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8 May 2012
Thanks to everyone
AFTER the most successful season in Leopards’ eight year history,
the directors of the club would like to thank the fans and sponsors
for making the 2011/12 season such a success.
The part played by the supporters and sponsors in winning the
Division One league and play-off title to go with the National Cup
cannot be overlooked. Without the sponsors there wouldn’t be a
Leopards team on the court, so we’d like to thank Energycentric,
Premier Financial Planning, Clarendon Contracts & Interiors,
Dagenham Mortgage Solutions, Ashton Estate Agents and LG Insurance.
The Brentwood Centre is arguably the best venue in the EBL, and we’d
like to thank Roger Davinson and the Brentwood Leisure Trust for
making it possible for us to play there.
The decision to play some home games at Basildon Sporting Village
has proved to be a good one, with our fan-base in Basildon
increasing at what is a top class facility. We are working closely
with Everyone Active to make playing games at BSV a success and to
become part of the Basildon sporting community, and we’d like to
thank them for their help. We have also been visiting Grand
Central Bar & Grill after each home game where we have received some
excellent hospitality, and we look forward to continuing to work
with them.
Leopards’ community programme continues to grow, with Ousman
Krubally, David Buchberger, John Lister, Vernon Teel, Lukas Volskis
and Marlan Henry having provided coaching and lifestyle advice for
over 4,500 children this season. We already having the biggest
community programme in the EBL, and we are looking to expand next
season with more emphasis on the Basildon area.
The Big Cats had an incredible run at the end of the season, winning
25 of their final 26 games – with 22 of those wins coming by
double-digit margins. We are the first club to ever have both the
Division One MVP and the runner-up in the award, and coach Dejan
Mihevc took the coach of the year award, as well. But it hasn’t just
been about the senior players. We’ve started three teenagers
throughout the second half of the season, and never had less than
two of the Barking Abbey players in our starting line-up. At
15-years old, we think Josh Steel is the youngest player to ever
start a championship final, and the youngsters have done incredibly
well in a men’s league which tougher than in any time in recent
years.
The scenes at Sheffield, Reading and Manchester will never be
forgotten, and we know that the players appreciated your support.
We won’t be resting on our laurels, though. We’ll be looking to do
even better next season and in the next few weeks there will some
important announcements, so keep looking at the website.
Go Leopards!
6 May 2012
David overjoyed with success
DAVID Buchberger was delighted to finish the season by lifting the
play-off crown at the Amarchi Centre on Sunday.
“What a great weekend.” said the shooting guard, who is now back in
the States.
“Officially winning the play-off championship and locking up the
treble for the season was an incredibly rewarding way to finish
things.
“The games we played versus Leicester and Derby were also both very
competitive, which made winning that much more satisfying. There are
so many positive things that could be said about so many different
players and people affiliated with the club, but I think at this
point it is best to let the results of the season speak for
themselves.
“After starting the season losing our first three league games, and
then moving to 1-4 in the league over our first five games, what an
accomplishment it is to finish with an overall record of 20-4 in the
league standing atop the table, winning the National Cup, and
winning the Playoff Championship.
“We went on a great run in 2012, and I think it is awesome how we
were able to turn a season that started out a little shaky in the
beginning, to one of the most successful and exciting in the history
of the Leopards. I think everyone who was a part of things this year
will remember the success for years to come; I think we made a lot
of people really proud of the Leopards.
“And, as the Leopards continue to move forward in the future
hopefully everyone will be able to look back someday and see that
this year was only a shadow of the success that is to come.”
3 May 2012
Lukas delighted with final win
LUKAS Volskis was delighted after the Big Cats collected the
Division One play-off crown at the Amaechi Centre on Sunday.
“Where do I even begin talking about the weekend?” said the
21-year-old who first joined the Leopards in 2007.
“We finished the season by winning the EBL Playoffs which totalled
three championships in one year, I think that's nothing less than
outstanding.
“I really enjoyed the weekend as it featured the best of the best in
EBL basketball and it was great to be a part of such an event.
“I especially want to thank our fans and our management who took
their time and effort to come down all the way to Manchester. I
honestly feel like we have the best fans in the league, other teams
may bring more but our fans always make it seem like we are playing
at home.
“Also I want to thank my team and my coaches for an incredible year,
it feels a bit surreal in terms of the success we're had especially
when I didn't even know if I was going to play basketball at the
start of the year.”
Volskis clearly enjoyed the most successful season in the Leopards’
eight year history: “This was by far my most enjoyable season
especially being one of the Leopards’ longest players so to win
everything just made it that extra bit special.
“So overall, I would just like to thank everyone for their efforts
throughout the whole year and I hope everyone has a great relaxing
summer!”
3
May 2012
Leopards repeat one-two
HAVING finished in the top two in the EBL Division One MVP awards,
Leopards pair Vernon Teel and Ousman Krubally repeated the trick in
the EBL statistical rankings.
League, National Cup and play-off MVP Teel topped the charts in both
scoring (25.48 ppg) and assists (7.93) to finish top of the rankings
stats with a score of 29.41. he also pulled down 9.97 boards per
game to finish ninth in the rebounding charts.
Krubally finished second in the league MVP voting for the second
straight season, but he went one better than last year by winning
the rebounding award with a massive 14.16 boards per game. He
finished second in the rankings table with a score of 26.76, and was
also fourth in scoring with 20.76 points per game and fifth in
effective field goal percentage with 60.08 percent.
David Buchberger, who would almost certainly won the sixth man of
the year award if there was one, added 14.5 points per game off the
bench, while John Lister - who missed the play-offs due to having to
return to Australia – 11.9ppg averaged and finished third in the
effective play percentage table with 60.25 percent.
3 May 2012
Leopards at the treble
Leopards 95 (20,45.70) Derby Trailblazers 82 (16,40,55)
A stunning performance saw the Big
Cats pick up the Division One play-off crown at the Amaechi Centre
on Sunday.
The win completed the best season
in the Big Cats’ eight-year EBL history as they added the season’s
final piece of silverware to the National Cup and Division One
regular season title.
Vernon Teel picked up his third MVP
award of the season as he finished with another triple-double of 32
points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists to lead them to victory. Fellow
American Ousman Krubally also had another stand-out game with a 34
point, 17 rebound double-double, with David Buchberger adding 17
points and nine boards.
The Big Cats had to overcome a poor
start and curious refereeing which saw both Dejan Mihevc and
Buchberger collect technical fouls before collecting their 25th win
in their final 26 games.
Trailblazers started strongly with
a 7-0 run, with Teel picking up two early fouls, but Coach of the
Year Dejan Mihevc stayed with his star guard though and Leopards
started the comeback when Teel drained a trey with three minutes on
the clock.
Zak Wells gave Leopards their first
lead of the game when he converted a Teel assist with three minutes
on the clock, and Simonas Bublys hit a bucket with 20 seconds
remaining in the first period to put the Big Cats up 20-16 at the
first break.
Rishi Kakad cut that lead when he
sunk a trey to open the second quarter but a pair of Krubally scores
split by a Buchberger trey gave the Big Cats an eight point lead
with 8:20 on the clock.
A Lukas Volskis three midway
through the second extended the Leopards' lead to ten and ended the
heckling for his loud basketball boots. But Martyn Gayle went on a
streak of his own, scoring two threes in 15 seconds, including a
transition score with a defender in his face.
He knocked down a third shortly
after making it a five point game and forcing a Leopards timeout.
The margin stayed the same at half-time as Buchberger drained a pair
at the foul line and after 20 minutes Teel had 17 points, six
assists and eight rebounds.
Teel opened the second half scoring
and Leopards piled on the defensive pressure in the third period,
and Krubally nearly brought basket down when stole the ball
finishing in a massive left-handed jam.
Bublys put Leopards 17 up going
into the final play of the third period and although Kakad hit a
pair of free-throws, the Big Cats went into the fourth quarter with
a 70-55 lead.
The Trailblazers chipped away at
the lead in the early stages of the fourth period as Leopards tried
to run down the club, but a Buchberger free-throw with six minutes
remaining kept the Big Cats ahead by 11.
A Kakad floater and a pair of free
throws made a dent in Leopards' lead at 77-71 but Krubally answered
with a pair of baskets to take control again, and Krubally and Teel
both remained cool at the foul line down the stretch before the Big
Cats’ celebrations could really start.
Leopards: O Krubally (34), V
Teel (32), D Buchberger (17), S Bublys (4), L Volskis (3), Z Wells
(3), B Wilkinson (2), D Norton, J Steel, J Lockwood, J Cabey, R
Alexis
3 May 2012
Leopards reach final
LEOPARDS overcame a slow start to
reach the EBL Division One Play-off final for the first time with a
hard-fought victory against Leicester Warriors, at the Amaechi
Centre on Saturday.
The Big Cats struggled in the
opening stages as a Warriors team who have proved to be the surprise
of the Division One season produced a fighting display, but after
David Buchberger had given them the lead with the final shot of the
first half, they never trailed again.
Having hit some key shots in their
National Cup final success, Buchberger again stepped up to score 24
points off the bench for the Big Cats.
Ousman Krubally had 15 points and
20 rebounds while Vernon Teel also had a double-double, adding 13
assists to his 24 points. Big men Zak Wells and Simonas Bublys also
contributed well, adding 14 points and seven rebounds between them.
Dawaun Wells opened the scoring for
Warriors on his way to a 16 point haul, and although Teel replied
from the foul line, the Leopards found the going tough in the early
stages.
A jump shot from Eugene Pettaway –
who led all scorers with 30 points – put the Warriros 11-4 ahead
after four minutes of action.
Teel broke the run and Krubally
added a couple of baskets as Leopards closed out the period with a
6-2 run to trail 13-10.
It didn’t get noticeably better at
the start of the second period as a pair of Pettaway free-throws
launched a 14-2 Leicester run to open the quarter.
Only Teel troubled the scorers for
Leopards as Warriors moved 27-12 ahead with six minutes in the half
remaining.
Teel drained from the Land of
Plenty to break the tear before Bublys hit a sweet jump shot and the
big Lithuanian completed the 12-0 run off a Krubally assist to make
it a three point game with 4:11 on the clock.
From there on it was tip and tuck,
with Buchberger burying a trey to keep Leopards in touch, and he
gave Leopards their first lead of the game with 1:53 remaining when
he drained a pair at the foul line before hitting the buzzer-beating
three which sent them into the locker room with a 35-33 lead.
The third period proved to be
Teel-time as he hit 12 points, and he provided the assist for
Buchberger to make it a double-digit game going into the final
minute of the quarter before hitting a jump shot with seven second
remaining to send Leopards into the final break with a 58-47 lead.
Buchberger hit another three to
open the fourth period, and the lead only briefly dipped into single
figures, and a Lukas Volskis basket made it an 18 point game with
4:31 left in the game.
A timeout from Karl Brown worked as
Dawaun Wells hit three straight treys to halve that lead before
Krubally broke the run, and baskets from Teel and Zak Wells saw
Leopards regain the initiative, and Buchberger wrapped up the win
from foul line.
Leopards: D
Buchberger (24), V Teel (24), O Krubally (15), Z Wells (8), S Bublys
(6), J Lockwood (2), L Volskis (2), D Norton (1), B Wilkinson, L
Robertin (DNP), R Addison (DNP).
30 April
2012
Dejan's play-off delight
LEOPARDS’ coach Dejan Mihevc couldn’t hide his delight after the Big
Cats capped a fantastic season by lifting the play-off crown at
Manchester.
The Big Cats’ 95-82 victory against Derby Trailblazers sealed a
treble in their most successful campaign since reforming in 2004,
much to the Slovenian’s delight:
“If winning the league was big, than winning the play-offs was very
big. It is something special and it means a lot to me. When we
entered the play-offs, our only goal was to win the last game of the
season and we did it. Our guys did tremendous job and in final we
played one of our best games.
“I am very happy that I can congratulate one more time to my guys,
who are really amazing group of really special people with a great
heart, heart of a Leopard. They are not just players, they are also
very good friends and I wouldn’t change any of them for anybody. I
really appreciate and respect each and one of them and especially
them all together as a group. I wish them all the best in their
future.
“Special thanks I would like to say to my assistant Ozbej Stane who
really did all the hard job not just on the court but also off the
court. Without him we wouldn’t do the same. And it wouldn’t be the
same also, if there wouldn’t be a great relationship between Barking
Abbey and Leopards and all the hard work done by everyone involved
in our organization and our program.
“I also congratulate to all the teams that made it to the final four
and to all coaches and players, who worked hard through the whole
season. I would also like to thank to all the referees, table
officials and everybody else who are part of this great game of
Basketball and wish you all great summer."
Mihevc had special praise for his team's supporters: "On this
occasion I cannot pass our fans because they were just great. They
travelled a long way to support us and the only thing that we wanted
for them was to go out there and give them what they want and that
is National Championship. We did it and we did it for you and
because of you. You were great the whole season. Thank you!”
27 April
2012
Leopards look to make history
LEOPARDS will aim to end their play-off hoodoo this weekend as they
compete in the EBL Final Fours at the Amaechi Centre.
In the 16 previous seasons of the two versions of the Big Cats they
have never lifted the season’s final piece of silverware, with some
heartbreaking moments along the way.
The original Leopards entered the BBL in 1994/5 and finished a
creditable sixth in their debut season with a 23-13 record. They
were paired with London rivals Towers in the final and looked likely
to be making a swift exit as they lost their home game in the
best-of-three series 92-77. However an 87-78 win at Wembley Court
set up a winner-takes-all showdown at the same venue, but
unfortunately it was the Towers who went through to the semi-finals
with a 91-73 win.
Leopards moved up to fourth spot the following season, giving them
home court advantage in the quarter-finals and they returned from
Manchester Giants with a 76-72 overtime win. However, in a reverse
of the previous year, they lost game two 83-74 at London Arena
before suffering another home loss, 75-73, to end the campaign empty
handed.
If that was heartbreaking, the following season eclipsed the despair
shown that day. Leopards went into the play-offs as National Cup and
BBL champions having collected silverware for the first time in
their history. Two high-scoring game against Leicester Riders saw
the midlands side beaten 130-122 on their home court and 114-105 at
London Arena to see Leopards sweep the series.
The final four tournament was held at Wembley Arena, and a thrilling
semi-final saw fifth placed Chester Jets beaten 102-101 in overtime
in one of the most emotionally draining games I’ve ever watched.
Towers had a considerably less heart-attack inducing 80-72
semi-final against Sheffield Sharks, leaving the two bitter rivals
to battle it out the following day in what was effectively a home
game for the Towers.
The game went down to the wire but a pair of Eric Burks put Leopards
88-87 ahead before Towers missed a shot and Burks was left with the
ball in his hands. It looked only a matter of time before Burks was
fouled to stop the clock, but he turned the ball over and then
fouled Danny Lewis who went to the line and iced a pair to break
Leopards’ hearts. I decided I didn’t like the play-offs that night.
The following year saw the Big Cats repeat as BBL regular season
champions, improving the previous season’s 28-8 record to 29-7 and
edging out Birmingham Bullets on the head-to-head rule. The game
that proved to be the title decider saw Leopards win in 91-87
overtime at a packed Birmingham NIA, and the league clincher at
Sheffield also went to overtime before Sky TV viewers saw the Big
Cats seal the title with a 106-102 victory.
The quarter-finals saw Leopards matched up with eighth placed
Manchester Giants, and having battled through the April snow, they
looked to have done the hard work with a 93-86 victory in a tetchy
game. The Big Cats looked on their way to the final four in game two
as they held a comfortable double-digit lead at half-time but they
somehow contrived to lose 107-98 to set up a game three at London
Arena. Surely they wouldn’t make the same mistake in the decider?
No, it was pretty much a carbon copy and Giants went to Wembley with
a 90-81. Mere words couldn’t describe my despair.
Leopards slipped down to eighth in the 1998/99 season, but shocked
league champions Sheffield Sharks with an 83-76 win at their new
home at Brentwood in game one of the post-season. That was as good,
as it got as the following Wednesday saw the Big Cats go down 100-82
(and a deer did nearly £5k’s worth of damage to my car on the way
home) and game three two days later saw sharks progress to the
semi-finals wit a clinching 75-68 victory.
The turn of the century saw the Big Cats miss out on the play-offs
after a disappointing season saw long-term coach Billy Mims fired
and replaced by the volatile Bob Donewald. Now the coach of the
Chinese national team, Donewald turned things around in 2000/01,
leading them to second place in the southern conference (The BBL had
split in two NBA-style the previous year), with all play-off games
taking place in Coventry for some inexplicable reason. The Big Cats
had a first round bye, and then defeated Bullets 89-84 to set up a
semi-final against Sharks. Once again the Sheffield side proved to
be their nemesis, and it was Chris Finch’s team who progressed to
the title game (where they lost to a Riders side now coached by
Mims) with an 87-77 victory.
Donewald moved on to the NBA the following season and was replaced
by Chris Pullem, and despite a reduced budget they managed to finish
fourth in the South, but saw their post-season hopes end with a
94-88 loss against Newcastle Eagles at Coventry.
It didn’t get any better in 2003 as a Leopards team coached by Mike
Taylor finished 10th in the 11-team (recombined) BBL and missed out
on the play-offs. And that was the end of the original Leopards.
But we couldn’t survive without our basketball fix, and by the
2004/5 season the Big Cats were back and competing in the EBL
Division One. It was a baptism of fire for the supporters-run club
but they came good in the second half of the season to finish eighth
before suffering a somewhat predictable 103-71 hammering at an
all-conquering Sheffield Arrows side in the play-off quarter-final.
The 2005/6 season saw the new Leopards win the National Cup with a
thrilling victory at the NIA against Reading Rockets, but a
late-season injury crisis saw them limp into the play-offs in sixth
place. That was an improvement on the previous season, but they
again faced Arrows and once again play-off dreams were ended in the
Steel city with a 93-69 defeat.
A thrilling end to the next campaign saw the Big Cats face London
Capital at home in their final league game knowing a win or a loss
by a single point would seal home court advantage against the same
team in the quarter-final. The celebrations after the 89-88 loss
were a bit surreal to say the least, but they also proved to be a
bit premature as Capital returned to Wodson Park the following week
and strolled to an 80-70 victory.
The Big Cats went all British for the 2007/8 season and finished a
creditable fifth, but their post-season dreams ended with a 105-96
loss at Bristol Academy Flyers in the quarter-final.
A return to Brentwood the following season Leopards record a (then)
highest EBL finish of third in the Division One table and they
finally made it to the final four with a thrilling 74-71 home win
against Coventry Crusaders. Sadly that was as far as they got, hosts
Manchester Magic proving too strong in the semi-final with a 92-76
victory.
A disappointing 2009/10 campaign saw Leopards finish ninth and miss
out on the EBL play-offs for the first time, but last season proved
to be far more successful as the Big Cats moved up to second place
in the table. Durham were comfortably dispatched 77-68 at Brentwood
in the quarter-finals, but once against the semi-final proved to be
a step too far as eventual champions Reading Rockets won 80-69 in
Manchester.
The laws of average don’t really exist in sport, but after 17
seasons, one runners-up spot, four semi-final defeat and eight
losses in the quarters, it’s time to make history!
26 April
2012
Lukas is looking for final glory
LUKAS Volskis is itching to get to Manchester as Leopards look to
round off their season with a third piece of silverware.
The Big Cats face Leicester Warriors on Saturday afternoon in the
play-off semi-finals as they look to add to their Division One and
National Cup titles.
“I can't wait to get to Manchester for the Final Four as it is an
opportunity to end the season on a huge high” said the 21-year-old
guard.
“I believe we are prepared to tackle our next challenge which is
getting past a very good Leicester Warriors team. I've always
thought that Leicester are a strong team with great athleticism so
it won't be an easy to task to get by them.
“The fact that we have won the last 20 games will motivate Leicester
even more to try and defeat us. However, as I mentioned before we
are more than capable of executing the right way and getting through
to the big final on Sunday.”
If Leopards are successful on Saturday they will face the winner of
the Bristol Academy Flyers versus Derby Trailblazers semi-final, but
Volskis isn’t getting ahead of himself:
“As for the other semi final I believe it will be a very interesting
game as it features two quality teams. I believe Bristol and Derby
are both capable of getting to the final so it will be a battle from
the onset.
“However if I am completely honest the Derby - Bristol game is the
last thing myself and our team are thinking about right now. We have
to take care of our own semi-final and whatever happens in the other
game is out of our control. After our recent performances I don't
think it really matters who we play as we have shown that we can
beat anyone so it will come down to us executing and playing hard in
order to win the Final Four.”
25 April
2012
David thrilled by Final Four prospect
LEOPARDS’ guard David Buchberger is thrilled about the prospect of
adding the play-off crown to Leopards’ Division One and National Cup
titles as the Big Cats prepare for this weekend’s Final Four:
“As a team we are very excited for our weekend in Manchester. We
have been on a great run in 2012, and the only way to end it
properly is with a strong showing at the Final Four. Our semi-final
match-up is with Leicester, a team we have split our two previous
games with so far this season.
“Besides the fact that we have already lost to them once this
season, Leicester has shown all year that they are a dangerous team.
They are well balanced, with good guard and post play, and coming
off an impressive win away against a solid Worthing team, I'm sure
they have a lot of confidence as a unit. We're definitely going to
have to be at our best to make it to the final. We will be working
hard over these next two weeks to make sure we're ready. “
Buchberger missed the loss in the midlands as he and Ousman Krubally
sat out with knee injuries, but Leopards expect to take a fully fit
14-man squad to Manchester this weekend.
The Leopards guard also has his eye on the other semi-final, which
tips off straight after the Big Cats finish against Warriors: “The
other semi-final match-up between Derby and Bristol should be a
great game as well. They are both very solid clubs who have had
great seasons, and again, we have a lot of respect for both of them.
On the whole, Manchester should be an awesome weekend with a lot of
exciting basketball. We can't wait to get there.”
24 April
2012
Leopards to face Warriors test
DEJAN Mihevc’s team on a run that has seen 23 wins and just one loss
since early December, they go into the weekend as favourites to lift
the trophy.
Coach Mihevc is excited about the play-offs: “In the Final Four
there are all good teams with good coaches and good individuals and
it would be really unfair to favour any team. During the season we
showed that we can play the best and as a team when needed the most.
“We want to show everybody in Manchester how we can play and we are
well aware that as a team we can go all the way, but that for sure
will be everything else than an easy job, because probably all teams
have the same goal.
“On this occasion I would also like to congratulate to our girls for
making it to the Final four too. It is great for our program to have
both teams (women and man) there, because sometimes you get a
feeling that they are almost as one team. I am very proud how our
players are doing this season and how they are representing Barking
Abbey Academy and London Leopards.”
Warriors were one of four sides to defeat Leopards as they won the
Division One title, winning 92-89 at Braunstone Leisure Centre in
November .
Leopards were without David Buchberger and Ousman Krubally for the
game, and having been in BBL Trophy action the night before, they
noticeably tired down the stretch and let a double-digit lead slip.
The Big Cats were still level going into the final 20 seconds when
England junior international Elliot Sentence hit a three pointer to
seal the win for the hosts.
Vernon Teel finished with a game-high 36 points, out-shooting
Leicester’s debut making American Eugene Pettway who finished with
31. Lukas Volskis added 12 for the Big Cats.
Revenge proved to be sweet at a packed Brentwood Centre in February
as Leopards won 70-58 in the return game. Warriors were held to just
20 points in the first half as Leopards led for virtually all of the
game.
Teel missed out on a triple-double by a single assist, finishing
with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Krubally had a massive 23
rebounds to go with his 17 points. Buchberger also had a
double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds.
20 April
2012
Hat-trick for Leopards
LEOPARDS completed a treble as England Basketball announced their
Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year awards for Division One.
The Big Cats excellent form which saw them with the Division One
regular season title and National Cup has seen guard Vernon Teel win
the MVP and Dejan Mihevc take the coach’s award.
Teel edged team-mate Ousman Krubally into second place as the Big
Cats completed a one-two in the MVP. The Leopards point guard is
leading the league in points (25.9ppg) and assists (7.78apg) as well
as averaging an impressive 9.1 rebounds per game which is likely to
see him finish in the top ten at the season’s end. He also posted an
impressive ten triple-doubles.
For Krubally, it’s a second successive runner-up spot, but he looks
set to get some consolation by winning the rebounding award, having
finished second in that last season. He goes into the play-offs
averaging 13.9 boards and is fourth in scoring with 20.3 points per
game.
Coach Mihevc’s award will come as little surprise to anyone. Since
the Leopards lost at Medway Park in early December, the Leopards
have reeled off 20 straight Division One wins to take the regular
season title and qualify for the Final Fours at the end of April. In
the process they won the National Cup final, and have suffered only
one loss in their last 24 games.
Mihevc had praise for his team and assistant coach Ozbej Stane: “I
believe that this represent a lot more than just me. It is
everything and everybody in our team, in our organization and I
really want to share it with all of those that helped me and
especially with my assistant coach and my players.
“When I think of the players and how hard they have worked the whole
season and how committed they have been from the start, not only
playing together but for each other, I am flattered to have the
privilege of coaching them. They are not just talented players, but
they are players of high character and what is the most important
great human beings and good friends.
“I am very honoured to receive this award and would like to thank
the rest of the coaches for giving me the opportunity to receive it.
They all deserved it! We all work hard every day and we all love
this game!
“I would also like to thank to all the people at Leopards and
Barking Abbey who worked really hard throughout the whole season to
help us to be where we are.”
Leopards’ general manager Dave Ryan had praise for the club’s award
recipients: “It’s a tremendous achievement for us. I doubt many
sides have ever had the top two in the MVP vote, certainly no one
has in the eight years we’ve played in Division One, and both Vernon
and Ousman deserve our congratulations.
“After a shaky start Dejan has moulded Leopards into a great team,
we’re truly 15 deep and there’s competition just to sit on the
bench. It’s not just been Ous and Vernon, it’s been an all-round
effort. If there was a sixth man award, David Buchberger would have
got it, and I doubt a any team has ever won the title starting three
teenagers for the majority of the season. Hopefully there’s one more
piece of silverware to come.”
After guiding the BA Leopards women’s team to third place in
Division One, Mark Clark completed a treble for the Big Cats. They
finished with a 13-8 record, losing only two games against sides
outside the top two. They will face City of Sheffield Hatters in the
play-off semi-finals at the Amaechi Centre on April 28.
Clark was understandably delighted with his award: “I’m obviously
very pleased to be recognised by my peers. The team performances
this year are the result of a team of coaches who work with the
players every day without that support we would not have achieved
the performances we have. So I need to thank the whole coaching team
here.
"It would be impossible to develop teams and players without
resources, the support that Barking Abbey School and Tuta our
technical partner provide is exceptional and enables me to provide
the right environment.
“It has been a great year for Barking Abbey and the Leopards
organisation the last two years have been exceptional.”
18 April 2012
TRAVEL/HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS FOR FINAL FOUR
WEEKEND
A coach will depart from Barking Abbey at 8am on Saturday April 28,
with the intention of arriving at the Amaechi Centre in time to
watch BA Leopards ladies play City of Sheffield Hatters at 2 pm.
Leopards face Leicester Warriors at 4 pm, followed by the second
semi-final between Bristol Flyers and Derby Trailblazers.
Cost for the coach and a ticket for Saturday’s game combined is £35
for adults and £30 for children. If we (the men’s Division One
team) do not make the final, the bus will depart after checkout on
the Sunday morning. If do reach the final, game day tickets
are priced at £10 and will need to be purchased from the Amaechi
Centre either on Saturday evening or Sunday.
Rooms have provisionally been reserved at the Premier Inn in Cheadle,
which is two miles from the Amaechi Centre and half a mile from the
Village Hotel where the team are staying. The cost is £60 for a
twin/double room, with breakfast payable on the Sunday at £8.25 per
person.
To book a hotel room and/or a place on the coach please call the
Leopards helpline on 07828 470015, by midday on Saturday April 21.
Please note that places are limited.
Photographs courtesy of
www.essexsportsagency.com
For full past previews and news,
go to News Archive
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