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Post by Solly on May 13, 2020 10:15:49 GMT
Still in 2010, here's Part One of a GB article.
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I’ve always generally used my page in the programme to give everyone an update from our games on the road. However, as we are now at the third of four consecutive Saturday-nighters at the University, meaning there are no road games to report on, I am now forced to divert from my usual policy.
As this is only a self-imposed policy, I had thought I could instead report from some of our recent home games. But if you went to bed and had a bad dream, would you really want to relive that dream another night?
Falling by a (controversial) point versus Sheffield, and then by another late basket against Rocks, looks very much like disturbed sleep patterns all round to me.
Anyway, this instead gives me the opportunity to bring people up to date on International happenings, as we draw ever closer to the 2012 Olympics.
Traditionally the host nation at an Olympics has not needed to face a qualification process as, arguably, up to now that host nation has always been a reasonable force in the sport.
This time the governing body has felt the need to enforce rigorous qualifying standards in order to minimise the chances of embarrassment at one of the Games flagship events (at £50 for the cheapest seat at the finals, and several hundred pounds for courtside, it really is flagship).
Whilst this at first glance may seem a little unfair, it has actually done basketball here a big favour. It has meant that a great deal of never-seen-before resources have now become available, raising the profile of the national team, and hopefully having a knock-on effect in the domestic game.
This raising of standards has meant that in 2009, for the first time ever, Great Britain managed to qualify for the European Championships in Poland, and have now gone on to repeat this impressive feat by making next year’s Finals in Lithuania.
To give you some background to just how impressive the turnaround in performances has been, it is only a few years back that we struggled to justify even seeking an invitation to take part in international qualifying competitions, never mind winning any matches.
Once in Poland, Team GB almost unbelievably found themselves placed in a group containing the European powerhouses of Spain, Serbia and Slovenia, three teams who would go on to be eventual semi-finalists.
The first game against Slovenia, though tight for three quarters, was lost down the stretch 59-72.
The next day we faced the 2006 World Champions, Spain. Despite matching up against the formidable presence of Los Angeles Laker, Pau Gasol, supported by a number of lesser-known inhabitants of the NBA, this game was to be GB’s finest, leading at 73-69 with less than five minutes remaining, before finally succumbing 76-84.
In our final outing, not helped by having expended so much energy in our previous match, we lost out to Serbia 59-77.
Yes it was an 0-3 tournament, but massive strides had been made in raising our international credibility.
On to the individual breakdown of our standout players -
Pops Mensah-Bonsu – led the team in both points and rebounds, following on from an end-to-the season stint with the Toronto Raptors.
Nate Reinking – although now possibly looking to round out his career back in the BBL, he really has shown considerable determination in establishing himself as the quarterback of the national team. Quite a transformation from his days at the likes of Derby, or Leicester.
Robert Archibald – one-time draftee of the NBA, the big Scotsman once more proved himself a force in the paint.
Luol Deng – the main story of the tournament for GB, but only in that he had to stay on the sidelines due to injury. This Chicago Bull forward could have/should have made a difference.
In the next part of the story, I’ll bring matters up to the present…
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Post by Solly on May 14, 2020 9:39:27 GMT
And here's Part Two
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Last week I related the story of Team GB’s mighty strides in raising the international credibility of our national team, in order that the governing bodies can have no excuse to not allow us to participate in the 2012 Olympics.
I covered matters up to our respectable, (albeit 0-3), showing in the 2009 European Championship Finals in Poland, and now wish to bring matters up to the present.
Poland was a tournament where the absence through injury of Chicago Bull forward Luol Deng was as big a story as our on-court performances. To lose a player who would likely have led the team in scoring, and probably wedged in a good number of rebounds and assists also, was a hammer blow.
So we then moved on to the summer of this year, and our quest to achieve consecutive qualifications for the Finals, and an improved record once we arrived there.
Talking of off-court issues, we once more were teased by the will he-won’t he saga of whether Detroit Pistons guard, Ben Gordon would ever debut for Great Britain.
Whilst not wishing to appear ungrateful for the offer of support (a 17-point career average in the NBA is obviously considerable support), it does start to rankle at how much Ben states he wants to represent the country of his birth, yet somehow always finds a reason not to show.
Anyway, plus Deng and sans Gordon, we opened proceedings with a 91-82 victory on the road in Hungary.
Next up, in Newcastle, were Macedonia. Down by seven with only a couple of minutes to go, a dogged fightback, ending with a Deng three as time expired, led into overtime where we broke away for the W, at 104-96.
Wins in Bosnia, and versus the Ukraine, at the NIA in Birmingham, left us atop of our group at the halfway point of matches.
A 4-0 record might have sounded tidy enough, but with only the winners of the three groups sure of qualification, we had to hope there would be no wobbles.
Sure enough, a few days later, back at the NIA, we faced Hungary and really saw some shakiness. Leading at 61-48 early in the fourth, it looked like thank you and goodnight, until we hit a scoring drought, scarcely edging matters 66-64.
On to Skopje where, in front of 10,000 baying Macedonians, we took a 56-75 pasting. And so the collywobbles carried on as we came back to Liverpool to once more defeat Bosnia, but only after overtime.
Losing in the Ukraine in our final outing left us at 6-2, but with the likelihood of surrendering our top place in the group if Macedonia beat Bosnia. Surprisingly the Bosnians triumphed, ensuring our automatic qualification for Lithuania 2011.
On to the individual breakdown of our standout players -
Pops Mensah-Bonsu – led the whole of Europe (by a mile) in his rebounding stats. His in-your- face aggression has helped him gain another shot at the NBA, this time with the New Orleans Hornets.
Luol Deng – the man is back! Averaging 22 points and 8 rebounds. Feared by his opponents.
Dan Clark – like fellow big man Joel Freeland, Dan is now pushing to the fore and beginning to consistently punch his weight, earning a nice contract with Spanish ACB side, Estudiantes.
Ogooluwa Adegboye – who? That’s what I said, until I saw his game. Livewire guard who, like Clark, is looking to bed in, and step up in replacing some of the greybeards of the team.
Footnote – after all our battling to qualify, FIBA then announced that the number of sides that would be invited to compete in Lithuania would be increased from 16 to 24.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2020 14:12:12 GMT
Solly has been eaten by a bear is being kept busy gardening, so I bring you the game that never happened. A series of events that make the hole-in-the-roof game at Palace look positively sane. |
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Post by Solly on May 15, 2020 15:48:59 GMT
Yes I am indeed being busied in the garden.
The council here has finally re-opened one of its two tips, causing Mrs S to surmise that "my excuse" about lack of storage space for our garden waste no longer carries water.
But I maintain that "my excuse" still carries water because a. the one of the two tips that the council has re-opened is a 15 mile round journey and b. even when I get there I will undoubtedly encounter a horrendous queue.
Having said that, sometimes you have to let your partner think they have won the argument, especially if you want to have your promised rhubarb crumble with lashings of Birds custard...
Anyway, on to my latest retro, a quarter way into the 2010/11 BBL season.
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After tonight we will have played around a quarter of our League season, in addition to several Trophy and Cup games. Time for a reflection on how we are faring.
In my season preview, I had not thought that I was being overly optimistic in looking at a top four placing for our Worcester Wolves.
However, with us already having more entries in the loss column than the win column, it now looks to be an even bigger stretch than I had thought.
Opening September with a very close victory in the Trophy against Cheshire Jets and the following Saturday night with a very close defeat against Mersey Tigers, did not seem too bad an effort.
The next afternoon we struggled early at Cheshire and were unable to pull the game back, putting us in the position of a dead rubber return in Liverpool. 1-3 in our group and elimination, but never mind, it gave a chance for players to gel.
Gel we certainly did in starting our League campaign by managing to triumph 99-96, after overtime, against the mighty Newcastle Eagles, in what has been described by some as a classic.
The following weekend we travelled over to the struggling Essex Pirates and predictably hammered the opposition 93-44. 2-0 and top of the table for the first time in our history!
This then led us to the first of four consecutive Saturday night home games, versus Sheffield Sharks. Losing on a controversial free throw after time had expired was a sickener.
The next week against a short-handed Scottish Rocks side looked to be a chance for us to make amends, but it was not to be, as we blew a double-digit second half lead to again lose a close one.
Next up were tonight’s visitors, the Tigers. In contrast to close defeats in the preceding two games, this time we got pasted 63-80 in a Halloween frightmare. So to the end of the home stand, and the welcome visit of the lowly Pirates, to at least allow us to level our record at 3-3.
I couldn’t make the long journey down to Plymouth the next day, but at least that spared me seeing us torched 80-95, as the Raiders secured only their second win of the season.
In the meantime we managed to win at Worthing in the first round of the Cup, before surrendering in this week’s Sky Sports quarter-final game up at Newcastle.
Granted, our record thus far is below what many of us would have hoped for given our strong end to last year, with several of the same players in our side. But, on the other hand, in pure won-loss terms, this is actually our best ever start in the League.
Anyway, on to how the rest of the BBL is shaping up -
Mersey Tigers – star studded Brits abound. Dominating matters.
Newcastle Eagles – started erratically, but certainly now on the rise.
Chester Jets – doing well early doors, but can they maintain it?
Sheffield Sharks/Glasgow Rocks – both grinding out the blue-collar Ws.
Guildford Heat – surprise package so far.
Leicester Riders/Milton Keynes Lions – hot and cold, cold and hot.
Plymouth Raiders – with Zabas in town, this team is now competitive.
Worthing Thunder/Essex Pirates - still look set to struggle
As for us, aside from facing Tigers tonight, and (yet again) in December, we definitely have some very winnable games looming…
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Post by Solly on May 17, 2020 10:13:58 GMT
Today and yesterday we have mostly been cycling.
Mrs S whined that she wanted a bike. I splashed out for a quality Raleigh second-hander. The first time out she's grizzling and continually spouting "I corn't do it".
Her main difficulty is getting going. I've repeatedly told her that once she has loaded her sizeable arse onto the saddle she needs to get her right foot on the one pedal, push off with the left and immediately lift her left foot onto the pedal. But she then wobbles around and grizzles instead of manning up and doing as she's told.
I'm now calling her "My Left Foot".
Anyway, after the last couple of days of intensive practice she's got slightly better and may have passed the stage of wanting to give up.
Today's repro relates one of our many battles with Leicester.
1. What happened to the exotically-named Ryan Ramroz?
2. Callum Jones was still struggling for minutes, in stark contrast to his near-40 minute turnouts many years later in the present day.
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Last Saturday evening, alongside a healthy turnout of fellow Wolves fans, I made the relatively short trip over to Leicester Riders.
On a bitterly cold afternoon I remember thinking to myself that I hoped that there would be no snow later to make my journey home hazardous.
Whilst there was thankfully no snow, it was so late when the game finally ended after double-overtime that the car thermometer had sunk to minus 8 degrees!
It wouldn’t have felt quite so chilly if we had got the W, but it was not to be as we lost out 118-124.
Two big factors stood out in the game - a first half where the bomb squad were most certainly in action in dropping in a mammoth twelve three-pointers as we went into the break 55-51 ahead.
But then a second half where the joke squad took over as we managed to miss 7 of our 18 free throws (for the game as a whole we made only 19 from 37!), a not insignificant influence in a game finishing even after regulation.
Still ahead 76-75 heading into the fourth quarter, this one was a real nail-biter.
At 18 seconds remaining we were ahead 97-96, and even increased the advantage to 99-96 shortly after.
However, with just 2 seconds remaining, the dazzlingly-impressive Riders guard Ryan Zamroz coolly floated in a trey from the top of the key dragging us into OT.
In this period it was the turn of Leicester to lead as time ran down, 110-107, until yet another Danny Gilbert long-range basket tied it up.
By now both sides had several starters fouled out and we unfortunately seemed to feel the effect of this more as we were unable to sustain our intensity.
On to the individual breakdown -
Danny Gilbert - 32pts, 6 assists, 7 x 3ptr, 7-14 from the line. Deadly from afar, struggled at the line.
Rod Middleton – 28 pts, 9 assists, 5 x 3ptr, 1-5 from the line. Ditto.
Kastytis Normantas – Nil pts. Out of sorts today.
Alex Zimnickas - 18pts, 2 x 3ptr, 4-4 from the line. 11 rebounds. Got down and dirty. Today’s MVP.
Justin Dobbins – 24 pts, 6-10 from the line, 10 rebounds. Battled.
David Watts - 12pts. Gave it a go.
Callum Jones – 4 pts. 0-2 from the line. Got some minutes at the point, dished out a few assists.
John Stoukas – Limited minutes.
Luke Saunders – DNP.
So many defeats recently, but at least for the most part those defeats have been close. Guildford Heat today, Mersey Tigers tomorrow, now has to be the time to tip the advantage our way. In a couple of weeks we will play our last home match of 2011, so we can then only hope for a sunnier 2012…
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Post by Solly on May 18, 2020 15:37:19 GMT
Today I will mostly be eating a tomatoes and herb pasta bake, followed by yogurt and washed down with a couple of mugs of piping-hot tea.
Today's dessert should have been a lovely chocolate cake, made yesterday by "My Left Foot".
Trouble is that, despite several armchair prompts from myself, "MLS" failed to use enough icing/filling in the cake such that it turned out rather dry and tasteless. MLS tried to disguise the blandness of the cake with a covering of Walls vanilla ice cream. I was neither tricked or amused.
Such was my disappointment that I, perhaps foolishly, voiced my complaints in a 2/10 points award. Consequently, despite the truth of my comments, I have mostly spent today in the doghouse.
To placate MLS I have had to authorise the purchase tomorrow of flowers and a ladies magazine (up to the value of £2 apiece).
Anyway, latest repro below details one of our many defeats in 2010/11 to Mersey Tigers.
1. Callum Jones benefited from increased minutes.
2. Tigers swept the honours that season but financial frailties would emerge. Nine years later we saw similarities in what happened at London Royals. Castles built on sand...
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What a weekend that was a couple of Saturday’s ago. If all the treacherous weather was not enough, we had the highs and the lows of Wolves performances.
First off we had that marvellous slapdown of the upstart Guildford Heat. Only one league defeat before they faced us, but a thrilling team display was enough for us to take the W.
The next day we faced up to another high-flying side, the Mersey Tigers. This time however we were up against a side that, unlike Guildford, are very likely to still sit around the top of the table at the end of the season. They are no flash-in-the-pan.
So it was that we were unable to maintain the intensity of the night before and subsequently suffered a beating of our own, 73-95.
Played five versus the Tigers this year, lost five against the Tigers this year – thank goodness we don’t face them again (unless in the playoffs next April).
Once more Callum Jones began the game in the starting line-up, and did alright early doors against his elder brother James.
Only 10-11 down at four minutes in looked satisfactory, but then who came off the bench for Mersey but their mercurial Great Britain point guard, Nate Reinking.
Now we were in for it, and sure enough Nate starts dropping in the threes, and fellow GB star Andrew Sullivan slices through our defence, to take out a 28-16 lead at the quarter.
On the bright side, both Rod Middleton and Justin Dobbins were able to hold on to their fine form from the Heat game, and by half time we had managed to keep matters respectable at only 44-50 behind.
However Rod had now picked up 3 fouls following some fussy refereeing, causing a reshuffle to the second half starters.
By the time Rod came back on court the game was out of reach, the third period ending at 57-75.
Nothing of note happened in the last quarter, and matters meandered down to the all-too-inevitable defeat.
On to the individual breakdown -
Danny Gilbert - 18pts. Played the full 40, but seemed to tire as a result.
Rod Middleton – 15pts. Hampered by foul trouble. Unable to get near his 35-point feat of the day before.
Kastytis Normantas – 2pts. Unable to make a significant impact.
Alex Zimnickas - 1pt. Struggled.
Justin Dobbins – 19pts, 3-7 from the line, 5 blocks. Got stuck in. Today’s MVP.
Martynas Versinskas - 9pts, 1-2 from line. Had a go.
Callum Jones – 9 pts. 3-6 from the line. Minutes increased, input increased.
John Stoukas – Nil pts. Limited minutes, went down injured.
There you go then, a predictable loss against a stacked opponent. Mersey won’t lose many games this season, so let’s not get too down about this one.
By the time you read this report we will have had a double-header weekend in Worthing and Plymouth – two opponents that we surely ought to be able to brush aside if we are to fulfil our potential.
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Post by Solly on May 18, 2020 15:54:26 GMT
Have just realised that I have just mistakenly abbreviated My Left Foot to MLS, rather than MLF.
I am not really into soccer but maybe this weekend's return of German soccer caused me to subconsciously think of America's Major Soccer League.
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Post by Solly on May 20, 2020 9:41:41 GMT
Today I am mostly ruminating, considering how to fully exit the doghouse.
Yesterday's purchase of flowers helped. I even allowed MLF to select a £3 bunch, 50% above the previously-agreed cost threshold.
Anyway, see latest repro below reflecting on another long trek to Glasgow.
1. What happened to Moses Mubarak - seemed to be a handy 3-pt specialist?
2. Moreso, what happened to Michael 'Star wars' Kigma?
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After the pre-Xmas postponements of our home game against Milton Keynes Lions and our first trip of the season to Glasgow Rocks, I, like the players, was itching to see a game.
So it was that I took time off from work to make the long drive north of the border to our second scheduled game in Glasgow, on 30 December.
All week long we all suffered the snow and ice, and wondered whether this second match might also have to be called off.
But no it went ahead, but ironically it was not the UK conditions that put paid to any festive celebrations, but instead the USA conditions, as a couple of our main men, Justin Dobbins & Danny Gilbert, couldn’t make it back in time.
Though the six players that made it to Glasgow put forward valiant efforts, it was always going to be too much of a stretch when facing an in-form opponent who was more or less at full strength. And so it proved, as we eventually succumbed 84-100.
After going behind 3-13 at only three minutes in, it looked like it was going to get embarrassing, but a couple of treys from Rod Middleton and David Watts, and some outstanding early scoring from Alex Zimnickas kept us only 26-27 behind at the quarter.
Although we had slipped further back to 40-53 by half-time, we were still competitive.
At 64-60 deep into the third quarter we had done well to stay with the Rocks. But a disastrous end to the period saw French guard Moses Mubarak drain his fourth, fifth and sixth threes from just six total attempts as part of a 17-3 run to give the Rocks an 81-63 lead.
By now Glasgow's hulking 6 foot 10 inch centre, Michael ‘Caveman’ Kigma, was dominating play close to the basket (he was to finish the game on 21 points, missing only one of his 11 field goals), and a tiring Wolves side were unable to close the gap as the game wound down to the inevitable defeat.
On to the individual breakdown -
Rod Middleton – 21pts, 3 x 3ptrs, 4-4 from the line. Gave it a go, but seemed weighted down by the weight of the battle.
Alex Zimnickas - 26pts. Sole force for Wolves in the paint, but battled manfully. Today’s MVP.
Callum Jones – 9pts. 1-7 from the line. Free throw woes.
Kastytis Normantas – 4pts. Worked hard, but struggled to make an impact.
David Watts – 18pts, 6 x 3ptrs. Played the full 40, but seemed to tire as a result.
Luke Sanders – 6pts. Had one real nice dazzling dancing hop to the hoop.
This one was a bad break then. It was just the sort of game where we needed another big man to take on the impressive Kingma.
As I waited at the end of the game for the official statsheet, I was told that he had allegedly had a part in one of the Star Wars films as a ‘Wookie’, and was big mates with the guy who played Chewbacca.
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Post by Solly on May 21, 2020 14:56:43 GMT
Latest repro below details a rare W for Wolves at Leicester.
1. Whatever happened to Liam Potter?
2. Despite it's squalor, I liked some aspects of De Montfort Hall. Like the even earlier venue, Granby Hall, it was a lot easier to get to from the M69 than the current venue, and I could generally find somewhere to park fairly easily.
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After the extended festive break it was off up to Leicester to re-visit the scene of our agonising double-overtime defeat from late November.
In our previous game, the defeat in Glasgow, where we only dressed six players, a large part of our woes was attributable to the absence of a couple of our stalwarts, Justin Dobbins & Danny Gilbert.
This game it looked like our dynamic duo were out to make someone pay, and so it indeed proved to be the case, as the Riders were made to cough up in a 93-86 pasting.
As so often this season we got off to a fast start, with Callum Jones showing maturity in his starting role, and Leicester’s much-hyped new signing, the 7 foot Liam Potter, being severely outshone by our own less tall, but much more mobile man at the centre position, Mr Dobbins.
25-12 to the good after one period, and 51-33 after two.
During the interval Wolves secretary Dave ‘Wolfie’ Smith sidled over to me and almost apologised for his optimism at how well the match was going.
Like me, like all of you, like the players etc., he knew how often this season we have blown big leads. So guess what went and happened as soon as our boys stepped back on court: full court presses from the Riders, two turnovers, six points without reply, and panic on the dance floor.
A frustrated Paul James looked to the rafters of the decrepit aircraft hanger that is De Montfort Hall, and called time out.
The ship was slightly steadied, such that we went into the last quarter still holding the advantage, albeit much reduced, at 76-70.
After 33 minutes of holding the lead, we finally permitted Riders to draw level at 76 apiece.
Nevertheless, Leicester were unable to quite push ahead, and our main man Danny was able to lead our troops to the W.
On to the individual breakdown -
Rod Middleton – 10pts. Quiet in this one.
Alex Zimnickas - 1pt, 1-6 from the line. His turn for the free throw woes.
Callum Jones – 19pts. His game of the season so far.
Kastytis Normantas – 3pts, 1 x 3ptr, 0-4 from the line. Another quiet one.
Justin Dobbins – 23pts, 9-11 from the line.12 rebounds. Never mind mince pies and Xmas pudding, this man must have been eating girders. Joint MVP.
David Watts – 4pts. Unlike the next day for England vs. Wales, couldn’t get the three to drop in this game.
Daniel Gilbert - 33pts, 5 x 3ptrs, 4-7 from the line. Simply dazzling. Joint MVP.
After the match, the announcer announced it was the eve of Riders coach Rob Paternostro’s birthday. No early pressie for you, hahaha…………
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Post by Solly on May 22, 2020 9:25:24 GMT
Today's repro is from Feb 11
1. This was my first visit to the converted warehouse in MK.
2. Whatever happened to Michael Creppy?
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I have just realised that I missed out on providing you with a report on our visit to Milton Keynes Lions towards the end of January.
Maybe my faltering memory had something to do with the event being something of a nightmare that I had tried to wipe from my mind.
Oh dear, oh dear. This was certainly the one that got away. Yes it was not one of our better performances, but we still looked in control for much of the game, until the last few minutes of the match, leading up to a careless 85-87 defeat.
The day before we had seen off the title chasing Guildford Heat, but this time we were ourselves seen off by a lower-placed opponent.
Down 24-29 at the first quarter, and still slightly behind at the half 47-49, I was not overly concerned.
Indeed, with our new signing Michael Creppy conbasketball kiting the point, and posting a quickfire 9 points in the third period, we were able to go ahead 71-66.
At five minutes remaining in the game we led 81-74 and it looked like job done.
But then we shook a little, and then we shook a lot, right up to the point of 85-85 with 32 seconds to go.
We held possession, so overtime looked the likely worst-case scenario.
But a Lions steal at half-court and an easy lay up put paid to matters. As I said earlier – nightmare…
On to the individual breakdown -
Rod Middleton – 19pts, 4 x 3ptrs. Steady.
Michael Creppy – 16pts, 1-6 from the line, 4 x 3ptrs. Wins this week’s award for ‘free throw woes’. Otherwise he did alright.
Daniel Gilbert - 19pts, 3 x 3ptrs.Tried.
Justin Dobbins – 21pts, 12 rebounds. Has come into form of late. Today’s MVP.
David Watts – 6pts, 6 rebounds. Decent showing.
Callum Jones – 2pts. Struggled.
Alex Zimnickas - 2pts. A non-factor in this game.
Kastytis Normantas – Nil pts. Ditto.
A few words about MK’s new venue: well done to the Lions for having the bravery to build their own arena.
A little difficult to find, (look out for the Homebase on the opposite corner if ever you decide to go there), and a little bleak in its surroundings. But at least they have stood up to be counted.
As for us on that dark and cold Sunday afternoon, too many turnovers, too many wasted foul shots, not enough composure when the going got tough. Oh well…
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Post by Solly on May 24, 2020 10:25:53 GMT
Good news - its took a while, but I'm now out of the doghouse.
I definitely know I'm in the clear as I have just been cooked a marvellous full English.
It consisted of 2 eggs, 2 bacon rashers (& the fatty bits from Mrs S' rashers), 2 Wall's (skinless) sausages, a grouping of grits, a muddle of mushrooms (of the chestnut-variety), one well-done and heavily-buttered piece of white toast, and a fried slice. All smothered in Daddies brown sauce and ketchup.
And all washed down by a couple of mugs of piping-hot tea.
Now I could have been a tad critical and complained that the fried slice was only produced using the bacon fat, and that my first preference would have been for it to have been produced using lard. But of course, I have now learnt my lesson...
Anyway, today's repro details a nice trip to Chester.
1. Whatever happened to the wonderfully-named Quemont Greer?
2. I miss the quirkiness of the Northgate.
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Saturday 12 February/Sunday 13 February – first up we faced lowly Worthing Thunder, the next day we travelled to high-flying Cheshire Jets.
No problem versus Thunder I thought, but it was going to be very tough to get anything at Chester.
Sure enough we wiped the floor with Worthing 98-59. A nice game from ex-Wolves centre Shaun Durant, but with very little support our visitors were always going to get spanked.
Sam Cricelli very much impressed on his home debut, and we had the rare pleasure of seeing decent minutes for John Stoukas and Luke Sanders. All in all it was a good pipe opener in readiness for Sunday’s much more solid opponents.
In all the seasons that I have followed Wolves the number of really thrilling games I have seen cannot exceed single figures, but this was one of them – a pulsating 90-88 overtime victory.
Early doors it was all calm and reasonably conbasketball kited as we went behind 18-20 at the end of the first period, and 34-41 at the half.
Jet’s American forward Quemont Greer was having a cracking game, whilst our own offense had dried up.
Down 35-48 midway through the third period, and it looked like goodnight Irene.
But all of a sudden Danny Gilbert drains a three and follows it up with a steal and a lay up. Game back on.
The fourth quarter began at 53-53, and it was nip and tuck all round. 1.29 to go and we have to call a timeout, down 72-76.
We then hit back such that Jets have to call their own timeout down 76-77 with just 42 seconds to go.
Sam Cricelli gets fouled on consecutive plays but only converts one of his four free throws. A desperation score from Jets guard Jeremy Bell was enough to force overtime.
With just a few seconds of OT remaining we had possession, but were behind at 87-88.
Mike Creppy brought the ball forward but was unable to make the shot. The ball came back out to Mr Cool ‘Tin Tin’ Watts who slotted home a long-range basket to snatch the W. Oh what a night…
On to the individual breakdown -
Rod Middleton – 23pts. Tidy.
Daniel Gilbert - 19pts, 3 x 3ptr. Reliable.
Sam Cricelli – 5pts. 1-4 from the line. Free throw woes aside, had a good night.
David Watts – 10pts. 2 x 3ptrs. Ice Ice Baby.
Mike Creppy – 20pts, 2 x 3ptr. 2-4 from the line. Mature. Today’s MVP
Alex Zimnickas - 4pts. Did what was asked of him.
Justin Dobbins – 9pts. Ditto.
Callum Jones – Nil pts. Quiet.
Miscellaneous – had a nice pre-game walk around Chester’s Roman Walls and parked across from the sports centre, the other side of a busy dual carriageway.
Had to walk through a subway to get back to the car, so behaved like a big noisy kid, and whooped and hollered my way through it in celebration of a wonderful night.
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Post by Solly on May 25, 2020 15:07:00 GMT
Today's repro is of a Feb 2011 trip to Newcastle.
1. Whatever happened to Sam Cricelli?
2. Newcastle were playing Zorba in this match. Leicester also delight in playing the same tune. But who was the first of these two clubs to establish the tradition?
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Early October last year saw our marvellous 99-96 overtime victory over Newcastle Eagles, a match that I missed as I foolishly travelled up to Old Trafford to see the Rugby League Grand Final instead.
That defeat left the Eagles in the most unfamiliar position of being bottom of the league. A couple of weeks back we faced Newcastle again, but this time with them having returned to their more traditional place atop the BBL.
In all my years of following the game, both as a fan of Wolves and the Bullets, it has been rare for my team to get anything out of their travels to the North East. Once more it was the same old story as we were unable to get anywhere near our October performance, sinking to a 77-89 loss.
Half a minute into the game and a Sam Cricelli score from the corner, followed by a Mike Creppy lay up, gave us an optimistic 4-0 lead.
A minute or two later and consecutive threes from the mercurial Trey Moore and the greybeard (Prince) Charles Smith had put the Eagles ahead.
When a sloppy backcourt violation from Creppy was punished with an easy lay-up by quicksilver point guard Reggie Jackson, our evening was set.
Moreover, a dearth of early offence left us 10-22 behind after the first quarter. Part way into the second period we had only added three more points to our total whilst Newcastle had more than double our output.
Into the second half trailing 32-42, maybe we thought we still had a sniff, but we were then forced into using a time out only a couple of minutes in with the deficit having widened to 34-51.
Things just worsened until a maximum deficit of 40-63, a lead so assured for the home side that ‘Zorba’, a tune normally reserved for the last moments of a victory, rang out over the PA.
It might as well have been all Greek to us thereafter as we stumbled and tumbled to the eventual surrender.
On to the individual breakdown -
Rod Middleton – 13pts, 3 x 3ptr. Gave it a go.
Sam Cricelli – 21pts, 13 rebounds. Battled away. Energetic. Today’s MVP.
David Watts – 8pts. Took a lot of shots, missed a lot of shots.
Mike Creppy – 12pts. In turnover-hell. A game to forget.
Alex Zimnickas - 4pts. Did what was asked of him.
Justin Dobbins – 13pts, 12 rebounds. Struggled to get the ball where he wanted it.
Callum Jones – 6pts. Quiet.
Andrew Bennett – Nil pts. Limited minutes.
There you go then, we have now split the series with Newcastle.
PJ was quoted post-game as saying “Maybe the occasion got to us”. Once we have completed this end-of-season 3-game home stand we will know whether or not we have the head-to-head over the Eagles.
It could be vital that we get the W in order for us to make the playoffs. Pressure or no pressure, we are just going to have to perform better against these opponents.
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Post by Solly on May 26, 2020 9:52:43 GMT
Today's repro is my penultimate posting from PJ's first full year at Wolves in 2010-11.
Ultimately, Worcester missed the playoffs that year, ending up in 9th place. But thereafter, until our recent annus horriblus, we became a permanent fixture in the playoffs.
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Once or twice (or even thrice) this season I have thought back to what some could call a wildly optimistic pre-season prediction when I said that we could well finish in the top four this year.
Was I being ridiculous, given how well we finished off last year’s campaign, and with the core of that team returning?
Anyway, given that we are now fighting just to make the playoffs, never mind any higher position, let’s see if I was so far off the mark with my other BBL prophesies.
Chester Jets – we haven’t fared badly against them this year, but they have taken down more of the top teams than us.
Predicted Player-to-Watch – point guard, Kevin Bell, Reality – he has indeed made his mark (albeit his real name is Jeremy!), although arguably Quermont Greer has been the Jets MVP.
Predicted Placing – Lower to mid-table, Reality – mid-table.
Essex Pirates – have been out-experienced.
Predicted Player-to-Watch – no obvious standouts, Reality – I’ll stand by that. Predicted Placing – Basement, Reality – Spot on.
Glasgow Rocks – have been maddeningly inconsistent.
Predicted Player-to-Watch – Brice Fantazia, Reality – got the name, but has he got the game?
Predicted Placing – Mid, Reality - Correct.
Guildford Heat – Hot early doors, cold of late.
Player-to-Watch – an England player on the rise, Tayo Ogedengbe, Reality – has done OK.
Predicted Placing – Lower to mid, Reality – About right.
Leicester Riders – coach Paternostro has assembled another team of grafters. Predicted Player-to-Watch – US point guard, JR Blount, Reality – has done the business, but is just one of many.
Predicted Placing – Mid, Reality – Another correct answer.
Mersey Tigers – have again made their mark.
Predicted Player-to-Watch Andrew Sullivan, Reality – another GB veteran, Nate Reinking, has perhaps been even more impactful.
Predicted Placing – High, Reality – 5 out of 6 so far for Mystic Solly.
Milton Keynes Lions – another hot or not outfit.
Predicted Player-to-Watch – 7ft banger, Travis Nelson, Reality – has shared top billing with Demarius Bolds.
Predicted Placing – Lower to mid, Reality – more or less.
Newcastle Eagles – always up there.
Predicted Player-to-Watch – Joe Chapman, Reality – was the man, but had to depart through injury.
Predicted Placing – High, Reality - Indisputable.
Plymouth Raiders – took time to gel, but have indeed now done so.
Predicted Player-to-Watch – England guard, Taner Adu, Reality – we watched him get shipped out to Essex with the season barely started.
Predicted Placing – Cellar Dwellers, Reality – I hold my hands up, I was way off the mark with this one.
Sheffield Sharks – continuing to grind out the Ws year after year after year. Predicted Player-to-Watch – Ryan Patton, Reality – formed an impressive guard combo with Steve Dagostino.
Predicted Placing – Mid, Reality – a tad higher.
Worthing Thunder – have disappointed versus their overachieving of the previous season.
Predicted Player-to-Watch – Evaldas Zabas, Reality – moved along the south coast to Raiders and has certainly made a difference there.
Predicted Placing – Down in the dark with Essex, Reality – I’m just so good at this game.
There you go then; I reckon I was about three-quarters right with that lot. But of course all that really matters today is that we maintain our fingertip grip on those playoffs. Top four will just have to wait…
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Post by Solly on May 27, 2020 13:35:30 GMT
Below is my final article of the 2010-11 season
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For the second consecutive season our quest for the playoffs is all coming down to the final weekend of the season.
What is identical to last year is that our final home game is against Plymouth.
What is (very much) different this time though is that whereas this time last year we were on a hot streak, this year we look to have hit the buffers.
I can’t see Guildford losing to Essex tonight so that means we absolutely have to get the W today, and then hope that Leicester do us a favour at Guildford tomorrow. This will leave us the task of taking down the tough Cheshire Jets at the Northgate Arena.
So, in traditional fashion, here goes with the season summary.
Early doors, aside from a pulsating overtime victory against Newcastle, it was yet again a clumsy start to our season. Given that we tried hard to avoid our regular early fumblings by re-signing the core of last year’s line up in Rod Middleton, Danny Gilbert and Kastytis Normantas, then this was an even harder disappointment to bear.
Whilst Rod and Danny were as reliable as we have come to expect, the player formerly known as Special K was decidedly ordinary, to the extent that he soon lost his place amongst the starters.
Yes we won the games that we should have against the likes of Worthing and Essex, but we largely struggled against the more able opponents.
It was mildly encouraging that we mostly lost games by only a point or two, but after a while this margin of defeat just got worse, most notably against Mersey Tigers, who slapped us down in all of our five encounters.
Our BBL record pre-2011 stood at 5-8 (vs 3-8 the year before). Then, in mid-January we travelled to Leicester and it was déjà vu all over, as a 93-86 victory sparked our usual mid-season revival.
The following week we beat Guildford, had a bit of a stutter in losing a close one at Milton Keynes and matchups against Sheffield and Leicester, but got back on track with a hat trick of triumphs, including against worthy opponents in Cheshire and Sheffield.
On to the end of February and now our record stood at just below par.
Crunch games against playoff rivals Milton Keynes were won on a Sunday and the following Friday to finally take us over .500. Since then however our form has again been patchy, leading us to where we now stand, needing to rely on others.
Never mind, I reckon our season has in broad terms gone down, up, down. Therefore the pattern is now primed to go up again, and this is just the time to be on the rise.
I am just a tad worried though that we do all the hard work of scraping into the post-season and then possibly end up facing games against those boys who keep on beating on us, the Mersey Tigers…
For the last time, on to the individual breakdown –
Danny Gilbert – Has quite rightly made BBL Team of the Week on multiple occasions. Has consistently delivered the goods.
Rod Middleton– Maybe has not quite had the performances of year, but still steady.
Justin Dobbins – Started the season in middling fashion, but has finished it like a train. A behemoth around the hoop.
Sam Cricelli – the signing of the season. Unbelievable that his contributions were not more prized at Plymouth. Our hustler.
Alex Zimnickas – Blue-collar graft.
David Watts – Has had some sublime games. When he’s hot, he’s red-hot.
Mike Creppy – Has brought some stability.
Callum Jones – Improving.
Kastytis Normantas – Couldn’t live up to the hype.
Luke Sanders/John Stoukas/Andrew Bennett – Limited minutes.
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Post by Solly on May 27, 2020 13:41:31 GMT
In the article in the post above, Wolves still had a chance of making the post-season. But we then lost in OT to Plymouth in our penultimate outing.
My match report below details that we missed out on the playoffs despite hammering Chester in our last match.
1. It featured a remarkable 11 three-pointers from Danny Gilbert.
2. Whatever happened to Matt Schneck?
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Worcester Wolves concluded their 2011 British Basketball League season on Sunday afternoon with a satisfying 109-86 victory at fourth-placed Cheshire Jets.
Whilst Worcester could play without any pressure, knowing that they had already been beaten to the final spot in the post-season playoffs by Guildford Heat, it was nevertheless a convincing performance, especially following the previous night’s overtime defeat to Plymouth Raiders.
The Wolves had a lightning start to the game as they raced to a 19-7 lead after just four minutes that included an astonishing four three-pointers from their Player of the Year, American forward Danny Gilbert.
By the end of a free-scoring first quarter the Jets had pulled the Wolves advantage back to just four points, at 31-27.
The Jets comeback continued early in the second period, capped by a Jeremy Bell score giving the home side their first lead of the game.
However a double of further long-range baskets from Gilbert and England forward David Watts regained a half-time lead of 52-49 for the visitors.
The Wolves moved further ahead to 81-74 by the close of the third quarter, with strong inside play from Sam Cricelli and Justin Dobbins adding to the ongoing barrage of scoring from beyond the arc.
In the final period Gilbert finally broke the spirit of the Jets by raining down four more three-pointers, finishing the game with a remarkable tally of 11 out of his team’s total of 20.
Stifling defence held the Jets to just 12 points, with the Wolves pulling away to their second victory this season at the Northgate Arena.
Star of the show Danny Gilbert was modest about his contribution: “I started hot and once I got into a rhythm the shots just fell.”
Wolves coach Paul James was pleased that his team maintained their professionalism: “I said to the guys before the game that we wanted to finish out the season with a win. At least this allows us to enjoy our summer a little bit more.”
Gilbert led all scorers with 37 points, supported by Dobbins with 18 points. Matt Schneck led the Jets with a double-double of 34 points and 14 rebounds.
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Post by Solly on May 28, 2020 14:39:47 GMT
Today I have mostly been watching LIVE Rugby League on Sky.
Rugby League is a fabulous sport and is as big in Australia as soccer is over here. In large part influenced by the size of their Fox Sports contract, the NRL has now returned.
Pre-lockdown saw just rounds one & two played, with round two behind closed doors.
For the moment games are still being played in empty stadiums, but with a few cardboard cut out fans (wearing Castlemaine XXXX hats).
While the paper-spectators seem odd, what seems to have worked better is the piped crowd-noise. Brought in at the correct points and mostly at the correct volume.
The first game was a blowout win for the Eels at the Broncos, but I am hoping that the next seven live games to be shown between Friday and Sunday are closer affairs.
Good job I am out of the doghouse to be allowed to park myself in front of our 55-incher for a marathon of sport, though in return I may have to permit Mrs S to view one or two of her ****ey progs (e.g. Loose Women, Sewing Bee, Marigold Hotel) on the big screen!
Anyway, today's repro is the first programme article of 2011-12, detailing a facile win over Reading Rockets.
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A warm welcome back to everyone returning to watch the Wolves, and a warm welcome to any new fans.
And while are talking about new faces in the crowd, how about all those new faces in the team.
Yes, after a season of what many must see as underachievement, PJ has decided to roll the dice with a new look line up.
So here we are, and where are we? Before last season I was giving the thumbs up to having a core of what I saw as solid returnees to the team in Rod Middleton, Danny Gilbert and ‘Special K’ Kastytis Normantas.
Fair enough Danny gave an MVP season, but Rod, by his own high standards, had a quiet time, and Special K somehow became decidedly ordinary.
So this time round we only have a small number of returnees. We get the on-going reliability of David ‘Tin-Tin’ Watts, the developing game of Callum Jones, and the blue-collar graft of Alex Zimnickas.
New faces are a couple of guys with good college reputations in Richie Gordon at centre (Justin Dobbins has now ambled over to Sheffield Sharks), and at guard/forward Tommy Freeman.
A familiar BBL presence at the point will be Sherrad Prezzie-Blue, formerly of Worthing Thunder.
Added to that, we see small forward Carlos Fernandez joining us from Spain, and veteran big man Arnas Kazlauskas from Lithuania.
Courtney Van Beest comes over to us from London Metropolitan University.
Last weekend we had a leg stretching 65-23 victory against Reading Rockets of the EBL so, in the traditional fashion, here’s my rundown of the individual performances -
Sherrad Prezzie-Blue - 2pts. Conbasketball kited.
Tommy Freeman - 8pts. Outside threat.
Richie Gordon - 13pts. Entertainer.
David Watts - 7pts. Comfortable.
Callum Jones - 2pts. Tidy performance.
Alex Zimnickas - 11pts. Dependable.
Arnas Kazlauskas - 11pts. Smooth.
Courtney Van Beest – 6pts. Hustled.
Carlos Fernandez - 6pts. Another who can graft.
Whilst it was a useful run out for the guys, Guildford Heat will obviously be a much different proposition, a team reported to have recruited well, with a returning core of familiar (albeit aging) faces.
These next few games in the Trophy will give us the chance to blow away any remaining cobwebs, and hopefully get a sniff of some honours.
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Post by Solly on May 28, 2020 14:55:00 GMT
Because my latest post above was such an ordinary one, I feel obliged to immediately post up a bonus follow-up article, that detailed my predictions for the upcoming 2011-12 season.
1. Due to my over-optimistic prediction of a top-four place in the prior season, I now lowered my expectations for the forthcoming year to top-six.
2. Whatever happened to Demarius Bolds?
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About this time last year I provided a pre-season round up of each of our opponents.
By season’s end my predictions for each team had come out as around about 80% true.
After achieving that relatively-high level of accuracy, I just had to wipe down my crystal ball for another go.
So, after last week’s fabulously-hot OT victory against Guildford, 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 – showed that they have some chutzpah by outrageously courting Los Angeles Laker Ron Artest this summer.
Player-to-Watch – solid big man, Matt Schneck (if, as expected, Artest is a no-show). Placing – Mid.
Durham Wildcats – BBL new boys, will have to take their lumps.
Player-to-Watch – old Father Time himself, Ralph Bucci.
Placing – Basement.
Glasgow Rocks – set up to grind out the Ws again.
Player-to-Watch – greybeard guard, EJ Harrison (PJ signed him for Guildford a few years back, and he was old then (EJ not PJ!).
Placing – Mid.
Guildford Heat – crafty overachievers.
Player-to-Watch – another wily veteran of the BBL, creaking small forward, Julius Joseph.
Placing – Lower to mid.
Leicester Riders – coach Paternostro uncovers nuggets every year.
Player-to-Watch – returning high-scoring swingman, Bradd Wierzbicki.
Placing – Mid to high.
Mersey Tigers – not likely to have the have the cash to splash of previous seasons, will likely slide down the rankings accordingly.
Player-to-Watch – Cheeky Liverpool native, David Aliu.
Placing – Low.
Milton Keynes Lions – are finally lowering their average age, whilst allegedly upping the talent.
Player-to-Watch – sparkling guard, Demarius Bolds (a prospect for League MVP if he keeps his head in the game).
Placing – High.
Newcastle Eagles – the same old reliability and consistency no doubt.
Player-to-Watch – the ‘out to make a point’ guard, Joe Chapman.
Placing – (undoubtedly) High.
Plymouth Raiders – well-organised, well-supported, we’ll see how it goes.
Player-to-Watch – 6 foot 10 inch man in the middle, Paul Williams.
Placing – Mid to high.
Sheffield Sharks – will again do the basics well, whilst certainly signing up some stars this year.
Player-to-Watch – outstanding Great Britain veteran guard, Nate Reinking.
Placing – High.
As for us, I’m looking at top six…
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Post by Solly on May 29, 2020 14:58:49 GMT
In 2011-12 I was getting more and more into providing material for the Wolves besides the programme articles.
Accordingly, before I post up more of the programme articles, I'll repro the player intros from that year. I particularly had a lot of fun with thinking up the newspaper headlines.
So here's the first of the summer signings, the return of David Watts.
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Watts On For Wolves
England International forward David ‘Tin-Tin’ Watts has become Worcester Wolves first summer signing, ahead of the new 2011/12 season.
After an impressive debut season in the British Basketball League where he averaged 11 points per game, Watts was one of the key players that Wolves Coach Paul James sought to re-sign as he looks to build a squad capable of improving on last year’s ninth-place finish.
James expressed his pleasure at seeing Watts return to Worcester:
“David took the step up from the national leagues last year and easily proved that he belongs at this level.
“There were some matches last season where his three-point shooting was simply stunning. He is working hard to improve other aspects of his game, and will be a great asset to the team that I am building.”
Next Thursday (16 June), trials are being held at the University of Worcester, between 7pm and 9pm, for the Wolves Boys under 18 and under 16 sides, and James sees Mansfield-born Watts as an example of what home-grown players can achieve:
“David worked his way up through junior programs, listening to advice on how he could develop, and he is now representing his country.
“Any boys out there who are interested in taking the first step in trying to emulate Tin-Tin’s achievements should come down to the University next week.”
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Post by Solly on May 29, 2020 15:01:32 GMT
Next up was a Spanish newbie.
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A Learning Experience for Carlos
Worcester Wolves new signing Carlos Fernandez feels he is on a win-win situation with the Wolves. While he will benefit academically from the opportunity to study at the University of Worcester, he will also be able to further his basketball knowledge.
“What really attracted me to the Wolves is the team that Coach James has built, said Fernandez.
“There is an exciting mix of young hungry guys and some proven players in the BBL. I think I can learn a lot from the coach and my teammates, and it will be a great experience for me.
“The opportunity to take my master’s degree while playing high-level basketball has also been decisive.”
However the 23 year old small forward is fully prepared to pay back to the team for what he is getting:
“I will bring passion for the game. I like to play hard every single minute, and I’m an unselfish player.
“I can read the game, and give the team what it needs at any given time. I think I can also use some of the experience I have earned in the last two years playing in a top competition like the LEB Gold.”
Carlos feels that the mix of his stint with Leon in the second-tier of the Spanish League, and his time at Illinois Tech, set him up well for what he will see in the BBL:
“The opportunity I had of playing college basketball in USA was really important for me. I learnt a different basketball style and I grew up as a player.
“As a professional, I would say the highlights have been the unexpected playoff appearances in the last two seasons in Spain. However, I expect some more great moments to come in a Worcester Wolves jersey.”
After a lively stint in the pre-season victory over Reading Rockets where he scored six points and played his part in holding the Rockets scoreless for the entire third quarter, Carlos will look to maintain his output in this Saturday’s season opener against the Guildford Heat.
The game tips off at 7pm at the University of Worcester.
James talked about the new signing: “Carlos only got limited minutes last year at Leon due to the calibre of player he was playing behind.
“However you cannot doubt the quality of the competition he has been involved in, and I know he is going to be a good addition to the team.
“There will be a chance for him to earn greater minutes in the BBL, and use the experience he has gained from the LEB Gold.”
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Post by Solly on May 29, 2020 15:05:25 GMT
And the return of Callum Jones, who would become captain, and the re-signing of Lithuanian big-man Alex Zimnickas.
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Back in the Pack
Worcester Wolves have announced the return of two of last season’s squad, 6 foot 5 inch English guard Callum Jones, and 6 foot 8 inch Lithuanian Alex Zimnickas.
Jones averaged 6 points and 2 assists in his first year at the Wolves, but this was from limited court time as he generally only played back-up minutes coming off the bench.
Wolves’ Director of Basketball Paul James is now looking for an increased contribution from the 25 year old guard:
“Callum showed some good bursts of form when called upon.
“This year now that he has completed his Masters degree at the University of Worcester, he will be able to concentrate totally on his game.
“Callum will get the opportunity of greater time on court, and it will now be up to him to justify those minutes, as it is for every player on the team.”
Zimnickas comes back to the Wolves after a hard-working first year where he accumulated 6 points and 3 rebounds per game.
James is particularly pleased about the work-ethic of the 27 year old power-forward:
“Alex is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He gives us size close to the basket, and will graft for the team.
“I’m sure with the experience of last season behind him, we will see improved numbers from Alex.”
James also revealed that more signings are imminent:
“The last few weeks have been pretty intense as I have considered the direction I want to take with this year’s side.
“We now have Callum and Alex alongside David Watts as players coming back to Worcester.
“Other players have been offered contracts, but now is the time for me to make some hard decisions.”
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Post by Solly on May 29, 2020 15:08:16 GMT
Next up was announcing the arrival of Tommy Freeman & Richie Gordon.
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American Duo Fly Into Worcester
Following his promise to shake up what he saw as last year’s under-achieving squad, Worcester Wolves Director of Basketball Paul James has now officially confirmed the signing of two new American imports.
6 foot 5 inch Tommy Freeman joins the Wolves after graduating from the University of Ohio in Division 1 of the NCAA. The 22 year old shooting guard averaged 11 points a game in his final season at the Ohio Bobcats, whilst making more than a third of his shots from long-range.
James described how Freeman will contribute:
“Tommy‘s stats, and more so his game DVDs, showed me that he is a proven scorer from distance and will be a good addition to our BBL team.
“He will be a threat that our opponents will have to take seriously. Alongside this he is a very hard-nosed player with a great work ethic who can take the ball to the basket, and set up plays for his team mates.”
Meanwhile fellow US college graduate 6 foot 9 inch Richie Gordon comes into the team at centre to replace the now-departed Justin Dobbins. Gordon played at Western Carolina University where he averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds a game.
James talked about what he sees in Gordon:
“I certainly see Richie as a really good addition to the Wolves. He will be our main man in the middle at the centre position.
“He can play close to the basket, but has the versatility and athleticism to step outside when he is required to.
“Like Tommy this will be his first year out of college, and they are both very eager to pit their talents against the best the BBL has to offer.”
James gave his thoughts on the re-shaping that is taking place at the Wolves:
“I don’t think I’ve ever been worried about starting over with a team.
“I really feel that last season’s team did not perform to its potential. On reflection I see the possible reasons why.
“Now is the time for me to mix things up and try and get a better balance of players who are hungry and want to be a part of the Wolves programme.”
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Post by Solly on May 29, 2020 15:11:39 GMT
And Sherrad Prezzie-Blue stepped over from Worthing (having previously stepped up from Northampton Neptunes).
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Prezzie-Blue Takes the Point
Worcester Wolves have confirmed the identity of the player who will take the last available import spot for the new season, beginning this October.
Director of Basketball Paul James is delighted to announce the capture of former Worthing Thunder guard 5 foot 11 inch Sherrad Prezzie-Blue:
“Sherrad is a proven player in the BBL. He is a true point guard and will be one of the leaders on our team.”
Last season 24 years old Prezzie-Blue averaged 19 points, 3 assists and 2 steals per game, whilst making more than a third of his shots from three-point range.
The American spent a couple of seasons at Worthing, increasing his contribution each year. He is confident about what he can bring to the Wolves:
“I am looking forward to playing for Coach James and making an impact for the Wolves.
“I love the style of the coach, and feel that I will fit in well to his system. I think it will be a great season, and I’m looking forward to getting to know the Wolves supporters.”
James confirmed that the signing of Prezzie-Blue will mean that neither of former Wolves stalwarts Rod Middleton or Danny Gilbert will be returning to Worcester:
“I have had to think hard about the make-up of this year’s team.
“I firstly re-signed three of our quality players in Callum Jones, David Watts and Alex Zimnickas. At the same time as getting back those familiar faces, I have made the decision to take on board three new overseas players.
“Tommy Freeman and Richie Gordon are fresh out of US colleges and want to prove they merit pro contracts. Sherrad has already proven his game in the BBL, but now wants a new challenge, so he will also be eager to get stuck in.
“It was a tough call to lose Rod and Danny as they have contributed a lot to the club, but keeping all of the same players at Wolves could have led to another year of under-achieving.”
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Post by Solly on May 30, 2020 15:16:04 GMT
Today I have mostly been watching a feast of NRL.
In the usual fashion, I have had to do something in return for Mrs S. in order to continue her tolerance of my monopolisation of the only 55-incher in this house. She has use of a 32-incher, but only in the bedroom.
Accordingly, I have agreed to a match or two of backgammon. I think it likely that I will also need to be crafty enough to allow her a victory at said game.
Anyway, on to the latest repro, from 2011-12
1. The opening to that season featured Trophy encounters.
2. Have just realised that I did not previously post up a signing article for Arnas Kazlauskas. My archive of material has failed me for this player.
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I have to confess that I was unable to make any of our recent road games, but I do have some justification.
First off, the trips to Plymouth and to Glasgow are the lengthiest we will make in any season, and second-off the return trips seem even longer when we lose.
Having said that, I have made those journeys plenty of times in the past only to see us (mostly) get soundly spanked, so what made me more pessimistic this time?
Well it was the game most of you will have seen with me 3 weeks ago when we were embarrassed by Plymouth on our own court. This followed good displays against Reading and Guildford, meaning the embarrassment was even harder to bear.
What a turnaround it was then that we got Ws at both ends of the country, 96-85 at Raiders and 78-73 at Rocks.
I had even suggested that the Raider’s game was a ‘dead rubber’, leaving me to consume a slice of humble pie when the team showed that it was much more than that.
Anyway, here’s my pithy on how everyone contributed to the victories (Plymouth stats first/ then Glasgow) -
Sherrad Prezzie-Blue - 19pts, 3 x 3ptr/ 21pts, 3 x 3ptr. Marshalled the troops.
Tommy Freeman - 21pts/ Nil pts. Hot and cold.
Richie Gordon - 22pts, 10 rebounds/12pts, 7 rebounds. Big Dog.
David Watts - 5pts/ 8pts, 11 rebounds. Dogged determination in Scotland.
Callum Jones - 4pts/ 16pts. A Captain’s performance versus the Rocks.
Alex Zimnickas – Nil pts/ 8pts, 9 rebounds. Dependable.
Arnas Kazlauskas - 15pts, 3 x 3ptr, 8 rebounds/ 7pts, 4 assists. Inside and outside threat.
Carlos Fernandez – 10pts, 3 assists/ 6pts, 5 rebounds, 3 assists. Hardworking.
Courtney Van-Beest – Limited minutes.
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Post by Solly on Jun 1, 2020 13:58:08 GMT
Today's repro is a non-Wolves one, continuing in the 2011-12 season.
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If everything runs to plan then in a year or so you should be reading your programme not here on the University bleachers, but in the luxurious surroundings of the new Worcester Arena, down by the river. An exciting prospect indeed.
Talking about exciting venues, with no road games to report back on I thought I would relate a few tales about venues I have travelled to whilst following the marvellous game of basketball.
Now while I just said ‘exciting’, perhaps a more appropriate word to describe some of the venues I have visited would be ‘interesting’ as, like so many aspects of this sport, there have been some highs and some lows.
In fact I could probably write an article solely about the highly-nomadic Birmingham Bullets, but I’ll maybe save that for another day.
For now, I’m going to give a wider rundown of a few places (albeit limiting myself to those places linked to British Basketball) -
Top of the Shop
National Indoor Arena Birmingham – currently used for the Cup and Championship Finals, and one time home venue for the Bullets where they once pulled in a stunning crowd of well over ten thousand.
Good – great sightlines.
Bad – lack of atmosphere unless well-filled.
O2 Arena London – regular stopping off point for NBA exhibition (and latterly regular-season) matches. Also utilised for GB games.
Good – plush, modern and generally well-attended.
Bad – sometimes troublesome location. Outrageous parking charges, (at £20 two or three years back), forcing use of the tube or, when there is a labour dispute on the tube, the ferry.
Fribourg University Switzerland – OK, this one is on the list as its dead personal to me. Home of Benneton Fribourg Olympic and where, back in 2002, I saw the Bullets triumph 70-63, on their way to a fine 6-4 record in Europe.
Good – small, but well-formed arena.
Bad – hard to fault as the memories are often only rosy when you witness such a hard-earned W.
Down in the Dark
The Derby Thunderdome – up to 2002 there was a BBL team in Derby. Previously known as the Rams and then the Bucks, the Derby Storm came into being under an ambitious owner who had the big idea of the club building their own arena. Yes it seemed like a good idea, but maybe the saying ‘don’t start what you can’t finish’ sums up what happened.
Good - enthusiastic crowds.
Bad – still looked like the cash and carry warehouse it was converted from. Also red-hot singe-your-bonce time if you sat under one of the roof’s electric bar heaters, or freeze-your-taters time if you parked yourself anywhere else.
Walsall University Sports Hall - an example of how the mighty can fall. One of the later homes of the Bullets as they struggled to retain the last few of those fans who had once luxuriated at the NIA.
Good – a lot of the time no-one bothered to collect an entrance fee.
Bad – for a start, the location was quite a long way north of the town bearing the team’s name: it would be like Wolves being based in Redditch. There were some other dodgy points, but one of the funniest was that the court was barely separated from other areas where judo/squash etc. frequently took place: at one game a rather truculent lady walked diagonally across mid-court as play was in progress, and paid no heed to pleas from the match-night commentator to depart.
Anyway, there is so much more I could write, but it will have to wait for another day as I’ve now used up my allotted space in the programme...
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Post by Solly on Jun 3, 2020 14:37:14 GMT
A 2011 trip to Mersey.
Quite a contrast to the few years before...
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I can recall a game maybe four seasons back when Everton Tigers were flying high with the likes of League MVP Andre (The Giant) Smith in their side, yet we went up to Liverpool and pulled off a remarkable win.
It was even more remarkable because it was our first ever road win in the BBL, and one of very few wins that we got at all in those days.
Fast forward then to last Friday, and once more I was in (the suburbs) of Liverpool, but there have been a few changes.
First off the Tigers venue: they used to play somewhere in Toxteth that was a nightmare to find, and where you would have to park down an unlit rather Halloween-istic lane.
Now they are based at a fabulous new sports centre in Knowsley that is nicely located near to the M57, has copious onsite parking, and lovely cushioned tiered seating in the sports hall, complemented by sumptuous leather armchairs in the reception area.
That’s the positive: the downside for the Tigers organisation is the team. They are undoubted triers, but seem to lack players with the guile that their former big-spending would have attracted.
Don’t get me wrong, I never want to see another club struggling, but it is just sad to see such a contrast in fortunes, in such a short period of time. If foundations are built on sand then it is just a matter of when, not if, that problems will emerge.
Anyway, on to the game. We are now in the Cup semi-finals, where we will face tonight’s visitors, the Raiders over two legs. 91-62, a sound spanking of our opponents you might say. Well it was indeed a comfortable margin of victory, but the final score obscures the full story.
In the first quarter we struggled. The two week break must have disrupted our rhythm. 1-7 down early doors, and still trailing 14-19 at the first break.
Travels from Tommy, Carlos and Prezzie, and uncharacteristic weak stuff from Richie close to the basket. Even by half-time we had still only eked out a slender 34-31 advantage.
But then wow, what a third quarter: Arnas for three, Richie for a long two, and Tommy goes from a paltry 6 points to a whopping 23!
Everything was going in, and there was no way back for the dispirited Tigers. More of the same in the last period, with showboating moves aplenty, and we stretched it out.
On to the individual breakdown:
Sherrad Prezzie-Blue - 23pts. Quicksilver.
Tommy Freeman – 23pts, 3 x 3ptr, 4-4 from the line. Cold in the first half, hot in the second. One day this guy could hit forty.
Richie Gordon - 27pts, 15 rebounds. Conbasketball kited aggression. Tonight’s MVP.
David Watts –Nil pts. A quiet night for Tin-Tin.
Alex Zimnickas – Nil pts. Ditto.
Callum Jones - 6pts. Calm when called upon.
Arnas Kazlauskas - 5pts. Hardworking.
Carlos Fernandez – 7pts. Energetic.
Courtney Van-Beest/Eoghann Dover – Limited minutes.
One last thing, some great half-time entertainment: 50-50 raffle - £30 to take away, or £60 if making a three.
The guy who won it must have been a ringer, twirls the ball around, blows on his fingers and nothing but net. Sign him up Mersey...
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