a triple for a 20-24 Worcester advantage.

As half-time approached Wolves still held the lead at 36-29, but a late Glasgow flurry tied matters at 41-41 entering the break.

There was again a seven-point advantage at 55-48 for the visitors by midway through the third quarter, but a Smith long-range success as the fourth quarter began levelled matters once more, at 65-65.

Back and forth went the lead, all the way until 16 seconds of regulation time remained.

At 81-81 a time-out was called by Worcester coach Paul James, but Holmes was unable to convert from the play that was drawn up, sending the match into five minutes of overtime.

Entering the final couple of minutes there was a burst of three-pointers as the sides exchanged the lead.

 
Freeman made it 91-90, Dibo replied to make it 93-91 and Smith finalised the spell to move the scoreboard to 94-93 in favour of the hosts.

The excitement continued until the dying moments, when Smith showed the mettle that once earned him a trial period at Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.

Paul James expressed his feelings after the contest:

“It was a tough loss. The shot from Smith was a ‘Hail Mary’.

“But it should never have come down to that last shot. We held the lead for more than three-quarters of the match and there were several points when we should have killed them off, but then allowed them to revive.

 
“I’m pleased with the effort from the guys, but obviously disappointed with the result.”

 
Robert Thurman and Holmes led the Worcester scoring with 26 and 24 points respectively.

Freeman tallied 18 points against his former employers.
 

And my next prog piece, referring back to those matches at Glasgow & poor Plymo

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What a difference a week makes.

Two Sundays ago we sank to an agonising OT defeat at Glasgow after failing to close out our chances.

Last Sunday we made another long-distance trek, this time to Plymouth, but on this occasion we ensured there was no repeat of our failure to kill off an opponent.

There’s something about players going up against a previous employer.

In Scotland it was ex-Wolves favourite Tommy Freeman on the mark against us.

In Devon, Jamal Williams was the person who most definitely got one over on a former team.

Jamal steals the ball from the tip, grabs a rebound and assists with consecutive scores for big Robert Thurman.

24-16 after Q1 and it’s looking comfortable.

Back roar Plymouth and by HT the advantage is a mere 45-43.

At the close of the third, last year’s scoring leader Brent Benson pops up to nudge Raiders ahead by two points.

It’s poised again at 75-75 with five minutes to play when, again, it’s that man Jamal in the thick of it.

One trey; an assist for the Thurminator to slam-jam home; another trey.

No defensive lapses and we’re now home and hosed. Job done.

Chavis Holmes – 21pts, 5 rebounds, 8 assists. Mr Consistency.

Alex Owumi – 11pts, 5 rebounds. Solid.

Remi Dibo – 9pts. Contributed.

Kalil Irving – 10pts. Ditto.

Jamal Williams – 15pts, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals. All-action performance.

Robert Thurman – 25pts, 14 rebounds. Bulldozer.

Sean Park – 2pts. Limited minutes.

Disraeli Lufadeju – 2pts. Ditto.

But Chester certainly took their chances.

Demond Watt, Julius Hodge & Taylor King - Coffino certainly attracted some characters that year

PJ was definitely not happy.  

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Sunday 14 December 2014

Cheshire Phoenix 97-86 Worcester Wolves

Worcester Wolves were unable to hold back the form team of the British Basketball League on Sunday, succumbing to an 86-97 defeat at Cheshire Phoenix.

The Chester-based club have now stacked up seven wins in a row, moving into third place in the table, just a single place below Worcester.

Wolves were on their heels from the outset, blitzed by a huge 35-point first quarter from their opponents, while only managing seventeen points by way of reply.

The deficit continued to hover around the twenty-point mark until the final few minutes, where a measure of respectability was finally restored to the score-line.

Captain Alex Owumi and his backcourt partner Chavis Holmes totaled 30 and 22 points respectively, but Robert Thurman with 18 points was the only other Worcester player to gather significant numbers.

By contrast, all five of Cheshire’s starters achieved double-figure scoring.

A basket apiece in the opening minute for Thurman and for Jamal Williams gave Wolves their sole lead of the match.

Former Denver Nugget Julius Hodge nudged Phoenix ahead at 9-7 after four minutes had been played. It was from here where the Cheshire onslaught took hold.

Centre Demond Watt was given plenty of room to tip in his own miss and a moment later Hodge rose up to block a Williams attempt and convert at the other end.

Kalil Irving subbed in to the Wolves line-up in place of a misfiring Remi Dibo, but fumbled the ball on his first touch.

One-time NBA prospect Taylor King sank a three-pointer, and would drill a couple more by the close of the quarter, cheekily miming the replacement of pistols in a holster to celebrate his sharpshooting.

Disraeli Lufadeju entered the fray with a welcome burst of energy for the visitors, putting forward a couple of baskets, but a trio of long-range successes for Owumi were the only other major contribution to the Wolves’ side of the scoreboard before half-time.

Phoenix seemed content to give up occasional space on the outside, happy in the knowledge that they maintained firm control of the boards at both ends of the court.

Entering the third period Worcester trailed 38-59.

Cheshire continued to hold sway close to the basket, with the normally-prowling Thurman held in check. Owumi and Holmes carried on plugging away from the outside.

At 61-80 entering the final quarter, Phoenix finally eased their choke-hold from Thurman, allowing him to accumulate thirteen late points. But, in exchange, they now took charge from distance, eliminating Worcester’s threat and presenting King with the opportunity for more demonstrations of his shooting prowess.

Head Coach Paul James confirmed that any real prospect of success was destroyed by his team’s poor start, saying:

“The first quarter was disastrous, and to give up 59 points by half-time was ridiculous. Cheshire shot the lights out.

“Unfortunately, at the moment, we have some guys who are really struggling.

“Today we had Chavis and Alex doing what they could and playing really hard, and Robert chipped in towards the end. Beyond that there was nothing to talk about.”

The game’s final stat-line for rebounds read just 26 for the Wolves, while their hosts accumulated a whopping 45 boards. James was to the point in explaining this disparity, commenting:

“It’s an issue that shouldn’t be there. We’ve got some good athletes on the team who need to change their mind-sets and go get the ball.”

Wolves return to home action this Friday at the University of Worcester Arena when they face London Lions. “We will re-group and go again,” added James.

And, for those times, an unusual second consecutive loss ensued.

Thurman's absence was an obvious factor. 

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Friday 19 December 2014

Worcester Wolves 70-75 London Lions

Despite being without key big man Robert Thurman through injury, Worcester Wolves came close to upsetting a star-studded London Lions at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.

At several junctures Lions moved into double-digit leads but Wolves doggedly refused to lie down, even giving themselves a sniff of an unlikely victory in the final few minutes.

Last year’s Wolves’ player-of-the-season Zaire Taylor marked his return to Worcester by scoring the opening basket of the evening for his new employers.

With Wolves already trailing 13-19 approaching the last couple of minutes of the first quarter, space was given for Great Britain Captain Andrew Sullivan to drain a long-range shot.

Forward Jamal Williams immediately replied, but could only watch as Sullivan sank two further triples to extend the Lions’ lead to 30-20.

Taylor missed a jump shot at the beginning of the second quarter, but another former Worcester player, 6 foot 10 inch Ian Salter, was on hand to tip in the miss.

A three-pointer at the half-time buzzer from Alex Owumi kept the hosts in contention at 35-43.

Commencing the second-half, it was Taylor who again featured in the opening possession of a period, drawing howls of derision when his shot attempt dropped several feet short of the hoop.

A heavily-strapped Kaili Irving was bang on the mark to reduce the deficit.

Four minutes of the half had elapsed before London could score from the field. In the meantime, Worcester had crept back to 47-48.

Williams then produced a dazzling spin move to nudge his side in front. Unsettled, the visitors gave up the ball when unable to get a shot away in the permitted 24 seconds.

 
However calm, and a 59-54 advantage, was restored entering the final period, aided by a couple of scores for London forward Lovell Cook.

Worcester were kept at bay until reserve guard Sean Park finally opened his scoring account with a triple. Owumi did likewise and suddenly the teams were level at 66-66 with four minutes remaining.

Chavis Holmes connected and Wolves were once more ahead. But the hosts were unable to maintain the momentum, allowing London to peck their way to the 70-75 away victory.

Holmes and Owumi led the Worcester scoring with 19 and 15 points respectively, supported by 12 points from Williams.

 
Coach Paul James gave credit to his players for their display, saying:

“It was a gutsy performance. We didn’t win, but the effort was there.

 
“We showed some belief and stayed in the game.”

 
Next up is a visit on Tuesday to Leicester Riders. After that the Wolves will return to the University of Worcester Arena for a post-Xmas match with Leeds Force on Sunday 28 December, tipping off at 3pm.

 
Looking at Thurman’s injury, James added:

“Robert is 50/50 to return for Leicester, but we don’t want to worsen matters by rushing him back. We’ll assess the situation as the week goes on.”

Ahead of the next game, vs Leeds a day or two into the holiday period, it was too late for me to meet programme print deadlines with an article about the Leicester W, so I put together an Xmas present list instead.

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Ho Ho Ho – who’s been naughty, who’s been nice, who deserves some Christmas spice…

I think we spectators had all our Christmas presents much earlier in 2014, seeing the guys roar to that magnificent BBL Trophy win up in Glasgow in March, and even topping that by downing the high-flying Newcastle Eagles at Wembley’s end-of-season party.

That win in Scotland was so special as it represented our first silverware since taking the step up into the top tier, and then the Play-Off Final success was equally touching.

Walls of sound coming from the stands, and waves of Wolves fans sweeping around the team at the end of those matches. I’m getting emotional as I recall those moments.

Here’s my individual breakdown on who gets what from Santa’s sack:

Chavis Holmes – A calm head under pressure. Only a hot-water bottle could break his cool.

Alex Owumi – Another cool customer. I was thinking of getting him a winter muffler to keep the chills away, but there’s no need as all season he has been nothing but hot.

Robert Thurman – Could give him a wolf mask but he is snarling and fierce enough without it. Don’t go down to the woods today kids…

Jamal Williams – Ronseal will do – dependable Jamal does exactly what it says on the tin.

Disraeli Lufadeju – get him something wrapped up in glittery Xmas paper to match how he sparkles when he gets called on court.

Kalil Irving – Is that a sturdy Black & Decker Workmate in Father Christmas’ sack, no its Kalil.

Remi Dibo and Sean Park – microwaves, to heat things up in a hurry.

- Happy Holidays Everyone!