No Worthing in the BBL this year. So unlike last year, this preview will be short and sour.
Cheshire Jets
Sadly, the dream of signing LA Lakers forward Ron Artest (or Metta World Peace, as he is now known) never came to fruition due to insurance problems. The Jets, therefore, have had to rely on more conventional means of recruitment. Returnee's include US centre Matt Schneck, and 6'7'' Irishman Colin O'Reilly. However, last season's American stars Jeremy Bell and Quemont Greer are conspicuous in their absence. Replacing them are 6'4'' Adam Brown, and 6'9'' Bill Cole, both fresh out of college. Gareth Murray has headed back north to Glasgow, prompting veteran Shawn Myers to make a return to Jets for what seems like his billionth season. Young Manchester born guard Keith Page will also compete for minutes.
The question: can Adam Brown replicate Jeremy Bell's success? Bell attained BBL MVP last season, and led the Jets in scoring. The 5'11'' Bell's shoes are going to be tough to fill, as they are much bigger proverbially than they are physically.
Prediction: assuming they can avoid injuries, Jets should be aiming for home court advantage in the playoffs, though top 4 might be a bit of a push. Certainly they would be bad to finish outside of the top 6.
Durham Wildcats
Ralph Bucci will probably be the key to Wildcats season. The 35 year old has finally got his chance to show the BBL what he is made of (admittedly taking a few years to ply his trade in the top Greek league) after playing a few seasons in the EBL for the Teesside Mohawks. Bucci is a skilled scorer, and will be dangerous every night. The Wildcats have added American forwards 6'9'' Mario Flaherty, 6'7'' Fred Hinnencamp and 6'6'' Mike Capocci none of whom appear likely to set the world alight, but should be solid contributers. DJ Glavan, a 5'11'' American guard also appears to have been signed, however, this would raise Wildcats number of non-EU imports to 4, which is 1 too many. Perhaps one of the four Americans has an EU passport, making him eligible?
The question: are the Brit's ready? Paul Elderkin, Chris Pearce, Stephen Jones and a few others return from the EBL team of last year. They did a decent job at EBL level, but whether they are up to the BBL's standard is yet to be seen.
Prediction: they are new to the league, and they'll take a while to find their feet. I expect a few early season blowouts against the good teams, but by the end of the season they will be well drilled and a legitimate challenge for everyone. I'd be surprised if they didn't finish last, however.
Glasgow Rocks
An eclectic mix of experience, youth, veterans, new-blood and unknown quantities make the Rocks a difficult team to predict. You pretty much know what you're getting from EJ Harrison, Sterling Davis and Gareth Murray, and these guys will be the backbone of the team. But new Americans 6'4'' guard Mychal Green and 6'9'' big-man Deaundre Cranston are more difficult to call. 6'6'' swing man Andrew Wedemire, is a Canadian with a British passport - he's new too, but is endearing himself to fans during the pre-season with some gritty performances. 6'4'' Danny Huffor also has a UK passport, but hasn't really proved himself yet.
The question: is one big-man enough? Deaundre Cranston will be manning the middle his own, and championship contenders without back-ups are scarce.
Prediction: this team should have the talent to make the playoffs, but with little in terms of strength on depth or post-presence, I think it's unlikely they push any of the top teams too hard. On the other hand perennial under-achievers MK Lions, Leicester Riders and Plymouth Raiders might falter, leaving an opening for the Rocks to sneak into the upper echelon.
Guildford Heat
Guildford's team has plenty of familiar faces, including English stars 6'7'' Mike Martin, plus 6'5'' swing-men Julius Joseph and Tayo Ogedengbe. Martelle McLemore, the Heat's 6'5'' American guard is also back for his second season. However, there is some new-blood too; new import point guard Brandon Shingles has made the move from a low level German division, and the Heat have snagged a couple of European big men: 6'10'' Austrian Herman Opoku, and 6'8'' Belgian Kandi Mukole. Potentially waiting on another import too.
The question: can Martin and Joseph do it again? Guildford's English stalwarts Mike Martin and Julius Joseph have a tendency to carry the team, but they are both another year older, and Joseph was looking noticeably slow in pre-season; how much do they have left?
Prediction: there's room for another import signing, so the Heat could conceivably become stronger, but right now I see them struggling on the edge of the playoffs.
Leicester Riders
Probably the BBL's deepest team, with considerable depth at a number of positions. New import point guard Cameron Rundles, joins two ex-Riders who have returned for this years campaign; GB ace Flinder Boyd, and sharp-shooter Bradd Wierzbicki. It remains to be seen as to whether US/Italian guard John Griffin (who Flinder Boyd was drafted in to replace when he sustained a thumb injury) will return later in the season. Riders have a couple of highly capable new swingmen in 6'5'' American Ayron Hardy, and 6'7'' Brit Jamell Anderson, one of the few bright sparks in Essex Pirates whipping-boy performance last season. There is plenty of talent in the Riders front court too, with 6'9'' US returnee Frank Holmes clogging the paint, alongside veteran Robert Youngblood and experienced Brits Tom Sherlock and Barry Lamble.
The question: will they find a balance? There's an awful lot of talent there, and trying to fit these guys all into one 40-minute basketball game will be a tough task for coach Rob Paternostro.
Prediction: if they can find a balance, Riders should be aiming for the top 4. They might well have the league's best back-court.
Mersey Tigers
David Aliu and Andrew Sullivan are the only confirmed names on the Tigers' teamsheet at the time of writing. Nate Reinking, James Jones, Tap Toney and Andrew Thomson have all moved on to new teams. And the Tigers appear to be having some difficulties, as they have had to postpone the first game of their season. I hope Tigers find a solution quickly, and we can all get back to enjoying basketball. I get the feeling that once they get a team together Tigers will be a decent outfit, and should make the playoffs. But again this is just a gut feeling. I will also speculate (without any inside knowledge whatsoever) that this years Tigers team will feature Yorick Williams, Alan Metcalfe and Trey Moore. Let's see how my predictions go.
The question: will there be a Mersey Tigers at the end of the BBL season? Who knows.
Prediction: if they can get themselves sorted out, they have the advantage of a very experience and very good coach in Tony Garboletto, who should see them to the playoffs.
Milton Keynes Lions
Milton Keynes are another team with plenty of depth. The front court will be held together by 6'9'' American pair Howard Crawford and Daniel Northern, and 6'10'' Brit Adrien Sturt. The Lions have done well to retain the services of dynamic guard pair, 5'10'' Manchester-born Stefan Gill, and 6'4'' American Demarius Bolds, but they have also managed to strengthen themselves with the services of Portuguese point guard Nuno Pedroso. Young British forwards Carl Josey and Nathan Schall complete the line up.
The question: how will the new big guys play together? Northern and Crawford are both unknowns in the BBL though they both have decent pedigree abroad. The Lions attempt at two bigs last year failed drastically but if these two can co-exist they will be a real force.
Prediction: Gill and Bolds can be relied upon, and Sturt should be a different man with a good team around him, so new boys Northern, Crawford and Pedroso will be the difference between the Lions as a title contender, or a disappointing scrappy battle for the 7th or 8th playoff spot.
Newcastle Eagles
If there is one thing you can rely upon in the BBL these days, it's that the Newcastle Eagles will be a title contender. This year is no different. Retaining their core of stars including Charles Smith, Joe Chapman, Andrew Bridge, Darius Defoe and player-coach Fab Flournoy, the Eagles are poised to succeed once again. Joining the old hands are rookie point guard Paul Gause, straight from the US, and one of the BBL's top British talent's, 6'10'' Andrew Thomson. There's still a permit place available for the Eagles, and the rumours seem to suggest a return for tenacious scoring guard Drew Lasker.
The question: can Defoe bounce back? Last year was a disappointing season for British big-man Darius Defoe, but he'll need to be a force inside this time round, as Eagles lack front-court depth.
Prediction: Eagles will be contenders for all the prizes.
Plymouth Raiders
This summer's big spenders are the Plymouth Raiders. They have recruited in all the smartest ways. 1) Bringing in stars from last seasons top teams including 6'10'' American centre Paul Williams from Sheffield, 6'4'' GB international guard James Jones from Mersey and towering 7'0'' centre Tomas Janusauskas from Guildford. 2) Retaining the best from last year: forwards Lehmon Colbert and Anthony Rowe have re-signed. 3) Adding genuine talents from European teams: 5'11'' American guard Ben Smith, and 6'3'' European passport holder Ryan Read. 4) Recruiting sought after prospects from college: naturalised swingman Michael Ojo.
The question: how will the team chemistry work? How long will the players take to learn each other's games, and will they mesh?
Prediction: Raiders should be aiming for a top 4 finish, and really they should have enough talent to take the title. The transition that new point guard Ben Smith makes to the BBL will be the key, as he dominated the Swedish top division.
Sheffield Sharks
Another of the BBL's perennial success stories, the Sharks once again look like a strong outfit this season. Player-coach Atiba Lyons has retained the services of star British forwards Mike Tuck and Olu Babalola, and also done a bit of shopping with two stars from last year's BBL, GB international guard Nate Reinking and American forward Justin Dobbins. The Sharks have also signed American point guard BJ Jennings. They still have a permit place available, with Danny Gilbert, a potential target.
The question: are they big enough? The Sharks have burly forwards Justin Dobbins and Olu Babalola, but with no one on their roster above 6'8'' the Sharks could struggle against taller teams.
Prediction: the Sharks should once again be looking for a top 3 finish, but I suspect they are more likely to have success in a cup competition.
Worcester Wolves
The Wolves have reshuffled their pack, outing all three imports from last season. In their place come ex-Thunder point guard Sherrad Prezzie-Blue (who, obviously, the Thunder Chronicle wishes every success), 6'5'' swingman Tommy Freeman, and 6'9'' centre Richie Gordon, the latter two coming straight out of college. Wolves have kept hold of forwards Dave Watts and Aleksas Zimnickas, and highly rated British guard Callum Jones. There are a highly of new additions from Europe too: 6'9'' centre Arnas Kazlauskas, who continues their Lithuanian tradition, and Spanish forward Carlos Fernandez.
The question: can Jones and Watts step it up? Wolves roster does not run particularly deep this year, and it is likely that the British pair will see their minutes extended. They will be integral to any of the midland's club's success.
Prediction: Paul James stated that the reason for getting rid of his three imports was to stop underachieving. However, I don't really see a path to success for Wolves. They've signed an American point guard who played for one of the only teams to finish below them (no questioning S P-B's talent here), and also two untested imports. Arguably last season's best find: Sam Cricelli (another ex-Worthing player) has moved on to Europe. The Wolves will likely compete with Durham for the bottom spot.
Showing posts with label BBL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BBL. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Ralph Bucci, and a look at the quality of British basketball over the last 10 years.
Last weekend saw big news for basketball up in the north of England.
A match in EBL Division 2 was played between Tees Valley Mohawks and Sheffield Arrows, two teams recently demoted from EBL Division 1, the league below the BBL.
It should probably have been a fairly tight encounter, but it wasn't. And the reason for that is almost certainly the return to Teesside of veteran guard Ralph Bucci. Ralph played for the Mohawks a number of years back, marrying a local girl and earning a British passport. His career has taken him to the top league in Greece, one of the best in the world. And at the age of 35 he is back in Britain, playing in a league that is far below his level of ability. The Mohawks blew out the Arrows 122-72, with Bucci scoring a game high 34.
6'4'' Bucci could still play at BBL level. He'd probably start. And he'd probably be better than the majority of the guards.
This perhaps says something a little worrying about the state of the BBL. And a point that can be made by looking at the past.
Let's look at the Teesside Mohawks team from the 2002/2003 season. Just eight years ago. Here's the context, in the form of a pleasant nostalgic anecdote:
I don't remember following the EBL Division 1 (or the NBL, as it was known back then). I was too young to really take an interest in much outside of what the Worthing (nee Brighton) Bears were doing.
But I took a passing interest in the league below the BBL if only because of Worthing Thunder, who I would follow occasionally.
I don't remember much, and researching has been quite fun, but I do remember that Teesside were one of the top teams, and for a while were the very best. I also remember, however, that there was a marked difference between the quality of the NBL and the BBL. In short, Teesside Mohawks, despite being the best the NBL had, couldn't really compete with the BBL teams.
The 02/03 Mohawks team featured American guard EJ Harrison who is currently considered one of the best point guards in the BBL. Ralph Bucci who, as we mentioned, played in the top Greek league last year and was a decent contributor. Steve Pilkington a 6'7'' Australian with a British passport who played in the Aussie second division last year (probably about BBL level). Carl Miller who was a veteran former GB forward international and was still very good. Lijah Perkins a Birmingham born power forward who moved to Finland a couple of years later and was named MVP of their second division (probably not far below current BBL level). Jason Swaine an England international shooting guard with a great 3-point shot. Steve Butler a highly talented local lad who definitely had BBL-level talent (and is currently the Mohawks head coach). James Nicholson a young British guard who was one of the best in the league a couple years later. Big Jon Stonebridge a 6'10'' centre who was always dependable. And a number of others.
The point is, if you transferred this team from the 02/03 NBL to the 10/11 BBL, and I think that, not only would they compete, but they would win a lot of games. The back court of Harrison and Bucci in their prime, a front court of top British talent and a deep, skilled bench. Hell, they'd probably win the BBL.
And as I mentioned earlier, the Mohawks of 02/03, were soundly beaten by the teams of the BBL (as I recall, and my memory is a little hazy and internet sources on such things are pretty few and far between). You could argue that this isn't surprising as the BBL used to allow up to five permit players per team (it was reduced to four, and is currently at three) and traditionally permit players are usually the strongest players on the teams. Nevertheless, you only have to look at the talent involved on that Teesside Mohawks team to realise that the quality of teams in the BBL has declined significantly.
Now I am all for more British players on BBL teams, and certainly I think I would even prefer a league based entirely on British players. The Mersey Tigers have this year managed to recruit a team that is virtually 100% British and they are going to be one of the best teams. As the Tigers have done, I would much rather we see British spending what little money they have on bringing in maybe three highly talented Brits rather than three cheap Americans and a couple of further Europeans.
A match in EBL Division 2 was played between Tees Valley Mohawks and Sheffield Arrows, two teams recently demoted from EBL Division 1, the league below the BBL.
It should probably have been a fairly tight encounter, but it wasn't. And the reason for that is almost certainly the return to Teesside of veteran guard Ralph Bucci. Ralph played for the Mohawks a number of years back, marrying a local girl and earning a British passport. His career has taken him to the top league in Greece, one of the best in the world. And at the age of 35 he is back in Britain, playing in a league that is far below his level of ability. The Mohawks blew out the Arrows 122-72, with Bucci scoring a game high 34.
6'4'' Bucci could still play at BBL level. He'd probably start. And he'd probably be better than the majority of the guards.
This perhaps says something a little worrying about the state of the BBL. And a point that can be made by looking at the past.
Let's look at the Teesside Mohawks team from the 2002/2003 season. Just eight years ago. Here's the context, in the form of a pleasant nostalgic anecdote:
I don't remember following the EBL Division 1 (or the NBL, as it was known back then). I was too young to really take an interest in much outside of what the Worthing (nee Brighton) Bears were doing.
But I took a passing interest in the league below the BBL if only because of Worthing Thunder, who I would follow occasionally.
I don't remember much, and researching has been quite fun, but I do remember that Teesside were one of the top teams, and for a while were the very best. I also remember, however, that there was a marked difference between the quality of the NBL and the BBL. In short, Teesside Mohawks, despite being the best the NBL had, couldn't really compete with the BBL teams.
The 02/03 Mohawks team featured American guard EJ Harrison who is currently considered one of the best point guards in the BBL. Ralph Bucci who, as we mentioned, played in the top Greek league last year and was a decent contributor. Steve Pilkington a 6'7'' Australian with a British passport who played in the Aussie second division last year (probably about BBL level). Carl Miller who was a veteran former GB forward international and was still very good. Lijah Perkins a Birmingham born power forward who moved to Finland a couple of years later and was named MVP of their second division (probably not far below current BBL level). Jason Swaine an England international shooting guard with a great 3-point shot. Steve Butler a highly talented local lad who definitely had BBL-level talent (and is currently the Mohawks head coach). James Nicholson a young British guard who was one of the best in the league a couple years later. Big Jon Stonebridge a 6'10'' centre who was always dependable. And a number of others.
The point is, if you transferred this team from the 02/03 NBL to the 10/11 BBL, and I think that, not only would they compete, but they would win a lot of games. The back court of Harrison and Bucci in their prime, a front court of top British talent and a deep, skilled bench. Hell, they'd probably win the BBL.
And as I mentioned earlier, the Mohawks of 02/03, were soundly beaten by the teams of the BBL (as I recall, and my memory is a little hazy and internet sources on such things are pretty few and far between). You could argue that this isn't surprising as the BBL used to allow up to five permit players per team (it was reduced to four, and is currently at three) and traditionally permit players are usually the strongest players on the teams. Nevertheless, you only have to look at the talent involved on that Teesside Mohawks team to realise that the quality of teams in the BBL has declined significantly.
Now I am all for more British players on BBL teams, and certainly I think I would even prefer a league based entirely on British players. The Mersey Tigers have this year managed to recruit a team that is virtually 100% British and they are going to be one of the best teams. As the Tigers have done, I would much rather we see British spending what little money they have on bringing in maybe three highly talented Brits rather than three cheap Americans and a couple of further Europeans.
The Weakest Link
So far this season I have seen a few of the BBL teams, either at the 'Thunderdome' or on the BBL on Sky Sports on Tuesday. I haven't seen them all yet, so we'll have a a follow-up post to this once I have.
Lets take a look at who are the weakest links in the teams I have seen:
Worthing Thunder - I feel bad for giving the Thunder a weakest link. They are an understrength squad doing a difficult job and I think we can expect to see much better from them as the season goes on. Returning coach Gary Smith will hopefully be able to get the best of the players. But right now, the weakest link of the Worthing Thunder is Mansour Mbye. Mansour has a lot of talent, but he needs to be a bit more unselfish and show a bit more heart defensively.
Newcastle Eagles - I've only seen Newcastle on the TV, but from watching them, and from looking at the stats, it's clear that big man Kadiri Richard just isn't doing enough. Brought in as a defensive and rebounding specialist, I just feel that to be at the same level as last year Richard needs to give a lot more inside. The offense certainly isn't geared towards big-men in this incarnation of the Eagles but right now Darius Defoe is the only inside threat, and Newcastle will lose games because of it.
Guildford Heat - On paper, Guildford have one of the best squads in the league. They should especially be strong inside, veteran Mike Martin and 7'0'' Lithuanian Tomas Janusauskas could really dominate if they were placed next to a skilled and versatile American. But James Porter has not been that. It's difficult to come into the BBL as a rookie and contribute straight away, but Porter has missed an opportunity to carve out a niche as a quiet contributor as the defense is drawn to the bigger names.
Sheffield Sharks - Until he was released, big Brit Richard McNutt would probably have counted as the weak Shark link. But he has been replaced by the excellent powerful forward Olu Babalola. The Sharks have seven very strong players (including player coach Atiba Lyons) but unfortunately the weak link here is depth. Beyond the main seven Sharks have very little, and a couple of injuries would be catastrophic to their (currently fairly reasonable) title chances.
Worcester Wolves - Maybe a little controversial, especially given how well he performed in the second half of last season, but this year point guard Rod Middleton has been the weakest link for the Wolves. He's shooting badly, his assist numbers are down and he appears short on confidence. Rumours say he is carrying a bit of an injury, but Wolves are going to need much more from him if they want to fulfil their potential.
Essex Pirates - This is another difficult one. An argument could probably be made for inexperience, lack of import Americans or no natural point guard or big-men being the weakest link. And while it feels means to single out a player on a team who have been very poor, and at times out of their depth, but Colin Sing has disappointed me. I really felt Sing could have a breakout year at BBL level. He has the pedigree, and his history suggests he has the talent, but my experience of his play was that he was lacking in confidence and looked uncomfortable. I hope he fulfil his potential (although have the odd off-game against Thunder).
That's your lot for now. I'll do the other six when I have seen them.
Lets take a look at who are the weakest links in the teams I have seen:
Worthing Thunder - I feel bad for giving the Thunder a weakest link. They are an understrength squad doing a difficult job and I think we can expect to see much better from them as the season goes on. Returning coach Gary Smith will hopefully be able to get the best of the players. But right now, the weakest link of the Worthing Thunder is Mansour Mbye. Mansour has a lot of talent, but he needs to be a bit more unselfish and show a bit more heart defensively.
Newcastle Eagles - I've only seen Newcastle on the TV, but from watching them, and from looking at the stats, it's clear that big man Kadiri Richard just isn't doing enough. Brought in as a defensive and rebounding specialist, I just feel that to be at the same level as last year Richard needs to give a lot more inside. The offense certainly isn't geared towards big-men in this incarnation of the Eagles but right now Darius Defoe is the only inside threat, and Newcastle will lose games because of it.
Guildford Heat - On paper, Guildford have one of the best squads in the league. They should especially be strong inside, veteran Mike Martin and 7'0'' Lithuanian Tomas Janusauskas could really dominate if they were placed next to a skilled and versatile American. But James Porter has not been that. It's difficult to come into the BBL as a rookie and contribute straight away, but Porter has missed an opportunity to carve out a niche as a quiet contributor as the defense is drawn to the bigger names.
Sheffield Sharks - Until he was released, big Brit Richard McNutt would probably have counted as the weak Shark link. But he has been replaced by the excellent powerful forward Olu Babalola. The Sharks have seven very strong players (including player coach Atiba Lyons) but unfortunately the weak link here is depth. Beyond the main seven Sharks have very little, and a couple of injuries would be catastrophic to their (currently fairly reasonable) title chances.
Worcester Wolves - Maybe a little controversial, especially given how well he performed in the second half of last season, but this year point guard Rod Middleton has been the weakest link for the Wolves. He's shooting badly, his assist numbers are down and he appears short on confidence. Rumours say he is carrying a bit of an injury, but Wolves are going to need much more from him if they want to fulfil their potential.
Essex Pirates - This is another difficult one. An argument could probably be made for inexperience, lack of import Americans or no natural point guard or big-men being the weakest link. And while it feels means to single out a player on a team who have been very poor, and at times out of their depth, but Colin Sing has disappointed me. I really felt Sing could have a breakout year at BBL level. He has the pedigree, and his history suggests he has the talent, but my experience of his play was that he was lacking in confidence and looked uncomfortable. I hope he fulfil his potential (although have the odd off-game against Thunder).
That's your lot for now. I'll do the other six when I have seen them.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Missere rejoins the Riders
6'8'' forward Phil Missere has signed for the Leicester Riders to fill their void of big-guys.
Technically Missere, who holds a European passport, was brought back as a temporary replacement for injured English big-man Andrew Bennett. But he now also has to fill in for American power forward Anthony Simpson, who left for a contract in Korea.
Bennett is expected back sometime after the Christmas break, and it is unclear whether Missere will remain at the club once he returns. Riders coach Rob Paternostro is also looking for an import player to replace Simpson. Although it is unlikely, even if a deal is signed, that paperwork will be completed for Riders next game at home against Guildford.
Technically Missere, who holds a European passport, was brought back as a temporary replacement for injured English big-man Andrew Bennett. But he now also has to fill in for American power forward Anthony Simpson, who left for a contract in Korea.
Bennett is expected back sometime after the Christmas break, and it is unclear whether Missere will remain at the club once he returns. Riders coach Rob Paternostro is also looking for an import player to replace Simpson. Although it is unlikely, even if a deal is signed, that paperwork will be completed for Riders next game at home against Guildford.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Thunder win a trophy game, then lose a championship game ... and Zabas.
Worthing Thunder, spurred by a fantastic peformance from Marlin Capers, logged their first win of the season as they triumphed 92-79 over the Plymouth Raiders. Capers had 28 points from an 11/17 shooting performance and was backed up by double-doubles from Durant and Nottley plus a great game and 21 points from Mansour Mbye.
This win came without star guard Evaldas Zabas who was suspiciously absent.
The next day, Thunder travelled north to Cheshire, where they lost to the Jets 74-67. It was a close game, with Thunder working hard to draw level in the final quarter, but in the end the deeper Jets had a little too much. Capers once again impressed, dropping 31 points, nearly half of Worthing's total. Another decent double-double performance from Nottley was useful, but Mbye was woeful, missing all 12 of his shots and turning over the ball 7 times.
Worthing also received the news that Evaldas Zabas had submitted a request to transfer to another BBL side. The side turned out to be the conquered Plymouth Raiders who have released England international Taner Adu.
This win came without star guard Evaldas Zabas who was suspiciously absent.
The next day, Thunder travelled north to Cheshire, where they lost to the Jets 74-67. It was a close game, with Thunder working hard to draw level in the final quarter, but in the end the deeper Jets had a little too much. Capers once again impressed, dropping 31 points, nearly half of Worthing's total. Another decent double-double performance from Nottley was useful, but Mbye was woeful, missing all 12 of his shots and turning over the ball 7 times.
Worthing also received the news that Evaldas Zabas had submitted a request to transfer to another BBL side. The side turned out to be the conquered Plymouth Raiders who have released England international Taner Adu.
Saturday, 9 October 2010
A couple of new signings
Two BBL clubs appear to be on the verge of some new signings: Essex Pirates, who certainly look like they need it, and Mersey Tigers, who certainly look like they don't.
The Pirates are rumoured to have picked up 6'10'' naturalised Australian forward/centre Adrien Sturt. The 24-year-old will add some much needed height to the Essex frontcourt, as so far they have been relying on young athletic forwards Sam Toluwase, Colin Sing, Jamell Anderson and Myles Hesson who are all undersized.
Pirates are missing a number of signings for the start of their season, including returning 6'9'' bigman Alan Metcalfe. The new signings yet to make their debuts include Americans Mike Mokeski, 6'9'' and Turner King 6'3'', and 6'8'' Brit Kene Anusionwu.
Once they have these players in place, Essex could be much more of a challenge than we have seen so far.
Mersey Tigers have also made the decision to bring in reinforcements as high scoring guard/forward Jerome Gumbs looks set to return. The 6'5'' swingman is from the US Virgin Islands, but also has a British passport. He played very well for the Tigers last season and makes this strong Mersey side even deeper. To me, Tigers look one guard away from dominating the BBL this season.
The Pirates are rumoured to have picked up 6'10'' naturalised Australian forward/centre Adrien Sturt. The 24-year-old will add some much needed height to the Essex frontcourt, as so far they have been relying on young athletic forwards Sam Toluwase, Colin Sing, Jamell Anderson and Myles Hesson who are all undersized.
Pirates are missing a number of signings for the start of their season, including returning 6'9'' bigman Alan Metcalfe. The new signings yet to make their debuts include Americans Mike Mokeski, 6'9'' and Turner King 6'3'', and 6'8'' Brit Kene Anusionwu.
Once they have these players in place, Essex could be much more of a challenge than we have seen so far.
Mersey Tigers have also made the decision to bring in reinforcements as high scoring guard/forward Jerome Gumbs looks set to return. The 6'5'' swingman is from the US Virgin Islands, but also has a British passport. He played very well for the Tigers last season and makes this strong Mersey side even deeper. To me, Tigers look one guard away from dominating the BBL this season.
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Plymouth Raiders - Team Preview
Plymouth Raiders
Point Guard: Raiders had one of the best British point guards in the league last year. Anthony Martin averaged 7.3 assists per game, one of the league leaders. Martin has swapped Britain for Denmark, though, and despite promising early recruitment Raiders now look probably the weakest team at the 1.
Raiders initally signed England international Matthew Guymon who looks a good prospect and could certainly develop into a decent player. But deep into Raiders' pre-season, Guymon pulled out for personal reasons, moving closer to home and signing for EBL side Reading Rockets.
Guymon is difficult to replace as Raiders have already signed three permit players, and there isn't really a glut of BBL level point guards around in the UK. Instead Plymouth now rely on stop-gap solutions including 6'3'' shooting guard/small forward Taner Adu who has good ball-handling skills but not the court vision of a true point. Adu will play the majority of the minutes here and as a player deserves more than the grade I will give for point guard, but he is out of position and would contribute more with a proper playmaker.
Guards Cody Toppert and Brian McKenzie will back-up the point until coach Gavin Love makes the decision to bring someone else in. On Raiders current performances it's clear that even if Guymon was still around, Plymouth would need more.
Grade: D+
Shooting Guard: Raiders have plenty of depth here, in fact if Guymon was still around the depth would be a bit scary. Aside from the aforementioned Adu Raider have signed 6'4'' American swingman Brian McKenzie and American/German shooter Cody Toppert.
Two highly contrasting styles: McKenzie is more of a powerful, athletic player bruising his to the hoop, whilst Toppert is primarily a shooter who can really punish a team if he gets hot. Together they make an intruiging combination especially if a point guard capable of setting them up is brought in.
Experiencd Toppert led German third division side BG Illertal with 18.9 ppg last term and should be a dependable scorer replacing erratic Englishman Ali Gall. McKenzie is fresh out of Providence College in America, where he was known as a lock-down defender and a pure athlete.
Jay Marriott is a better player than he has shown at BBL level. He has proved that, if given the minutes, he can contribute well, but once again Raiders appear to have too much swingman depth for him to see much more time.
Grade: B+
Small Forward: Samuel Cricelli was probably the highlight of Worthing Thunder's last year. He averaged 11 points and 6.8 rebounds playing out-of-position for much of the season. At Plymouth he has the opportunity to move to his more natural small forward, where he can come into his own as a strong defender and a skilled shooter.
He's a difficult match-up for most teams, especially considering the variety of back ups here. McKenzie and forward Lehmon Colbert will get the majority of the reserve minutes, although there may be a chance for Marriott to force his way into meaningful court-time.
Grade: B
Power Forward: 6'6'' American Lehmon Colbert would be somewhat undersized in Europe, but at BBL level he will be fine at the 4. Athletic and strong, Colbert has so far shown to be Plymouth's best player this season. New out of NCAA college Jacksonville, Colbert had 12 ppg and 7 rpg last season, and should be a dominant force inside.
Cricelli will also get minutes at the 4 when Raiders go small (hmmm, Cricelli is taller than Colbert...), likewise Anthony Rowe when they go big.
Grade: B
Centre: 6'8'' Anthony Rowe was a Plymouth junior who took his skills stateside and has returned a highly skilled player. He pulled down an impresive 8.6 rebounds per game last year and added 12.3 points. Admitedly, I haven't seen Rowe since he was much younger. I recall him as being slight but having long arms and a decent touch inside. It will be interesting to see how he has progressed.
Sharing time with Rowe is American Otis Polk. Polk is a big bruiser who has been criticised for his lack of athleticism and speed. He has certainly made a slow start to the season, showing only glimpses of promise, but Raiders have a rich history of powerfully built big-men. Terrance Durham and Carlton Aaron are two of the most memorable imports from their past. If Polk can live up to their standard he wont be shrort for minutes.
Grade: B+
Key Additions: I'm a big fan of free-scorer Taner Adu. He is such a great offensive threat, but would undoubtedly serve Raiders much better without the pressure of being the only player capable of playing the point.
Key Losses: I've said it before, but Raiders need a point guard more desperately than anything else. Anthony Martin would have been perfect, but they'll need to look elsewhere.
Full Roster:
Taner Adu 6'3'' SG/PG/SF
Jamie Burchell 6'5'' SF
Lehmon Colbert 6'6'' PF
Sam Cricelli 6'7'' SF/PF
Jay Marriott 6'5'' SG/SF
Brian McKenzie 6'4'' SG
Otis Polk 6'9'' C
Anthony Rowe 6'8'' PF/C
Cody Toppert 6'4'' SG
Point Guard: Raiders had one of the best British point guards in the league last year. Anthony Martin averaged 7.3 assists per game, one of the league leaders. Martin has swapped Britain for Denmark, though, and despite promising early recruitment Raiders now look probably the weakest team at the 1.
Raiders initally signed England international Matthew Guymon who looks a good prospect and could certainly develop into a decent player. But deep into Raiders' pre-season, Guymon pulled out for personal reasons, moving closer to home and signing for EBL side Reading Rockets.
Guymon is difficult to replace as Raiders have already signed three permit players, and there isn't really a glut of BBL level point guards around in the UK. Instead Plymouth now rely on stop-gap solutions including 6'3'' shooting guard/small forward Taner Adu who has good ball-handling skills but not the court vision of a true point. Adu will play the majority of the minutes here and as a player deserves more than the grade I will give for point guard, but he is out of position and would contribute more with a proper playmaker.
Guards Cody Toppert and Brian McKenzie will back-up the point until coach Gavin Love makes the decision to bring someone else in. On Raiders current performances it's clear that even if Guymon was still around, Plymouth would need more.
Grade: D+
Shooting Guard: Raiders have plenty of depth here, in fact if Guymon was still around the depth would be a bit scary. Aside from the aforementioned Adu Raider have signed 6'4'' American swingman Brian McKenzie and American/German shooter Cody Toppert.
Two highly contrasting styles: McKenzie is more of a powerful, athletic player bruising his to the hoop, whilst Toppert is primarily a shooter who can really punish a team if he gets hot. Together they make an intruiging combination especially if a point guard capable of setting them up is brought in.
Experiencd Toppert led German third division side BG Illertal with 18.9 ppg last term and should be a dependable scorer replacing erratic Englishman Ali Gall. McKenzie is fresh out of Providence College in America, where he was known as a lock-down defender and a pure athlete.
Jay Marriott is a better player than he has shown at BBL level. He has proved that, if given the minutes, he can contribute well, but once again Raiders appear to have too much swingman depth for him to see much more time.
Grade: B+
Small Forward: Samuel Cricelli was probably the highlight of Worthing Thunder's last year. He averaged 11 points and 6.8 rebounds playing out-of-position for much of the season. At Plymouth he has the opportunity to move to his more natural small forward, where he can come into his own as a strong defender and a skilled shooter.
He's a difficult match-up for most teams, especially considering the variety of back ups here. McKenzie and forward Lehmon Colbert will get the majority of the reserve minutes, although there may be a chance for Marriott to force his way into meaningful court-time.
Grade: B
Power Forward: 6'6'' American Lehmon Colbert would be somewhat undersized in Europe, but at BBL level he will be fine at the 4. Athletic and strong, Colbert has so far shown to be Plymouth's best player this season. New out of NCAA college Jacksonville, Colbert had 12 ppg and 7 rpg last season, and should be a dominant force inside.
Cricelli will also get minutes at the 4 when Raiders go small (hmmm, Cricelli is taller than Colbert...), likewise Anthony Rowe when they go big.
Grade: B
Centre: 6'8'' Anthony Rowe was a Plymouth junior who took his skills stateside and has returned a highly skilled player. He pulled down an impresive 8.6 rebounds per game last year and added 12.3 points. Admitedly, I haven't seen Rowe since he was much younger. I recall him as being slight but having long arms and a decent touch inside. It will be interesting to see how he has progressed.
Sharing time with Rowe is American Otis Polk. Polk is a big bruiser who has been criticised for his lack of athleticism and speed. He has certainly made a slow start to the season, showing only glimpses of promise, but Raiders have a rich history of powerfully built big-men. Terrance Durham and Carlton Aaron are two of the most memorable imports from their past. If Polk can live up to their standard he wont be shrort for minutes.
Grade: B+
Key Additions: I'm a big fan of free-scorer Taner Adu. He is such a great offensive threat, but would undoubtedly serve Raiders much better without the pressure of being the only player capable of playing the point.
Key Losses: I've said it before, but Raiders need a point guard more desperately than anything else. Anthony Martin would have been perfect, but they'll need to look elsewhere.
Full Roster:
Taner Adu 6'3'' SG/PG/SF
Jamie Burchell 6'5'' SF
Lehmon Colbert 6'6'' PF
Sam Cricelli 6'7'' SF/PF
Jay Marriott 6'5'' SG/SF
Brian McKenzie 6'4'' SG
Otis Polk 6'9'' C
Anthony Rowe 6'8'' PF/C
Cody Toppert 6'4'' SG
Mersey Tigers - Team Preview
The Tigers, who currently have not fulfilled a criteria which would allow them to sign import players, feel a little bit like a work-in-progress. In BBL terms, though, that work is the Sistine Chapel.
Point Guard: I remember when Perry Lawson first joined the BBL. The 6'2'' playmaker was considered to have perhaps the highest potential for any young British guard who didn't take his skills Stateside. He's been around the BBL for a while now, with spells at Newcastle and Sheffield, and appears to have stepped up very well to starting this year.
Ideally, perhaps, Lawson would not be starting. GB star Nate Reinking had been picked up in the hope he would stay for at least a little while, but before he could make his debut he jetted off to a big contract in Turkey. For the moment this leaves the Tigers a little short staffed at the point. James Jones will get some minutes here, and young guards Sam Bogucki and Max Casanove might temp as back-ups until someone new is brought in.
If Tigers were to find a starting point guard, Lawson would certainly become the most talented back-up in the league, but for now, starting on his own, he could do with some help.
Grade: C+
Shooting Guard: 6'4'' guard James Jones narrowly missed out on a place on the GB side that qualified for next year's Eurobasket tournment, and from his early play this season you can see what he could have offered. Dropping 17 points, 4 assists and 6 rebounds in the first BBL championship game of the season, Jones is going to be a handful for every team this year.
The son of Manchester head-coach Jeff, and brother of Worcester guard Callum, he honed his skills in the American college system before joining the ranks of the Guildford Heat a couple of seasons back. For the Tigers last year he averaged 14 ppg and will no doubt he hoping to improve on this, and get back in contention for a GB squad place.
Behind Jones this season are 6'3'' Brit Sam Bogucki and Frenchman Max Casanove. Neither are particularly likely to play big minutes, and with the current breakdown of the squad, small forwards Aliu and Williams are more likely to fill in back-up minutes here when a big lineup is on the floor.
Grade: B
Small Forward: David Aliu is one of the best players that Liverpool has ever produced. Impressive Midnight Madness appearances championed Aliu's skills as the 6'6'' forward became known for his powerful inside play and fantastic fundamentals. Aliu can hurt you in a lot of ways offensively, and his force of will make him a good defensive presence. He didn't play last season, however, and may well need some time to shake off the rust.
Short-term Jet Jamal Williams has joined the Tigers primarily simply as an extra player to take the strain off the current team. I don't know an awful lot about him except that he is a Canadian with a British passport who averaged decent statistics in the Canadian college system. Whether he can be a force in the BBL is yet to be determined.
Grade: B
Power Forward: Having a former BBL MVP on your team is rare. A former BBL MVP who is British is virtually unheard of. But that's exactly what the Tigers have in Andrew Sullivan. A spell at the Eagles at the end of last season, and a key-role in the GB qualifying campaign over the summer prove that Sullivan is at the top of his game. He can dominate at this level, and alongside old master Tony Garbelotto the Tigers have a very dangerous team.
Good depth at the centre position and inside play of Aliu means Sullivan won't be missing a good back-up.
Grade: A
Centre: Coming off a stellar season at Sheffield, Tafari Toney was another player who came close to forcing his way into the GB team. Talented, athletic and powerful, Toney is tough to stop inside. He averaged the near double-double of 17 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last term. Known as "Tap", Toney's play inside with Sullivan is likely to be the highlight of this top-heavy team.
Being the closest BBL team to Manchester afford Mersey a unique oppurtunity. They can poach the top players from Manchester's highly successful youth programme who often venture to the abroad to develop themselves. One of the key players on that list is Andy Thomson. The 6'10'' forward/centre is capped by England and has that classic inside-outside European game which makes him such a difficult match up for the import big men, especially when he plays next to the powerful inside presence of Sullivan or Toney.
Injury or foul trouble is the only thing that can take Tigers' title of strongest inside combination.
Grade: A
Key Additions: Most of the starting line-up is new, but Andrew Sullivan is a level above almost any player in the BBL.
Key Losses: The back-court is, for the moment at least, significantly weaker. Star US guards Trey Moore and Kevin Bell have gone, and only Perry Lawson has been brought in.
Full Roster:
David Aliu 6'6'' SF/PF
Sam Bogucki 6'3'' SG
Max Casanove 6'3'' SG
James Jones 6'4'' SG/PG
Perry Lawson 6'2'' PG
Andrew Sullivan 6'8'' PF
Tap Toney 6'9'' PF/C
Andy Thomson 6'10'' PF/C
Point Guard: I remember when Perry Lawson first joined the BBL. The 6'2'' playmaker was considered to have perhaps the highest potential for any young British guard who didn't take his skills Stateside. He's been around the BBL for a while now, with spells at Newcastle and Sheffield, and appears to have stepped up very well to starting this year.
Ideally, perhaps, Lawson would not be starting. GB star Nate Reinking had been picked up in the hope he would stay for at least a little while, but before he could make his debut he jetted off to a big contract in Turkey. For the moment this leaves the Tigers a little short staffed at the point. James Jones will get some minutes here, and young guards Sam Bogucki and Max Casanove might temp as back-ups until someone new is brought in.
If Tigers were to find a starting point guard, Lawson would certainly become the most talented back-up in the league, but for now, starting on his own, he could do with some help.
Grade: C+
Shooting Guard: 6'4'' guard James Jones narrowly missed out on a place on the GB side that qualified for next year's Eurobasket tournment, and from his early play this season you can see what he could have offered. Dropping 17 points, 4 assists and 6 rebounds in the first BBL championship game of the season, Jones is going to be a handful for every team this year.
The son of Manchester head-coach Jeff, and brother of Worcester guard Callum, he honed his skills in the American college system before joining the ranks of the Guildford Heat a couple of seasons back. For the Tigers last year he averaged 14 ppg and will no doubt he hoping to improve on this, and get back in contention for a GB squad place.
Behind Jones this season are 6'3'' Brit Sam Bogucki and Frenchman Max Casanove. Neither are particularly likely to play big minutes, and with the current breakdown of the squad, small forwards Aliu and Williams are more likely to fill in back-up minutes here when a big lineup is on the floor.
Grade: B
Small Forward: David Aliu is one of the best players that Liverpool has ever produced. Impressive Midnight Madness appearances championed Aliu's skills as the 6'6'' forward became known for his powerful inside play and fantastic fundamentals. Aliu can hurt you in a lot of ways offensively, and his force of will make him a good defensive presence. He didn't play last season, however, and may well need some time to shake off the rust.
Short-term Jet Jamal Williams has joined the Tigers primarily simply as an extra player to take the strain off the current team. I don't know an awful lot about him except that he is a Canadian with a British passport who averaged decent statistics in the Canadian college system. Whether he can be a force in the BBL is yet to be determined.
Grade: B
Power Forward: Having a former BBL MVP on your team is rare. A former BBL MVP who is British is virtually unheard of. But that's exactly what the Tigers have in Andrew Sullivan. A spell at the Eagles at the end of last season, and a key-role in the GB qualifying campaign over the summer prove that Sullivan is at the top of his game. He can dominate at this level, and alongside old master Tony Garbelotto the Tigers have a very dangerous team.
Good depth at the centre position and inside play of Aliu means Sullivan won't be missing a good back-up.
Grade: A
Centre: Coming off a stellar season at Sheffield, Tafari Toney was another player who came close to forcing his way into the GB team. Talented, athletic and powerful, Toney is tough to stop inside. He averaged the near double-double of 17 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last term. Known as "Tap", Toney's play inside with Sullivan is likely to be the highlight of this top-heavy team.
Being the closest BBL team to Manchester afford Mersey a unique oppurtunity. They can poach the top players from Manchester's highly successful youth programme who often venture to the abroad to develop themselves. One of the key players on that list is Andy Thomson. The 6'10'' forward/centre is capped by England and has that classic inside-outside European game which makes him such a difficult match up for the import big men, especially when he plays next to the powerful inside presence of Sullivan or Toney.
Injury or foul trouble is the only thing that can take Tigers' title of strongest inside combination.
Grade: A
Key Additions: Most of the starting line-up is new, but Andrew Sullivan is a level above almost any player in the BBL.
Key Losses: The back-court is, for the moment at least, significantly weaker. Star US guards Trey Moore and Kevin Bell have gone, and only Perry Lawson has been brought in.
Full Roster:
David Aliu 6'6'' SF/PF
Sam Bogucki 6'3'' SG
Max Casanove 6'3'' SG
James Jones 6'4'' SG/PG
Perry Lawson 6'2'' PG
Andrew Sullivan 6'8'' PF
Tap Toney 6'9'' PF/C
Andy Thomson 6'10'' PF/C
Monday, 27 September 2010
Jets: Williams OUT, Murray IN. Tigers: Williams IN
6'5'' Canadian/British forward Jamal Williams has swapped Chester for Liverpool, whilst the Jets have picked up 6'7'' Scottish combo-forward Gareth Murray to replace him.
Williams certainly didn't last long at the Jets; whether this is due to a lack of talent or other factors is yet to be seen, but all we know is practically the minute he was dropped by Cheshire, the Tigers, who have yet to fill a criteria which would allow them to sign full import players, picked him up.
Jets signing Gareth Murray has slightly scuppered my planned blog of "Top 5 British Players Who Haven't Signed To A BBL Team This Season". He was high on the list, so now I've had to come up with another one (watch this space).
There is no doubting Murray's talent, he has been a mainstay at the Glasgow Rocks and a hero for the Scottish men's national team for a number of years. He's just entering the prime of his career too, and there's no doubt he could do a great job for the Jets. He averaged 10.7 points and 4 rebounds per game for the BBL's only Scottish franchise last year. He can stretch the defense with his good long range shooting, and is a bit of a tweener forward, capable of filling in at both positions.
Williams, I would imagine, will be more of a bench player given at the Tigers given that he apparently failed to prove his worth to an inferior Jets team. It might well even be doubtful he survives the full season, but I am eager for him to prove me wrong.
Williams certainly didn't last long at the Jets; whether this is due to a lack of talent or other factors is yet to be seen, but all we know is practically the minute he was dropped by Cheshire, the Tigers, who have yet to fill a criteria which would allow them to sign full import players, picked him up.
Jets signing Gareth Murray has slightly scuppered my planned blog of "Top 5 British Players Who Haven't Signed To A BBL Team This Season". He was high on the list, so now I've had to come up with another one (watch this space).
There is no doubting Murray's talent, he has been a mainstay at the Glasgow Rocks and a hero for the Scottish men's national team for a number of years. He's just entering the prime of his career too, and there's no doubt he could do a great job for the Jets. He averaged 10.7 points and 4 rebounds per game for the BBL's only Scottish franchise last year. He can stretch the defense with his good long range shooting, and is a bit of a tweener forward, capable of filling in at both positions.
Williams, I would imagine, will be more of a bench player given at the Tigers given that he apparently failed to prove his worth to an inferior Jets team. It might well even be doubtful he survives the full season, but I am eager for him to prove me wrong.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Guildford Heat 79 - 76 Worthing Thunder
Once again a great performance from Lithuanian point guard Evaldas Zabas was not enough to lift the Thunder above a shaky Guildford Heat. Zabas contributed 27 points and 5 rebounds including an impressive 9/12 from the free throw line, but the only other Thunder player to reach double-figures was debutant John Nottley who added 17 points and 15 rebounds indicating his quality for the season ahead.
It's notable that the Thunder played without key guards James Brame and Adam Williams, and also foul trouble for 6'9'' big-man Shaun Durant meant Worthing were a little shorted handed in the second half. Forward Mansour Mbye did a lot of the little things, adding 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists, but his poor shooting, especially from the charity stripe prevented him from being a key factor.
Guildford are very deep, something that can be a bit of a hinderance at times on a BBL team, and this shows up a little in the statistics. As the saying goes: "too many cooks spoil the broth", and if we translate this into basketball we get "too many players means that the players don't get to play enough time together to reach a good level of team chemistry on the floor".
Statistically, at least, it was a good game for Mike Martin, who scored 21 points, adding 7 assists and 4 rebounds. Julius Joseph put up 20, and Americans Martelle McLemore and David Schneider added 12 and 10 respectively. A dissapointing performance from veteran Dean Williams who, given 14 minutes, managed nothing but 1 missed field goal attempt, and 1 turn-over. Big-men James Porter and Tomas Janusauskas were a bit of a non-factor, really, with Nottley being the pick of the 6'10''+ players.
Zabas appears to be playing the role of a free-scorer rather than a natural point guard, and this shows up with his single assist in nearly 39 minutes of running the team. I won't be able to make a fair assessment of the Thunder until I see them next week, but it seems to me that if Durant and Nottley can contribute and play together, and have a full compliment of guards available they could really be a handful for the Raiders team.
It's notable that the Thunder played without key guards James Brame and Adam Williams, and also foul trouble for 6'9'' big-man Shaun Durant meant Worthing were a little shorted handed in the second half. Forward Mansour Mbye did a lot of the little things, adding 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists, but his poor shooting, especially from the charity stripe prevented him from being a key factor.
Guildford are very deep, something that can be a bit of a hinderance at times on a BBL team, and this shows up a little in the statistics. As the saying goes: "too many cooks spoil the broth", and if we translate this into basketball we get "too many players means that the players don't get to play enough time together to reach a good level of team chemistry on the floor".
Statistically, at least, it was a good game for Mike Martin, who scored 21 points, adding 7 assists and 4 rebounds. Julius Joseph put up 20, and Americans Martelle McLemore and David Schneider added 12 and 10 respectively. A dissapointing performance from veteran Dean Williams who, given 14 minutes, managed nothing but 1 missed field goal attempt, and 1 turn-over. Big-men James Porter and Tomas Janusauskas were a bit of a non-factor, really, with Nottley being the pick of the 6'10''+ players.
Zabas appears to be playing the role of a free-scorer rather than a natural point guard, and this shows up with his single assist in nearly 39 minutes of running the team. I won't be able to make a fair assessment of the Thunder until I see them next week, but it seems to me that if Durant and Nottley can contribute and play together, and have a full compliment of guards available they could really be a handful for the Raiders team.
Friday, 24 September 2010
Worcester Wolves - Team Preview
Worcester Wolves
Point Guard: Last year was a strange season for the Wolves. Halfway through an uninspiring season coach Chuck Evans left the team over a racism row which led to most of the players resigning. Veteran England coach Paul James was drafted in, and one of his first signings was American point guard Rod Middleton. It will certainly be good news to Wolves fans that he has returned.
The 6'3'' Middleton was a key part of the quickly put-together line up that pushed very hard for a playoff place, missing out by the narrowest of margins. He led the Wolves in points (19.6), assists (4.5) and steals (2.7), and was noted for his hard-working defense and flashy passes.
Middleton is a great player, but the Wolves don't have very much in the way of a solid back-up. Shooting guard Kastytis Normantas will get some time here, as will young Brit Luke Sanders.
Grade: B
Shooting Guard: The Wolves have two pretty decent options at the shooting guard with the aforementioned 6'3'' Lithanian Normantas likely to command the majority of minutes early in the season. "Special K" averaged 13 ppg last year on a truly superb 69.4% shooting. If he can do similar this season he is going to be one of the most efficient offensive players in the league.
Wolves picked up a young English talent in the off-season in Callum Jones. The brother of GB international James, Callum came through the ranks of the highly succesful Manchester academy before spending four years at Pace University in America. He comes from great basketball stock; aside from his brother, his father Jeff is the current head coach of Manchester Magic and the mastermind behind their success at junior and EBL level.
If Callum can come close to the level of James, then he certainly has a lot to give to the Wolves this season, and coach Paul James might be just the man to get it out of him.
Grade: B+
Small Forward: When Paul James joined Worcester last season his first move was to sign up one of his former players. Daniel Gilbert was a key player in the Guildford Heat's ill-fated ULEB Cup run, and was clearly one of James' favourites. Last season he averaged 18.4 ppg and was a highly consistant performer. It could be argued that he is more of a natural shooting guard than small forward, but he proved last year he is a highly capable 3.
The only real back-up here is John Stoukas, a 6'6'' 19-year-old Greek youth international. Stoukas appears to have an awful lot of talent, and if coach James can mould him, he will have a role to play as a defensive stopper and providing spark minutes off the bench. However, Stoukas is young and inexperienced, and backing up the 3 might be a little too much for him early on.
Grade: B
Power Forward: Dave Watts should probably have made the jump to BBL last year. Instead he dominated the EBL last season, picking up the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player Of The Year awards. The skinny 6'9'' Watts is a scoring threat both inside and out, and a very difficult defensive match-up because of his size and quickness. Gaining some England caps over the summer can only have improved his confidence, and he will no doubt he looking to make the same kind of impact at this level as he has with the Manchester Magic last year.
The Wolves have about as close as you get in the BBL to an embarrasment of riches in terms of bigmen. Behind Watts is experienced Canadian/Lithuanian Aleksas Zimnickas who has played in Ireland, Switzerland and most recently in Iceland averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds per game last year. Zimnickas attended the University of Hartford, a highly reputable team, and could turn out to be an excellent addition to this Worcester team.
The Wolves have also retained young 6'7'' Lithuanian Pavolis Tamulynas who will probably only see minutes in the case of foul trouble or injuries.
Grade: A-
Centre: Two strong power forwards usually means no real centre at this level, but the Wolves have impressively signed two further bigmen capable of logging good minutes. 6'8'' American Justin Dobbins is fresh out Eastern Michigan University were he had an excellent college career, averaging 12 ppg and 5.9 rpg in his final year. Obviosly it will be difficult to tell until he plays together with the Worcester franchise, but if Dobbins can reach his potential, opposing defences will have a lot to deal with trying to stop him, Watts and Zimnackas inside.
Martynas Versinskas, a 6'9'' Lithanian completes the Wolves compliment of players. Versinskas is a bit of a wild-card having not played professionaly for a couple of seasons, but should settle in nicely on a team with plenty of size and Lithanians to show him the ropes.
Grade: B
Key Additions: Baltic big-men Zimnackas and Versinskas are likely to be the tipping point for Wolves being a good side, and one challenging at the business end of the table.
Key Losses: Fan-favourite Frenchman Harry Disy will not be returning. Disy was a great player for the Wolves last year, although he has been replaced well.
Full Roster:
Justin Dobbins 6'8'' PF/C
Danny Gilbert 6'5'' SF/SG
Callum Jones 6'5'' SG
Rod Middleton 6'3'' PG
Kastytis Normantas 6'3'' SG/PG
Luke Sanders 6'1'' PG
John Stoukas 6'6'' SF
Pavolis Tamulynas 6'7'' PF
Martynas Versinskas 6'9'' C
Dave Watts 6'9'' PF/C
Aleksas Zimnackas 6'8'' PF/C
Point Guard: Last year was a strange season for the Wolves. Halfway through an uninspiring season coach Chuck Evans left the team over a racism row which led to most of the players resigning. Veteran England coach Paul James was drafted in, and one of his first signings was American point guard Rod Middleton. It will certainly be good news to Wolves fans that he has returned.
The 6'3'' Middleton was a key part of the quickly put-together line up that pushed very hard for a playoff place, missing out by the narrowest of margins. He led the Wolves in points (19.6), assists (4.5) and steals (2.7), and was noted for his hard-working defense and flashy passes.
Middleton is a great player, but the Wolves don't have very much in the way of a solid back-up. Shooting guard Kastytis Normantas will get some time here, as will young Brit Luke Sanders.
Grade: B
Shooting Guard: The Wolves have two pretty decent options at the shooting guard with the aforementioned 6'3'' Lithanian Normantas likely to command the majority of minutes early in the season. "Special K" averaged 13 ppg last year on a truly superb 69.4% shooting. If he can do similar this season he is going to be one of the most efficient offensive players in the league.
Wolves picked up a young English talent in the off-season in Callum Jones. The brother of GB international James, Callum came through the ranks of the highly succesful Manchester academy before spending four years at Pace University in America. He comes from great basketball stock; aside from his brother, his father Jeff is the current head coach of Manchester Magic and the mastermind behind their success at junior and EBL level.
If Callum can come close to the level of James, then he certainly has a lot to give to the Wolves this season, and coach Paul James might be just the man to get it out of him.
Grade: B+
Small Forward: When Paul James joined Worcester last season his first move was to sign up one of his former players. Daniel Gilbert was a key player in the Guildford Heat's ill-fated ULEB Cup run, and was clearly one of James' favourites. Last season he averaged 18.4 ppg and was a highly consistant performer. It could be argued that he is more of a natural shooting guard than small forward, but he proved last year he is a highly capable 3.
The only real back-up here is John Stoukas, a 6'6'' 19-year-old Greek youth international. Stoukas appears to have an awful lot of talent, and if coach James can mould him, he will have a role to play as a defensive stopper and providing spark minutes off the bench. However, Stoukas is young and inexperienced, and backing up the 3 might be a little too much for him early on.
Grade: B
Power Forward: Dave Watts should probably have made the jump to BBL last year. Instead he dominated the EBL last season, picking up the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player Of The Year awards. The skinny 6'9'' Watts is a scoring threat both inside and out, and a very difficult defensive match-up because of his size and quickness. Gaining some England caps over the summer can only have improved his confidence, and he will no doubt he looking to make the same kind of impact at this level as he has with the Manchester Magic last year.
The Wolves have about as close as you get in the BBL to an embarrasment of riches in terms of bigmen. Behind Watts is experienced Canadian/Lithuanian Aleksas Zimnickas who has played in Ireland, Switzerland and most recently in Iceland averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds per game last year. Zimnickas attended the University of Hartford, a highly reputable team, and could turn out to be an excellent addition to this Worcester team.
The Wolves have also retained young 6'7'' Lithuanian Pavolis Tamulynas who will probably only see minutes in the case of foul trouble or injuries.
Grade: A-
Centre: Two strong power forwards usually means no real centre at this level, but the Wolves have impressively signed two further bigmen capable of logging good minutes. 6'8'' American Justin Dobbins is fresh out Eastern Michigan University were he had an excellent college career, averaging 12 ppg and 5.9 rpg in his final year. Obviosly it will be difficult to tell until he plays together with the Worcester franchise, but if Dobbins can reach his potential, opposing defences will have a lot to deal with trying to stop him, Watts and Zimnackas inside.
Martynas Versinskas, a 6'9'' Lithanian completes the Wolves compliment of players. Versinskas is a bit of a wild-card having not played professionaly for a couple of seasons, but should settle in nicely on a team with plenty of size and Lithanians to show him the ropes.
Grade: B
Key Additions: Baltic big-men Zimnackas and Versinskas are likely to be the tipping point for Wolves being a good side, and one challenging at the business end of the table.
Key Losses: Fan-favourite Frenchman Harry Disy will not be returning. Disy was a great player for the Wolves last year, although he has been replaced well.
Full Roster:
Justin Dobbins 6'8'' PF/C
Danny Gilbert 6'5'' SF/SG
Callum Jones 6'5'' SG
Rod Middleton 6'3'' PG
Kastytis Normantas 6'3'' SG/PG
Luke Sanders 6'1'' PG
John Stoukas 6'6'' SF
Pavolis Tamulynas 6'7'' PF
Martynas Versinskas 6'9'' C
Dave Watts 6'9'' PF/C
Aleksas Zimnackas 6'8'' PF/C
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Essex Pirates - Team Preview
I should note that Essex Pirates are probably the most difficult team for me to review. I have never seen them play, and in fact I have only ever seen one of their players. I am not, therefore, in an ideal position. Much of this will be guesswork based on what I have read, watched on video and equated from statistics
Essex Pirates
Point Guard: 6'1'' guard Andre Ellis has been somewhat under the radar. He showed his talent in the first game of the season, scoring 15 points in just 22 minutes of game time, which an efficient 6/11 shooting. When the full Essex lineup is available, however, I doubt Ellis will play particularly big minutes at the point, although he has proved he will be a very capable back-up.
The majority of the minutes will likely go to Turner King, 6'3'' American combo guard fresh out of Hampden-Syndey College in the US. King averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds, and was relied upon more as a scorer than a point. His role on the Pirates is likely to be a little different, as the Southend outfit's glut of wings leaves open minutes at the 1.
Grade: B
Shooting Guard: I'm not convinced the Pirates play a particularly standard type of game. They have a high of very young, very athletic wing players, all capable of shooting, driving but with very little BBL experience.
The exception is Marcus Knight. Knight is a 6'2'' shooting guard who can play some time at the point. He has always been a big name associated with London basketball, and is always a stellar performer at Midnight Madness. Knight can do a good job at BBL level; he averaged 12 ppg last year on just 20 minutes of play.
6'4'' Sam Toluwase is a high flyer who joint top-scored for the Pirates in their first home game. Toluwase had some big games for the Pirates last year including a 22 point, 9 rebound performance inspiring a win over the Guildford Heat. He players bigger than his height due to his great strength and athleticism, and will be looked on to be a solid performer if the Pirates are to push for the playoffs.
When Ellis is playing point, import King may well get some time here and the Pirates have so much young British talent such as Josh Pape and Calum Nicol, there are bound to be plenty of takers for minutes.
Grade: B-
Small Forward: Colin Sing got his first England cap over the summer. He's 6'5'' and more of a shooting guard in a natural basketball line up, but he is athletic and quick enough to play the 3. Sing might well be hoping to have something of a break-out season. He has the potential to be a very good British player in this league, and if he can force himself into big minutes he could be an important factor in the Pirates season.
However, midlander Myles Hesson should challenge Sing for those minutes. 6'5'' Hesson played last season in the England EBL2, effectively the third division in British basketball) for the Birmingham Aces. He played for the England U20 international team this summer, and impressed. In Pirates first game he proved himself to be an effective player at this level, joint top-scoring (17) with Toluwase, adding 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Like Sing he is athletic and strong. It will be fascinating to see the progression of these two young players.
Grade: B
Power Forward: Alan Metcalfe had an excellent colliegette career at Vanderbilt University. 6'9'' and a wide-frame, Metcalfe was the cornerstone of the Pirates inside presence. Metcalfe is quick for his size and can shoot from all over the place. He averaged 7.3 ppg and 5.1 rpg last year, and is an important experienced player in a pretty young line up.
Challenging Metcalfe for minutes is another young player and England U20 international. Jamell Anderson is 6'7'' and will be hoping to progress into big minutes for the Essex team. He could well also get time at the small forward. Unfortunately neither Metcalfe or even a potential reaching Anderson will be a genuine force for the Pirates inside, and this is something they are still lacking.
Former Solent youth Tom Wood may get a few minutes here too.
Grade: C
Centre: Essex have added 6'9'' American Mike Mokeski, the son GB assistant coach and former NBA player Paul Mokeski. Mike is a decent player, but probably not up to the same level as many BBL import players, and will be more of a rotation player than a starter outright. He has plenty of the skills that Essex need, though, not least of which being height.
Kene Anusionwu, a 6'8'' forward/centre will compete with Mokeski for minutes here. He is a defensive talent known for his flashy shot-blocking skills, and 4 years at college in America have prepared him to join this join Essex team and hopefully sure them up on the inside.
In this guard orientated Essex line-up, former Guildford Heat bigman Metcalfe may well play a lot of minutes here alongside some of the younger players, but if anything is certain about the Pirates this season, it is that playing time will be ultra-competetive, and they will be a lot of fun to watch.
Grade: C
Key Additions: Pirates first ever Americans Turner King and Mike Mokeski need to play well if this Southend-based team are going to have any success, although the progression of new Brit's Anusionwu, Hesson and Ellis may be more interesting.
Key Losses: In England international guard Taner Adu, naturalised big-man Randy George and Spanish forward Pablo Rodriguez were the Pirates three top scorers last year, and none will be returning.
Full Roster:
Jamell Anderson 6'7'' PF/SF
Kene Anusionwu 6'8'' PF/C
Andre Ellis 6'1'' PG
Myles Hesson 6'5'' SG/SF
Turner King 6'3'' PG/SG
Alan Metcalfe 6'9'' PF/C
Mike Mokeski 6'9'' C/PF
Colin Sing 6'5'' SG/SF
Sam Toluwase 6'4'' SF/SG
Tom Wood 6'6'' PF/SF
Essex Pirates
Point Guard: 6'1'' guard Andre Ellis has been somewhat under the radar. He showed his talent in the first game of the season, scoring 15 points in just 22 minutes of game time, which an efficient 6/11 shooting. When the full Essex lineup is available, however, I doubt Ellis will play particularly big minutes at the point, although he has proved he will be a very capable back-up.
The majority of the minutes will likely go to Turner King, 6'3'' American combo guard fresh out of Hampden-Syndey College in the US. King averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds, and was relied upon more as a scorer than a point. His role on the Pirates is likely to be a little different, as the Southend outfit's glut of wings leaves open minutes at the 1.
Grade: B
Shooting Guard: I'm not convinced the Pirates play a particularly standard type of game. They have a high of very young, very athletic wing players, all capable of shooting, driving but with very little BBL experience.
The exception is Marcus Knight. Knight is a 6'2'' shooting guard who can play some time at the point. He has always been a big name associated with London basketball, and is always a stellar performer at Midnight Madness. Knight can do a good job at BBL level; he averaged 12 ppg last year on just 20 minutes of play.
6'4'' Sam Toluwase is a high flyer who joint top-scored for the Pirates in their first home game. Toluwase had some big games for the Pirates last year including a 22 point, 9 rebound performance inspiring a win over the Guildford Heat. He players bigger than his height due to his great strength and athleticism, and will be looked on to be a solid performer if the Pirates are to push for the playoffs.
When Ellis is playing point, import King may well get some time here and the Pirates have so much young British talent such as Josh Pape and Calum Nicol, there are bound to be plenty of takers for minutes.
Grade: B-
Small Forward: Colin Sing got his first England cap over the summer. He's 6'5'' and more of a shooting guard in a natural basketball line up, but he is athletic and quick enough to play the 3. Sing might well be hoping to have something of a break-out season. He has the potential to be a very good British player in this league, and if he can force himself into big minutes he could be an important factor in the Pirates season.
However, midlander Myles Hesson should challenge Sing for those minutes. 6'5'' Hesson played last season in the England EBL2, effectively the third division in British basketball) for the Birmingham Aces. He played for the England U20 international team this summer, and impressed. In Pirates first game he proved himself to be an effective player at this level, joint top-scoring (17) with Toluwase, adding 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Like Sing he is athletic and strong. It will be fascinating to see the progression of these two young players.
Grade: B
Power Forward: Alan Metcalfe had an excellent colliegette career at Vanderbilt University. 6'9'' and a wide-frame, Metcalfe was the cornerstone of the Pirates inside presence. Metcalfe is quick for his size and can shoot from all over the place. He averaged 7.3 ppg and 5.1 rpg last year, and is an important experienced player in a pretty young line up.
Challenging Metcalfe for minutes is another young player and England U20 international. Jamell Anderson is 6'7'' and will be hoping to progress into big minutes for the Essex team. He could well also get time at the small forward. Unfortunately neither Metcalfe or even a potential reaching Anderson will be a genuine force for the Pirates inside, and this is something they are still lacking.
Former Solent youth Tom Wood may get a few minutes here too.
Grade: C
Centre: Essex have added 6'9'' American Mike Mokeski, the son GB assistant coach and former NBA player Paul Mokeski. Mike is a decent player, but probably not up to the same level as many BBL import players, and will be more of a rotation player than a starter outright. He has plenty of the skills that Essex need, though, not least of which being height.
Kene Anusionwu, a 6'8'' forward/centre will compete with Mokeski for minutes here. He is a defensive talent known for his flashy shot-blocking skills, and 4 years at college in America have prepared him to join this join Essex team and hopefully sure them up on the inside.
In this guard orientated Essex line-up, former Guildford Heat bigman Metcalfe may well play a lot of minutes here alongside some of the younger players, but if anything is certain about the Pirates this season, it is that playing time will be ultra-competetive, and they will be a lot of fun to watch.
Grade: C
Key Additions: Pirates first ever Americans Turner King and Mike Mokeski need to play well if this Southend-based team are going to have any success, although the progression of new Brit's Anusionwu, Hesson and Ellis may be more interesting.
Key Losses: In England international guard Taner Adu, naturalised big-man Randy George and Spanish forward Pablo Rodriguez were the Pirates three top scorers last year, and none will be returning.
Full Roster:
Jamell Anderson 6'7'' PF/SF
Kene Anusionwu 6'8'' PF/C
Andre Ellis 6'1'' PG
Myles Hesson 6'5'' SG/SF
Turner King 6'3'' PG/SG
Alan Metcalfe 6'9'' PF/C
Mike Mokeski 6'9'' C/PF
Colin Sing 6'5'' SG/SF
Sam Toluwase 6'4'' SF/SG
Tom Wood 6'6'' PF/SF
Monday, 20 September 2010
Cheshire Jets - Team Preview
Cheshire Jets
Point Guard: The Cheshire Jets are the only team who played two games on the first weekend of the season, and as such we have been able to see the most of them. From what it appears so far, the point guard is their strongest position. 6'1'' American Jeremy Bell had 27 points and 7 rebounds in the first game, and followed it up with a 20 point, 3 rebound and 3 assist performance in the second, both losses.
Bell appears to be more of a scorer than a natural point, much like skilled Englishman Steven Gayle who will play big minutes too. Gayle is an offensive spark-plug, and can rack up a lot of points very quickly with his lightning drives and excellent shooting stroke. He is currently the Jets second leading scorer behind Bell, although they will need this to change if they are to have any success this season.
Grade: B+
Shooting Guard: Discounting that Bell and Gayle will probably play a lot of minutes together, the probable starting shooting guard will be one of the 3 small forwards they have on the roster. For eloquence sake, we'll argue American Quemont Greer as the shooting guard.
Greer actually joins the Jets as a replacement for power forward 6'9'' Chris Commons who failed to get a visa to play in England. Smaller, and probably more a wing player anyway Greer is not a post player and will get the majority of his points outside of the key. Greer has played in the NBA D-League in the past and certainly has talent, but whether or not he can fit in to this new-look Jets team is yet to be determined.
6'2'' Brit Phillip Brandreth has been known in the past as the Jet's "human victory cigar". He's a better player now and a great inspiration for young players in Chester, but it's unlikely he will ever make much of a meaningful contribution to the Jets stat sheet. He's there more as a community coach who is active on the roster, similar to the now-rather-fat sharpshooter Richard Murphy, whose role these days is confined to sitting in the corner and waiting until he's open to shoot a three.
Grade: C+
Small Forward: Colin O'Reilly was a revelation last season. The 6'7'' Ireland international averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds per game, and was a huge performer in some of the Jets bigger wins of the season. He is probably the most important returnee because of the retirement of the long-serving Shawn Myers.
O'Reilly is a bit of a tweener, having the skills for both the forward positions, and may even be more of a power forward. It is likely that the season wars on and the aging Calvin Davis can sustain less minutes O'Reilly will become the starting power forward, leaving the three open to Jamal Williams.
Williams is a 6'5'' Canadian with a British passport. He averaged 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in an MVP season for Regina University in Canada. Williams development could be very important for the long-term success of the team.
Grade: B-
Power Forward: Calvin Davis was once one of the premier big-men in the BBL. Knee injuries and general aging has left the 33 year old less of a force, but he is still a highly skilled and professional player with a lot left to give.
He averaged 7.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg in fairly limited minutes last season, but could certainly be expected to play a little more after the confirmation that Chris Commons would be replaced by the smaller Quemont Greer and veteran James Hamilton would not return (at the least for the moment) due to off-court troubles. Davis is a naturalised American, not taking up a permit spot and his ability will be useful for the depth of the Jets at the 4, but I doubt he will start for the whole season.
As we've established O'Reilly will likely end up starting here full time, and Greer will play some minutes too, Jets have enough depth to keep them going at the 4.
Grade: B-
Centre: Matt Schneck came highly rated out of Cloud State University having been named in the All-American team of NCAA Division II leading his team to a Final Four run in his final year. Schneck averaged a highly impressive 18.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest. If he can replicate that kind of production in the BBL, Cheshire will be more than a handful inside.
The problem comes if Schneck is unimpressive, as the Jets have no-one to fall back on apart from the experience Davis who will be counted on for minutes at the 4.
Grade: B
Key Additions: Jeremy Bell looks to be a terrific signing, and if he can keep up this level of play the Jets have one of the best scoring point's in the league.
Key Losses: Veterans James Hamilton and Shawn Myers have gone and leave a tough-to-fill void in the Jets depth chart.
Full Roster:
Jeremy Bell 6'1'' PG
Stephen Gayle 5'10'' PG/SG
Colin O'Reilly 6'7'' PF/SF
Calvin Davis 6'8'' PF/C
Richard Murphy 6'0'' SG
Jamal Williams 6'5'' SF
Phil Brandreth 6'2'' SG/SF
Matt Schneck 6'9'' C
Quemont Greer 6'7'' SF/SG/PF
Point Guard: The Cheshire Jets are the only team who played two games on the first weekend of the season, and as such we have been able to see the most of them. From what it appears so far, the point guard is their strongest position. 6'1'' American Jeremy Bell had 27 points and 7 rebounds in the first game, and followed it up with a 20 point, 3 rebound and 3 assist performance in the second, both losses.
Bell appears to be more of a scorer than a natural point, much like skilled Englishman Steven Gayle who will play big minutes too. Gayle is an offensive spark-plug, and can rack up a lot of points very quickly with his lightning drives and excellent shooting stroke. He is currently the Jets second leading scorer behind Bell, although they will need this to change if they are to have any success this season.
Grade: B+
Shooting Guard: Discounting that Bell and Gayle will probably play a lot of minutes together, the probable starting shooting guard will be one of the 3 small forwards they have on the roster. For eloquence sake, we'll argue American Quemont Greer as the shooting guard.
Greer actually joins the Jets as a replacement for power forward 6'9'' Chris Commons who failed to get a visa to play in England. Smaller, and probably more a wing player anyway Greer is not a post player and will get the majority of his points outside of the key. Greer has played in the NBA D-League in the past and certainly has talent, but whether or not he can fit in to this new-look Jets team is yet to be determined.
6'2'' Brit Phillip Brandreth has been known in the past as the Jet's "human victory cigar". He's a better player now and a great inspiration for young players in Chester, but it's unlikely he will ever make much of a meaningful contribution to the Jets stat sheet. He's there more as a community coach who is active on the roster, similar to the now-rather-fat sharpshooter Richard Murphy, whose role these days is confined to sitting in the corner and waiting until he's open to shoot a three.
Grade: C+
Small Forward: Colin O'Reilly was a revelation last season. The 6'7'' Ireland international averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds per game, and was a huge performer in some of the Jets bigger wins of the season. He is probably the most important returnee because of the retirement of the long-serving Shawn Myers.
O'Reilly is a bit of a tweener, having the skills for both the forward positions, and may even be more of a power forward. It is likely that the season wars on and the aging Calvin Davis can sustain less minutes O'Reilly will become the starting power forward, leaving the three open to Jamal Williams.
Williams is a 6'5'' Canadian with a British passport. He averaged 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in an MVP season for Regina University in Canada. Williams development could be very important for the long-term success of the team.
Grade: B-
Power Forward: Calvin Davis was once one of the premier big-men in the BBL. Knee injuries and general aging has left the 33 year old less of a force, but he is still a highly skilled and professional player with a lot left to give.
He averaged 7.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg in fairly limited minutes last season, but could certainly be expected to play a little more after the confirmation that Chris Commons would be replaced by the smaller Quemont Greer and veteran James Hamilton would not return (at the least for the moment) due to off-court troubles. Davis is a naturalised American, not taking up a permit spot and his ability will be useful for the depth of the Jets at the 4, but I doubt he will start for the whole season.
As we've established O'Reilly will likely end up starting here full time, and Greer will play some minutes too, Jets have enough depth to keep them going at the 4.
Grade: B-
Centre: Matt Schneck came highly rated out of Cloud State University having been named in the All-American team of NCAA Division II leading his team to a Final Four run in his final year. Schneck averaged a highly impressive 18.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest. If he can replicate that kind of production in the BBL, Cheshire will be more than a handful inside.
The problem comes if Schneck is unimpressive, as the Jets have no-one to fall back on apart from the experience Davis who will be counted on for minutes at the 4.
Grade: B
Key Additions: Jeremy Bell looks to be a terrific signing, and if he can keep up this level of play the Jets have one of the best scoring point's in the league.
Key Losses: Veterans James Hamilton and Shawn Myers have gone and leave a tough-to-fill void in the Jets depth chart.
Full Roster:
Jeremy Bell 6'1'' PG
Stephen Gayle 5'10'' PG/SG
Colin O'Reilly 6'7'' PF/SF
Calvin Davis 6'8'' PF/C
Richard Murphy 6'0'' SG
Jamal Williams 6'5'' SF
Phil Brandreth 6'2'' SG/SF
Matt Schneck 6'9'' C
Quemont Greer 6'7'' SF/SG/PF
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Newcastle Eagles - Team Preview
Newcastle Eagles
Point Guard: It's an interesting situation at the point for the Eagles. The Tyneside outfit has two stellar permit guards this year in Joe Chapman, last years leading scorer, and former BBL MVP Trey Moore, who has returned to the Eagles for a second stint. Neither of them, however, are particularly adept at running the point.
However, it is most likely that the savvy Moore will take the role, so until I find out different we will say that Moore will play the majority of the minutes here.
I remember Moore as a skilled scorer and a committed defender, but being disappointed by his occasional lack of sportmanship; you could argue this as simply a will and desire to win, and he does win often. Moore prooved his is still an excellent player last season, leading the Everton Tigers with over 20 ppg, and coming up big in the Tigers thrilling BBL Playoff Final win were he dropped a game-high 22.
Moore isn't a natural point, though and this could prove to be a weakness against the very good teams. On the bench, however, there is Barbadian national point guard Andre Lockhart. There is a great history of Barbadian players in the BBL, including Brighton Bears and Milton Keynes legend Andrew Alleyne, and if Lockhart can prove to be as useful he is a brilliant addition. For the moment, I believe the Eagles are too deep to start Lockhart, but he could turn into a brilliant pick-up for the future.
Young English prospect Aaron Neilson will probably get some time here too. He has never disgraced himself in an Eagles uniform, and continues to be a smart, hard working understudy. Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy often gives himself minutes at the point too, so the Eagles have a variety of options.
Grade: B+
Shooting Guard: To say that the Eagles are stacked at the shooting guard is a bit of an understatement. Even if you take one of Moore or Chapman out of the equation because the majority of their minutes will be at the point, you still have one of the absolute best 2-guards in the league, backed up by Andrew Bridge, one of the best British players in the BBL.
The 6'5'' Bridge averaged a fraction under 10 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists; good numbers on a deep BBL championship winning team. Bridge has been with the Eagles since 2002 and has always been a reliable and sensible performer, doing what's best for the team. Bridge is still likely to play big minutes due to coach Flournoy's wing-oreintated game style.
The star at the shooting guard, however, is going to be Joe Chapman. Chapman was the standout player in last year's brilliant season and can light up the scoreboard. He is a genuine star in this league, although the acquisition of Moore could make him have to work harder to be the primary point of the Eagle's offence.
Coach Fab Flournoy's natural position these days is probably the 2-guard. Fab still has a lot to offer this team on the court with his tireless, never-say-die-defence and officient offence. He will get some time here.
Grade: A
Small Forward: We can assume that a lot of the time between the three smallers positions will be split between Moore, Chapman, Bridge, Lockhart and Flournoy. But there is another player certain to play big minutes once again on the Eagles wing. 6'6'' naturalised American Charles Smith is BBL veteran and at this point, practically part of the Eagles furniture. Smith is a great shooter, averaging nearly 50% from the floor, and 40% from downtown, and was Eagles second highest averaging scorer last season, contributing over 17 ppg. Smith is getting older, but doesn't yet show signs of slowing down; he is still more than capable of getting the job done.
So with Chapman, Moore and Flournoy all likely to recieve minutes backing up this position. There might not be an awful lot of time left for young combo-forward protege Jamie Glen. The 6'7'' product of the highly succesful Manchester Magic junior programme has proven himself at times last season, and can be a decent player for the Eagles.
Grade: B+
Power Forward: Darius Defoe is listed at 6'9'' in most BBL/Eagles publications, and this is a little optimistic, he is certainly closer to 6'7''. Nevertheless he is an excellent British player, averaging 10 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year. With bigger minutes Defoe could be a genuine inside force, but this is not really Fab's style of player, and for the forseeable future at the Eagles, Defoe will have to live producing on limited minutes.
If Flournoy will put his faith in his younger players (something he has been critisized in the past for not doing) Jamie Glen might see some time here backing up Defoe. It's more likely, however, that we will see 4 wing players and a big for the majority of the Eagles minutes with Smith and Bridge filling in as the height.
Grade: B-
Centre: A former Worthing Thunder player sits at the centre position for the Eagles. Kadiri Richard is nothing if not a defensive beast. He led the league in blocks last season, averaging 2.3 blocks per game, and was a force on the glass, pulling down 8.5 boards each outing. However, Richard is not a great scorer, averaging a modest 9.5 points in big minutes as Thunder's primary inside threat. He gets most of his points from put-backs and lay ups, and lacks the post-game you would want from a traditional centre.
This isn't too much of a problem; Eagles have plenty of firepower elsewhere and will not go wanting for points on Richard's account. The problem is that Richard has replaced Lynard Stewart, a beloved Eagles big-man who has been a massive part of the team for so long. This line up will not be the same without Stewart, and whilst I am a big fan of Kadiri for his heart and dedication to defence, I don't know if he is the ideal replacement.
Aside from Defoe, there is exactly zero depth here, but due to the Eagles style this shouldn't be a problem.
Grade: B-
Key Additions: The return of Trey Moore is massive for the Tynesiders, he and Chapman will combine to be one of the most devastating back-courts in the league.
Key Losses: With the aforementioned Stewart gone, I feel the Eagles made a big mistake in not putting their full effort into re-signing GB big-man Andrew Sullivan. The Eagles are much weaker in the front court this season.
Full Roster:
Andrew Bridge 6'5'' SG/SF
Joe Chapman 6'4'' SG
Darius Defoe 6'9'' PF/C
Fab Flournoy 6'4'' SG/SF/PG
Jamie Glen 6'7'' SF/PF
Andre Lockhart 6'1'' PG
Trey Moore 6'4'' SG/PG
Aaron Neilson 6'0'' PG
Kadiri Richard 6'8'' C
Charles Smith 6'6'' SF
Point Guard: It's an interesting situation at the point for the Eagles. The Tyneside outfit has two stellar permit guards this year in Joe Chapman, last years leading scorer, and former BBL MVP Trey Moore, who has returned to the Eagles for a second stint. Neither of them, however, are particularly adept at running the point.
However, it is most likely that the savvy Moore will take the role, so until I find out different we will say that Moore will play the majority of the minutes here.
I remember Moore as a skilled scorer and a committed defender, but being disappointed by his occasional lack of sportmanship; you could argue this as simply a will and desire to win, and he does win often. Moore prooved his is still an excellent player last season, leading the Everton Tigers with over 20 ppg, and coming up big in the Tigers thrilling BBL Playoff Final win were he dropped a game-high 22.
Moore isn't a natural point, though and this could prove to be a weakness against the very good teams. On the bench, however, there is Barbadian national point guard Andre Lockhart. There is a great history of Barbadian players in the BBL, including Brighton Bears and Milton Keynes legend Andrew Alleyne, and if Lockhart can prove to be as useful he is a brilliant addition. For the moment, I believe the Eagles are too deep to start Lockhart, but he could turn into a brilliant pick-up for the future.
Young English prospect Aaron Neilson will probably get some time here too. He has never disgraced himself in an Eagles uniform, and continues to be a smart, hard working understudy. Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy often gives himself minutes at the point too, so the Eagles have a variety of options.
Grade: B+
Shooting Guard: To say that the Eagles are stacked at the shooting guard is a bit of an understatement. Even if you take one of Moore or Chapman out of the equation because the majority of their minutes will be at the point, you still have one of the absolute best 2-guards in the league, backed up by Andrew Bridge, one of the best British players in the BBL.
The 6'5'' Bridge averaged a fraction under 10 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists; good numbers on a deep BBL championship winning team. Bridge has been with the Eagles since 2002 and has always been a reliable and sensible performer, doing what's best for the team. Bridge is still likely to play big minutes due to coach Flournoy's wing-oreintated game style.
The star at the shooting guard, however, is going to be Joe Chapman. Chapman was the standout player in last year's brilliant season and can light up the scoreboard. He is a genuine star in this league, although the acquisition of Moore could make him have to work harder to be the primary point of the Eagle's offence.
Coach Fab Flournoy's natural position these days is probably the 2-guard. Fab still has a lot to offer this team on the court with his tireless, never-say-die-defence and officient offence. He will get some time here.
Grade: A
Small Forward: We can assume that a lot of the time between the three smallers positions will be split between Moore, Chapman, Bridge, Lockhart and Flournoy. But there is another player certain to play big minutes once again on the Eagles wing. 6'6'' naturalised American Charles Smith is BBL veteran and at this point, practically part of the Eagles furniture. Smith is a great shooter, averaging nearly 50% from the floor, and 40% from downtown, and was Eagles second highest averaging scorer last season, contributing over 17 ppg. Smith is getting older, but doesn't yet show signs of slowing down; he is still more than capable of getting the job done.
So with Chapman, Moore and Flournoy all likely to recieve minutes backing up this position. There might not be an awful lot of time left for young combo-forward protege Jamie Glen. The 6'7'' product of the highly succesful Manchester Magic junior programme has proven himself at times last season, and can be a decent player for the Eagles.
Grade: B+
Power Forward: Darius Defoe is listed at 6'9'' in most BBL/Eagles publications, and this is a little optimistic, he is certainly closer to 6'7''. Nevertheless he is an excellent British player, averaging 10 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year. With bigger minutes Defoe could be a genuine inside force, but this is not really Fab's style of player, and for the forseeable future at the Eagles, Defoe will have to live producing on limited minutes.
If Flournoy will put his faith in his younger players (something he has been critisized in the past for not doing) Jamie Glen might see some time here backing up Defoe. It's more likely, however, that we will see 4 wing players and a big for the majority of the Eagles minutes with Smith and Bridge filling in as the height.
Grade: B-
Centre: A former Worthing Thunder player sits at the centre position for the Eagles. Kadiri Richard is nothing if not a defensive beast. He led the league in blocks last season, averaging 2.3 blocks per game, and was a force on the glass, pulling down 8.5 boards each outing. However, Richard is not a great scorer, averaging a modest 9.5 points in big minutes as Thunder's primary inside threat. He gets most of his points from put-backs and lay ups, and lacks the post-game you would want from a traditional centre.
This isn't too much of a problem; Eagles have plenty of firepower elsewhere and will not go wanting for points on Richard's account. The problem is that Richard has replaced Lynard Stewart, a beloved Eagles big-man who has been a massive part of the team for so long. This line up will not be the same without Stewart, and whilst I am a big fan of Kadiri for his heart and dedication to defence, I don't know if he is the ideal replacement.
Aside from Defoe, there is exactly zero depth here, but due to the Eagles style this shouldn't be a problem.
Grade: B-
Key Additions: The return of Trey Moore is massive for the Tynesiders, he and Chapman will combine to be one of the most devastating back-courts in the league.
Key Losses: With the aforementioned Stewart gone, I feel the Eagles made a big mistake in not putting their full effort into re-signing GB big-man Andrew Sullivan. The Eagles are much weaker in the front court this season.
Full Roster:
Andrew Bridge 6'5'' SG/SF
Joe Chapman 6'4'' SG
Darius Defoe 6'9'' PF/C
Fab Flournoy 6'4'' SG/SF/PG
Jamie Glen 6'7'' SF/PF
Andre Lockhart 6'1'' PG
Trey Moore 6'4'' SG/PG
Aaron Neilson 6'0'' PG
Kadiri Richard 6'8'' C
Charles Smith 6'6'' SF
Plymouth Raiders 79 - 77 Worthing Thunder
31 from Evaldas Zabas was not enough to save a depleted team losing the first game of their season; a trophy match away at Plymouth. Missing 2 starters (not to mention the 3 potential Americans who are still yet to be offcially mentioned), Worthing put up a spirited performance keeping it close and even having the lead for portions of the 4th quarter. When Zabas fouled out late in the game, however, the Radiers had a little too much, and some strong play from England international Taner Adu saw them through.
I wasn't at the game, but the statistics reveal that veteran Shoreham-born guard James Brame played out of his skin, scoring 14 points on 6/9 shooting, he also added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a phonomenal 5 steals.
Zabas was the primary scorer for Thunder, and shot very well from inside the ark, going 10/14, but was less than impressive from 3-point-land, hitting just 2/12. Nevertheless, it was a huge performance for the young Lithuanian, but in the end it was not enough.
Big-man Shaun Durant had a mixed game, scoring 17 points and adding 11 rebounds, but his production could not be called efficient, especially for a centre, going 6 from 14 from the field; not awful, but room for improvement, and it was a similar story for Mansour Mbye who clearly took up the challenge of starting, and added 12 points, again on unimpressive shooting.
The low point for the game was Pepe Zafirov, starting in place of the abscent John Nottley. Zafirov appears to be out of his depth at BBL level, shooting just 1/8 including all 5 three point shots missed, and also fouling out.
Young Sussex guard Dominic Baker (who I have played against, yay) and former streetballer and London stalwart Gareth Laws were non-factors, although they played bravely out of position, and doing unusual jobs.
It was a brave performance, and special credit must go to stand-in head coach Alan Sweetman-Hicks, long-time Thunder assistant coach who certainly got the best out of Brame, and rallied the team close to an upset over a team who have been training together for much longer than the Thunder.
Raiders appear to be weak this year, and without a genuine point they will struggle to beat most teams. I would say that a full Thunder team would probably have beaten them on the day, as, aside from Lehmon Colbert, their new Americans appeared ineffectual.
I wasn't at the game, but the statistics reveal that veteran Shoreham-born guard James Brame played out of his skin, scoring 14 points on 6/9 shooting, he also added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a phonomenal 5 steals.
Zabas was the primary scorer for Thunder, and shot very well from inside the ark, going 10/14, but was less than impressive from 3-point-land, hitting just 2/12. Nevertheless, it was a huge performance for the young Lithuanian, but in the end it was not enough.
Big-man Shaun Durant had a mixed game, scoring 17 points and adding 11 rebounds, but his production could not be called efficient, especially for a centre, going 6 from 14 from the field; not awful, but room for improvement, and it was a similar story for Mansour Mbye who clearly took up the challenge of starting, and added 12 points, again on unimpressive shooting.
The low point for the game was Pepe Zafirov, starting in place of the abscent John Nottley. Zafirov appears to be out of his depth at BBL level, shooting just 1/8 including all 5 three point shots missed, and also fouling out.
Young Sussex guard Dominic Baker (who I have played against, yay) and former streetballer and London stalwart Gareth Laws were non-factors, although they played bravely out of position, and doing unusual jobs.
It was a brave performance, and special credit must go to stand-in head coach Alan Sweetman-Hicks, long-time Thunder assistant coach who certainly got the best out of Brame, and rallied the team close to an upset over a team who have been training together for much longer than the Thunder.
Raiders appear to be weak this year, and without a genuine point they will struggle to beat most teams. I would say that a full Thunder team would probably have beaten them on the day, as, aside from Lehmon Colbert, their new Americans appeared ineffectual.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Guildford Heat - Team Preview
Guildford Heat
Point Guard: If there was something missing from last year's Guildford Heat team it was a pure point guard. Aaron Drakeford was more of a scoring point, and whilst he put up decent numbers, he wasn't the kind of guy you'd want to construct a basketball team around. His replacement, David Schneider just might be.
The 6'3'' guard is a graduate of William & Mary College, a prestigious institution, where he was named team MVP in his final year averaging 15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.9 apg. Schneider is known as a big-game performer and a knock-down three point shooter, averaging 34% from behind the ark.
Lekan Popoola is behind Schneider. The 6'1'' guard has been around the BBL for a long time, and should be a valuable asset in the Heat line up. Last season Popoola was plagued by injury, but now he is back to full fitness he is about as good a back up as you will find in the BBL.
Grade: A-
Shooting Guard: This year the Heat have three highly capable players who have the ability to play both the shooting guard and small forward position. The most likely start is new American Martelle McLemore. This athletic 6'5'' swingman is a skilled scorer and a lock-down defender.
Whilst Brit's Tayo Ogedengbe and Julius Joseph will compete for minutes here too, their primary position is likely to be the small forward, so backing up the 2 guard position will be returning Heat fan-favourite Dean Williams.
The 6'4'' Williams leant his experience to BBL upstarts Essex Pirates last season, but he has now returned to the Heat. Averaging nearly 15 minutes per game at the Pirates, Williams was able to have some big games, but minutes are likely to be scarcer on this more talented Heat team. Expect Williams to provide no more than occasional relief, and veteran leadership.
Grade: B
Small Forward: The is a lot of competition at the 3 for Guildford. On one side we have the experienced former GB international Julius Joseph, who at 35, averaged 18 points per game last season, proving he still has formidable talent. On the other side is Tayo Ogedengbe, a newly capped England international whose career is on the rise. Ogedengbe averaged 12.5 ppg last year, but really came into his own in the second half of the season, averaging close to 19 ppg over the last 10 games.
Perhaps we can expect McLemore, Joseph and Ogedengbe to share these two positions quite fairly, providing enough minutes and more than enough trouble for opposing defences.
Grade: B+
Power Forward: 6'7'' Mike Martin had troubles with injury last season, but now he has returned to prove he is a force in this league. Martin's crocked season ended with him averaging 18.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg over 14 games. If he is able to replicate that kind of production and stay healthy, the Heat are looking at being one of the strongest forces in the BBL.
Martin's age and injuries last season, however, suggest the Heat might have to be prepared to expect his production to be smaller, perhaps than it has been. Even if Martin is back to his best, Heat have still taken a risk in failing to acquire a decent back-up should his niggling injuries play a part this season. American big-man James Porter can spend some time at the power forward, however, and the Heat have depth at the centre.
Grade: B-
Centre: Aforementioned American James Porter is a 6'10'' powerhouse who finished his college education with North Carolina A&T, posting stats of 4 points and 6 rebounds per game at a high level of play. Porter is a great physical presence, both athletic and strong and should link up with Martin, creating a good tandem of inside players for the Heat.
Providing competition for Porter will be the enormous Lithuanian Tomas Janusauskas who averaged impressive statistics on the now defunct London Capital team from last season. Janusauskas was a highlight on a very weak Capital team, and the 7 footer's 18.4 ppg and 9.8 rpg were more a product of the lack of talent around him rather than a genuine dominance of the court. Nevertheless, Janusauskas can do a great job for the Heat, challenging for the big minutes and pushing Porter and Martin to their best play.
Grade: B+
Key Additions: New point David Schneider's success is the key to Heat's season. The quality and depth of this team suggests they shoud be challenging for honours this year.
Key Losses: Player/coach Chad McKnight is a key loss here, not especially because he was a great coach, or even a great player, but going into a new season with a brand new coach with no BBL experience could be the weak point in this team.
Full Roster:
Tomas Janusauskas 7'0'' C
Julius Joseph 6'5'' SF/SG
Mike Martin 6'7'' PF
Martelle McLemore 6'5'' SG/SF
James Porter 6'10'' C/PF
Oskar Ociepa 6'4'' SG/SF
Tayo Ogedengbe 6'6'' SF
Lekan Popoola 6'1'' PG
David Schneider 6'3'' PG
Dean Williams 6'4'' SG
Point Guard: If there was something missing from last year's Guildford Heat team it was a pure point guard. Aaron Drakeford was more of a scoring point, and whilst he put up decent numbers, he wasn't the kind of guy you'd want to construct a basketball team around. His replacement, David Schneider just might be.
The 6'3'' guard is a graduate of William & Mary College, a prestigious institution, where he was named team MVP in his final year averaging 15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.9 apg. Schneider is known as a big-game performer and a knock-down three point shooter, averaging 34% from behind the ark.
Lekan Popoola is behind Schneider. The 6'1'' guard has been around the BBL for a long time, and should be a valuable asset in the Heat line up. Last season Popoola was plagued by injury, but now he is back to full fitness he is about as good a back up as you will find in the BBL.
Grade: A-
Shooting Guard: This year the Heat have three highly capable players who have the ability to play both the shooting guard and small forward position. The most likely start is new American Martelle McLemore. This athletic 6'5'' swingman is a skilled scorer and a lock-down defender.
Whilst Brit's Tayo Ogedengbe and Julius Joseph will compete for minutes here too, their primary position is likely to be the small forward, so backing up the 2 guard position will be returning Heat fan-favourite Dean Williams.
The 6'4'' Williams leant his experience to BBL upstarts Essex Pirates last season, but he has now returned to the Heat. Averaging nearly 15 minutes per game at the Pirates, Williams was able to have some big games, but minutes are likely to be scarcer on this more talented Heat team. Expect Williams to provide no more than occasional relief, and veteran leadership.
Grade: B
Small Forward: The is a lot of competition at the 3 for Guildford. On one side we have the experienced former GB international Julius Joseph, who at 35, averaged 18 points per game last season, proving he still has formidable talent. On the other side is Tayo Ogedengbe, a newly capped England international whose career is on the rise. Ogedengbe averaged 12.5 ppg last year, but really came into his own in the second half of the season, averaging close to 19 ppg over the last 10 games.
Perhaps we can expect McLemore, Joseph and Ogedengbe to share these two positions quite fairly, providing enough minutes and more than enough trouble for opposing defences.
Grade: B+
Power Forward: 6'7'' Mike Martin had troubles with injury last season, but now he has returned to prove he is a force in this league. Martin's crocked season ended with him averaging 18.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg over 14 games. If he is able to replicate that kind of production and stay healthy, the Heat are looking at being one of the strongest forces in the BBL.
Martin's age and injuries last season, however, suggest the Heat might have to be prepared to expect his production to be smaller, perhaps than it has been. Even if Martin is back to his best, Heat have still taken a risk in failing to acquire a decent back-up should his niggling injuries play a part this season. American big-man James Porter can spend some time at the power forward, however, and the Heat have depth at the centre.
Grade: B-
Centre: Aforementioned American James Porter is a 6'10'' powerhouse who finished his college education with North Carolina A&T, posting stats of 4 points and 6 rebounds per game at a high level of play. Porter is a great physical presence, both athletic and strong and should link up with Martin, creating a good tandem of inside players for the Heat.
Providing competition for Porter will be the enormous Lithuanian Tomas Janusauskas who averaged impressive statistics on the now defunct London Capital team from last season. Janusauskas was a highlight on a very weak Capital team, and the 7 footer's 18.4 ppg and 9.8 rpg were more a product of the lack of talent around him rather than a genuine dominance of the court. Nevertheless, Janusauskas can do a great job for the Heat, challenging for the big minutes and pushing Porter and Martin to their best play.
Grade: B+
Key Additions: New point David Schneider's success is the key to Heat's season. The quality and depth of this team suggests they shoud be challenging for honours this year.
Key Losses: Player/coach Chad McKnight is a key loss here, not especially because he was a great coach, or even a great player, but going into a new season with a brand new coach with no BBL experience could be the weak point in this team.
Full Roster:
Tomas Janusauskas 7'0'' C
Julius Joseph 6'5'' SF/SG
Mike Martin 6'7'' PF
Martelle McLemore 6'5'' SG/SF
James Porter 6'10'' C/PF
Oskar Ociepa 6'4'' SG/SF
Tayo Ogedengbe 6'6'' SF
Lekan Popoola 6'1'' PG
David Schneider 6'3'' PG
Dean Williams 6'4'' SG
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Milton Keynes Lions - Team Preview
Milton Keynes Lions
Point Guard: Milton Keynes are very deep here, probably one of the deepest positions in the whole of the BBL. Stefan Gil, Kris Clark and Ransford Laryea are all-new additions, and whilst all three will likely see time at the shooting guard position due to the lack of capable backups, they are all natural points.
Kris Clark is a 6'2'' American who averaged an extremely impressive 6 assists per game in his final US college season. Clark played with many of the best college player in the United States and was known for his intelligent passing skills and exciting athleticism. Kris has all the skills to lead the league in assists this year.
England international Stefan Gil was the Most Valuable Player of the EBL (one level below the BBL) last year. This lightning quick 5'9'' guard could arguably have made the step-up some time ago, but instead last year he proved his dominance at the lower level one last time, earning him a call up to the national side. Gil's ability is highly transferable, and despite being undersized he will put up big numbers from his ability to score from just about anywhere on the court. No defender will be looking forward to matching up with Gil.
Ransford Laryea is a young English prospect who honed his skills in the Danish league last season. Whilst he did not play big minutes, Laryea prooved his worth as a lock down defender, and has a big role to play for the Lions.
Grade: A
Shooting Guard: One of my favourite players in the world is manning the 2-guard for the Lions. Yorick Williams has always been one of the most exciting players to watch from his aggressive and tenacious defending to his sharp-shooting three point shot.
Williams is another year older, but he is still a force in this league having averaged 16.7 ppg last season. Williams has always run hot and cold. I remember a Brighton Bears match against Leicester when in the second quarter the match commentator proudly announced "It's Leicester Riders: 20, Yorick Williams: 23". And while his ability to outscore an entire team over two quarters didn't always happen, there is always an air of excitement when Yorick is on the court, because anything can happen.
Behind Williams, however, there is not an awful lot. 6'2'' youth Ishmael Fontaine returns but he is unlikely to get decent minutes, the role is more likely to fall to the tiny Stefan Gil, who would make a thrilling partnership with the also-explosive Clark at the point.
Grade: B-
Small Forward: Jelani Gardner was once a highly rated NBA prospect. Health issues meant that this dream never came to pass, but nevertheless, Gardner has had a stellar career of professional basketball. American but with a French passport, Gardner has been succesfull at the very highest level in Europe, and whilst age and injuries appear to have caught up with him, he will be a terrific player in the BBL if he can recapture any of his former glory.
It's a Yao-Ming-sized "if", however, and should the Gardner experiment not work out, the Lions do find themselves with a bit of a weakness here too. The news that Dru Spinks would not be returning to the Lions has rocked the BBL. Spinks was the heart of the Lions, and one of the most dedicated and hard-working professionals the league has ever seen. His commitment to the Lions never faltered, and the team will certainly be missing something when they step out onto the court without him. Instead the Lions have had to look elsewhere for a back-up small forward.
6'6'' Anthony Hasse has been a British absentee from the BBL for a while now. His ability is certainly there, and it is very pleasing to see him get another shot at the top. I remember Hasse as a young guy playing for Birmingham, and if decent faith is put in him he can be good for the Lions.
Grade: C+
Power Forward: Keith Darden is the second of Lions' three new Americans. Height and athleticism is a bit unusual amongst BBL players, but the 6'10'' Darden is known for his ability to play as a big-man inside, and also out on the perimetre. He's new to the BBL and coming for a lower division NCAA school could make Darden a bit of an unknown at this point. However, he certainly has the physical tools to do a job for the Lions, and if his defending is anything as good as coach Michael New has been saying, he could be an imposing presence in the paint.
Despite what his last name suggests, Robert Youngblood will probably be the oldest player in the BBL this season. Coming up on 42, it seems Youngblood has been around the BBL forever. He certainly isn't as effective as he was in his younger days (he once had trials for an NBA team), but with Spinks gone, Youngblood's locker room presence will be worth more to the Lions than any stats he puts up.
Grade: B-
Centre: Having two starting guys above 6'10'' doesn't usually happen in the BBL, but the Lions have it with the addition of 6'11'' Travis Nelson. Nelson played at the Univerity of Wyoming, an excellent college, before moving to Minnesota State University where he put up stellar numbers. Nelson can certainly play, and his inside combination with Darden will be important to the Lions. Expect Nelson to take a prominent offensive role, whilst Darden will be crucial defensively.
Backing up Nelson will be Lawrence Brown. Portsmouth native Brown is rail-thin, but at 7'2'' will likely be the tallest player in the BBL this season. 4 years at Fairleigh Dickinson have been at excellent experience for Brown, but he still has much to learn in basketball terms. However, with coach Michael New being a premier BBL big man for many years, and the presence of stalwart post player Robert Youngblood, this might be an ideal environment, because as they say, you can teach someone basketball, but you can't teach height.
Grade: B-
Key Additions: A rejuvination or the final nail; Jelani Gardner's ability to return to pro basketball will be the breaking point for the Lions.
Key Losses: Not only has club captain Dru Spinks left, but experienced point guard EJ Harrison has moved north to join Glasgow Rocks. The Lions will miss his ability to put the team on his shoulders.
Full Roster:
Ishmael Fontaine 6'2'' SG
Jelani Gardner 6'6'' SF
Stefan Gil 5'9'' PG
Ransford Laryea 6'0'' PG
Lawrence Brown 7'2'' C
Robert Youngblood 6'7'' PF
Kris Clark 6'2'' PG
Yorick Willams 6'4'' SG
Anthony Hasse 6'6'' SF
Keith Darden 6'10'' PF
Travis Nelson 6'11'' C
Point Guard: Milton Keynes are very deep here, probably one of the deepest positions in the whole of the BBL. Stefan Gil, Kris Clark and Ransford Laryea are all-new additions, and whilst all three will likely see time at the shooting guard position due to the lack of capable backups, they are all natural points.
Kris Clark is a 6'2'' American who averaged an extremely impressive 6 assists per game in his final US college season. Clark played with many of the best college player in the United States and was known for his intelligent passing skills and exciting athleticism. Kris has all the skills to lead the league in assists this year.
England international Stefan Gil was the Most Valuable Player of the EBL (one level below the BBL) last year. This lightning quick 5'9'' guard could arguably have made the step-up some time ago, but instead last year he proved his dominance at the lower level one last time, earning him a call up to the national side. Gil's ability is highly transferable, and despite being undersized he will put up big numbers from his ability to score from just about anywhere on the court. No defender will be looking forward to matching up with Gil.
Ransford Laryea is a young English prospect who honed his skills in the Danish league last season. Whilst he did not play big minutes, Laryea prooved his worth as a lock down defender, and has a big role to play for the Lions.
Grade: A
Shooting Guard: One of my favourite players in the world is manning the 2-guard for the Lions. Yorick Williams has always been one of the most exciting players to watch from his aggressive and tenacious defending to his sharp-shooting three point shot.
Williams is another year older, but he is still a force in this league having averaged 16.7 ppg last season. Williams has always run hot and cold. I remember a Brighton Bears match against Leicester when in the second quarter the match commentator proudly announced "It's Leicester Riders: 20, Yorick Williams: 23". And while his ability to outscore an entire team over two quarters didn't always happen, there is always an air of excitement when Yorick is on the court, because anything can happen.
Behind Williams, however, there is not an awful lot. 6'2'' youth Ishmael Fontaine returns but he is unlikely to get decent minutes, the role is more likely to fall to the tiny Stefan Gil, who would make a thrilling partnership with the also-explosive Clark at the point.
Grade: B-
Small Forward: Jelani Gardner was once a highly rated NBA prospect. Health issues meant that this dream never came to pass, but nevertheless, Gardner has had a stellar career of professional basketball. American but with a French passport, Gardner has been succesfull at the very highest level in Europe, and whilst age and injuries appear to have caught up with him, he will be a terrific player in the BBL if he can recapture any of his former glory.
It's a Yao-Ming-sized "if", however, and should the Gardner experiment not work out, the Lions do find themselves with a bit of a weakness here too. The news that Dru Spinks would not be returning to the Lions has rocked the BBL. Spinks was the heart of the Lions, and one of the most dedicated and hard-working professionals the league has ever seen. His commitment to the Lions never faltered, and the team will certainly be missing something when they step out onto the court without him. Instead the Lions have had to look elsewhere for a back-up small forward.
6'6'' Anthony Hasse has been a British absentee from the BBL for a while now. His ability is certainly there, and it is very pleasing to see him get another shot at the top. I remember Hasse as a young guy playing for Birmingham, and if decent faith is put in him he can be good for the Lions.
Grade: C+
Power Forward: Keith Darden is the second of Lions' three new Americans. Height and athleticism is a bit unusual amongst BBL players, but the 6'10'' Darden is known for his ability to play as a big-man inside, and also out on the perimetre. He's new to the BBL and coming for a lower division NCAA school could make Darden a bit of an unknown at this point. However, he certainly has the physical tools to do a job for the Lions, and if his defending is anything as good as coach Michael New has been saying, he could be an imposing presence in the paint.
Despite what his last name suggests, Robert Youngblood will probably be the oldest player in the BBL this season. Coming up on 42, it seems Youngblood has been around the BBL forever. He certainly isn't as effective as he was in his younger days (he once had trials for an NBA team), but with Spinks gone, Youngblood's locker room presence will be worth more to the Lions than any stats he puts up.
Grade: B-
Centre: Having two starting guys above 6'10'' doesn't usually happen in the BBL, but the Lions have it with the addition of 6'11'' Travis Nelson. Nelson played at the Univerity of Wyoming, an excellent college, before moving to Minnesota State University where he put up stellar numbers. Nelson can certainly play, and his inside combination with Darden will be important to the Lions. Expect Nelson to take a prominent offensive role, whilst Darden will be crucial defensively.
Backing up Nelson will be Lawrence Brown. Portsmouth native Brown is rail-thin, but at 7'2'' will likely be the tallest player in the BBL this season. 4 years at Fairleigh Dickinson have been at excellent experience for Brown, but he still has much to learn in basketball terms. However, with coach Michael New being a premier BBL big man for many years, and the presence of stalwart post player Robert Youngblood, this might be an ideal environment, because as they say, you can teach someone basketball, but you can't teach height.
Grade: B-
Key Additions: A rejuvination or the final nail; Jelani Gardner's ability to return to pro basketball will be the breaking point for the Lions.
Key Losses: Not only has club captain Dru Spinks left, but experienced point guard EJ Harrison has moved north to join Glasgow Rocks. The Lions will miss his ability to put the team on his shoulders.
Full Roster:
Ishmael Fontaine 6'2'' SG
Jelani Gardner 6'6'' SF
Stefan Gil 5'9'' PG
Ransford Laryea 6'0'' PG
Lawrence Brown 7'2'' C
Robert Youngblood 6'7'' PF
Kris Clark 6'2'' PG
Yorick Willams 6'4'' SG
Anthony Hasse 6'6'' SF
Keith Darden 6'10'' PF
Travis Nelson 6'11'' C
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Leicester Riders - Team Preview
I'm going to put myself out, despite the fact that I haven't seen any of the new BBL Americans yet, and begin grading the teams for the coming season. I will do a position-by-position evaluation, and give each position a grade.
I would go in alphabetical order but, such is the way in the BBL, not all the player information has so far been released. Thereofore I will complete the grading in the order that the teams release their player information.
Leicester Riders
Point Guard: Riders have signed US point guard J.R Blount who had four excellent seasons at NCAA college team Loyola-IL, averaging 14.1 points and 3.3 assists per game in his final year. Blount is a bit of an unknown quantity, however, and not just to me. He actually graduated college the season before last, and instead of playing professionally, opted to take up an assistant coaching position. Inevitably, then, it will take him some time to readjust to full time basketball. However, his time coaching may well have provided him with further technical understanding of the game, which can only help running the point in a new environment.
Backing up Blount will be Rishi Kakad, a 6'2'' combo guard. Rishi is an American with a British passport, a valuable commodity, and appears to be an excellent scorer having averaged nearly 16 points per game last year in college, albeit at a lower level than Blount. Kakad will spent some time at shooting guard too, but it is likely that Blount will play long minutes at the point.
Given that Blount and Kakad are both players that I have not seen play, it would be difficult to give a fair judgment. Having read reports on them, both playing in England and out, I feel that there is good enough potential here to award a good score.
Grade: B
Shooting Guard: Ryan Zamroz will start here. A free-scoring guard who averaged nearly 30 ppg playing in Australia last season, Zamroz is American-born with an Italian passport. At BBL level Zamrov looks to be something of a great spot-up shooter, but will need to adjust to the league. I feel we will see the best of Zamroz, only if Rider's big men do a great job of hammering the post and passing out to the open three. For that reason I can't help but feel that Zamroz will have some huge games, and some were he hardly figures.
6'6'' James Warwick is very interesting. Born in Hertfordshire, after a short spell in the American college system Warwick has played in Germany and briefly in Italy. Tall for his position in the BBL, Warwick may well play big minutes for Riders this season, especially if Zamroz doesn't quite work out. Rishi Kakad will see some minutes here too.
Grade: C+
Small Forward: LaTaryl Williams has been in the BBL a long time, having originally played for the cash-strapped Birmingham Bullets team of the 2005-06 season, as well as spells at the both-short-lived Birmingham Panthers and London United. Williams has been a steady performer for the Riders since joining them for the 2008-09 season. The 6'6'' small forward averaged 10 ppg and 5.6 rpg last year.
Behind Williams is the veteran Tony Windless, a 6'5'' former BBL Allstar who has a British passprt. Windless' best years are certainly behind him, but he is still one of the most capable back up wingmen in the league.
Grade: B+
Power Forward: Last year 6'7'' American forward Jason Johnson was the best player in Leicester, if not the BBL. He's jetted off to Finland, leaving a large whole in the offence and defense of the Riders frontcourt. Attempting to fill that whole is Anthony Simpson. Simpson is a powerful 6'8'' big-man who averaged 9 ppg and 6 rpg in a very good American college league last season.
The Riders have better depth this season, and Simpson wont be expected to replicate Johnson's impressive stats, but he will certainly become a key player for the Riders this season.
Former Newcastle Eagles forward Tom Sherlock has joined the Riders for this season as their back-up power forward. The 6'8'' Sherlock showed flashes of his potential on Tyneside a couple of seasons back, but he has been out of the BBL for a little while and may take some time to get back into the swing of things.
Grade: B-
Centre: With 6'9'' centre Shaun Durant joining Worthing and key player Jason Johnson leaving for Europe, the Riders have an all-new set of big men this season. Coventry-born centre Andrew Bennett looks to be an excellent acquisition.
Bennett has the size at 6'10'', but also possesses excellent athleticism and strength for a big man. A succesful American college run has seem him return to England with the ability and confidence to make a big impact on the league.
Barry Lamble is something of a rarity. Born in Taunton, this 6'11'' centre has been around the BBL for a number of years and is a perfect back-up centre for the Riders. His veteran knowledge and BBL experience make him the ideal man to teach Bennett the ropes and allow him to excel. Lamble averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last year.
Grade: B
Key Additions: The success of new big-men Simpson and Bennett will be the difference between Riders being a solid mid-table team, and title contenders.
Key Losses: The combined 39.4 points averaged by Jason Johnson and guard Bradd Wierzbicki will be sorely missed.
Full Roster:
LaTaryl Williams 6'6'' SF
Ryan Zamroz 6'4'' SG
Tom Sherlock 6'8'' PF
Tony Windless 6'5'' SF
Barry Lamble 6'11'' C
Anthony Simpson 6'8'' PF/C
J.R Blount 6'1'' PG
Rishi Kakad 6'2'' SG/PG
Andrew Bennett 6'10'' C
James Warwick 6'6'' SG/SF
I would go in alphabetical order but, such is the way in the BBL, not all the player information has so far been released. Thereofore I will complete the grading in the order that the teams release their player information.
Leicester Riders
Point Guard: Riders have signed US point guard J.R Blount who had four excellent seasons at NCAA college team Loyola-IL, averaging 14.1 points and 3.3 assists per game in his final year. Blount is a bit of an unknown quantity, however, and not just to me. He actually graduated college the season before last, and instead of playing professionally, opted to take up an assistant coaching position. Inevitably, then, it will take him some time to readjust to full time basketball. However, his time coaching may well have provided him with further technical understanding of the game, which can only help running the point in a new environment.
Backing up Blount will be Rishi Kakad, a 6'2'' combo guard. Rishi is an American with a British passport, a valuable commodity, and appears to be an excellent scorer having averaged nearly 16 points per game last year in college, albeit at a lower level than Blount. Kakad will spent some time at shooting guard too, but it is likely that Blount will play long minutes at the point.
Given that Blount and Kakad are both players that I have not seen play, it would be difficult to give a fair judgment. Having read reports on them, both playing in England and out, I feel that there is good enough potential here to award a good score.
Grade: B
Shooting Guard: Ryan Zamroz will start here. A free-scoring guard who averaged nearly 30 ppg playing in Australia last season, Zamroz is American-born with an Italian passport. At BBL level Zamrov looks to be something of a great spot-up shooter, but will need to adjust to the league. I feel we will see the best of Zamroz, only if Rider's big men do a great job of hammering the post and passing out to the open three. For that reason I can't help but feel that Zamroz will have some huge games, and some were he hardly figures.
6'6'' James Warwick is very interesting. Born in Hertfordshire, after a short spell in the American college system Warwick has played in Germany and briefly in Italy. Tall for his position in the BBL, Warwick may well play big minutes for Riders this season, especially if Zamroz doesn't quite work out. Rishi Kakad will see some minutes here too.
Grade: C+
Small Forward: LaTaryl Williams has been in the BBL a long time, having originally played for the cash-strapped Birmingham Bullets team of the 2005-06 season, as well as spells at the both-short-lived Birmingham Panthers and London United. Williams has been a steady performer for the Riders since joining them for the 2008-09 season. The 6'6'' small forward averaged 10 ppg and 5.6 rpg last year.
Behind Williams is the veteran Tony Windless, a 6'5'' former BBL Allstar who has a British passprt. Windless' best years are certainly behind him, but he is still one of the most capable back up wingmen in the league.
Grade: B+
Power Forward: Last year 6'7'' American forward Jason Johnson was the best player in Leicester, if not the BBL. He's jetted off to Finland, leaving a large whole in the offence and defense of the Riders frontcourt. Attempting to fill that whole is Anthony Simpson. Simpson is a powerful 6'8'' big-man who averaged 9 ppg and 6 rpg in a very good American college league last season.
The Riders have better depth this season, and Simpson wont be expected to replicate Johnson's impressive stats, but he will certainly become a key player for the Riders this season.
Former Newcastle Eagles forward Tom Sherlock has joined the Riders for this season as their back-up power forward. The 6'8'' Sherlock showed flashes of his potential on Tyneside a couple of seasons back, but he has been out of the BBL for a little while and may take some time to get back into the swing of things.
Grade: B-
Centre: With 6'9'' centre Shaun Durant joining Worthing and key player Jason Johnson leaving for Europe, the Riders have an all-new set of big men this season. Coventry-born centre Andrew Bennett looks to be an excellent acquisition.
Bennett has the size at 6'10'', but also possesses excellent athleticism and strength for a big man. A succesful American college run has seem him return to England with the ability and confidence to make a big impact on the league.
Barry Lamble is something of a rarity. Born in Taunton, this 6'11'' centre has been around the BBL for a number of years and is a perfect back-up centre for the Riders. His veteran knowledge and BBL experience make him the ideal man to teach Bennett the ropes and allow him to excel. Lamble averaged 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last year.
Grade: B
Key Additions: The success of new big-men Simpson and Bennett will be the difference between Riders being a solid mid-table team, and title contenders.
Key Losses: The combined 39.4 points averaged by Jason Johnson and guard Bradd Wierzbicki will be sorely missed.
Full Roster:
LaTaryl Williams 6'6'' SF
Ryan Zamroz 6'4'' SG
Tom Sherlock 6'8'' PF
Tony Windless 6'5'' SF
Barry Lamble 6'11'' C
Anthony Simpson 6'8'' PF/C
J.R Blount 6'1'' PG
Rishi Kakad 6'2'' SG/PG
Andrew Bennett 6'10'' C
James Warwick 6'6'' SG/SF
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Welcome!
I was quite surprised to find that the worthingthunder.blogspot.com address was available. I mean, I know there is not really a good reason for Worthing Thunder to have an official blog but just I would have imagined that some Worthing Thunder fan would have grabbed it by now.
Well, now I have.
I should first say that I am not affiliated with the Worthing Thunder, I am just a highly dedicated fan planning to blog all my thoughts about the Thunder and the BBL in general throughout the season.
Worthing Thunder have been my team ever since the Brighton Bears sadly ceased to exist. I haven't followed them as much as I would have liked due to having been away at university throughout the previous three seasons. But now I'm back, and supporting basketball is what I do, so let's just get on with it.
This blog will be a chronicle of not only game reports, news and team analysis regarding the Worthing Thunder, but also an overview of the British Basketball League, a look forward to Team GB hopefully playing in the 2012 Olympics, and all other aspects of basketball in England.
Well, now I have.
I should first say that I am not affiliated with the Worthing Thunder, I am just a highly dedicated fan planning to blog all my thoughts about the Thunder and the BBL in general throughout the season.
Worthing Thunder have been my team ever since the Brighton Bears sadly ceased to exist. I haven't followed them as much as I would have liked due to having been away at university throughout the previous three seasons. But now I'm back, and supporting basketball is what I do, so let's just get on with it.
This blog will be a chronicle of not only game reports, news and team analysis regarding the Worthing Thunder, but also an overview of the British Basketball League, a look forward to Team GB hopefully playing in the 2012 Olympics, and all other aspects of basketball in England.
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