NEWS ARCHIVE 1

SHARKS GET THE WIN IN CRACKER OVER RAMPANT LIONS
In one of the best games so far at the EISS, the Sheffield Sharks secured a crucial 87-83 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the top of the BBL Championship on Friday. The win ensures that the Sharks remain on top of the league with a 5-1 record.

Ray McKeithan led the way as he scored 7 of his team’s last 9 points in the crucial run that decided the game on his way to 30 points for the night; Justice Graham added 27 for the victors. Veteran Tony Windless led the Lions with 17 points.

The Sharks struggled to get going in the first half and soon found themselves 11-18 down before a 7-2 burst closed the first quarter and kept them in touch. After the Sharks had a 5-0 start to the second stanza to take the lead, the visitors hit back with a 21-6 surge, on the back of Windless and Yorick Williams, for a 29-41 lead.

The Sharks caught fire at the end of the half as they nailed the last 9 points and on a Justice Graham triple snatched back the lead at 47-46.

However, back-to-back threes from Peter Heizer opened the third quarter for a 47-52 advantage for the Lions. In a quarter of runs, Graham netted 5 points to tie the game before the Lions responded with the next 8 points. Sharks got back to within one at 65-66 before a pair of Kevin Griffin free-throws made it 65-68 going into the decisive stanza.

A Ray McKeithan two handed monster dunk lifted the Sharks at the start of the fourth and they soon led 69-68. After the Lions had re-captured the lead, baskets from McKeithan, Graham, and Anthony Virgil put the Sharks back in front at 78-73. Terrell Brown hit back with two three-pointers as the Lions led for the last time at 78-80 with 3:30 remaining.

From that point McKeithan took over with 5 straight points, the Lions responded but it was all in vain as McKeithan sealed it with a basket with 8 seconds remaining.

McKeithan's MVP performance saw him finish with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 assists. He was ably assisted by Justice Graham with 27 points and 6 rebounds. The leading scorer for the Lions was BBL legend Tony Windless with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

In Friday's only other BBL action, Paws London Capital secured their second victory of the campaign defeating Everton Tigers 69 - 58.

Leading scorers for the Capital were Miller with 23 and Ogedengbe with 14 while Chris Haslam had 21 for the Tigers with David Aliu chipping in with 15. This result leaves the Tigers still looking for their first win in the top flight of British Basketball.

EAGLES TAKE ROCKS IN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC
The first 'Battle of the Border' lived up to its billing as big rivals the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks and the Newcastle Eagles fought out an epic 110-117 double overtime game, from which the Eagles prevailed at the Braehead Arena.

It was GB international Richard Midgley who won the game for the Eagles as, with the teams tied at 110, he netted the last 7 points of the game to clinch it. The Great Britain point guard led the scoring with 34 points, he also had 9 rebounds, and was supported by 26 points from Jeremy Hyatt.

Prior to Midgley's heroics, the teams had scrapped their way to 48-50 at the end of the second quarter. Neither side could establish a lead as the Rocks led by 6 at 29-23 before the Eagles turned the game on its head and took a 39-44 advantage.

The Eagles pushed it out to 58-65 midway through the third stanza, but a 7-2 start to the fourth saw the Rocks regain the lead at 79-78. The Eagles responded with a 10-4 surge to go up 83-88 and stayed in front until the final seconds. With 2.3 seconds left on the clock, Maurice Hampton made the three-pointer that tied the game at 95 and forced the first overtime period.

The Rocks thought they had won it after Rob Yanders made a triple and Julius Joseph made two free-throws to give them a 102-99 lead with 6 seconds remaining. However, veteran shooting guard Jeremy Hyatt emulated Hampton's efforts by netting a crucial triple on the buzzer to knot the teams at 102 and send the game into a second overtime.

A 21-6 tear to close out the third period broke the game open for the Sharks, and despite a Heat fightback in the fourth, the visitors were able to hold on for the victory.

In other BBL Championship action on Saturday evening, the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders defeated Team Birmingham Panthers 82-70.

The BiG Storage Cheshire Jets picked up their first win of the season as they overturned the PAWS London Capital 76-69, and the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders picked up an 82-73 victory over BBL newcomers, the Everton Tigers.

LONDON CAPITAL DEFEAT SHARKS
Head Coach and British basketball legend Steve Bucknall led his Paws London Capital to their first victory in the BBL in Friday night's massive encounter in Sheffield. The Sharks lost their unbeaten record this season with a hard fought 84-85 overtime defeat.

Defensively Sheffield have been outstanding all season and it showed again as they limited Capital to just 14 points while scoring 24 of their own to lead 44-32 heading into half time.

After the break Sheffield once more stifled the London offence to hold a 63-47 advantage with ten minutes remaining. Sheffield then blew a 18-point fourth quarter lead to allow London Capital back into the game. Monster threes by Ataha and Miller were the difference in the third.

With the scores tied at 74 a piece it was overtime. Sharks led by as many as 7 in the extra period but it was not to be as more threes from Ataha and Miller secured the victory for the Capital.

The leading scorer on the night was Sharks MVP Steve Parillion with 40 plus 11 rebounds. Justice Graham and Alto Virgil had 13 a piece.The leading scorer for the Capital was Ibrahim Gariba with 23 ably assisted by Ataha with 18 and Miller with 17. The Sharks had 24 turnovers compared to the Capital's 15 and London had been to the freethrow line 28 times compared to Sharks 11.

In Fridays other game it was reigning BBL champions Poujoulat Heat Guildford that ended up coming out on top in a pulsating encounter in Milton Keynes.

The Heat move to the top of the table while Lions slip back to fourth just two-points behind.

It was a tight match throughout with Marshall MK Lions’ 20-13 first quarter lead being whittled away to 28-26 by the end of the opening ten minutes. The sides traded baskets during the second period until Kevin Griffin put the hosts in front with a three 52-50 at half time.

Nothing could separate the teams during the third quarter. Peter Heizer and Tony Windless combined to put Lions 62-57 in front before Heat’s Daniel Gilbert connected with two threes to help Guildford move to 62-65. The score was locked at 81-81 thanks to a Yorick Williams trey to end the stanza for the Lions.

Lions held the lead for much of the fourth quarter until a Mike Martin three with 1.30 on the clock gave the advantage to Heat (96-98). And when Milton Keynes were called for an unsportsmanlike foul, last season’s league co-MVP Brian Dux calmly sank four free throws to seal the win.

Carlton Aaron and Mike Martin were joint leading scorers for Heat with 20 while Kevin Griffin’s 19 paced Lions’ offence.

BUCKNALL EYES ANDREW ALLEYNE
The Head Coach of the PAWS London Capital, Steve Bucknall, has confirmed the club's interest in Barbadian big man Andrew Alleyne, whom they are hoping will bolster their frontline.

The 6'8" veteran of seven BBL campaigns is currently unattached and featured on the same Leicester Riders' side as Bucknall last season. The 38-year-old is a former BBL Championship winner and was MVP in the BBL Cup Final which he won in 2004-05.

Last season Alleyne enjoyed one of his best in the BBL, averaging 16.25 points per game, he was 5th in rebounding with 9.69 per outing and led the league in blocked shots with 1.36 per game.

Bucknall hopes that a deal can be done this week as his side head into weekend games with the Sheffield Sharks, who boast 6'9" Shelby Chaney as a potent threat, and the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets,

"Andrew's name is one that keeps getting thrown around," said Bucknall, "I know what I would get with him, and he could help us out. He's been around the league and is a proven commodity."

The Capital have struggled on the inside in losing both of their opening two games this season, against the Marshall MK Lions and Newcastle Eagles, most often relying on the scoring abilities of guards Wes Miller and Anthony Anderson. At present they lack BBL experience in the paint with Oladeji Bolarin and Ibrahim Gariba both finding their feet at this level.

The Londoners travel to the unbeaten, table-topping, Sheffield Sharks on Friday night (7.30pm tip-off) and follow that by welcoming the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets, who have started the season 0-3, to the Capital City Academy on Saturday (7.30pm tip-off).

The agreement maintains the BBL’s status as the men’s premier league and recognises the role of EB as having overall responsibility for the development of basketball in England. As part of the contractual relationship, the management of the two organisations will meet on a regular basis to discuss matters of policy and common interest whilst also looking at ways in which the two organisations can work in tandem in the delivery of the sport.

On signing the agreement, BBL Chairman Paul Blake commented,“We are delighted to have finalised this latest agreement. We are looking forward to working alongside EB with the development of basketball during this exciting period leading up to the 2012 Olympics”.

Terry Donovan, Chairman of England Basketball said, "It is important that the BBL has the reassurance of a 5-year contractual term confirming their status within the game of basketball in this country, and we expect and look forward to their increasing contribution to our overall goals."

An agreement between the two organisations has been in place since the BBL’s inception in September 1987.

The score sheet for this game makes incredible reading as the first quarter ended 11 - 9 in GB's favour. It suggested a grinding defensive battle was in store but that was far from the truth. From here Great Britain took control to lead at the half by 8, 26 - 18. But the best was yet to come. Right through the team GB were awesome, the ball movement, the suffocating defence and the excellent three point shooting. GB had 56 rebounds to Netherlands 37.

As with the GB Men last week it just kept getting better and better until the final whistle which gave us an incredible score line of 68 - 32. Over the four quarters GB had given up just 9, 9, 6 and 8.

Great Britain's points came from everywhere with Megan Moody top scoring with 17 including 2 monster threes plus 9 rebounds. Kristy Lavin was next with 16 and 5 boards followed by 9 (3x3) and 7 boards from Stephanie Collins plus 9 points and 6 boards from Rosalee Mason. GB back-up guard Georgia Jones dished up 5 assists to go with her 4 points. The top scorer for the Netherlands was Laura Kooij who had 9. Amazingly not one Netherland player got into double figures.

So victory on Wednesday in Holland or defeat by any score less than 35 will see GB Women in the top tier of European Women's basketball.

SHARKS TOP FLEDGLING BBL TABLE
The Sheffield Sharks are on top of the BBL Championship table after a pair of wins on the opening weekend of the season. On Sunday Alto Virgil returned to haunt the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets as he scored 21 points and led his new team, the Sharks, to a 68-74 victory. That was preceded by the Sharks edging the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 85-82 at the EIS on Friday.

Another of Friday's curtain-raisers, between the reigning BBL champions and three-peat playoff winners, saw the Poujoulat Heat Guildford overcome the Newcastle Eagles by 83-90 at the MetroRadio Arena. Six points late on from Danny Gilbert sealed the win for the Heat in a game between the two pre-season favourites for the BBL Championship title.

Elsewhere, there were a number of outstanding individual performances over the weekend:

Drew Lasker led the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders to an 89-74 win over the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets and netted 36 points on the night; yet, that was bettered by the Jets' shooting guard Jayson Obazuaye who scored 37 on his BBL debut.

Another BBL debutant, North Carolina graduate Wes Miller, scored a massive 49 points in vain as the PAWS London Capital fell to a defeat in their BBL inception at the hands of the Marshall MK Lions, who left London with a 94-115 victory on Saturday night. The Lions spread the scoring and were led by 19 points from Yorick Williams.

Meanwhile, also on Saturday, the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders snapped a torrid run of opening night defeats as they won their first opening fixture since 1995. They emerged from an ill-tempered Midlands derby with a 101-79 victory over the Team Birmingham Panthers, led by terrier-like Lithuanian point guard Mindaugas Janiska's 25 points.

Team GB have all but sealed their promotion into Europe's basketball elite after making light work of a lacklustre challenge by Switzerland, in the first playoff on Tuesday night at a packed Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

Says Finch, "It is not over but we have got off to a great start. It is never over in basketball. We have very attacking and aggressive defence everywhere and it was contagious throughout the squad."

One of the hi-lights of the night was the match-up of Chicago Bulls pair Thabo Sefolosha and Luol Deng and they both contributed handsomely to their team's display, but in differing style, with Sefolosha dictating a number of plays for the Swiss team, while Deng proved yet again the strength of his role as a facilitator.

But it wasn't just the NBA stars who impressed, with a couple of former Sheffield Sharks playing significant parts in the game, Roger Huggins opened the GB score and went on to bag eight points while Nate Reinking found the net with a pair of tasty threes to finish second top scorer on 13.

Mike Lenzly then personified the first half with a great steal, picking Sefolosha's pocket at half court, then scoring to ensure GB went into the locker room 16 points up.

GREAT BRITAIN ON THE VERGE
In a sensational few weeks, Great Britain, under Head Coach Chris FINCH, has become a serious player in European Basketball. With victories against Slovakia and Albania at home and yesterday's sensational win on the road in Belarus GB are truly on the verge of big-time European Basketball.

Looking at the the Eurobasket games now taking place we really do have something to aspire to. So many of the European teams now have players playing in the NBA, but even that really doesn't guarantee success. Ask Tony PARKER of the Spurs and France who missed from the freethrow line to hand Slovenia the game.

Britain now has its own NBA player in Luol DENG and he is the difference. But it is not only his own scoring that's making him stand out but also his ability to make those around him play better. Luol DENG inspires.

Further, I believe that now we are seen as serious contenders, other British players around the NBA and European leagues will be hammering on Chris FINCH'S door to get in the team.

Something is happening in British ball and we should get out and support the teams and lets hope we are soon welcoming some of the powerhouses of European Basketball to these shores. Hopefully then the media will wake up and take notice.

With just over a fortnight until the opening match of the campaign at the EISS against Scottish Rocks, Sharks coach Peter Scantlebury can at last begin to put his team together after a summer fraught with player comings and goings. The capture of Virgil is a positive sign that the Sharks will be a competitive force over the next seven months.

Last season Virgil played for the Chester Jets and was in the league’s top ten players for both scoring (18-points per game) and assists (4.5 per game). He also proved solid from the free-throw line finishing tenth in the BBL with a 78.3 percent average.

Scantlebury, who will likely pair the 6 foot 2 inch Virgil with Justice Graham in the Sharks backcourt, said he was delighted to have finally secured his new floor leader after pursuing him all summer. “Alto was a player that impressed me greatly last season. He hurt us on a number of occasions when we played against the Jets even though they were struggling.”

After the success of plucking Jeff Bonds from bottom of the table Birmingham last year – Bonds went on to be joint winner of the league’s MVP award – Scantlebury is hoping he can recreate that magic with Virgil.

The 40-year-old previously coached in the BBL at Derby and also spent three years as assistant coach at Milton Keynes Lions.More recently he took the Loughborough University team into the National League and led them to the Division 3 title two years ago and for the last four seasons he has been the highly successful coach of the English Universities side.

"We're delighted to have Martin on board," said spokesman Mike Steptoe. "He has a track record in the BBL and his experience with England Universities team means he has a wealth of knowledge of young English players as well."

Ford made his name as a player in the 80s and 90s, mainly with Derby, but also had spells with Manchester and Nottingham and also made a couple of appearances for England.

"The BBL is the top league in the country and that's where I believe I should be coaching," said Ford. "This is a tremendous opportunity because of what the Riders are looking to do. I want to help develop from the grass roots all the way through to the elite team and that's what the Riders are looking to do.

"I'm interested in building a proper programme, with a sound structure both on and off the court and the recent sponsorship from Jelson Homes has put the Riders in a position to do that."

With the season just three weeks away, Ford is aware that time is not on his side as he looks to build a team.

"It's very difficult, we'd rather not be in such a rush, but that's where we are," Ford added. "We're talking to some good players, so I'm hoping we'll have a good side. Winning is not in a straight line, for us to be successful this year and in coming years we're going to have some dips, but the key thing for me is having a vision of where we are going to go and ensuring that everyone is working towards that. It won't be easy early on, but we will do everything we can to be successful."

As part of his development, he has also participated in the World Class Coaches programme and is a qualified teacher.

CRUNCH TIME FOR GREAT BRITAIN MEN
Chris Finch and his Great Britain squad are now in Belarus ahead of their crucial match, which they have to win if they are to book their place in Group B's Promotional Games a week on Tuesday.

The side that loses is out of the promotional round as three losses will not be good enough to secure their spot as the second place team with the best record. Finch's squad will be wary of Belarus having lost to them by a single point last year.

If successful against Belarus, GB’s opponent could be any of the following teams: Switzerland, Romania or Finland.

On Sunday night, in Group C, Georgia defeated Finland which clouded the promotional round picture, Georgia now wait to see who wins the Romania v. Switzerland match-up on Wednesday.

Leicester Basketball Club is delighted to announce a new sponsorship deal with Jelson Homes. Coupled with the tremendous response from the club’s fans, the deal secures Riders’ participation in this season’s BBL and gives a solid base to build a secure future. The deal will see the club called the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders for the 2007/08 season.

“We recently became aware of the Riders plight and wanted to see how we could help,” explained Jelson’s Managing Director Robert Jelley. “When we came to the fans’ meeting and saw the dedication and commitment of the Riders supporters we couldn’t wait to get involved. We saw what this team means to the community and wanted to be a part of it.”

The deal, one of the most financially substantial in the club’s history, will allow for the establishment of a community development programme which is integral to the long-term future of the club.

“This has turned out to be a fantastic week for the club,” said spokesman Mike Steptoe. “The response we got from our supporters has been brilliant and we will continue to need that commitment from them in the year ahead. And the deal with Jelson Homes is probably one of the most significant in the club’s 40-year history, we’re really excited about the partnership with them.”

The club is also delighted to that it has almost hit its target of season ticket sales thanks to an overwhelming response from the supporters in the last three days.

Newcastle Eagles are thrilled to announce that they have signed former BBL All Star forward Lynard Stewart for the 2007/08 BBL season.

The forward, who first arrived in the UK in 2001, spent three successful seasons with the Sheffield Sharks before moving to London Towers for two years.

With the Sharks, he was MVP of both the BBL Cup Final and the BBL Championship Playoff final as they won those competitions in 2003/04. He also has a BBL Championship winner's medal from 2002/03 and featured on the league All-Star team three times. In the summer of 2006 he linked back up with his former Sharks boss and current Great Britain coach Chris Finch at Bree in the Belgian League having averaged over 19 points and 6 rebounds per game during his final year with Towers.

Eagles player-coach Fab Flournoy has spoken of his joy at managing to sign Stewart and believes the Temple graduate will add a new dimension to his side this season.

He said "I am delighted to have finally got Lynard. While we had to be patient inactually getting him, it really is worth the wait when you get someone who has so many attributes."

"He is a player that I have admired for a long time and I was determined to bring him to our club. He will give us so much on the floor and maybe offer a new dimension."

Flournoy added, "Not only that, but he has now had a season in Europe under his belt too and we can certainly reap the dividends from that.

He is a proven winner and someone that brings experience of challenging for trophies wherever he has played."

Eagles Managing Director Paul Blake meanwhile was just as pleased to land Lynard claiming that the club's preparations for 2007/08 are coming along nicely.

"We have been eager to recruit British players this summer and I believe we have signed a trio of them who are quality and a really good fit for us.

However if and when we have to go away from this policy, we are keen to only sign high calibre players. As in previous seasons we are able to do this with the support of the team at Newcastle MetroRadio Arena, who are once again helping to support."

He explained "Along with Charles Smith, Lynard falls very firmly into that category and I have to say that we are fortunate to be able to call on a player with his record."

"He knows how to win and is someone that will give Fab talent and experience in equal measures. I am sure he will be a massive hit both on and off the court for us. Things are certainly coming together for us with more signings still to come."

Stewart joins player-coach Fab Flournoy, Great Britain star Richard Midgley, Andrew Bridge, Charles Smith and last year's play-off final MVP Olu Babalola as the Play-off winners roster begins to take shape.