This sports centre has an 800+ capacity, and regularly gets 400 watching the Everton Tigers take to the floor. The whole place is very retro, right down to the bleachers, match programmes and Toxteth the Tiger entertaining the crowd.

The Everton Tigers have very close ties to the Everton Football Club, and many of the supporters started there. There are a lot of kids in the crowd, all very enthusiastic, who knows, I might be sat amongst the next Eric Burks, Tony Dorsey or John White… With a little encouragement!

Before the match started, I managed to grab a few words with two of the Everton Tigers’ Loyal young fans! Carl Lewis (the famous sporting reference was not lost on me) and James Kennedy, both 15 years old are avid fans who have always liked and played basketball. They attend every home match, and would love to get to the away games too, but they struggle to get there. They were at the Tiger’s vs Wolves match as the doors opened at 7 o’clock a full hour before tip-off, and they clearly love the sport.

Toxteth the Tiger is making the rounds and engaging the crowd as any good mascot should. The way he’s dancing, I would say that this tiger is of afro Caribbean descent! Correct me if I’m wrong.

At the start of the game I spot a man who looks like a young Yorrick Williams, Everton’s own 6’ 8” Calvin Davis and just like Williams, the crowd love him!

Liverpool has traditionally been known as a football city and lots of the crowd are here wearing their Everton tops, this team has an immediate and instantly recognisable brand, which I think over the coming months and years will help build the fanbase in the area. Some fans of course are over the moon with the new team. One fan, Colin said “I’ve watched basketball all my life, and I’ve supported Everton all my life – This is heaven for me!”

The match is mere moments from tip off, and the players are called onto court. The DJ here knows his crowd better than the Eagles’, and he brings on the Wolves to “The Addams Family”. Better still, he then plays right into the hearts of the Evertonian supporters with the “Z Cars” theme tune the memorable Everton Song, this is it, the fans know where they are.

Steve Smith, notable retired Olympic Bronze medal winner makes a ceremonial tip off, but I have to say that the crowd don’t seem that interested, they simply want the game to start.

After two false starts, the real tip off signifies the beginning of what is set to be an exciting match. Sorry for the cliché, but this really is the age old struggle between Cat and Dog! Ok, that’s enough of that!

This is real grassroots stuff here today. The fans, many of them new to the sport, aren’t really sure what to do. Some of them are here on tickets they were given at the Everton Football match against Sunderland the previous week. They don’t know the chants and they don’t know the game rules.

The blues get it down and we see a fantastic roundhouse from Everton’s number 8 Delme Herriman. The commentator, clearly an old Evertonian begins a slow chant of “Everton… Everton… Everton…” which the crowd recognises and joins in.

But, as we all know, this game is too fast for a slow chant, and it is mere seconds before the ball s back down at the Wolves end and the man behind me, a lifelong basketball fan is trying to stir up a chant of “Defence”. With 8:16 on the clock, the first foul is made on Anthony Paez for the Wolves. He goes up for two shots, but only makes one. The General, Tony Miller takes it downtown for a great assist to Calvin Davis for their first points of the night. Wolves are pressing, playing a tight man on man defence, but the Tiger’s break away to score again.

Two minutes later, and Wolves’ Number 8, James Life makes the first of 6 three point shots. He will go on to score 29 points for his team tonight. Foul on number 22 for the Wolves, Douaine Anderson, he takes and makeS 2 shots… The crowd are not happy.

This match really is B-Ball 101 – The commentator is slipping in as many explanations of the rules as he possibly can (which I must say is useful for me, it has been ten years!) With 3:46 left on the quarter, Aliu is fouled making 2 more points for Everton. The crowd go, reservedly, wild.

Getting close to the end of the first quarter now, and Number 5 Tony Robertson makes a beautiful assist for another two points by Chris Haslam. Then just moments later, number 11 puts the Aliu in allyoop with a fantastic rebound for two points!

The Wolves are pushing back harder and Shaun Durant fights for a nice 2 points. In the last second of the quarter, The Wolves go up for another lay-up and go one point up, 22-23.

Quickly into the second quarter, at 6’ 6”, Aliu is not the tallest member of the team, but he is definitely the biggest, I would not want to go up against him. He is a powerhouse. 9:12 on the clock and The Wolves are ahead by three points. Anthony Paez makes a LONG three pointer and Aliu responds for the blues with 3 points of his own, they are making it look easy.

After another foul on the Wolves, they just can’t get the ball back in the net, missing on three rebounds. Tony Robertson, Mr Magic makes a nice two shots. Then John Simpson fumbles the ball out of play, but comes right back, defending hard, but Shaun Durant comes back with 3:50 on the half for an easy lay-up.

Coming to the end of the first half, and  it’s 44-47 to The Wolves, they are widening the gap, and with 20 minutes left on this game, could they be about to make their third win this season?  The half ends with another two pointer by James Life.

Half time is a true testament to Liverpudlian sensibilities and tastes. Elvis has risen from the dead and has apparently been an Everton supporter all his life! And he’s here, in his fat white suited days as usual, instead of the early, clean shaven days (go figure!) Half time is like a family wedding, I expect the karaoke will be next; the scousers do it their way and it’s great fun!

During half time I got a chance to talk to a very excited supporter Colin, from Warrington. He has been following basketball “since Kareem Abdul Jabar wore the yellow jersey”!

He loves British basketball because, although it is worlds away from the NBA, it is full of great defence, like the American College games which makes for a better and more exciting game. Colin followed the Warrington Vikings as a child and then the Manchester Giants, and he still remembers the definitive moment, 10,000 supporters at the Manchester Arena watching the final match of the season between The Manchester Giants and The Sheffield Sharks (1997?) “it was the place to be”. Colin has always followed Everton FC, and has a season ticket, and says he would love to have one for the Tigers! Are you reading this Mr Mooney?

Throughout this match, I have thought that Everton deserve this win, they are playing with such heart, but by the final quarter, The Wolves’ tight defence, coupled with a fumbling Everton side mean that The Tigers are way down, and the gap just keeps getting bigger. Number 22, Douaine Anderson goes down for The Wolves, his game is over and he has to leave the court injured.

David Aliu helps him off the court, and the crowd is very supportive. That’s Liverpool all over, and makes the fact that they are losing feel worse! The fans are devastated as hopes for a win are dashed by yet another three pointer from James Life. Everton’s attempts at three pointers fail time and again.

Even a four point play by Delme Herriman can’t save this game now!

The dying moments of the game just confirm what has been obvious since the end of the third quarter. Everton have completely lost control and even I can’t contain my irritation at the fumbling, and missed chances.

Everton lose 92-79, and I’m really not sure how this will affect turnout to the next match, only time will tell. I believe that this newly formed team can only get better. There were some fantastic moments, but a lack of tight defence and clumsy ball handling meant that there was no way they could win.

Lets hope for a better game next time.

Della Jacobs

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