USA Select "In The News"
Flyers fall to USA Select All Star Team
"Thursday September 13th was a historic day for Basketball in Bristol. For the first time ever the City boasts a professional basketball team, The Bristol Academy Flyers.
The Flyers took to the court in this their first game of the new 2007/08 season in front of a packed Filton College WISE arena with over 500 spectators in the purpose built College Campus. With pre match entertainment provided by Filton Colleges SWADA dancers and a light and music show entrance of the team the night was set for an entertaining and enthralling battle."
Unfortunately for them, they faced the 2007 USA Select Basketball Team.
In a related article from SportUK.tv it was written;
Flyers grounded by USA Select all star team
Bristol Academy Flyers 85 -Team USA Select 109
Thursday 13 September was an historic day for Basketball in Bristol. For the first time ever the city boasts a professional basketball team, The Bristol Academy Flyers.
The Flyers took to the court in this there first game of the new 2007/08 season in front of a packed Filton College WISE arena with over 500 spectators in the purpose built College Campus. With pre match entertainment provided by Filton Colleges SWADA dancers and a light and music show entrance of the team, the night was set for an entertaining and enthralling battle.
FOR ASPIRING PROS, PATH TO EUROPE HAS PINEVILLE STOP
Pineville is known by many in the Charlotte region as the home of Carolina Place Mall.
But for dozens of former college basketball players from across the country, it's known as the last stop before Europe. For two days last week, Pineville's Belle Johnston Center served as the practice location for the 14 former college players that comprise this year's Team USA Select Basketball roster.
Most of these players know the NBA is beyond their reach. For them, Team USA Select Basketball could give them the opportunity to latch onto a European basketball team and see the world.
"You can see Paris, you can see Prague, but you haven't really seen the world until you've seen the Belle Johnston Community Center in Pineville or the Showmars (on Lancaster Highway)," said south Mecklenburg resident and team coach/general manager Sean Kilmartin.
USA Select to visit Plymouth again.
Team USA Select have been regular visitors to the Pavilions over the past few years, bringing a team of American players looking for professional contracts in Europe. In recent years, players from Team USA Select have been awarded contracts in the BBL (Steve LePore with the old Brighton Bears, Shawan Robinson with Newcastle Eagles last summer), France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and even Australia.
The organisation is run by Sean Kilmartin and David Lawrence, both former professional basketball players here in the UK. It's designed to help players straight out of college in the USA to find professional contracts throughout Europe.
The Reading Rockets' Clint Deas, talks about making the move from Las Vegas to Caversham
Clint Deas joins the Rockets The Reading Rockets basketball team have signed 6'8" powerhouse Clint Deas ahead of the new season - so we gave him a call in Las Vegas to see how he's feeling about moving to Berkshire.
Rocks Get Solid Workout versus USA Select.
More than 600 Rocks fans turned out to see Thorsten Leibenath's new look squad take on the US Select team of Americans in a controlled practice game at Kelvin Hall.
In an exciting end-to-end contest the Americans took home the 80-78 victory on a controversial basket in the final seconds. However, Rocks fans have much to be upbeat about as there were impressive performances from several players.
The Rocks were led by Maurice Hampton and Moritz Wohlers each with 17 points. Rob Yanders added 15 and Gareth Murray chipped in 9. New signing Sterling Davis also fit in well and was an impressive force with 11 points before fouling out at the close of the 3rd quarter. Hugo Sterk was very active and youngsters Daniel Donnelly and Andy Pearson saw their first court time in a Rocks vest.
Good show, chap. Summers signs with King's Lynn Fury of England
It didn't take former Culpeper resident Lawrence "Puff" Summers long to get noticed. Summers, who attended Woodberry Forest and graduated from Davidson (N.C.) College last year, traveled to Europe Sept. 5 hoping to land a contract to play basketball overseas. After a nine-hour flight and a three-hour train ride, Summers immediately landed a tryout with the King's Lynn Fury.
Raiders Handed Extra Workout.
Pre-season began with a longer-than-expected workout for Kularoos Raiders as they slumped to an over-time defeat to Team USA.
Raiders' first match of 2006-07 was going to plan at half-time, as the visitors trailed by 11 points. But Team USA - a collection of former American college players hoping to earn pro contracts in Europe - rallied in the second half, to force overtime.
Going Job Hunting.
The moment Lawrence "Puff" Summers walked into the gym in Raliegh, N.C., he stood out to USA Select Basketball general manager Sean Kilmartin. It wasn't because Summers blocked out the sun. The Culpeper native stands just 5-feet-9-inches -" 5-10 on a good day," "Puff" jokes. Summers stood out for another reason. It was what he was wearing. The 2005 graduate of Davidson College showed up for practice wearing a Davidson jersey, something that caused Kilmartin to laugh.
Sean Kilmartin Leads TEAM USA SELECT BASKETBALL
Any basketball conversation in South Charlotte is bound to include the name Sean Kilmartin. The longtime Charlotte resident has been involved in every aspect of the game of basketball. Kilmartin has been on quite a basketball journey. After a successful high school career in the Triad area, Kilmartin played basketball for Appalachian State University. Following his time as a Mountaineer, Kilmartin played basketball overseas before returning home to North Carolina to start a family with his wife Jane. When not at work with his financial planning and investment business, R.M. Stark Co., Sean can be found coaching basketball in gyms across South Charlotte. Sean works with his two boys Ryan and Alex on various teams, but also lends a hand to many other teams and players.
USA Select Gives Basketball Players a Chance to Play.
The reality about playing at the Division II level is that the NBA dream is just that - a dream. There have been only a few CIAA players who ever even got a sniff of the NBA. There are only so many Ben Wallaces or Ronald Murrays. As the men's 60th CIAA Tournament begins today in Raleigh at the RBC Center, there aren't a lot of prospects that NBA teams are scouting. But there is an alternative for players hoping to continue their careers and being paid to do so.
Pro Basketball Brighton Beach (hoops) Memoirs
What does a 23-year-old do when bad knees rob him of a promising senior season in the Atlantic Coast Conference?He plays some more basketball, of course-but this time he does it for moneyJets Clinch Final Four Spot
Chester Jets are the first team to qualify for the BBL Trophy semi-finals at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle after the weekends games. The Trophy holders for the last four years secured their berth with a resounding 110-67 success over Leicester Riders on Sunday night. This was the case as Sheffield Sharks only beat the Riders by four points, 73-77 in a close game at the John Sandford the night before.
In Group South 1 London Towers are in the ascendancy after beating Milton Keynes Lions, a 94-95 overtime road win was secured on the buzzer with a Jerry Williams basket
They Open the World up to U.S. Athletes
"We just looked at each other (during a casual meeting) and said we were going to give some athletes an opportunity to see this one day," Kilmartin said recently. "As time progressed, we would always maintain contact with people we'd played with in Europe. A few years down the road, we realized we could juggle our schedules and with the assistance of Nicholas Melissaris and Mike Palladino, we put this brainchild together."
Former HA Star McCue Earns Basketball Tour Spot
Many recent college graduates opt to travel after graduation. A week or two in Europe ... Perhaps a significant stay in South America or even Asia. Freedom native Jesse McCue is no exception. Instead of backpacking through England, Austria, or Italy in the summer, however, the former Hampden Academy basketball standout will do a European and South American travel tour as part of a basketball team playing exhibition and tournament games this fall.
An Interview by the Kunin Club
This interview is on their website which unfortunately is in Czech