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NATIONAL CUP FINAL TICKET AND TRAVEL INFORMATION ~
Sunday,
29th January 2012
Return travel to
Sheffield on Team Coach, including Game Day ticket ~ £25.00
To purchase your
tickets call/text Fred on: 07973 239146 or email
chairman@leopardsbasketball.co.uk
DEPARTURE IS
FROM BARKING ABBEY SCHOOL @ 08.30 A.M.
VIP PACKAGES
CLICK HERE
SEASON 2011/12 FIXTURES CLICK HERE
As part of the
Leopards build up to the National Cup Final on Sunday, 29th January,
Tony Shorey catches up with some of the players who were part of the
Cup winning side in 2005. Starting with the Finals MVP on the day,
Troy Selvey and 3 out of 4
National Cup Final winning player
Errol Seaman. Follow
his latest interview with ex-Leopard Cup Finalist,
Sam Salter... and Coach
Jon Burnell.
Leopards
fans are by far the most loyal and have an unending trust that their
team will always do well. One of (or possibly) the loudest
home and away fan base in the League, it is only befitting that
someone should give a fans perspective of that momentus day way back
in 2005... so here is loyal fan
Mike Head's account of the National Cup Final 2005.
COUNTDOWN
FACTS TO THE NATIONAL CUP FINAL 2011/12 SUNDAY, 29th JANUARY 2012
Fact of
the Day (1):
Leopards are the only
team to have won the National Cup as a BBL team (in the 1996/7
season) and as an EBL club (in the 2005/6 season).
Fact of
the Day (2):
Leopards’ record win came
in the Cup second round in 2006 when they started their defence of
the trophy with a 102-29 victory against Wellingborough Phoenix.
Fact of
the Day (3):
Leopards have reached at
least the quarter-final of the competition in six of the last seven
seasons.
Fact of
the Day (4):
The new Leopards have a
22-6 record in the competition, while the original Big Cats were
19-8 during their nine years in the BBL.
27
January 2012
Joe's up for the Cup
JOE Lockwood, the youngest regular member of the Leopards side that
has reached the National Cup final, admits that he is surprised to
have made the breakthrough so quickly into the Big Cats’ first team.
The 17-year-old was expected to play mainly for Leopards’ Division
Four team after signing at the Barking Abbey Basketball Academy, but
made his first team debut against Derby Trailblazers in early
October before starting in the National Trophy win at Medway Park
Crusaders the following week.
He has remained in the Division One side ever since. . “No, I didn't
expect to be a regular part of the Division One team” he said.
“But I appreciate the coach's belief in my ability and treasure
every minute of court time I am given. I now want to maintain and
improve my role on the team to help us carry on moving forward.”
The 6’ 7” forward is clearly looking forward to facing Bristol
Academy Flyers on Sunday: “I’m totally excited and more, can't wait
for Sunday. It would mean everything to lift the National Cup with
the team, coaches and everyone supporting the club. We have all
worked hard and it would be great to bring home the trophy.
“I have played in final fours and county school finals as a junior,
and I know how good it feels when the goal the team is striving for
is reached.
Lockwood has a good idea what to expect “I know that Bristol are a
well-rounded team and all their players are key in their
performance. They play very much a team game which is clearly doing
them well as they are currently heading the division. However, we
were the first team to beat them this season and I believe we can do
it again.”
The English forward is hoping that Sunday’s game can be the
beginning of a strong finish to the season for the Big Cats: “The
season didn't start the way we had hoped, but coming off a six game
winning streak things are starting to work the way we want them to.
We were a new, young team but are now settling and working well
together. I believe we can win this Cup, the National Trophy and
finish high up in the division.”
27
January 2012
John looks to put final defeat behind him
AFTER a 31 point performance in Sunday’s 103-70 victory against Tees
Valley Mohawks, Leopards’ shooting guard John Lister is ready for
Sunday’s National Cup final against Bristol Academy Flyers.
Lister buried six of his seven three-point efforts in Sunday’s
blow-out, but is now looking forward to playing in front of his
Sheffield-based family on Sunday:
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend in Sheffield playing off
in the National Cup final” said the Australian/Brit dual national,
“I understand there is a lot of history behind this competition and
given the Leopards are in great form at the moment I expect us to
win! It will mean even more to me as I'll be playing in front of
some family for the first time with my new club!
“Bristol will certainly take some beating, they're at the top of the
league for good reason, they are well organised and shoot the ball
really well.”
Lister joined the Big Cats after a successful career with Australian
side Eltham Warriors, and he will be playing in his second final in
just six months: “Last season back in Australia we lost the league
Grand Final in overtime so I'm desperate for success this season
with the Leopards!”
Don’t forget to log on every day this week for more build-up towards
the National Cup final.
26
January 2012
Lukas' excited about facing Flyers
BIG Cats’ guard Lukas Volskis can’t wait for Sunday’s National Cup
final against Bristol Academy Flyers as the Leopards look to win the
oldest piece of silverware in English basketball for the second
time.
“Being in any final is always an exciting time for a basketball
player as you know yourself how hard you had to work to get there”
said the 22-year-old.
 “The whole point of playing sport is to compete against others and
establish yourself at the top so playing in a championship game is a
perfect opportunity to do just that. I can honestly say that I'm
looking forward to the final a lot and will do everything to help my
team win.”
The former Barking Abbey Academy player clearly isn’t going to
Sheffield just for the ride: “Winning is always the most rewarding
part of basketball so to win a final will be a great honour. In my
opinion you don't play a final just to play, you play it to win. At
the end of the day winning is everything and we wouldn't be playing
every day if we didn't want success so I guess you can say winning
the Cup would mean everything to us”
While it is the biggest game of his club career, it won’t be the
first time that the Basildon-based guard has played in an EBL final:
“I played most of my finals in my junior years with East London
Royals and Hackney White Heat winning the under-15 National
Play-offs as well as finishing as runners up on a few occasions. It
will be great to be able to play another final again.
“Last year we lost in the conference tournament with college I
played for in the NJCAA and it wasn't a good experience so I
definitely want to take this opportunity all the way.”
Volskis is expecting the Flyers to provide tough opposition on
Sunday: “Bristol has always been a strong side in the EBL and
playing them will always be a tough challenge. I think you can
pretty much tell how good they are by seeing that they are at the
top of our league. I know they have a few key players but at the
same time I always see the whole team as a threat no matter who we
play and not just a few individuals.”
This is Volskis’ fourth season with the Big Cats, and he’s pleased
with how the campaign is going: “In terms of the season I think we
are coming along pretty well. We've been on a good run and certainly
want to keep it going. I think we are capable of achieving anything
that's put in front of us as I believe in what we do and know how
hard the whole Leopards organisation work week in week out. It all
starts this Sunday, where I'm expecting to lift my first EBL Senior
competition title and I think this will drive us forward for the
year and allow us to bring about more success to the London
Leopards.”
26
January 2012
Dave's ready for the final
AFTER a fine performance in Saturday’s 37 point win at Worthing
Thunder, Leopards shooting guard Dave Buchberger is excited about
playing in Sunday’s National Cup final Bristol Academy Flyers.
Buchberger hit four three-pointers on the way to a 19 point, eight
rebound double-double on Saturday and added 13 points and five
assists in Sunday’s 103-70 win against Tees Valley Mohawks, but now
he’s turning his attention to the Cup final:
"Being in a final is a great privilege” he said. “It is the
culmination of a lot of hard work for the team--and I am thrilled to
have this opportunity.
“To win the Cup final would really mean a lot. It would be a great
accomplishment for our team, and really give us a lot of momentum
going into the second half of the season.”
Sunday’s game at Ponds Forge won’t be the first time that the
24-year-old has been involved in a big game: “My senior year in
college at Lehigh University I was privileged enough to play in and
win a Patriot League Championship. Because we won our conference
championship we were also granted an opportunity to play in the NCAA
tournament. The whole experience was one of the best of my
life--there is nothing like winning a championship.”
Buchberger is expecting a difficult game against the Flyers, but
believes the season is going well for the Big Cats: “Bristol is at
the top of the table, currently sitting at first place in the
league. They are a very deep team, and all of their players deserve
attention and respect.
“So far this season we have had our ups and downs as a team, due to
roster changes and injury, but now that our roster is set and
everyone is healthy I think things will get more and more positive.
We definitely should be able to come together as a team and compete
for some silverware.”
Don’t
forget to log on every day this week for more build-up towards the
National Cup final.
26
January 2012
Leopards look for win number nine
WHEN Leopards meet Bristol Academy Flyers in the National Cup final
at Ponds Forge on Sunday afternoon it will be the latest in a long
line of games between the two sides.
The Big Cats lead the all-time series between the clubs 8-5,
although Flyers have also chalked up a couple of pre-season wins in
tournament at Medway Park Crusaders.
The most recent meeting came at Brentwood in late November and the
Big Cats ended Flyers’ unbeaten start to the league season with a
91-87 victory. They did it the hard way, though, letting a 20 point
lead with five minutes remaining slip before Krubally sealed the
win. Captain Ousman Krubally finished with a 25 point, 11 rebound
double-double, while Vernon Teel also had 25 points, adding 11
assists and seven boards.
Last season saw the clubs meet four times – splitting the series in
both Division One and Trophy games. The first two games came in the
early part of the season with the Big Cats still in transitional
state, and Flyers comfortably won 82-63 in the Trophy in the West
Country and also chalked up was proved to be a key 78-67 victory in
the league at Barking Abbey.
Bristol were still flying high when Leopards returned to Filton
Academy in January for the quarter-finals of the Trophy, but with
Krubally recording a 26 point, 12 rebound double-double they were
swept aside as the Big Cats ran out 78-56 winners.
We returned to the West Country a fortnight later and an injury-hit
Flyers side saw their unbeaten start to the league season ended with
a crushing 80-51 Leopards victory.
Krubally led the scoring for Mark Clark’s team for a seventh
straight game with 23 points and 16 rebounds in a season-high 32
minutes. But it was the first half performance from Barking Abbey
pair Simeon Esprit and Keelan Cairns which laid the foundations for
the win. They each only scored two points in the second half, but
Esprit had 15 in the first half and Cairns eight to keep the
visitors in front.
The win gave Leopards the head-to-head in the league series between
the teams, but the poor start to the season had left them with too
much to do, and they had to settle for the runners-up spot behind
the Flyers.
The 2009/10 season was a tough one for Leopards as they missed out
on the play-offs for the first time, but their only away win of the
Division One campaign came at Bristol as a stunning display from big
men Leigh Greenan and Ignazio De Ferrari saw them combine for 55
points in a 90-85 victory. The return at Barking Abbey saw Flyers
gain revenge with an 83-79 victory as they outscored Jon Burnell’s
side 24-9 in the final quarter.
Arguably the most famous meeting between the two teams came in the
2008/9 season when the game started at one venue and finished at a
different one the following year! The original game at the Brentwood
Centre in November was called to a halt with 24 seconds remaining
due to a serious neck injury to Leopards’ point guard Carl
Latham-Henry.
The teams agreed to finish the game ten weeks later when Leopards
travelled to Bristol for a National Trophy game. With Flyers leading
by seven points, and in possession of the ball at the re-start, it
was always going to be hard for Leopards to win. A quick foul sent
Greg Streete to the line and one point added to the score. Gareth
Laws hit back with a three-pointer, and the Big Cats again sent
Flyers to the line with captain Gareth Till sinking one of two
free-throws. A Lukas Volskis three rimmed out, and Rob Loftman also
scored one of two free-throws to seal the 95-89 win for the Flyers.
There was some consolation for the Big Cats as they gained immediate
revenge with as 27 H Pervan points led them to a 73-63 victory in
the Trophy and sealed a semi-final spot. When the big Cats returned
to Bristol a couple of weeks later they repeated the trick with an
81-72 victory to take the Division One points.
The 2007/8 season saw Flyers’ Division One debut, and Leopards came
out on top in the regular season games, winning 81-74 on the road
before Gareth Laws sink two free throws with under a second
remaining to seal a 91-90 win for Leopards at Wodson Park.
Those two wins weren’t enough to prevent Flyers edging out the Big
Cats for fourth place in Division and home court advantage in the
play-offs proved key as they defeated us 105-96 to end a season
where we’d battled against the odds with an all-British team to
challenge for honours.
25
January 2012
Vernon looks for a winner's medal
LEOPARDS' point guard Vernon Teel is looking to pick up his first
winner’s medal as a professional when the Big Cats take on Bristol
Academy Flyers in Sunday’s National Cup final.
The 6’4” American joins the Big Cats after a glittering career at
Loyola Marymount where he averaged 12.8 points and 4.8 assists per
game in his final season with the Lions, and he is currently leading
EBL Division One in both scoring and assists.
“I am excited to play in the finals of the Cup” he said. “It’s the
first opportunity in my professional career to win some hardware, so
I will be ready. It would mean a lot to this team as we have made so
many improvements since October going into this game we are on a six
game winning streak so we will be well prepared and want to keep our
streak alive.”
“I think Tyronne Treasure and Doug McLaughlin-Williams are Bristol’s
key players.”
Teel isn’t just looking at Sunday’s Cup final, and is aiming for a
clean sweep of EBL titles: “Right now we are in eighth place in the
league and it bothers me that we are that low. So we have a lot of
work to do in league were we are 5-4.
“I think we are capable of winning it all Cup , National Trophy and
playoffs. We have a very dangerous team and we have a lot of depth.
We have the best bench production in the EBL - John Lister, Dave
Buchberger, Bradley Wilkinson and Joe Lockwood are all capable of
being double figure scorers.”
Don’t
forget to log on every day this week for more build-up towards the
National Cup final.
24
January 2012
Dejan ready for final test
LEOPARDS' coach Dejan Mihevc is determined to pick up the first
piece of silverware in the 2011/12 season as his side prepare to
face Bristol Academy Flyers in Sunday’s National Cup final.
“I would lie if I would say that it won't mean a lot because it
will, but as any game we play I like to win and when we win I feel
happy and for sure I wanna’ feel happy on Sunday” he said.
“Playing in a final is always something special and I very excited
that we are one of two teams in the country that has a pleasure to
play in it. We worked hard to get there and we will work even harder
to win it, because this is not just a game, it is a Cup championship
game. And those games you don't play, you win them.”
It won’t be the first title game for Mihevc as he has experience
with the Slovenian junior national team: “As head coach I have
coached in two finals with under-16 national team where we once lost
to Turkey in Turkey and once won in Spain , where we in the
semi-final we beat Spain in overtime and in the final we defeated
Croatia”
The Leopards’ play-caller expects a tough test against the Flyers:
“Bristol is for sure one of the best teams in the league with great
continuity and great coach. They are not in the final by accident.
They are at the top of the table in the league which already won
last year, they are in Trophy semi-finals and Cup final. I think
that that tells us everything.”
Mihevc is in his first year as head coach at Leopards after taking
over from Mark Clark in the summer, and he’s happy with how the
season has gone: “I am very pleased how the season is going on and I
am really happy that we have a group of players that work hard and
get along really well.
“Our senior players are not just doing their jobs as players but
their are also all very good as mentors to our young guys what is
very important for our program.
"And
even with the youngest team in the league where our average age is
under 20 years old we have a team that is competitive to everyone.
We, for sure, have a lot of challenges in front of us and we are
ready to be challenged with all of them.
“Yes because of youth and some injuries we struggled a little bit at
the beginning of the season, but we all knew that with hard work we
will develop and become better and that results will be shown and by
that I don't mean just wins and good games, but that everyone will
be better than he was at the beginning of the season.”
Don’t
forget to log on every day this week for more build-up towards the
National Cup final.
23
January 2012
Dejan's a happy man
AFTER a weekend which saw his
side win their two games by a combined margin of 70 points, Leopards
coach Dejan Mihevc is a happy man.
 The Big Cats thrashed second
placed Worthing Thunder 89-52 on their own court on Saturday before
strolling to a 103-70 home win against Tees Valley Mohawks the
following day.
“This weekend for us was a
special test” he said. “After a long time we played one of many
double headers in the next two months and I wanted to see how we
will respond.
“I was really happy because in
both games we did great as a team. The players worked really hard
and the only thing that they deserve right now is a lot of respect
and praise from me. It was great to see how everybody contributed
and how our senior players are helping our young guys to get better
every practice and every game.”
Leopards’ next test will be their
biggest of the season as they face Bristol Academy Flyers in the
National Cup final at Ponds Forge on Saturday.
23
January 2012
Perfect Cup warm-up for Big Cats
Leopards 103 (29,44,83) Tees Valley Mohawks 70 (11,26,44)
JOHN Lister led the way with a
season-high 31 points as Leopards had the perfect warm-up for the
National Cup final with a comfortable victory against Tees Valley
Mohawks.
Another large crowd at Brentwood
saw a game that was effectively over by the end of the first period
as Leopards closed it out on a 15-4 run to lead 29-11.
Coach Dejan Mihevc was able to run
his bench from the start of the second quarter, giving ten of his 12
players double-digit court time, with those ten all getting on the
scoresheet.
Shooting guard Lister was in
scintillating form, hitting seven three points and finishing with
12/14 shooting in just 18 minutes.
Zak Wells added a 14 point and 11
rebound double-double in a team-high 24 minutes, with David
Buchberger completing a good weekend with 13 points.
 Ousman
Krubally and Vernon Teel each finished with 10 points in under 17
minutes, with the former adding nine rebounds and the latter an
incredible 11 assists.
Mohawks were led by 25 points
American guard Demarcus Berry, JeanLois Bomolo finishing with a 14
point, 12 rebound double.
Teel opened the scoring and
Krubally kept the Big Cats ahead after Acho Anyigbo had levelled the
score.
Mohawks player-coach Steve Butler
put Mohawks into a brief lead from the foul line, but Dominic Norton
replied at the other end to put Leopards 6-5 ahead and they never
trailed again.
Norton hit back-to-back treys to
break the game open before Lister joined in the fun, and it was
15-year-old Josh Steel who wrapped up a 29-11 first period with a
lay-up off Joe Lockwood’s assist.
Lister scored from Land of Plenty
to open the second period, and the first half lead peaked at 27
three minutes into the quarter as the Australian/Brit dual national
again scored from downtown.
Wells wrapped up the first half
score off Legend Robertin’s assist and although Copeland hit a trey
for Mohawks, it was the Big Cats who took a commanding 44-26 lead
into the locker room.
Lister scored the first seven
Leopards points of the second half, with all three scores coming off
Teel assists before the Leopards point guard mixed things up by
providing the help for Lockwood to make it a 25 point game with two
minutes gone.
Teel continued to dish out the
assists as Krubally spectacularly dunked and Lister scored downtown
as the lead grew to 30 points, and Buchberger’s three points sent
the Big Cats into the final break with an 83-44 lead.
The lead peaked at 41 as Wells
opened the final period by stealing the ball and providing the
assist for Buchberger to score, and although Mohawks refused to give
us, coach Mihevc was able to give the youngsters plenty of court
time as the Big Cats moved into the play-off positions for the first
time this season.
Leopards: J
Lister (31), Z Wells (14), D Buchberger (13), O Krubally (10), V
Teel (10), J Lockwood (8), D Norton (8), J Steel (4),R Addison (3),
L Volskis (2), B Wilkinson, L Robertin.
23
January 2012
Leopards hammer Thunder
Worthing Thunder 52 (13,28,41) Leopards 89 (19,38,63)
STUNNING performance saw Leopards
record their first ever road victory against Worthing Thunder on
Saturday as the second placed hosts were hammered by 37 points.
Vernon Teel put the Leopards 4-3
ahead with just over three minutes gone at Worthing, and they never
trailed again, but it was a 12-2 run at the start of the second half
which did most of the damage for Leopards as they recorded their
first ever away with against the Thunder.
The Big Cats had lost their
previous eight road games against Thunder, only once keeping the
margin down to single digits, but he high-flying Worthing side had
no answer as the Big Cats produced a dominant second half
performance.
Dave Buchberger had his best game
as a Leopard, scoring four three-pointers on the way to a 19 point,
eight rebound double-double. Bradley Wilkinson also put on his best
display since returning to the club with ten points and seven boards
in just 11 minutes of action.
Teel again led the Big Cats’
scoring with 21 points and nine board, with Ousman Krubally adding a
15 point, ten rebound double-double.
Hank Rivers opened the scoring for
Thunder, but Lukas Volskis replied, and by the five minute mark
Leopards were 10-5 ahead after a Krubally shot.
Rivers pulled Thunder within a
point, but 6-0 run capped by a Zak Wells basket made it a seven
point game, and John Lister’s trey sent Leopards into the first
break with a six point lead.
Buchberger drained his first trey
to open the second period, and Krubally also got into the act as he
hit a pair from downtown to give the Big Cats a 30-13 lead after two
minutes of the quarter.
A pair of Buchberger free-throws
saw Leopards lead by 20 with 5:40 in the half remaining, but the
home side chipped away at the deficit as they went on a 12-4 run and
a needless Teel foul saw Francesco Amato cut the Leopards’ lead to
ten going into the locker room at half-time.
Whatever coach Dejan Mihevc said at
half-time had the desired effect as both Buchberger and Lister
scored from downtown as Leopards opened strongly to restore the 20
point margin with three minutes of the half gone and Buchberger
again drained from downtown to make it a 24 point game with 4:28
remaining in the third period.
The lead peaked at 25 in the
quarter following a Teel free-throw, and the Big Cats went into the
final break with an almost unassailable 63-41 lead.
Courtney Small cut that lead to 20
with the first score of the fourth period but Joe Lockwood and Teel
kept the scoreboard ticking over, and an and-one followed by a jump
shot from Teel took the lead out to 29 with 7:30 on the clock and
ended any chance of a comeback.
Wilkinson put his name on the
scoresheet as the lead continued to grow and Ryan Addison ensured
that all ten Leopards were on the scoresheet by buying a trey to
wrap up the Big Cats’ biggest win of the season.
Small led Worthing with 13 points,
though he needed 15 shots and turned the ball over six times, with
youngster Jack Sunderland impressing with 11 points.
Leopards: V
Teel (21), D Buchberger (19), O Krubally (15), B Wilkinson (10), J
Lister (6), Z Wells (6), L Volskis (5), R Addison (3), J Lockwood
(2), D Norton (2)
18
January 2012
Semi-final date set
HAVING beaten Worthing Thunder in the National Trophy
quarter-finals, Leopards have been drawn away in the last four where
they will meet Division One champions and current leaders Bristol
Academy Flyers.
The date for the game has been fixed for Saturday February 11,
tip-off 7 pm. Leopards’ home league game against Leicester Warriors
at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday February 12 (4 pm) remains
unchanged.
The game will see a repeat of next week’s National Cup final, and
the Big Cats will be away for the sixth time in their seven
semi-final ties.
Photographs courtesy of
www.essexsportsagency.com
For full past previews and news,
go to News Archive
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