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Post by Solly on Apr 13, 2020 18:23:16 GMT
And next, Arnas Kazlauskas
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Lithuanian veteran returns to the Wolves
Arnas Kazlauskas has become the third member of last year’s highly-regarded Worcester Wolves’ team to announce his intention to come back to the city for another season.
6 foot 9 inch Lithuanian forward Kazlauskas was a big hit in his first year at the club, impressing fans with his cool-headed play and thrilling them when frequently floating in baskets from distance.
Last season 36-year-old Kazlauskas averaged eleven points and five rebounds a game for the Wolves, whilst also making nearly forty per cent of his three-point shot attempts. He enjoyed the combination of playing for the Wolves and studying at the University of Worcester and is keen to repeat the experience.
“I made the decision to return because it is a great opportunity to study for my Master’s degree at the University and to play basketball at the same time,” he said.
“In addition, I enjoyed working with Paul James and Worcester is a great city that I really want to come back to.”
Director of Basketball Paul James is pleased to see another of last season’s side coming back, saying:
“Arnas is part of the backbone of our team. He’s played at a high level in Europe and last year showed everyone that he can still play to a very good standard.
“He reads the game so well and alongside Prezzie-Blue will provide leadership to our side.”
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Post by Solly on Apr 13, 2020 18:24:48 GMT
And big man Arturas Masiulis
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Lithuanian giant takes centre-stage at the Wolves
Worcester Wolves have announced the capture of a huge and highly-experienced Lithuanian centre to be the man in the middle for their upcoming campaign in the British Basketball League.
32-year-old Arturas Masiulis stands 6 foot 11 inches and is a player that Wolves’ Director of Basketball Paul James knows well from his time in charge of the Guildford Heat when they took part in the ULEB Cup. He is delighted to have Masiulis on board, saying: “Arturas came over to Guildford when he played for Siauliai, and gave my guys all sorts of matchup problems.
“Aside from that, he has played at a high level in European competitions throughout his career.”
Masiulis has a host of Baltic teams on his resume, including Pieno Zvaigzdes, a former club of his countryman, popular Wolves forward Arnas Kazlauskas.
In his last season in Lithuania, with Kedainiai, he averaged 13 points a game as well as pulling down an average of 5 rebounds.
“It’s great that the success that we are having at the Wolves is now attracting this calibre of player to the city.” added James.
Wolves will open the new season against Durham Wildcats on Saturday 22 September (tip off 7pm) at the University of Worcester Sports Centre.
The club is hopeful of announcing another new signing, a young British forward, within the next couple of days.
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Post by Solly on Apr 13, 2020 18:26:18 GMT
And Sherrad Prezzie-Blue
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Playmaker Prezzie-Blue signs on again for the Wolves
Worcester Wolves have announced that American guard Sherrad Prezzie-Blue is to return to the team next season.
Director of Basketball Paul James is delighted to see his floor-leader ink a new contract, saying:
“Every good team needs a good leader and the Wolves certainly have one in Prezzie.
"He is one of the best point guards in this league and will be the cornerstone of our team next year.”
25 year old Prezzie-Blue proved his mettle as the Wolves’ on-court general, averaging nearly five assists in every game, while also averaging 17 points. His standing amongst his peers was proved by several appearances in the British Basketball League Team of the Week.
Sherrad is thrilled to be re-joining the Wolves, and is relishing the chance to build on his first year at the club, saying:
“I have really enjoyed being at Worcester, and have been pleased with how I’ve played. Having said that, we all know that there is unfinished business that needs to be addressed.
“We had a good season, but know that we can do even better. It’s great that Coach James is putting his faith in me and I will do everything I can to repay him and the terrific fans at the Wolves.“
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Post by Solly on Apr 13, 2020 18:27:46 GMT
And Stuart Thomson
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British forward comes to Worcester
Stuart Thomson is the latest recruit to the new-look side that Worcester Wolves’ Director of Basketball Paul James is putting together for the new season that begins in less than two weeks.
Cheshire-born Stuart is the younger brother of former Newcastle Eagles centre Andrew Thomson, who recently made a big-money move to Europe. Like Andrew, 24-year-old Stuart studied and played basketball at Catawba College in the USA, averaging 6 points and 2 rebounds per game in his final year.
Paul James is pleased to be adding a promising British forward to his squad, saying: ”Stuart has had an interesting upbringing to his game. He represented his country at junior level, before taking the same path as his brother Andrew in going over to college in the States.
“He has put together some useful numbers which I will now be looking for him to carry over into his game at the Wolves.”
6 foot 6 inch Thomson is excited to be coming to Worcester, commenting: ”I’m very happy to be joining the Wolves. It’s a team that has already started its climb to the top and I’m glad I can be a part of the success. I’m looking forward to an exciting and competitive season.”
Wolves’ first game of the new campaign will take place at the University of Worcester Sports Centre on Saturday 22 September (tip off 7pm) against the Durham Wildcats.
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Post by Solly on Apr 13, 2020 18:28:59 GMT
And then Stuart got replaced...
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Double Boost for Wolves
After finally seeing the arrival of point guard Sherrad Prezzie-Blue last weekend, Worcester Wolves have now received a further boost with the signing of former Cheshire standout Kai Williams.
Williams played in 17 games for Cheshire late last season, picking up 14 points and six rebounds per game, and playing a key part in their quarter-final playoff defeat of the Wolves.
The 6 foot 6 inch British-Canadian small forward graduated from South Dakota State in 2010, before making his professional debut in the top division of French basketball for Bloise Basket.
After his stint at Cheshire he played briefly this season in Cyprus, averaging seven points and four rebounds a game for Apollon Limassol.
Worcester Director of Basketball Paul James is thrilled to have 24-year-old Williams on board, saying: “Kai played against us several times last season, so I know his game quite well. He can drive strongly to the basket, is a threat from the outside, and can also rebound well.”
James is eagerly looking forward to how the latest additions to his squad should improve Wolves’ performances, commenting: “Now that we have Prezzie back to take over the playmaker position I am really excited at the prospect of Alex Owumi being freed up to express himself more, and to also now have Kai here to give us even more versatility.”
The Wolves organisation also confirmed that they have released forward Stuart Thomson from their roster, placing on record their appreciation for his input during his time at the club and wishing him well for the future.
Supporters will have their first chance to see the new-look Wolves team in action this Saturday (tip off 7pm), when reigning BBL champions the Newcastle Eagles visit the University of Worcester.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 8:48:22 GMT
Good stuff Solly. I admire the fact that you've kept all these articles. The stuff I've written is spread over several knackered laptops, bits that were written at work before being hastily deleted, word documents that were never saved an a Hotmail address that was hacked and I was give f'ck all assistance by their "helpdesk" But I have found some more high quality nonsense nostalgia in my spare room. It's like a Tardis in there. |
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Post by Solly on Apr 14, 2020 10:48:19 GMT
hersey427 - have again self-rationed myself to just your first couple of pieces (had to be two, because am not finding the Pullem moaning as interesting as the other stuff).
The Derby situation was indeed all very sad. Used to regularly attend Thursday night matches at Moorways - had to arrive an hour ahead of tip-off for a decent seat. I was at the game where it all kicked off in a mass brawl, with Tim Lascelles being chased around with an advertising hoarding! Unbelievable! Can't remember who else was involved though - might have been Thames Valley?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 12:19:34 GMT
94/5? Derby Bucks v Leopards? I believe it was Deveraux (I thought Carlos, BBL handbook has initial of D) who tooled himself up and went for a jog. Surprisingly that was his last game in the BBL  Tony Leopard can confirm. He's far older than me.
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Post by scotters on Apr 14, 2020 13:17:31 GMT
Here's a link to a newspaper article that relates to the incident: click here |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 13:27:09 GMT
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Post by CJ on Apr 14, 2020 14:44:22 GMT
I was at the game v Leopards when all hell broke out. Deveaux head butted Andy Gardiner who was getting ready to take a free throw. Goose hesitated then rather than go down and let justice take its course he punched Deveaux and both benches cleared. Tim Lascelles was swinging a 2x2 piece of wood, amongst the chaos. Memorable times!
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Post by Solly on Apr 14, 2020 14:58:32 GMT
Good finds scotters & hersey427.
CJ - thanks for the sort of detail that wasn't covered in the newspaper reports. More images are now coming back to me - I can now recall an image of Lascelles brandishing his weapon!
From memory, I think Deveaux might have once been some sort of highly-touted player in the CBA (D-league of its day).
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Post by Solly on Apr 14, 2020 15:12:50 GMT
I'm shortly going to wind up the 2012-13 Wolves' material.
Below is the final programme article of that season and tomorrow I'll look out the official media report I wrote of our final outing of the season at Surrey Heat.
BTW - tonight Mrs Solly and I will mostly be eating portions of Beef Bourginion (left over from Sunday), accompanied by cauliflower and mustard mash with lashings of onion gravy. Yoghurt to follow (rhubarb variety for me, black cherry for her). And all washed down my gullet with a humongous mug of piping hot tea!
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So we now find ourselves facing the challenge of the Surrey Heat.
After our wonderful doubleheader of Ws last weekend it seemed we must have fifth place all sewn up.
On Friday we cruised past Leicester after coach Paternostro made the decision to rest his main men and leave the ageing Yorick Williams and the ambling Barry Lamble as the dubious fulcrum of their side.
And then on Saturday we were even more impressive in a humongous 106-69 demolition of Plymouth at their place.
After the way we destroyed Plymouth I thought they would have not a sausage of a chance to win at Surrey the next day, and also thought there could be no way that the 0-32 Mersey Tigers could smash the Glasgow Rocks.
So I cheekily put together my press report of the Plymouth win ahead of Sunday’s games, stating that we indeed had taken fifth and would indeed face Surrey. But then the gun and fames began as I perched before my computer, just ahead of my Sunday roast.
First off, the BBL statcast from Surrey is only functioning sporadically. In one of the few instances when it works, towards the end of 40 minutes it seems to be showing that Plymouth are in the lead. Then it packs up altogether, before resurfacing way down the line to show a Surrey win after OT.
By then I had to face the double-bubble of the Worcs News on the phone seeking my report from the night before, and Mrs Solly yelling up the stairs “get off that thing and come and eat yer dinna!”
Some people say men can’t multi-task, but I proved them wrong as I had to gobble mouthfuls of turkey, broccoli, cauli, cabbage and roasters (topped with lashings of thick gravy), while also keeping an eye on the Glasgow outcome.
Incredibly the Tigers led early doors, but finally the natural order was restored by a facile Glasgow win, meaning all the playoff placings were just as I had earlier assumed. Phew.
Anyway, despite my tale above about the perils of assumptions, I reckon we have the Heat’s measure. Here’s how I rate today’s prime matchups:
Point Guard - Sherrad Prezzie-Blue vs Chavis Holmes – Holmes definitely has all-round skills and has the edge in playing-time this year, but Prezzie is working his way back from injury, including finding his range from outside.
Shooting Guard - Alex Owumi vs Travis Holmes – similarly impressive stats from these two. Can both produce spectacular plays, however, (though I’m obviously biased), I reckon Alex is that little bit grittier in terms of what he can still produce if the going gets tough.
Small Forward – Carlos Fernandez vs Julius Joseph – respect to Joseph, he has national team experience and veteran smarts, but there’s a chance for Carlos to score an advantage with his fresher legs and greater mobility.
Power Forward – Stan Ocitti vs Sam Cricelli – we’ve all seen that Stan is Mr. Consistency, particularly in the paint. Like Stan, Cricelli is willing to graft. Generally seems to do well against us. Killed us here in January when he hit that desperation three to force OT, and eventually snatch a comeback win. I hope he doesn’t have the ball for the last-shot if the outcome of the tie is on the line.
Centre - Arturas Masiulis vs Frank Holmes – if big Arturas is close to the basket he can bustle past any defender and notch the points. Yes, Arturas will often also notch up too many fouls, but against someone who seems to have a tinderbox temperament like big Frank, he will always draw fouls too. Red headband on or red headband off tonight Frank?
I’ve been consistent all season in saying that I feel the Heat are inconsistent. I know we’ve also lost a few we shouldn’t, but maybe last weekend can be a form-guide. We walloped Plymouth by 30 plus, Heat had to go to OT before squeaking past them…
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Post by Solly on Apr 14, 2020 16:05:35 GMT
Oh yes - also meant to highlight from above that Frank Holmes seemed a real "head-the-ball".
The reference I made to red headband on or off was because earlier in the season against us he was ejected after a set-to with Arnas and then hurled his headband to the floor as he was jeered off the court (grizzling  ) |
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Post by CJ on Apr 14, 2020 19:48:26 GMT
Going back to the Derby v Leopards brawl when the dust settled and the scorers table was rebuilt the game finished - the incident was late in the game and Derby had a decent lead. In those days the teams were 10 players and there was a problem to get ten players on court. Both sets of five bench players were excluded for leaving the bench, Gardiner and Deveaux were excluded for fighting leaving four v four to finish the game. The refs had a quick consultation and allowed the coaches to select one bench player each to make up their fives. This amazingly meant that those two players suffered on sanctions for having been excluded - hard to believe.
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Post by CJ on Apr 14, 2020 19:49:37 GMT
Apologies
SUFFERED NO SANCTIONS
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 20:03:25 GMT
They should have finished with the remaining 8 players playing 4-on-4. A game doesn't need to be abandoned until a team has less than 2 players. There were commissioners in those days , you'd have thought they might have got it right.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2020 13:35:52 GMT
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Post by Solly on Apr 15, 2020 15:29:40 GMT
hersey427 - yes Derby indeed appear to have been involved in a lot of unseemliness. Having said that, Leopards were also in their share at that time.
Come to that, I have also been present at a few incidents. Good find on the newspaper articles - they make reference to an earlier incident that season involving Leopards at Birmingham - I was also at that game, at the NIA.
I recollect some sort of trouble involving Karl Brown and his brother versus Bullets fans.
My driver and I were actually in the vicinity of the fracas. It was quite startling to suddenly see Brown vault the seats, yelling something along the lines of 'stay away from my brother you f'in cant'.
Despite Brown's most-angry visage I felt we were a sufficient number of rows away that I could shout back in his direction something along the lines of 'get lost Brown'.
At the same time I adroitly ducked behind my driver to give the impression that it was he, not I, that had issued the insult.
As my driver paled, it was perhaps fortunate that Brown was pre-occupied with the chap disagreeing with his brother such that he had no need to also launch himself at others.
Despite the length of time that has passed since the incident, every now and again my driver and I still chuckle about it.
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Post by Solly on Apr 15, 2020 15:59:45 GMT
Funny that hesey427 should mention Mr Creosote - my delay in posting today is because I have been ordered to creosote my fence. It has been quite an onerous task and will now have to be extended into tomorrow. I find it difficult to bend my gangly frame to the lower reaches of the woodwork.
Regarding my ingestions - yesterday's repast indeed filled my belly considerably. Accordingly, today's ingestion will be a lesser affair - probably spaghetti hoops for Mrs Solly and those little sausages in baked beans pour moi. Obviously washed down by mugs of piping-hot tea...
Anyway, here is my last posting of the 2012-13 season, the official report from our final outing at Surrey Heat. N.B. I have always found Creon to be a nice gentleman.
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Sunday 14 April 2013
BBL Playoff 2nd Leg Surrey Heat 76-70 Worcester Wolves – Surrey win 154-151 on aggregate
For the second year in a row Worcester Wolves failed to progress beyond the first round of the post-season play-offs. A 70-76 defeat at Surrey Heat on Sunday afternoon means that a three-point first leg advantage turned into a three-point aggregate loss over both legs.
After working hard to build a 57-47 cushion over the first three-quarters of the game, a disastrous final ten minutes saw the Wolves out-scored 13-29 to crash out of the contest.
The opening quarter of the match was a low-scoring affair, as both sides favoured stifling defensive tactics over offensive production, ending with Surrey in front at 13-10.
Wolves’ Alex Owumi was on target with a triple to draw his team level when the second period began, but then watched young Surrey guard Caylin Raftopoulos immediately restore the Heat advantage.
A long-distance shootout continued for the remainder of the half. Chavis Holmes and Albert Margai were the star sharpshooters for the Heat, but they were outgunned by the Worcester pairing of Sherrad Prezzie-Blue, who bagged a deuce of triples, and Kai Williams who floated home a quick trio, pushing Wolves to a comfortable 34-24 lead.
Travis Holmes joined his twin Chavis in sharing the opening four points of the second half, while Owumi and power forward Stan Ocitti took the scoring limelight for the visitors.
A basket from Williams with a minute left in the third quarter gave Wolves their biggest lead of the afternoon at 55-43.
The final period of the game was where it all went awry for Worcester as they were severely out-scored by their hosts.
Former Wolves’ forward Sam Cricelli began the fight-back with a confident drive to the hoop, Chavis Holmes scored from close and his brother Travis sank a three-pointer following a fumble by Wolves’ centre Arturas Masiulis.
Margai claimed a triple to close his side to 59-57 over the opening three minutes of the period.
Cricelli pounced on an Ocitti turnover to bring Surrey within a point at 61-60 and on the next play Ocitti swiped at Cricelli, putting him at the free throw line. Both foul shots were converted and the Heat now nosed in front with four minutes to play.
Williams then allowed Chavis Holmes to steal the ball and could only grab at him to slow down his path to the basket. Again, both free throws were converted into points, putting matters to 61-64 on the day, and all square on aggregate.
A clearly-rattled Worcester outfit fought desperately to cling to the shirt-tails of their soaring opponents.
With half a minute to go the Wolves looked buried, trailing 67-74, before a three-pointer from Prezzie-Blue re-awakened some hope.
With nine seconds left it was Prezzie-Blue who again had the ball in his hands, racing the length of the court to hurl up a last-gasp shot that could have forced overtime. However his shot bounced off the rim, signalling wild celebrations for the Heat and their supporters.
Worcester coach Paul James was bitterly disappointed that his team failed to capitalise on a double-digit lead, saying:
“We had a great first half although I was concerned that we had already accumulated nine turnovers.
“We needed to take better care of the ball in the second half, but failed to do so. I’m extremely upset that we lost this tie.
“Surrey seemed like the perfect matchup for us, but if you don’t look after the ball and don’t hold on to big leads then this is what happens.”
Meanwhile Heat coach Creon Raftopoulos, though celebrating the victory, was gracious in his remarks about the Worcester organisation, commenting:
“After a battle like this it’s hard that one team has to lose. Without the injuries we have both had, we may well have faced each other deeper in the playoffs.
“Paul had his team fighting today but maybe they ran out of gas. I want to pay tribute Paul for all the great work he is doing at Worcester.”
For the umpteenth time this season Owumi led the Wolves’ scorers, tallying 18 points. Prezzie-Blue was next-highest scorer with 11 points. Ocitti registered a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Cricelli top-scored for Surrey with 22 points, followed by Chavis Holmes with 19 points.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2020 17:28:23 GMT
The KB incident is part of a future instalment. Some online dude has told me not to use everything at once |
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Post by Guest User on Apr 16, 2020 9:52:29 GMT
Great work, Solly, I really liked the Wolves program back in the day. Keep them coming please.
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Post by Solly on Apr 16, 2020 19:49:31 GMT
Sorry no article today as have only just completed ronsealing the fencing. Has proved to be a much bigger task than I had anticipated.
Rather than quickly locating a Wolves article I feel it's time for a more general article which will take me longer to sort.
Tomorrow then...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2020 10:57:12 GMT
This really isn't good enough. We need you. You've promised us but no delivered. You'll end up working for BE. My fence needs mending, but I've blocked it off with all the junk I can find to prevent my $talker stealing the guinea pigs, and used the time saved to bring you this. |
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Post by Solly on Apr 17, 2020 13:58:35 GMT
Here it is everyone - as promised, this article only has a very slight leaning towards Worcester Wolves.
This was written in October 2007, when Boston Celtics were beginning their "Big Three" era that was to lead to their NBA Championship.
Of course Worcester went on to have their own "Big Three" in Owumi, Creekmore & Taylor which led to their very first BBL silverware in 2014.
Another lesser-known aspect of this NBA pre-season game was that the end of the Celtics bench was occupied by a Brit, Michael Olowakandi. He was incredibly the number one overall pick for the Clippers in 1998 - I can recall being stunned by this news so much that I can recall exactly where I was when I heard it, standing on the concourse at London Euston perusing the London Evening Standard.
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With no Worcester Wolves road game to report back on, thought I would relate my trip down to the 02 Arena a few weeks back to watch Boston Celtics v Minnesota Timberwolves.
In the early nineties I witnessed NBA superstars Dominique ‘The Human Highlight Film’ Wilkins & Shaquille O’Neal duke it out in spectacular plays, when Orlando Magic faced Atlanta Hawks down at Wembley Arena.
Whilst both NBA visits were pre-season games, and therefore naturally to be expected to lack a little intensity, the difference this time round was the relative lack of spectacle in the game itself.
But this year we had more off-court razzmatazz than I have ever before witnessed at a basketball game.
In the first half, as well as several displays from the heavily-made-up and manicured Boston Cheerleaders, we had a visit from Elvis, accompanied by a couple of stunning ‘Las Vegas Showgirls’.
A blind-folded fan was then guided towards Elvis and friends by the jeers or cheers of the crowd, to claim his prize of a warm embrace, and natty sporting apparel.
Into the break and the ‘Crazy Dunkers’ swooped in, trampolining themselves towards the hoop.
Regular mascots for both teams constantly circled the court to egg on the crowd. For the Timberwolves we saw ‘Crunch’, a surprisingly unthreatening animal when compared to our own Wolfie, and for the Celtics we saw ‘Lucky’, a rather bizarre gentleman (a leprechaun?) attired in a spangly suit topped with a bowler hat.
The lack of fire on the court was proven by the crowd’s greater delight in forming several Mexican Waves throughout the second half. For the record, the game ended at 92-81 to the Celtics.
Boston certainly had the edge in terms of names, with their ‘Big Three’ of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and the newly-acquired (ironically, from the Timberwolves) Kevin ‘The Big Ticket’ Garnett. A measure of Garnett’s standing was that he was himself sought out by many of the Brit celebrities at courtside, such as Didier Drogba and Lewis Hamilton.
However, while the Celtics look to have invested heavily in an immediate push for success, (Garnett alone is said to earn £250,000 per week!), Minnesota will have to accept a longer-term wait to be a contender.
Anyway, taking the view that the Timberwolves are more of a blue-collar team than many of their opponents, we have a parallel with our own Wolves – look at teams like Newcastle, Guildford or Milton Keynes with their own BBL names and compare them to our lesser-known grafters.
On that basis, I will now look to add a few lines here and there to my match reports, to keep everyone updated on how our Minnesota counterparts are doing. You never know, if basketball continues to bloom as we hope it will do as the 2012 Olympics approach, we will have got a foot in the door for a twinning arrangement with Minnesota!
One last point – the 02 Arena was truly magnificent in its modernity and awesome size, (the attendance was reported at a, gargantuan for the UK, 19000), and I applaud the organisers for that but, get this – I kid you not – the car parking was, wait for it, an outrageously disgracefully ‘we have blocked off parking at all surrounding roads, so you have no other option’ unacceptable £20!!
Never mind though, I love this game!
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Tony Leopard can confirm. He's far older than me.
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