Author Archives: orangebend
TEAM USA RETURN FOR THE 4TH YEAR
TEAM USA RETURN FOR THE 4TH YEAR
AUTHOR: Clare Mackle
SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
We are delighted to announce that our friends at Team USA are returning to Edinburgh for the 4th year in a row! They are bringing 2 teams this year and will face off against an Under 23 Kings Select team and our Senior Men. The United States touring team will feature players who have recently graduated from playing college basketball in the States and who are hoping to possibly secure themselves a professional contract in Europe for next season. This is always a highlight of our preseason and we look forward to welcoming them back to Portobello. This will also be the first chance to get a look at the new Senior Men roster!
Game times are :
17:30 Kings Under 23 Select v Team USA Blue
19:30 Kings Senior Men v Team USA Red
Hewitt Taking His Game To The Next Level
Hewitt Taking His Game To The Next Level
8/29/2019 10:48:00 AM
For over 15 years, USA Select Basketball has developed and fostered contacts oversees for the purpose of helping generations of former collegiate players continue their careers by playing professionally in Europe. USA Select handpicks a group of individuals for their international tours and, this year, the 2019 edition will feature none other than former Whitman Blues sharpshooter Joey Hewitt.
Hewitt met his new teammates in North Carolina for an intense three days of practice and concluded the pre-tour training camp on Tuesday, Aug. 28. The squad is now in the midst of a 14-game, 21-day journey through England, Wales, Scotland and Norway.
Whitman coach Eric Bridgeland, Hewitt’s coach for four years, knows how well-deserving this opportunity is. “Joey is a pro, a special player. You don’t have the success our program has enjoyed without the special ones. Our whole family is excited for him.”
2019 USA Select Team @USASelectBBall
Credit: International Hoop Scout @hoop_scout
USA Select will play top-notch competition from the Welsh National Team to the three-time British Basketball League champion Leicester Raiders. But a Sept. 6 game at Loughborough University will have a special significance to Hewitt. Professional contracts are no guarantee, and should things not work out on the court, Hewitt has been accepted and will attend Loughborough in the fall of 2020 seeking his masters in sports psychology.
Hewitt had a sensational career at Whitman, suiting up for the Blues from 2015-19 and leaving as one of the program’s all-time greats. Hewitt was a three-time all-NWC selection and earned NABC and D3Hoops.com all-region honors as a junior and senior. He exited Whitman ranked in the top five in career points and three-pointers made.
It’s no rest for the weary for the young group of hopeful professionals. The tour tips off with the 2019 Howell Shield Elite Basketball Tournament, an eight-team tournament running from Aug. 30-Sept. 1.
Fans can follow USA Select Basketball and the tour on Twitter (@usaselectbball), Instagram (#usaselectbasketball) and Facebook (USA Select Basketball).
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Former Whitman players Austin Butler and Tim Howell will both begin a one-year masters program at the University of Essex in England while playing for the school’s professional team. Butler will be studying sports psychology and Howell sports administration…2019 graduate Jase Harrison will also be starting his post-grad education this fall in England, seeking his masters in sports psychology at the University of East London.
#GoWhitman
EAGLES TIP-OFF FIRST PRE-SEASON IN NEW HOME
EAGLES TIP-OFF FIRST PRE-SEASON IN NEW HOME
By DAN BLACK
on August 19, 2019
As the 2019-20 Newcastle Eagles BBL team signing announcements continue to roll-out ahead of our first full season in the Eagles Community Arena, we are excited to reveal the first pre-season games to be hosted in our new venue.
Three games will give you the chance to see our new squad in action before the new-format BBL season begins with the Cup Group Stage at home at the end of September.
On Tuesday 3 September we open the campaign warm-up as USA Select return to the UK for a weeknight exhibition before Friday night basketball is back with Worcester and Sheffield visiting Tyneside over the two weeks leading up to the season opener on September 20 against Cheshire Phoenix.
HOME – Tue 3 Sep 19:30 – Newcastle Eagles – VS -USA Select – Eagles Community Arena Pre-Season – GET TICKETS
HOME – Fri 6 Sep 19:30 – Newcastle Eagles – VS -Worcester Wolves – Eagles Community Arena Pre-Season – GET TICKETS
HOME – Fri 13 Sep 19:30 – Newcastle Eagles – VS -Sheffield Sharks – Eagles Community Arena Pre-Season – GET TICKETS
AWAY – Sun 15 Sep 16:00 – Sheffield Sharks – VS -Newcastle Eagles – EIS Sheffield Pre-Season
Tickets are on sale now from the all-new Newcastle Eagles Box Office for just £8 per person (reduced to £7 for our BBL season ticket holders when you login).
USA Select Tickets Now On Sale!
USA Select Tickets Now On Sale!
By Liam Brown
on August 14, 2019
Manchester Giants will take on USA Select in the traditional pre-season curtain raiser on 5th September 2019.
The match will take place at Platt Lane Complex, Yew Tree Rd, Manchester M14 7UU, with a 7pm tip off.
Due to the decreased capacity at Platt Lane, tickets are expected to sell out very quickly, with tickets available to purchase on the viewing balcony. Season ticket holders get this game included on their season ticket, and simply have to show up with their season ticket confirmation to be checked against our records.
It represents Giants’ fans first opportunity to get see Danny Byrne’s new look side in action, with new boys Tiel Daniels, Del’vin Dickerson, Edu Arqués, Phil Kelly-Brandreth and Jon Mulmore joining the returning cast of Ingus Bankevics, James Jones and Callum Jones.
We will be trialling a new bar code ticket system for this game, allowing fans to print tickets at home or bring on a mobile phone for scanning on entry. If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail us at [email protected] and we will be happy to answer them. If there are any issues with your tickets, you can be simply checked against our records in the old way.
Kingston Panthers VS Usa Select
Kingston Panthers VS Usa Select
Whatever Happened To … former Valley Forge basketball standout Ryan Patton
Whatever Happened To … former Valley Forge basketball standout Ryan Patton
By Tim Rogers / Plain Dealer Reporter
on January 14, 2011 12:32 PM, updated August 23, 2013 3:14 AM
Some guys will go to great lengths to extend their basketball playing days.
Former Valley Forge and Youngstown State star Ryan Patton went farther than most. He went all the way to England, with a brief stint in Qatar.
Patton, who led Forge to a Division I regional final in 1997 and scored more than 800 points in just two high school seasons, is in his sixth year as a European professional and his playing career is not much different than it was in the United States.
He still is a terrific shooter and scorer.
“I always thought he would end up playing professionally somewhere,” said John Stavole, who coached Patton for two seasons after he transferred from Holy Name to Valley Forge. “If ‘gym-rat’ was in the dictionary, his picture would be there. He just loved to play. He was the kind of kid you loved to coach.”
Patton, 31, earned All-Ohio honors as a senior at Valley Forge and became just the second player in YSU history to score 1,000 points and have 400 assists before graduating in 2002.
The 6-0 guard plays for the Sheffield Sharks, the defending champions of the British Basketball League. The season lasts from September to May and teams play about twice a week. The Sharks, 30-6 one year ago, are in the BBL Championship Finals, which begin next week. Patton is averaging 18 points a game and is in the league’s top five in assists, 3-point shooting percentage and free throw percentage.
“I would have considered playing anywhere in Europe,” Patton said in an e-mail. “England was the first country that I played in. I played a short time in Qatar, but it’s beneficial to be in a country without a language barrier and I felt at home in England.”
Each BBL squad is permitted to have just three Americans on its roster.
“That puts a little added pressure on me to keep performing well,” he said. “It’s good to have played at the college level in the States because it was a pressured environment. We get treated well here, your accommodations and car are paid for and the English fans and management are very supportive.”
Soccer remains king in England but Patton said basketball’s status is improving.
“Basketball is not one of the top sports in the country so we don’t pull in the same crowds,” he said. “Our games are showing now on Sky sports, which will improve the profile and popularity of basketball in the UK. The Cup Championships and the finals always draw big crowds and a great atmosphere.”
Patton still spends his summers in Ohio and has begun running basketball camps at local schools.
“I’ll play as long as my body allows me to,” he said.
Spoken like a true gym rat.
– Tim Rogers
Essex Classic day two round-up – Sep 10, 2018
Essex Classic day two round-up – Sep 10, 2018
POSTED BY: DAVE RYAN
First Round Schedule
Cheshire P. Sep.23 Worcester W
Plymouth R. Sep.23 London Lions
Bristol AF Sep.22 London CR
Surrey S. Sep.22 Glasgow Rock
London Lions Sep.21 Glasgow Rock
Newcastle E Sep.21 Cheshire P.
Sheffield S Sep.21 Manchester G
Worcester W Sep.21 Plymouth R.
London Lions lifted the inaugural Essex Classic title with a 101-50 victory against Team USA Select, on Sunday.
Vince Macauley’s side led from tip-to-buzzer to complete a fourth win in the competition at the Brentwood Centre.
Lamar Roberts was the unlikely top scorer for the BBL side as the big man finished with 23 points in under 12 minutes as his team piled on the pressure down the stretch.
Lions never looked back as they opened with the game’s first nine points, with Ladarius Tubb (19), Brandon Peel (201-F-94, college: Cent.Conn.St.) (13) and Jonathon James (12) also finishing in double figures.
Peel was named tournament MVP, finishing with 55 points and 30 rebounds in the four short-format games.
Team USA, who had edged tight games against Libertyville Vipers and Leopards to reach the final, were led by 14 points from Kevin May and 13 from captain Josh Flowers.
The third place play-off saw Vipers hold off a late run from Leopards to take bronze with a 75-67 victory.
The Big Cats had trailed 62-46 at the final break, but outscored the Americans 21-12 before running out of time.
Thomas Baker’s Leopards had led 19-17 at the first break, thanks partly to a pair of treys by Andre Lavinier, but Vipers took a 34-33 into the interval before a 28-13 third period put the visitors in charge.
A Lavinier and-one saw Leopards start the fourth period well, but although they chipped away at Vipers’ lead, their late run wasn’t quite enough.
Captain Sam Newman, along with debutant Luke Mascall-Wright led the hosts with 11 points apiece.
The day had started with Lions completing a perfect qualifying round record with a 77-62 victory against the Vipers.
Lions rushed into a 10-0 lead after three minutes, and were 25-5 ahead at the end of the first seven-minute period.
Vipers actually outscored the London team after that, going into the half-time break trailing 45-22 before winning the third period 19-14, and the teams shared 36 points in the final stanza.
Despite going 4/12 at the foul line, former GB international Flo Larkai led the Lions with 16 points and five rebounds. Peel finished with 14 points, also adding five boards while Labarius Tabb added 12 points and Justin Robinson added seven assists to his 11 points. Dee Woods led Vipers with 15 points while Jabari Alex added 14 points and five boards.
That result left Vipers needing Leopards to beat a much-changed Team USA Select team to qualify for the final, but it was their fellow Americans who reached the final by beating the Big Cats 68-59.
It was a strong finish from the visiting side that sealed a place in the championship game as they held Leopards to just six points in the final four minutes of the game.
Twenty-one points from Flowers and 15 from Corey Hicks proved key for Select, while Hodges led Leopards with 17 points and five boards, with Newman adding nine points and five assists.
Essex Classic – day 1 – Sep 9, 2018
Essex Classic – day 1 – Sep 9, 2018
POSTED BY: DAVE RYAN
First Round Schedule
Cheshire P. Sep.23 Worcester W
Plymouth R. Sep.23 London Lions
Bristol AF Sep.22 London CR
Surrey S. Sep.22 Glasgow Rock
London Lions Sep.21 Glasgow Rock
Newcastle E Sep.21 Cheshire P.
Sheffield S Sep.21 Manchester G
Worcester W Sep.21 Plymouth R.
London Lions go into day two of the Essex Classic top of the table after a pair of comfortable wins at the Brentwood Centre, on Saturday.
Vince Macauley’s side steamrollered their way through Team USA Select and hosts Essex Leopards, and barring a mathematical miracle will compete in Sunday’s final.
The Lions announced the return of Jonathan James on the morning of the tournament, and he made an instant impact in the tournament’s opening game with 13 points in a 69-29 blowout against Team USA.
London held the American scoreless from the field in the first seven minute period, and never looked back after leading 19-1 at the first break.
Captain for the day Andre Lockhart and Brandon Peel each finished with 12 points for Lions as they opened the Classic in style.
Game two proved to be a bit more competitive as Leopards started well against Libertyville Vipers before fading to lose 69-39.
Lee Hodges (formerly Leigh Greenhan) led the Big Cats with 13 points with Dion Easton adding six on his Leopards debut. Devonte Coe and Jabari Alex finished with 13 apiece for the Vipers.
The third game proved to be comfortably the best of the day as the two American sides went head-to-head. Team USA Select as a big three from Taylor Thomas down the stretch set them up for a 62-60.
It was nip and tuck throughout the game, with Vipers seeing their 14-12 first period lead halved to 30-29 lead at half-time.
Vipers led 47-44 at the final break, but it went down to the wire. Thomas’ trey was answered by an and-one from Alex, only for Thomas to hit a jumper to put his side ahead before Johnson wrapped things up at the line.
The day’s final game saw the young Leopards, missing three probably starters, over run by Lions at time as the BBL side ran out 72-39 winners.
Peel was in imperious form with 18 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes of action as Lions again started well with a 27-6 first period lead.
Chuck Duru hit half of the Big Cats points in the first quarter with a triple, but Sam Newman and Tom Child also scored from the Land of Plenty as Leopards opened the second period with an 11-6 run.
A four-point play from Wes Moore – Leopards’ only returning player from last season – helped the hosts keep the scoreboard ticking over, but a pair of Jordan Spencer free-throws sent Lions into the half-time break with a 39-21 lead.
The third period proved to be evenly matched, with Hodges hitting six straight points for Leopards before Andre Lavinier cut the deficit to 52-33 at the final break.
That proved to be only a brief respite for the Big Cats as Lions stepped up a gear in the fourth period, scoring 20 straight points in the first five and a half minutes before scores from Dion Easton, Duru and Newman sparked a 6-0 run to wrap up the scoring for the day.
Hodges finished with 11 points for Leopards with Newman adding seven and Rory Winter six, while Robinson finished with 20 and Spencer added 13 for Lions.
Team USA Select return – Aug 30, 2018
Team USA Select return – Aug 30, 2018
POSTED BY: DAVE RYAN
First Round Schedule
Cheshire P. Sep.23 Worcester W
Plymouth R. Sep.23 London Lions
Bristol AF Sep.22 London CR
Surrey S. Sep.22 Glasgow Rock
London Lions Sep.21 Glasgow Rock
Newcastle E Sep.21 Cheshire P.
Sheffield S Sep.21 Manchester G
Worcester W Sep.21 Plymouth R.
Team USA Select are back in the UK for their annual tour.
Now well into its second decade, Sean Klmartin’s touring programme will bring two squads this season, playing (at least) 29 games in 14 days before taking both rosters to Norway for a three-day tournament.
With ‘only’ two sides this season, it’s a little more sane than last year (though the game in Edinburgh on Monday then hammering back to a hotel in Manchester looks epic), and things start tonight with the combined rosters playing in Feltham. Then the Reds are off to Leicester to face Riders while the Blues start a two-day stint on the south coast that sees them play Solent on Friday and both Worthing Thunder & Hemel Storm on Saturday
Obviously their big weekend is when they visit the centre of the basketball world (AKA Brentwood) for the Essex Classic on September 8/9 where as well as playing Leopards and Lions, they’ll face another American side, Libertyville Vipers.
It all ends in London for the Reds and Coventry for the Blues before they have a private tour of the Houses of Parliament and hop on a plane to Oslo.
While the Reds are generally players looking to get a job in the UK (though immediately signing for a team is now extremely difficult), the Blues are here for the experience with the vague possibility of getting a post-grad scholarship at the uni attached to an NBL team. Which makes this https://daveballblog.wordpress.com/2018/08/27/the-more-i-learn-the-more-i-despair/ scratch my head.
Full schedule
Friday August 31: Red to Leicester Riders 7pm Blue Solent
Saturday September 1: Red Leicester Riders 4pm clinic, game at 6. Blue Worthing Thunder & Hemel Storm
Sunday September 2: Red to Manchester Giants, Clinic 3.30 Match 6pm . Blue Ipswich Basketball Club
Monday September 3: Red 7.20pm Edinburgh Kings Clinic, 5 PM, match 7.20 travel back to Manchester same night! Blue TBD
Tuesday September 4: Red TBD Blue to Loughborough and Charnwood 3.30pm then 5.30 pm (back to back)
Wednesday September 5: Red to Mansfield Giants 7-8 clinic, 8pm match Blue Kingston Panthers (Hull) D2
Thursday September 6: Red to Bristol Arrows . Blue Reading Rockets
Friday September 7: Red Wales National Team (clinic, game) Blue Sheffield Arrows
Saturday September 8: Essex Classic Tournament (Leopards/London Lions Libertyville Vipers) Blue Hemel Storm
Sunday September 9: Essex Classic Tournament (Leopards/London Lions Libertyville Vipers) plus Glasgow Rocks Clinic then game
Monday September 10: Red Newcastle Eagles Blue Liverpool Basketball Club
Tuesday September 11: Red Manchester Magic Blue Derby Trailblazers
Wednesday September 12: Red Greenhouse Pioneers, Blue Coventry Elite (Clinic Only) then Coventry Tornadoes (Clinic and Match)