Retro Articles Now Exposed for All

The next article below was written towards the end of March 2010, a few weeks after the 'Interim Summary' article that was my last post.

Gives you a bit more about the players at Wolves that season and inparticular reports on our recent defeat at Leicester Riders - respect if anyone reading on this board was also in attendance.

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Tonight we play Essex Pirates, and tomorrow we are due to travel to London Capitals. This will be the third weekend of four in a row where we have back-to-back games. For the first two of those weekends we have split the win-losses, so I can only hope that we improve on that record this week.

Anyway, last Sunday we managed to finally edge past Worthing Thunder, but on the Saturday we ourselves were edged by the talent-laden Leicester Riders, 76-82.

Once more we were without the calming influence of our playmaker Rod Middleton, and subsequently had to endure a slew of turnovers. Nevertheless, back up point guard Roy Owen put in a tidy enough showing to keep things tight, with a first quarter deficit of 20-23, and a slight half-time advantage of 42-41.

As I perused the match programme during the interval I spotted that we apparently had just signed Glasgow Rocks player-coach Sterling Davis (it seems that the Riders programme editor had sloppily copied over details from a previous edition). However, even had we indeed signed up the veteran Davis, this would not necessarily have been enough to make enough of a difference for us to succeed.

A lack of a consistently steady head on our side meant that plenty of holes were left open to be exploited by the somewhat odd Leicester duo of the man who looks little older than his shirt number (11) Bradd Wierzbicki, and the man who looks at least twice as old as his own shirt number (22), the greybeard Tony Windless. Allied to that, you just know it is not your night when the gangling Barry Lamble gets double-figure points.

So it was that we occasionally looked as if we might threaten the Riders, but, more realistically, eventually succumbed to our more settled opponents.

On to the individual breakdown –

Danny Gilbert – 12pts, 2 x 3ptrs, 2-3 from the line. Unable to carry all of the load.

Kastytis Normantas – 18pts, 2 x 3ptrs, 4-7 from the line. Again played the full 40 minutes, and again Special K proved he is worthy of all those minutes.

Roy Owen – Nil pts. Might not have scored, but led the team in assists.

Modestas Sidlauskas – 2pts. Settling back in after injury.

Harry Disy - 25pts, 3-6 from the line, 11 rebounds. Foul trouble meant court time was curtailed, but still managed impressive stats. Tonight’s MVP.

Siman Stewart – 4pts, 4-4 from the line. 9 rebounds in only 17 minutes. Go extrapolate those numbers.

Giedrius Knyas – 5pts, 1-2 from the line. Struggled to make an impact.

Devin Smith – 10pts, 2-4 from the line. One of his better performances.

Pavolis Tamulynas – Played less than a minute.

Venue Verdict – yes it is a decrepit building, but Riders make the best of what they have, with enthusiastic cheerleaders, a raucous crowd, and some neat 80s tunes. Oh yeah, and once they are assured of a winning position, Zorba the Greek is turned up loud – classic.

After this weekend we are left with 2 games at Guildford, one more at Essex, and a final home game vs Plymouth. All very winnable matchups. It’s now or never if we are going to make it to the post-season…..

Brilliant stuff hersey427 though, even if you have oodles of stuff, maybe you might want to spread out the articles - I've 'self-rationed' myself to just reading the Giants article today and am relishing saving consuming the others for another time.

The Giants stuff pricks a lot of memories for me - I often travelled all the way from Birmingham to Manchester midweek for games, even if Bullets were not involved. I found it 'occasion' basketball. My driver even purchased a Giants matchball from one of the best merchandise areas I've ever seen at a BBL club.

Couple of other points -

1. Great megatron player intros/clips - every now and again Danny Craven would appear telling kids not to smoke - we often wondered if he practiced what he preached...

2. The car park at the Nynex was great - as we exited down the chicanes I would annoy the hell out of my driver by continually leaning across him to sound the car-horn. If you did this enough times you would find you could get lots of other cars to join in for a wall of sound...

As well as providing programme articles, I also put together match reports for the local press etc.

I started doing this around 2010ish and like to think that the quality of these have improved over time, adding player/coach quotes and perhaps now being less-stilted and now more fulsome.

Anyway, reproduced below is one of my early efforts that reports on Wolves' final match of the 2009/10 season versus Guildford Heat. On now re-reading it I see that Tayo Ogendegbe was turning out for them all those years ago - has he been a one-club man (if you count all the Guildford/Surrey incarnations as one club)?

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Worcester Wolves concluded their British Basketball League regular season on Sunday afternoon with a tense 98-96 victory at Guildford Heat.

Despite this being Worcester’s club record seventh win in a row, it was not enough to secure a place in the end of season playoffs.

Worthing Thunder’s own nail-biting 108-99 overtime triumph at Plymouth Raiders means that Worthing, Worcester, and Milton Keynes Lions all finish with level tallies of 18 wins and 18 losses.

Both Worthing and Milton Keynes having had the better of head to head matchups means that Wolves must agonisingly miss out on the post-season.

Neither side was able to establish a significant advantage in a first quarter that ended with Wolves ahead at 22-18, or in a first half that ended with a slight edge for Worcester at 46-44.

Early in the second half Wolves stalwart Harry Disy was forced to the bench after picking up his fourth foul, giving more room to manoeuvre for Heat’s impressive pairing of British forward Tayo Ogedengbe and American forward Kenny Langhorne.

With 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter Heat had moved ahead at 72-66, but consecutive baskets from Wolves cool point guard Rod Middleton reduced the deficit to 71-72 at the break.

The Lithuanian trio of Kastytis Normantas, Modestas Sidlauskas and Giedrius Knysas came to the fore in the last period as Worcester became increasingly aware of the vital importance of securing the win, helping to build a lead of 91-84 with 2 minutes left in the contest.

Nevertheless Wolves could still not relax as Guildford fought back tigerishly to leave only a slender Wolves advantage at 98-96 with two seconds remaining. However this was to remain the final score.

Worcester Wolves can be proud to have accumulated a 15 win to 10 loss record since the start of 2010. Only a poor record prior to Christmas has prevented an extension to the season.

Leading scorers for the visitors were Middleton with 30 points, and both Normantas and Sidlauskas with 15. Ogedengbe led the way for Guildford with 28 points.

I seem to remember the chorus of car horns leaving the MEN arena car park and always wondered how the tradition started.
Speaking of one club players, can anyone beat Darius (2005-20 at Eagles) ?

good read but I would point out Casey Arena and John McCord played when it was TV Tigers and not Guildford Heat.

I think it's fair to say he was a little odd, I hope he wouldn't mind me saying that! But then I find many Americans a little odd, so perhaps it's just me!!
He was also an absolute gentleman & a great guy. He and his wife Sharon were much loved by the MK fans, they spent a great deal of the chatting to the fans & getting to know us all. Whilst it did not end well in MK, I know they have very fond memories of their time there.

Right then - now we are moving on to midway through the 2012 season and me previewing a match vs Leicester.

Do we have any Riders fans still out there on WhatsBev? What's happened to IRF? Anyone going to take offence about my digs at the decrepit John Sandford Sports Centre (BTW who was Mr Sandford?).

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Leicester, Leicester, Leicester – wherefore art thou Leicester? You’re in Worcester for a change, rather than playing us over at your decrepit pit of a sports hall. Now for some payback I reckon. Yes the Riders have already done us twice this season, but there were mitigating factors in both defeats.

First time up there in October and we was well spanked. But we were without Prezzie then, and tonight he will return from his recent injury. Allied to that, we also had no inkling at that point of the arrival of Kai Williams, a player well on his game at the moment.

OK, moving on to our 82-89 defeat in early January and there’s justification for that defeat too. One word – intimidation. A ridiculously claustrophobic ceiling at the John Sandford sports centre and spectators with their legs virtually over the side-lines. There’s a home advantage and a half, and, to their credit, Leicester milk it.

Again we had to swallow a loss in Leicester, but this time it was even harder to bear due to some dubious refereeing decisions – Arturas, Alex and Prezzie all on three fouls in just the first quarter alone, and we are already eight points down.

The deficit had widened to thirteen by half-time, and by now Arturas has picked up his fourth.

But then we demonstrated how to rattle them. They had no answer to a watertight zone-defence, hurrying outside shots and committing turnovers aplenty, while we made hay down their end.

By five minutes to go it’s all square at 71-71. But just down the stretch we tired, the Riders outside shots started to drop and it was left as a valiant effort in defeat.

Anyway, here’s how I rate today’s matchups:

Point Guard - Sherrad Prezzie-Blue vs Zaire Taylor - when fully fit, Prezzie has the edge in consistency. Taylor can light up from the outside, but I reckon Prezzie stands taller as a playmaker.

Shooting Guard - Alex Owumi vs Jorge Calvo - this one is a more even pairing. Both can produce spectacular plays and both can run the plays when called upon.

Small Forward – Carlos Fernandez vs Andrew Sullivan – fair dos, Sullivan has played at a much higher level across Europe and with Team GB, but Carlos is blue-collar and will get down and dirty if need be. However, one area where Sullivan definitely has the edge (over everyone on both teams) is whingeing at the refs.

Power Forward – Stan Ocitti vs Pavol Losonsky - much respect to the Slovakian, he has impressed this scribe. Stan’s the man though, another grafter. A quiet assassin even.

Centre - Arturas Masiulis vs Anthony Rowe – yes I know that Rowe is more of a forward than a centre, but he generally starts for the Riders. Rowe has the edge in mobility, but get big Arturas the ball in the right place and he is unstoppable by anyone except dodgy calls (or no calls) from the refs.

Benches – Leicester are stacked, with Cousinard, Anderson and big Barry Lamble ready to join the fray. But hey we have Kai and Kalil to bolster our forwards, not to mention the crafty old fox in Arnas.

There you go then, we should be on for a tight affair. Get up to Leicester tomorrow if you can, it should be an experience. If all goes well then our next game could take place in Glasgow. We’ve got to this point the hard way – Plymouth, Newcastle and now Leicester – three of the best versus Worcester’s best. Let the games begin…

I'm posting up today, unusually, pre-noon. Mrs Solly is nagging at me to mow the lawn this afternoon, hence the early posting.

She won't listen to my reasoning that as soon as I've performed the initial cut, it'll grow back quicker. She may think I'm being a tad lazy about it, but where we live we have to pay an annual charge to have our garden waste collected - we're already paying an extortionate amount of council tax, I resent an additional charge for something which most others in the country get included in the original fee.

Consequently I usually fill black bags and take these to the dump. Obviously the dump is now closed - can any Percy Throwers out there tell me the best alternative way of minimising storage of my garden waste e.g. will it rot down to compost in a black bag, or do I need to deposit it in a different container? Will it niff?

Anyway, on to today's article - this was printed in the programme for the next home match after our unfortunate opening upset loss to Durham.

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For the past couple of years I have put together a pre-season round up of each of our opponents. By season’s end my predictions for each team have generally come out there or thereabouts. With that level of accuracy, the crystal ball is going to have to be polished once more.

So, after last week’s frustrating slippage against Durham, and most of the other BBL sides now having had a game or two, here are my (very) early thoughts on how everyone could shape up this time round -

Chester Jets – have had to get things together in double-quick time after teetering on the edge with doubts about ownership. Have gone all retro in appointing greybeard James Hamilton as head coach, who has then used his contacts to construct a roster containing veterans such as the forty-something Shawn Myers. Player-to-Watch – wily guard Chez Marks. Placing – Low to mid.

Durham Wildcats – took their chances against us but are still finding their place in the big league. Player-to-Watch – three-point specialist (six of the best against us!), Mike Baldarelli. Placing – Low.

Glasgow Rocks – will tough it out as always. Should be buoyed up by their move to the spanking-new Commonwealth Arena. Player-to-Watch – the wonderfully-named Brice Fantazia, back to the club after a year away. Placing – Mid to high.

Leicester Riders – coach Paternostro packs his squad every year. Can still only get 5 on court at a time though Rob. Player-to-Watch – returning GB captain Andrew Sullivan. One day he faces up to NBA big men, the Gasol brothers, the next he rubs shoulders with ex-Worcester Wolves big man Barry Lamble! Placing – High.

London (nee Milton Keynes) Lions – Vince is back at the helm and will no doubt continue to wheel and deal with his team. Now playing out of the sauna that is Crystal Palace. Player-to-Watch – free-scoring forward Duane James. Placing – Mid.

Manchester Giants – they’re back after more than a decade outside the top flight. Local man Jeff Jones is coaching and he has packed his side with local talent. Eschewing imports for the moment will be a risk. Player-to-Watch – Tin-Tin Watts for three! Placing – Low to mid.

Mersey Tigers – have sadly plummeted from their free-spending days of not too long ago. Performances will inevitably slide accordingly. Player-to-Watch – Just don’t know. The roster currently only contains little-known Brits. Placing – Basement.

Newcastle Eagles – same old, same old. The benchmark for everyone else to look up to. Player-to-Watch – classy guard, Joe Chapman. Placing – (no doubt) High.

Plymouth Raiders – well-organised, well-supported, another stacked roster. Player-to-Watch – league MVP prospect Jeremy Bell. Placing – High.

Sheffield Sharks – slipped somewhat last year despite some big talent. Cutting their cloth less extravagantly this season. Player-to-Watch – been around for ever, now coming back to his former club, ex-Newcastle guard, Andrew Bridge. Placing – Mid.

Surrey (nee Guildford) Heat – have had to overhaul their roster somewhat, but will still be irksome opponents. Player-to-Watch – bulky forward Frank Holmes, looking to back from an injury-hit season. Placing – Low to mid.

As for us, well we’ve raised the bar haven’t we? Anything approaching last year’s excitement will do for me...

Some more. I'm sure Chester fans of a certain age will be frothing at the mouth with anger.

Right my next reproduction below is a match report for the papers etc. from our dismal showing at Leicester in October 2012. As I failed to post up anything yesterday (Saturday) when I had to continue my gardening duties, I feel obliged to now provide a double-header so I will also swiftly post up the next programme article that followed the disappointing Leicester performance.

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Saturday 20 October 2012

Leicester Riders 79-61 Worcester Wolves

A Worcester Wolves side struggling to find any consistency found themselves thoroughly outplayed at Leicester Riders on Saturday evening, falling to a 79-61 defeat.

The game began well for the Wolves as big man Arturas Masiulis quickly got into his stride with an early six points. Midway through the opening quarter young forward Daniel Belgrave continued his recent good shooting form with a long-distance score and the teams were level at 11-11.

However Leicester’s Jay Couisnard caught fire towards the end of the period, hitting a couple of triples to take his team ahead at 24-16.

Baskets from Wolves’ forwards Carlos Fernandez and Stan Ocitti were followed by a rare outside score from Masiulis, closing matters to 27-23 after three minutes of the second quarter. After an exchange of baskets from Worcester point guard Alex Owumi and his Leicester counterpart Zaire Taylor, the Worcester offence suddenly dried up.

It was to be nearly another four minutes before Owumi once more troubled the scoreboard, while Leicester had little trouble finding their mark. Five more Leicester three-pointers, including a couple from the captain of Great Britain’s Olympic squad, Andrew Sullivan, helped to establish a decisive 50-35 half-time lead for the hosts.

The evening only got worse for the Wolves when a few minutes into the second half Owumi was awarded a technical foul for disputing a refereeing decision. With Owumi forced to now spend time on the side-lines, it was left to Fernandez to take over point guard duties.

A 56-39 deficit soon accelerated to 68-45 by the end of the third period as Riders took advantage of the disruption to their visitors’ structure.

With a comfortable advantage secured, Leicester used the last ten minutes of the evening to give court time to several of their bench players, including ex-Worcester centre Barry Lamble. Lamble was to become the game’s leading rebounder with ten boards, while Wolves only late scoring resistance came from Masiulis who bagged seven fourth-quarter points.

Wolves’ coach Paul James was clearly disappointed with his team’s performance, saying: “It was a horrible defeat. We didn’t show up in the first half while they shot the lights out, making eight out of ten three-pointers. We needed a few more players to step up tonight and that just didn’t happen.”

Masiulis led the Wolves scorers with 18 points, followed by Owumi with 14. Slovakian forward Pavol Losonsky top-scored for Leicester with 22 points, supported by Couisnard with 19.

Wolves will look to get back to winning ways when they travel to Mersey Tigers this Friday, before facing Sheffield Sharks at the University of Worcester on Saturday.