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Post by Solly on Aug 14, 2020 7:48:01 GMT
And ill-discipline/turnovers formed the story at Lions 
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Sunday 29 March 2015
London Lions 88-70 Worcester Wolves
After sweeping aside Leeds Force by a thirty point-margin on Friday, Worcester Wolves came back to earth with a bump when losing out 70-88 at London Lions on Sunday.
After staying with their star-laden opponents for much of the match, a bleak period for the visitors straddling the third and fourth quarters saw London pull away to victory.
For the second game in a row Jamal Williams topped the Wolves’ scorers, producing 17 points, and there was a welcome 14 point-return for reserve centre Dejan Radojevic.
However, their contributions came to nothing, in a large part due to Worcester turning the ball over nearly twice as many times as their opponents.
Last year’s British Basketball League Player-of-the-Season Zaire Taylor set his stall out by intercepting an errant William’s pass as the game began. On the very next play London forward Lovell Cook copied Taylor’s example, helping his side to an early 5-2 lead. An even first quarter ended with the teams tied at 15-15.
With Robert Thurman out injured, Radojevic got his chance to shine, making an immediate impact with an impressive quartet of scores at the start of the second period, breaking open a 25-15 advantage.
By half-time the gap had closed to 37-34 as Cook stepped forward to sink a trio of three-pointers.
By a couple of minutes after the interval Lions had their noses in front at 40-39, following consecutive turnovers from Wolves’ guard Paul Guede.
With a minute to go in the third quarter Taylor notched his first points of the afternoon, as his side began to move clear at 59-52.
Lions’ former NBA player Olumide Oyedeji grabbed the first basket of the final quarter, while Great Britain captain Andrew Sullivan eagerly got his hands in the way of another badly-directed Wolves’ ball.
The Worcester woes were compounded by a series of unsportsmanlike fouls as frustration grew.
A time out did little to calm matters as a 66-55 deficit merely grew larger.
Chavis Holmes incurred a technical foul for arguing a referees call, and then joined the long list of men in a Worcester vest who surrendered possession during a disappointing visit to the Capital.
Next up for Wolves is a Good Friday match at the University of Worcester Arena against league-leaders Newcastle Eagles. Coach Paul James is hoping for an improved display, saying:
“It should be a classic. If we include the Playoff Final win at Wembley, then we’ve beaten them the last three times we’ve met.
“I know Newcastle have had this game circled for a long while. We’re the one blemish on their record this year. With a big crowd behind us, we’ll be looking to come away with a big win.”
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Post by Solly on Aug 14, 2020 7:53:36 GMT
And my prog article ahead of the next hosting of the Eagles.
Wolves certainly had Newcastle's number over 14-15.
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Newcastle Eagles – what can you say. Winners of the BBL Cup, winners of the BBL Trophy. Unbeaten all season except for two games.
Whosevers beat them must be good. Oh, that will be us then.
Wait a minute, go further back to the very last match of last year, at Wembley, and guess who whupped them then – us.
We seem to be the thorn in their side. Let’s see if we can maintain our prickliness tonight.
More of the sort of fine defensive display we put out last Friday at Leeds will be good.
Quite a trek to get there, around numerous M1 cone-fests, and then having to wander the pathways and corridors of a University campus – reminded me of our own pre-Arena venue.
Anyway, to the evening itself. Once we got going at midway through Q2, we really got going.
Threes floating in for us from all over the shop, while the Force most definitely belied their name.
26-5 over the quarter was enough to break their spirit, and it was all over rover.
FT 84-54. A satisfying night that just about justified the tortuous journey to get there.
Chavis Holmes – 13pts. Even had time to whoop it up with a couple of rare triples
Alex Owumi – 11pts, 8 rebounds, 3 x 3s. A sbasketball kit in the park
Paul Guede – 8pts. Tidy
Jamal Williams – 20pts, 4 x 3s. A star turn
Robertas Bitinas – 14pts, 4 x 3s. Constant outside threat
Kalil Irving – 6pts. Uninhibited
Dejan Radojevic – 6pts. Emerging
Caylin Raftopoulos – 6pts. Lively
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Post by Solly on Aug 15, 2020 14:02:07 GMT
And so Wolves once more downed the Eagles.
Is davef prepared to give us all any more info about his "berating of the match officials"?
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Friday 03 April 2015
Worcester Wolves 88-81 Newcastle Eagles
Worcester Wolves delighted a sold-out University of Worcester Arena when emerging victorious from a bruising toe-to-toe battle with British Basketball League table-toppers the Newcastle Eagles on Friday.
Wolves’ sensational 88-81 win means that Eagles have lost just three times in more than thirty games this season, with each of those defeats coming at the hands of their rivals from Worcester.
The back and forth nature of the evening was set early when one of Wolves’ young guns Kalil Irving slotted home a couple of scores, only to see Eagles’ veteran forward Charles Smith do likewise.
Irving’s fourth basket opened out a 24-16 advantage, but Eagles then claimed the last seven points of the first quarter.
At two minutes into the second period the sides were tied at 27-27 when Newcastle’s point guard Rahmon Fletcher took a worryingly-hard fall to the ground. It would be nearly half-an-hour before play could resume, with Fletcher eventually stretchered off to hospital.
Captain Alex Owumi nailed the first of what would turn out to be five three-pointers, and Dejan Radojevic got his name on the scoresheet.
A triple from Smith rounded out the half, with Worcester’s noses still in front at 40-38.
After three minutes of the second half had elapsed, Newcastle finally edged ahead at 45-47. However, an 8-2 run for the hosts would once more draw the teams together.
Eagles’ Drew Lasker levelled the match at 65-65 as the final quarter began.
Consecutive threes from Owumi and from Jamal Williams eased the pressure, before Smith was once more on target. An acrobatic spin from Lasker would again give Eagles the lead, at 77-79 with a couple of minutes remaining.
With under a minute to go Owumi brought spectators to their feet when calmly connecting from distance to give his side a slender 81-79 advantage.
Newcastle’s Great Britain International Darius Defoe showed that there would be no end to the ding-dong nature of the contest when dragging matters back to 82-81 with just 13 seconds to play.
Now forced to foul to regain possession, the Eagles were left to watch Wolves rack up points from the free-throw line.
There was an appropriate close to the feisty encounter when the visitors’ assistant coach Dave Forrester was ejected from proceedings after incurring a double technical foul for berating match officials.
A breathless Wolves’ coach Paul James applauded what he saw, saying:
“It was a spectacular performance by our players. We really came together tonight, battling for each other throughout.”
Owumi was the standout man in the statistics with 25 points and ten rebounds, while Irving produced a season-best tally of 13 points and twelve rebounds.
However James was keen to focus on the collective display of his team, saying:
“Alex did a job and Kalil gained a long overdue double-double.
“But we needed more than a couple of people to step up for us to win, and that’s what happened, with five guys scoring in double figures and everyone fighting for the win.”
The tip-off to the evening had to be put back by ten minutes to accommodate the stream of fans eager to see the action, and allow time for extra seating to be put out. James acknowledged the boost the home support had given his side, adding:
“Our fans were tremendous tonight. The players contributed and the supporters contributed.
“I know that everyone will have enjoyed what they saw and I hope that they all come back and want to bring their friends with them to join in with it all.
“If we have to delay tip off to cram everyone in then so be it. It was a fabulous spectacle, a special night and a special performance.”
Wolves will be back in action again at the University of Worcester Arena next Friday when they host Glasgow Rocks.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2020 15:36:48 GMT
As we patiently wait for thr longest close season to end, i thought I'd look back at the summer of 2011. We had a mini tournament in Surrey (although the plebs weren’t invited), a six team Olympic test event in Stratford and EuroBaskets in Lithuania and Poland (still trying to dig that one out) which was a fantastic experience. It won't be every day but it starts here daveballblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/15/retro-time-the-summer-of-2011/ |
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Post by saintpat on Aug 15, 2020 17:41:34 GMT
As we patiently wait for thr longest close season to end, i thought I'd look back at the summer of 2011. We had a mini tournament in Surrey (although the plebs weren’t invited), a six team Olympic test event in Stratford and EuroBaskets in Lithuania and Poland (still trying to dig that one out) which was a fantastic experience. It won't be every day but it starts here daveballblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/15/retro-time-the-summer-of-2011/Poland was 2009, just saying!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2020 17:43:59 GMT
Not the women. As your daughter will confirm
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Post by saintpat on Aug 15, 2020 19:00:06 GMT
Not the women. As your daughter will confirm Indeed, how could I have forgotten! |
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Post by Solly on Aug 16, 2020 10:58:15 GMT
And here's my reprise of how Wolves finally got the better of Rocks, after a double of defeats in Glasgow.
Bitinas looked a capture.
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Friday 10 April 2015
Worcester Wolves 92-80 Glasgow Rocks
Worcester Wolves kept the pot boiling in their quest for their best-ever placing in the British Basketball League by overcoming Glasgow Rocks 92-80 at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.
Wolves currently stand third in the table, two points behind their challengers for the runner-up spot, Leicester Riders. Just three games remain in the regular season, on the road at Durham Wildcats and a lip-smacking home-and-away double next week versus Leicester.
Rocks had already beaten Wolves twice up in Scotland earlier this year, but showed no signs of being able to continue the winning run away from their own court. They simply had no answer to a ruthless performance from their hosts.
Five Worcester men scored in double figures, led by the guard partnership of Chavis Holmes and Alex Owumi with 22 and 19 points respectively.
At six minutes into the evening the score stood at 12-11. By the last minute of the quarter it had widened to 22-15 after three-pointers from Owumi and from Lithuanian guard Robertas Bitinas.
The second period featured an array of show-time moves as Wolves settled into a groove.
A bullet pass from Holmes found Dejan Radojevic totally open for an easy lay-in. Owumi produced a wondrous double spin-around dance to the basket. Bitinas floated home a couple more triples, helping increase the advantage to 47-36 by half-time.
There was more of the same after the interval, with Holmes and Owumi swapping assists and every man in a Worcester vest clamping down at the defensive end.
The lead had accelerated to 72-53 by the close of the third period, with no way back for the Rocks.
Former Worcester favourite Tommy Freeman finally notched his first field goal of the match during the final quarter, but that flicker of activity was nothing when judged alongside another sparkling Wolves’ move, a sublime behind-the-back pass from Bitinas to leave Owumi unmarked to connect from distance.
Coach Paul James was pleased with his team’s business-like display, saying:
“Defensively we were solid, and offensively we moved the ball very well. It was efficient, it was professional.
“We’ve talked for the last couple of weeks about getting into playoff-mode and we saw that last week when we beat Newcastle, and again tonight in how we dealt with Glasgow.”
Wolves will travel to Leicester on Tuesday, before hosting their rivals next Friday at the University of Worcester Arena. James gave his thoughts on the doubleheader:
“We’ll be treating it like a playoff series. The first leg is at their place. We’ve already beaten them there once so if we win again we’ll take the head-to-head. After that we can look towards Friday.
“As well as batting us for second-place, they still have an outside shot at catching Newcastle in top-spot. Next week should see two special games in front of two full houses. We can’t wait.”
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Post by Solly on Aug 16, 2020 11:02:02 GMT
And my prog. report of that same match, ahead of the home encounter with Riders.
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At the time of writing, I’m unaware of the result of Tuesday’s trip to Leicester. If we got the W, then we’ll still be in the hunt for the runner-up spot, our highest-ever BBL placing. Great stuff.
Even if we did not triumph there, we obviously still want to do the business today, particularly as we might meet again in the playoffs.
After the thrill of our downing of Newcastle Eagles a fortnight ago, it would have been quite a contrast if we had not followed up last week by also sorting out Glasgow. As it was we indeed dealt with the Rocks 92-80, pretty much without breaking sweat in my opinion.
By the last minute of Q1 we were already ahead at 22-15, and it all went smoothly after that.
The second period featured an array of show-time moves. A Chavis bullet found Dejan in acres of space for an easy lay-up. Alex produced a wondrous double spin-around dance to the basket.
The lead had accelerated to 72-53 by the close of the third, with no way back for Rocks.
Former favourite Tommy Freeman took until the final period to notch his first points from the field, while new favourite Robertas dazzled us with an imperious behind-the-back pass to set up Alex for a triple.
Chavis Holmes – 22pts, 7 assists. Measured
Alex Owumi – 19pts, 4 x 3s. Reliable
Paul Guede – 12pts, 9 rebounds. Under the radar
Jamal Williams – 12pts. Sturdy
Robertas Bitinas – 13pts, 3 x 3s. Showman
Kalil Irving – 9pts. Did a job
Dejan Radojevic – 5pts. Contributed
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Post by Solly on Aug 17, 2020 13:11:12 GMT
On that Tuesday mentioned in the last article, Leics levelled the H-2-H with a 66-63 success, before Wolves took the series to finalise third-place in the league, the season after triumphing at Wembley.
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Friday 17 April 2015
Worcester Wolves 77-67 Leicester Riders
Worcester Wolves will finish third in this year’s British Basketball League after a 77-67 dismissal of an understrength Leicester Riders at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.
With their runners-up spot in the table already sealed, Leicester coach Rob Paternostro made the decision to rest several of his usual starters, ahead of next weekend’s playoffs.
In contrast, his opposite number in Worcester, Paul James, had no intention of tinkering with his line-up, preferring to stay with the players who had helped equal Wolves’ best-ever league placing.
In only his second game after returning from a lengthy injury-induced spell on the sidelines, centre Robert Thurman demonstrated that he will be an important factor in Wolves’ quest to repeat last year’s Play Off title success, garnering 20 points and ten rebounds.
Latest recruit, Lithuanian guard Robertas Bitinas was the home side’s next-highest scorer with 15 points.
The first seven points all went the way of the Riders, before Thurman got Worcester off the mark. With three minutes remaining of the opening period, Wolves still trailed 8-16. However, a rapid-fire trio of baskets from Thurman helped level matters at 16-16 by the period’s close.
A 27-20 cushion was built in the second quarter, before Riders’ playmaker Conner Washington took his team’s next seven points to keep them in the contest.
The initial play of the second half was a three-pointer for veteran Leicester man Yorick Williams. When his fellow forward Pavol Losonsky also connected, the evening was tied at 32-32.
From here, Wolves again stepped on the gas. Chavis Holmes found Kalil Irving unmarked for an easy slam and Thurman spun around his much slower counterpart, Barry Lamble, to jam the ball home.
Entering the last quarter, the host’s lead had eased back out to 54-44. Approaching the final minutes of the evening a comfortable 66-58 advantage was still in force, before a brief Leicester revival.
Consecutives three-pointers from Washington and from Harrison Gamble brought matters to 66-65 with a couple of minutes to go.
Holmes floated up a pass for Thurman to put through the hoop with authority and Bitinas sunk a triple, quelling any chance of an unlikely Leicester victory.
James was succinct in his appraisal of the match, saying: “We can only beat whoever is in front of us, and that’s what we did.”
While it is already known that Wolves’ first action in the play offs will take place next Friday at the University of Worcester Arena, the name of their opponents will not become clear until all regular season fixtures are completed this Sunday.
James added: “We’ll round out our own fixtures on Sunday at Durham. After that we’ll know who we are going to face from Glasgow, London or Sheffield.
“We’ll make sure that we’re ready to go versus whoever we come up against.
“It was another great atmosphere tonight, with our third big crowd in a row. It’s so inspiring to look around and see every seat in the stands taken and more seating being set up.
“It’s a special environment we’re creating now in Worcester for a brilliant Friday night out.”
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Post by Solly on Aug 18, 2020 13:20:30 GMT
And the regular-season ended with a summary dismissal of Durham.
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Sunday 19 April 2015
Durham Wildcats 79-110 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves rounded out their regular season fixtures in fine style with a 110-79 thumping of Durham Wildcats on Sunday.
Wolves’ third place finish in the British Basketball League means that they will meet sixth-placed London Lions over two legs in the first round of the BBL Playoffs.
After the thrill of Wolves’ triumph at Wembley to take last year’s title, the excitement will arguably ramp up even higher with a trip to London’s 17,000-capacity O2 Arena as the venue for this year’s Playoff Final, on 10 May.
Once Worcester had overtaken their North-East hosts, towards the end of the first quarter, they never looked back.
For the second game in a row Robert Thurman was the leading scorer, totaling 28 points. Robertas Bitinas was the next-ranked man on the score-sheet with 21 points, hitting an incredible 18 of those points in a seven-minute fourth quarter explosion.
Coach Paul James expressed his satisfaction at the afternoon’s work, saying:
“Before the match we talked in the changing rooms about making sure we maintain a high level of confidence for the playoffs.
“The players responded and didn’t just go through the motions to end the regular season. We played hard, we played with professionalism.”
Asked about the individual contributions of Thurman and Bitinas, James replied:
“Everyone in the squad contributed. It was a total team display, but, on an individual level, Robert took advantage of his opportunity to dominate smaller opponents and Robertas was simply red-hot during the last quarter.”
There was a 23-17 lead for Wolves entering the second period, with Thurman already reaching double-figure points as it began.
Reserve guard Caylin Raftopoulos joined the fray to sink a double of three-pointers, either side of a triple from Paul Guede.
Guede would connect from distance twice more before half-time, helping his side to a healthy 53-38 advantage.
By the close of the third period the advantage had nearly doubled to 82-53 as Wildcats struggled to fend off their much-slicker visitors.
Aside from Bitinas’ stunning burst of firepower, the final period was notable for more reliable output from Thurman. Fittingly, the game’s last play was a Bitinas pass for Thurman to slam through the Durham hoop.
Wolves bid to retain their title begins this Friday at the University of Worcester Arena (tip off 7.30pm), with the matchup against Lions being given extra spice by the presence of BBL Most Valuable Player Zaire Taylor in a London vest rather than his former Worcester colours.
James gave his expectations for the tie, saying:
“They have plenty of talent in their team, such as Zaire Taylor and Andrew Sullivan. But there’s also plenty of talent on our side. I like our style right now, we’re ready.”
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Post by Solly on Aug 19, 2020 9:18:11 GMT
And here was my ridiculously-optimistic article ahead of the playoff encounter with Lions.
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Last weekend saw all the playoff matchups sorted out, with our first round opponents ending up as the Lions.
My work currently has me residing in Sheffield, Monday through Friday, so I was rather hoping we met the Sharks.
Having said that, once we deal with London, we only need Sheffield to overcome Leicester and there’s always a possibility I get my wish, albeit a little bit later.
Anyway, it is of course about much more than my personal arrangements. Much, much more, as we bid to retain our title of Playoff Champs. Wembley last May was brilliant, but the O2 Arena this year would surely be even better.
How ironic it is that a big part of last season’s successes, Zaire Taylor, is now suited up in our opponent’s colours. Allied to that, what about all the other talent in Lions’ vests – GB Captain Andrew Sullivan, BBL veteran playmaker Rod Brown, the American duo of Cook & Stibbins. The list goes on.
However, we’re also loaded.
In the games between us this year we are down 1-2. We did them in November; they came back at us in December, and then earlier this year in the capital.
But we lacked a full roster in both of the defeats. Plus, the gist of it is that they are flaky. Underachievers, in a similar vein to another stuffed squad down in Plymouth.
Bend them and they break. Here’s how.
Chavis Holmes – Calm
Alex Owumi – Cool
Jamal Williams – Workhorse
Paul Guede – Can come to the fore
Kalil Irving – Ditto
Robert Thurman – Man in the paint
Robertas Bitinas – Threat
Caylin Raftopoulos – Can contribute
Dejan Radojevic – Ditto
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Post by Solly on Aug 20, 2020 15:01:54 GMT
And here's the first-leg very disappointing for Worcester first round playoff report.
The only slight consolation I had that same week was popping over to the EIS to see Sharks unexpectedly overturn the heavily-favoured Riders in their first-leg tie.
I remember that Paternostro was purple with rage.
Another odd thing was that in their biggest game of the year Sheffield's venue was barely even half-full. Allied to that I was invited on the door to only pay a fiver to get in even though I was quite happy to pay the full price.
On all my visits since 2015 the crowds have never got better...
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Friday 24 April 2015
Worcester Wolves 75-80 London Lions
Worcester Wolves face a stern test if they are to retain their hold on the British Basketball League Play-Off title they celebrated last year at Wembley Arena.
A 75-80 reversal against London Lions on Friday means that Wolves will have work to do to overturn the deficit in their quarter-final second leg in the capital this Sunday.
From the outset, neither side was able to pull decisively clear of the other. Wolves threatened to break away after establishing a seven-point cushion in the second quarter, but Lions roared back to create an eight-point lead of their own in the third quarter.
The post-match statistics showed parity in all but two categories: Worcester surrendered the ball nearly twice as many times as their visitors, and also allowed London to hold sway close to the basket.
Lions’ centre Olumide Oyedeji displayed the talent that earned him a three season-stint in the NBA by forcing his way to a couple of early scores.
It would take until nearly four minutes had elapsed before Wolves’ captain Alex Owumi gained his team’s first reply from the field.
A narrow 21-19 first period advantage grew to 30-26 once Jamal Williams and Robertas Bitinas had opened their scoring accounts.
Bitinas was on target again to ease Wolves out to 33-26 by midway through the second period. Half-a-dozen points from last season’s Worcester fan favourite Zaire Taylor helped close the combatants to 39-37 by the interval.
As the second half opened Taylor connected with a long three-pointer, repeating the feat a minute later. However, Wolves’ Paul Guede burst to life with a trio of scores to keep the match close at 50-47 with five minutes of the half played.
The lead had see-sawed back to 58-60 entering the last ten minutes of the evening.
A spell of ill-discipline would cost Wolves dear when Robert Thurman was called for his fourth foul as he battled to contain his counterpart Oyedeji, and Williams compounded matters by picking up a technical foul for disputing the referee’s decision.
Another triple from Guede kept the contest poised at 74-76 with just two minutes remaining. However, Worcester squandered late opportunities to regain the lead when Thurman was twice unable to keep his grasp on the ball with the Lions’ basket at his mercy.
A large University of Worcester Arena crowd were relieved to see Taylor fail to connect with a long-distance effort as the final buzzer sounded.
Owumi led the Worcester scoring with 21 points, supported by Guede and Thurman’s 13 points apiece. Great Britain captain Andrew Sullivan top-scored for London with 17 points.
Wolves’ coach Paul James, while disappointed, maintained his optimism for the second leg, saying:
“It was frustrating out there. We had players who were hot and cold. Every shot we took was a tough one and we allowed London to get too many cheap buckets.
“Having said that, we know we can do a much better job on Sunday. A five-point deficit is by no means insurmountable.”
After the match, Jamal Williams stepped forward to receive the Wolves’ Player of the Season Award. James gave praise to his second-year forward, saying:
“Jamal has been tremendous for us all-season long. He is a true leader. He always gives his all and isn’t a guy who ever takes a day off.”
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Post by Solly on Aug 21, 2020 15:20:07 GMT
And an appalling second-leg outing at Lions saw Wolves dumped out of the playoffs.
A hugely anti-climatic end to the season after the double-winning success of the previous year.
Did Zaire Taylor get up for this game or what...
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Sunday 26 April 2015
London Lions 106-67 Worcester Wolves
Worcester Wolves’ quest to hold on to the BBL Play-Off title they won at Wembley last season came to an abrupt end on Sunday as they crashed to a 67-106 defeat at in-form London Lions.
Already needing to retrieve a five-point deficit outstanding from the quarter final first leg, Wolves’ task was made even harder when former Worcester favourite Zaire Taylor stepped to the fore with a stunning 41-point outburst.
Wolves’ guard Chavis Holmes began the scoring, before Taylor immediately replied with a triple.
Holmes was again on the mark to level the match at 7-7 with five minutes played, but this would be the last juncture at which Worcester stayed close to their opponents.
Taylor would rack up a further 13 points before the first quarter had ended, with his side already holding a healthy 24-16 advantage.
His backcourt partner Rod Brown took the first score of the second period, with Taylor content to wait until four minutes before the interval to re-emerge with another quick-fire ten points.
There was a brief revival for the visitors when Holmes provided a double of assists for Alex Owumi to convert into three-pointers, but Lions still held sway at 49-38 by the break.
The third quarter was when Worcester’s last hopes of an upset were extinguished, as they suffered a 30-10 blast from their hosts.
If it was not Taylor connecting from outside the arc, it would be Great Britain captain Andrew Sullivan proving a handful inside. In addition, Wolves often found their usual rhythm disrupted by a scarcity of referees’ calls at the offensive end, but a profusion called around their own basket.
Entering the final ten minutes of play with an unassailable 79-48 lead, London were already able to make plans for their semi-final encounter with Cheshire Phoenix.
The other teams competing in the final four will be Newcastle Eagles and Sheffield Sharks. Eagles routinely disposed of Bristol Flyers, while seventh-placed Sharks upset much-fancied Leicester Riders to stay in the hunt for a place at the O2 Arena on Sunday 10 May.
Speaking shortly after the end of the match, Wolves’ coach Paul James tried hard to contain his disappointment, saying:
“London played very well and Zaire certainly had a big game so all credit to them, but I feel sad for our players and fans at how our season has ended.
“I thought we had a great chance coming into the match to pull back the deficit, but feel we just didn’t get the rub of the green in how it turned out. It says something that we went to the free throw line just 16 times while London went there 42 times.”
Sullivan was London’s second-highest scorer on 22 points, while only Owumi (18 points) and Holmes (13 points) were able to reach double-figure scoring for Wolves.
In relation to the season as a whole, James added:
“While we have obviously not achieved the success we had last year, that was always going to be a very tough act to follow, with new players having some big shoes to fill.
“The players have worked hard throughout the year and we’ve had some really good times. Season-on-season we are now confirming Worcester as one of the country’s top-level teams.”
Wolves’ Managing Director Mick Donovan added to James’ words, saying:
“We’ve had some really exciting and entertaining matches this season, with big crowds coming along to the University of Worcester Arena.
“This team has shown that it can beat anybody, including defeating the League Champions, Newcastle Eagles, each time we’ve met them.
“We intend to recruit well in the off-season. We intend to drive this club to become the leading side in the British Basketball League.”
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2020 10:18:22 GMT
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Post by Solly on Aug 22, 2020 17:31:54 GMT
For whatever reason, I can only locate one or two of my articles/reports etc covering the 2015/16 season.
Just had a scout round the net that reminds me that Wolves lost out (again) in the first round of the playoffs and that Sheffield were perhaps surprising Playoff winners, beating Leicester at the O2.
From memory I can recollect quite a lot of disruption that season in Worcester and that by now Lions had four of Wolves double-winning team in their squad.
I particularly remember going up to Leeds to see the debut of Jordan Aaron who had a wonderful MVP game and then having to snap a mobile phone pic of him for the Worcester News because there had been no time to take an official photo due to him only landing in England a day or two before the match.
And (not that I minded, because it made me chuckle) every time the photo was used by the newspaper after that, they printed a name credit to the club photographer.
Here's my report from Wolves' most-thrilling OT win in Leeds. It was also interesting that Klassen then transferred over to the city for the 2016/17 season.
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LATE heroics from newly-signed playmaker Jordan Aaron helped Worcester Wolves prevail by a single point in an overtime thriller at Leeds Force last night.
With a minute-and-a-half remaining in regulation time, Wolves trailed 81-76 in the British Basketball League encounter.
Orlan Jackman wove the ball to Aaron as he took up position on the edge of the arc to calmly sink a three-pointer.
Leeds were unable to contain Aaron on his next possession, leading to two made foul shots and the match tied at 81-81.
The hosts went back in front before Aaron again drove to the basket to force five minutes of added time.
There was more back-and-forth in the extra period until Worcester finally edged a 92-91 success, pushing them into second place in the BBL, sandwiched between Newcastle Eagles and Leicester Riders.
Coach Paul James was relieved to get the victory, saying: “It was an up-and-down performance and a bit crazy at the end but I’m really pleased that we came away with the win.”
James applauded a sparkling 23-point debut from Aaron, saying: “He only arrived here on Wednesday and is still getting used to the team but had an excellent game.
"He conbasketball kited the ball well down the stretch. That’s what we brought him in to do.”
Pavol Losonsky was the next highest Wolves scorer with 22 points with Jay Couisnard and Javier Mugica contributing 17 and 15 respectively.
Mugica tallied Worcester’s first seven points before Aaron opened his account with a triple for an early 10-4 lead.
Ahead 21-16 as the second quarter began, Losonsky and Mugica settled into what would be a night-long battle for space against Leeds big men Zak Wells and Robert Marsden.
A trio of buckets for Losonsky was tempered by Force fighting back to an even 39-39 half-time scoreboard.
Seven-footer Wells took the first score after the interval before Losonsky replied.
It was still all square at 61-61 with one second to go in the third quarter when Leeds forward Louis Sayers launched a highly-optimistic shot from inside his own half which flew through the hoop, bringing home supporters to their feet.
The Force advantage maximised at 79-72 with three minutes to go before Aaron’s intervention forced overtime.
Jackman inked the scoresheet for the first time when the extra period commenced.
When Wolves led 92-87 inside the last minute, it looked as if the contest had finally been decided.
However, point guard Mark Klassen managed to sink a triple and a bonus free throw.
With 14 seconds remaining and now only behind 92-91, Klassen dribbled down court, running the clock down in the hope of a decisive go-ahead play.
But an off-the-ball offensive foul by Leeds forward Armand Anebo on Mugica turned over control to Wolves.
Delighted with the win, Aaron attributed his own performance to his team-mates, declaring: “It was a well-fought game. Sure, there was tension at the end but we held our composure.
"This was about the team doing what it had to do to get the win. I felt good because everyone on the team has gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable here.”
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Post by Solly on Aug 22, 2020 17:37:11 GMT
So here's my prog article for the September 2016 home season opener vs Chester
Another profusion of new faces in Worcester...
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Welcome back to everyone returning to watch the Wolves, and a warm welcome to any new fans. Welcome to all our players, most of them Wolves first-timers.
When recalling the heady delights of our 2013 season when we lifted the Trophy in Glasgow and then triumphed in the Playoff Final at Wembley, we can feel we have had a couple of relatively lean years since. Respectable positions in the league table, but, unfortunately, nothing in terms of silverware.
Let’s hope this will be the season where we get back into contention. An overhaul of our roster now leads me to this very early take on our main players -
Marek Klassen – put up standout stats for Leeds Force last year.
PJ’s view: “Will help form the spine of the team.” Solly’s verdict – “Point-guard enabler.”
Danny Huffor – mainstay last season for Cheshire.
PJ’s view: “Brings so many strengths at both ends of the floor.” Solly’s verdict – “Walloped in 38 points against us last year. Great that he will now be able to put the boot in for us, instead of against us.”
Trevor Setty – spells at Plymouth and Surrey.
PJ’s view: “A very exciting player.” Solly’s verdict – “Can light it up.”
Alex Navajas – this year’s Spanish connection.
PJ’s view: “Has a great deal of experience in highly-competitive Spanish basketball.” Solly’s verdict – “Solid.”
Jermel Kennedy – experienced power forward.
PJ’s view: “His all-around game is perfectly suited to the BBL.” Solly’s verdict – “Explosive. A beast even.”
Ashton Khan – returns to the Wolfpack.
PJ’s view: “Exciting. Offers options.” Solly’s verdict – “Harum-scarum thrills.”
Andrew Bachman – rookie grafter.
PJ’s view: “Reads the game well.” Solly’s verdict – “Will get stuck in.”
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2020 17:56:57 GMT
Just had a scout round the net that reminds me that Wolves lost out (again) in the first round of the playoffs and that Sheffield were perhaps surprising Playoff winners, beating Leicester at the O2.
Welcome to my world.
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Post by Solly on Aug 24, 2020 19:37:34 GMT
After an opening-night OT success over Chester the next challenge was at Leicester, the result of which I described in the next programme article ahead of the next match in Worcester, vs Sharks.
Note that I was very generous in my remarks about McWhorter at that point. The generosity of his girth would cost him and the team in the early part of the season.
--------------------------------- What a thriller it was last Friday against Cheshire.
Whilst indeed being thrilled, it felt like we made hard work of things. Yes, we eventually found a way to win, but taking a whopping 43 three-point attempts with few successes until late on felt, at times, desperate.
That led me to fear what might transpire at Leicester, a team tipped for the top, last Sunday. Well, we didn’t do that badly as it turned out.
We fell behind early doors, raced back to a 42-32 lead in the second quarter before, hampered by foul trouble, eventually succumbing 66-77. Oh, and our three-point shots were now falling.
Only arriving on Saturday, big Deondre was pitched straight in. Understandably unfamiliar with how games are reffed in the BBL, his foul count soon exceeded his points return.
Trevor and Marek were also stymied by four whistles apiece before the fourth quarter began, so I feel optimistic that a different victor could easily be seen at future encounters with our Midlands rivals.
On to the player breakdown –
Marek Klassen – 6pts, 2 x 3ptrs, 10 assists. Impressive court-general.
Danny Huffor – 18pts, 4 x 3ptrs. Missed just one of his triple attempts. Lively.
Trevor Setty – 11pts, 3 x 3ptrs. Ditto.
Alex Navajas – 6pts, 4 rebounds. Battled hard against Leicester’s bigs.
Jermel Kennedy – 18pts, 3 x 3ptrs, 10 rebounds. First of what will surely be plenty of double-doubles.
Deondre McWhorter – 3pts, 4 rebounds. Will make his mark.
Ashton Khan – 4pts. Quiet.
Andrew Bachman – Nil pts. Ditto.
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Post by Solly on Aug 24, 2020 19:41:10 GMT
And things were looking glum for Wolves as a late slump vs Sharks produced a 1-2 start to 2016-17.
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Friday 30 September 2016
Worcester Wolves 64-78 Sheffield Sharks
Worcester Wolves were unable to build on their promising start to the latest British Basketball League season when stumbling to a 64-78 defeat to Sheffield Sharks at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.
A week ago Wolves roared back from a big deficit to triumph against Cheshire Phoenix after overtime. A double-figure hole also appeared in this match, but head coach Paul James was upset that his team were not able to mount a similar comeback, saying:
“Last week we were lucky to get back into things, but tonight we got what we deserved. We simply didn’t run anything – we’ve got all the plays but we didn’t execute them.
“We had players running all over the place, but not to the right positions. We needed to do a much better job of focusing and getting the ball to the right people at the right time.”
A confident Trevor Setty three-pointer opened affairs, with Alex Navajas and Danny Huffor both doing likewise to set up an early 15-12 lead.
Deondre McWhorter took to the court after five minutes for his home debut, rattling in a quick eight points in a 26-25 first-quarter edge for the hosts.
Bustling forward Jermel Kennedy twice connected and twice made bonus free throws as Sharks struggled to hold him back, maximising Wolves’ lead at 37-29 six minutes before half-time.
From here Worcester’s offense stagnated. Shaheed Davis ignited Sheffield’s response when swatting away an Andrew Bachman effort, and proceeded to rat-a-tat home a quartet of pre-interval scores in a 17-4 surge.
Already trailing 41-46, matters worsened after the break. Time and again Wolves’ passes went astray while Sharks’ confidence increased.
During the whole of the third quarter Worcester could only muster a paltry two baskets from the field, with their disadvantage widening to 53-64.
The final period saw more of the same. Unable to penetrate to the hoop and unable to connect from the outside, Wolves tumbled to inevitable defeat.
It will be a fortnight, Friday 14 October, before Wolves are next in action, when Glasgow Rocks visit the city.
James admitted there is plenty of work ahead, saying:
“We have a lot to do. Today was very disappointing. We have to take our punishment, learn from this and move on.”
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Post by Solly on Aug 25, 2020 9:46:06 GMT
And Wolves awful start to the season continued...
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Friday 14 October 2016
Worcester Wolves 81-94 Glasgow Rocks
A disastrous second quarter put paid to Worcester Wolves’ chances of overcoming Glasgow Rocks at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.
After building an early double-figure lead Wolves then proceeded to let in a huge 33 points in just ten minutes of play, leading to an eventual 81-94 defeat.
Coach Paul James expressed his disappointment at his side’s defensive shortcomings, saying:
“Eighty-one points is enough to win a game if you play proper defense, but we gave up some really soft buckets and showed naiveté at times.
“If we firstly perform defensively that should create easy baskets for us offensively.
“We started off pretty well, got a good lead but allowed Rocks to stay in the game, find their stride and punish us.”
A trio of three-pointers for Marek Klassen and strong inside presence from Jermel Kennedy were the highlights of a confident start for Wolves.
Danny Huffor and Trevor Setty also chipped in to aid a 26-14 advantage entering the last minute of the opening period.
An already-worrying two quick fouls for Kennedy were added to when he tangled with Great Britain stalwart Kieron Achara. With Kennedy now forced off the court, Glasgow’s path to the basket became untroubled.
By three minutes into the second period the visitors moved ahead at 29-28 when another GB international Gareth Murray was left unmarked for an easy alley-oop.
Worcester’s embarrassment only increased when Murray froze his defenders with a turnaround dribble to the hoop and Achara powered through for a hefty slam dunk, finalising a 52-39 half-time turnaround.
Rocks maintained their lead throughout the second half. Aside from a brief flurry from Setty and a battling display from reserve forward Andrew Bachman, there was little to threaten Glasgow’s control.
Wolves’ starting-five were only able to muster a single score between them in the whole of the final quarter.
Bachman top-scored for Wolves with 24 points, followed by Setty with 14. Achara ran the show for Rocks with 26 points.
Surrey Scorchers will visit the University of Worcester Arena next Friday 21 October, (tip off 7.30pm).
“We need to look at the tape of this game, point out the mistakes and be much better defensively,” added James.
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Post by Solly on Aug 26, 2020 9:47:42 GMT
And here was the prog article prior to that sorry display vs Glasgow.
Surprising that Leeds could wallop the previous years playoff winners, Sheffield, in their first match & then Sheffield could wallop Worcester.
Leeds would go on to win just 7 more games that season and finish just above Manchester (who lost to Leopards in the Trophy) in the league.
I thought it was worth reproducing a few words from Rob Marsden about that win in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
"I have just entered my second season with the team.
I always get extra motivated for a game with Sheffield Sharks.
It always hurts to lose to them but beating them on Sunday and finally getting over that block was great.
They have had the bragging rights for a little while now but now we are hoping to wrestle that away from them and be the best team in Yorkshire.
Remember, Leeds Force are starting out on just our third season in the BBL.
We were strong in most areas of the court. If you look at the stats, especially in the second half, Jack Isenbarger was outstanding. With 14 points in the last quarter, he was unplayable.
On a personal note, my game felt good and it was good to get some good points on the board, which has given me confidence to now kick on and carry this into the rest of the season.
I got close to reaching 1,000 BBL points on Sunday, I’m just two points off it.
I had no idea about it until someone tweeted me in the week.
It was on my mind going onto the court but, to be honest, once we got going I completely forgot about it.
My brother came to me at the end and said ‘hard luck, you didn’t get it’, but for me it was more about the result and to win by 21 points that was more important.
Hopefully, I will be able to get that record against the Cheshire Phoenix this Sunday and that will help us get another two points in the bag. We want to get points in the bag early this year.
Last year, we had a slow start but now as a franchise we are growing and so is our aspiration.
For me, I want us as high up the table as possible. We finished eighth last year, which was fantastic for us to make the end-of-season play-offs. This year, fourth, fifth or sixth should be our aim.
The higher we are the easier the draw we will get in the play-offs.
We have a good, young, hungry roster that are going out and playing with no fear which makes us difficult to come up against."
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Let’s hope we can get back to winning ways tonight vs Rocks.
Having battled back to beat Cheshire in OT on opening night, and given a good show at Leicester, it was certainly a step backwards to fall to Sheffield a fortnight ago.
A 1-2 record at this stage is certainly not what we would like, but perhaps a blip early-doors is preferable to one at the business-end of the year. Let’s take a look at how everyone else in the BBL is shaping up -
Bristol Flyers – as is by-now-traditional, they beat neighbours Plymouth, but have dropped a couple since.
Cheshire Phoenix – at 2-2, they’ve beaten lesser-ranked teams and lost to higher-placed ones.
Glasgow Rocks – mirroring Phoenix by overcoming Manchester & Leeds, and failing against Newcastle. Lose to us tonight and it will be an exact reflection of Cheshire’s record.
Leeds Force – opened with a 21-point walloping of Sheffield, but lost their next two.
Leicester Riders – already showing their intent to be top-dogs with a 4-game unbeaten start to the year.
London Lions – with the Williams boys, Alex Owumi and Zaire Taylor, these Wolves-revivalists have a good core. 3-0 at the moment proves it.
Manchester Giants – currently taking a beating at 0-4.
Newcastle Eagles – perennial contenders making it look easy again with a 4-0 start.
Plymouth Raiders – up-and-down for a 2-2 return.
Sheffield Sharks – three defeats have already prompted several roster changes.
Surrey Scorchers – sole success from six outings was in the Cup against Bristol, setting up what could be a fiery second-round encounter with us the day after Bonfire Night.
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Post by Solly on Aug 27, 2020 9:16:26 GMT
So a poor 1-3 start to the season had Worcester relieved to now be facing one of the lesser teams in the BBL, Surrey.
My prog article ahead of that game was a rewind to a Trophy encounter against one of Surrey's predecessors, from quite a few years before.
James Life & Anthony Paez - a hell of a scoring combo 
Oh yes and Shaun Durant frequently filled the paint 
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It’s a rewind to 2007 for tonight’s article, reproducing my match report from a valiant 75-81 Trophy semi-final defeat to Guildford Heat, forerunners of today’s Surrey Scorchers.
The year before Heat had won the league and were now even playing in Europe, so it was a big ask for us, especially in only our second season in the BBL.
Welcome early highlights included a power dunk from James Life, and a super alley-oop from Anthony Paez.
On the other hand, an unwelcome highlight was the departure through injury of Ivan Brosko, forcing the entry of a recovering-from-injury Shaun Durant.
Our lead peaked midway through Q3, at 56-45.
However, after this our scoring largely dried up, whilst the Heat caught fire, leading to a 60-65 deficit at the quarter break, on the way to the eventual loss.
The individual breakdown –
Shaun Durant – 7pts, 6 rebounds. Filled the paint
Anthony Paez – 26pts. Gave his all in a losing cause
James Life – 23pts, 2 x 3ptrs. Couple of show-time moves, but inconsistent.shooting
Chuck Evans – 5pts. Plucky
Douaine Anderson – 2pts, 0-2 from the line. Middling performance.
Michael Gayle – Nil pts. Ditto.
Skouson Harker – 9pts. Up and down.
Ben Potts – DNP
Ivan Brosko – 3pts. Forced to sit early doors.
Venue Verdict (Ponds Forge) – I was appalled at being shunted into a Travelodge car park – all shiny and new, with state-of-the-art roller shutters and uber-fast glass elevator, but the customers have to pay for the features – an outrageous £6 was trousered from this scribe.
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Post by Solly on Aug 27, 2020 9:22:48 GMT
And a W was duly garnered over Surrey.
Andrew Bachman certainly had a game - am not sure what happened to him after a short spell in Chester the year after.
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Friday 21 October 2016
Worcester Wolves 90-82 Surrey Scorchers
Worcester Wolves got back to winning ways by grinding out a 90-82 success over Surrey Scorchers at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday.
A tight game was finally broken open by a burst of late scoring, with Andrew Bachman igniting matters by floating home a stunning four three-pointers in just two minutes of play, giving Wolves their first win since opening-night of this year’s British Basketball League.
Making his debut in the starting line-up, it was Bachman who edged Wolves ahead at 16-14 as the initial quarter wound down. Two Bachman triples drew the teams level at 22-22.
A back-and-forth encounter continued, with Worcester trailing 38-41 by half-time.
Point guard Marek Klassen came to the fore after the break on his way to a game-leading 26 points. He directed a bullet pass that found Alex Navajas unmarked beneath the hoop to tie things up at 49-49, before scoring himself to put his team in front.
A spin-around move from Trevor Setty widened the hosts’ advantage to 62-54 as the final period commenced, but Surrey’s Tayo Ogedengbe once more drew the sides closer together at 62-60.
It remained tight at 73-70 with four minutes of the evening remaining.
Klassen confidently presented the ball to Bachman for a three and repeated the move on Wolves’ next possession. By the time the pair had combined twice more, the scoreboard stood at 83-72, with the victors finally decided.
Coach Paul James praised his leading duo, saying:
“Marek was more aggressive tonight, looking to score as well as laying on assists.
“Andrew had an excellent game. I thought I’d shake things up a little bit by starting him and he paid me back with twenty points.”
First-year forward Bachman was grateful for his increased minutes, saying:
“Coming in as a rookie I knew it would be hard for me to get court-time but every day in practice I go hard to show Coach I’m able to play the game. I’ve lucked out that it’s gone this way for me.”
Wolves travel this Sunday (5.30) to Cheshire Phoenix who they defeated in overtime on opening night.
“They’re obviously a good team and will have made changes since our first match.
“We’ll try to study film of them before Sunday and look to get a more secure win over them than last time,” added Bachman.
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Post by Solly on Aug 28, 2020 9:59:08 GMT
And the promise of the Surrey win evaporated in another hideous display, this time at Chester, described in the prog ahead of the hosting of Newcastle.
Things would not get consistently better until Khan's mate arrived to replace the fat lad.
I think this may have been my first visit to the Ellesmere Oaks venue. Mrs S loved the shops 
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It was a mixed bag for us last weekend.
The promise showed in Friday’s 90-82 win over Surrey was unfortunately not repeated when we lost out 79-102 at Cheshire Phoenix on Sunday.
Marek and Andrew combined for 46 points against Scorchers and initially carried on that scoring touch versus Phoenix, hitting a quartet of first quarter triples.in a 32-30 lead.
But worrying signs soon surfaced. Three early fouls for Marek hampered his effectiveness, Cheshire constructed a wall around their basket and we slipped behind by half-time at 49-55.
After the interval, the deficit only worsened as we struggled to contain our hosts’ attacks and were unable to reply in kind at the offensive end.
The player breakdown –
Marek Klassen – 13pts, 3 x 3ptrs. An unusual duck egg in the assists column.
Danny Huffor – 6pts. Found his former employers hard to break down.
Trevor Setty – 8pts. Unable to make an impact.
Alex Navajas – 2pts. Ditto.
Jermel Kennedy – 17pts. Did his work early doors.
Deondre McWhorter – 17pts. Most of his scoring came after the game was already beyond us.
Ashton Khan – 4pts. Quiet.
Andrew Bachman – 12 pts. 2 x 3ptrs. Toiled.
A word or two for any potential visitors to Cheshire’s arena.
Some great off-court touches such as a ‘Compare your Height’ player cut-out and their players all quickly lined up post-match for autographs.
On the other hand, a cacophony of vuvuzelas left my ears ringing and exiting a horrendously-designed car park added nearly half-an-hour to my already trying trip home.
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