LONDON LEOPARDS BASKETBALL CLUB
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LONDON LEOPARDS BASKETBALL CLUB
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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.
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January 2012 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.
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January 2012 IT’S back to league action for Leopards on Sunday afternoon as they host Tees Valley Mohawks at the Brentwood Centre, 4 pm tip-off. The Big Cats will have a good idea what to expect when Mohawks arrive in Essex, as they knocked them out of the National Cup in December, winning 96-84 after a superb performance by point guard Vernon Teel set Leopards up for a final date against Bristol Academy Flyers on January 29. Mohawks have lost American guard DJ Glavin since that game and have slipped down the table, and are currently 11th with a 2-8 record. Both teams are in action on Saturday, with Leopards travelling to Worthing Thunder and Mohawks hosting Medway Park Crusaders. In spite of their lowly league position, Leopards coach Dejan Mihevc is expecting the Mohawks to provide some tough opposition on Sunday afternoon: “Tees Valley is a team that deserve a lot of respect. They are a little atypical team where everybody can shoot from behind the arc, what is also their main threat. This will be our first of many double headers that we have in 2012 and I am really looking forward to it.”
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January 2012 HAVING knocked Worthing Thunder out of the National Trophy at Brentwood last Sunday, Leopards will face the south coast team again on Saturday evening in an EBL Division One fixture. The Big Cats will be in search of their first away league victory of the season, and go into the fixture knowing that if they are to have any chance of lifting the Division One title they need to win at the high-flying Thunder. Worthing’s one point win at Leicester Warriors last Saturday saw thunder take sole possession of second spot in the table with an 8-3 record. They did, however, lose the services of guard Vinnie Darpino with a hamstring injury, and he is unlikely to be fit to face the Big Cats on Saturday evening. Vernon Teel was again on form in Sunday’s Trophy win as he collected his fourth triple-double of the season with 24 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes. Fellow American Ousman Krubally added a 22 point, 15 rebound double-double, also in 32 minutes as the side occupying second spot in Division One were comfortably beaten. Despite the win on Sunday, Leopards coach Dejan Mihevc is taking nothing for granted against Thunder: “It is always hard to play the same team twice in a row, because there is always a different game” he said. “To win a second game you usually must be even better and play even harder. And beside that we are all aware that we play one of the strongest team in the league where they only lost three games. We must play even on a higher level that we did last weekend and I sure that we will do everything to keep our winning strike on and to get in touch with the teams that are fighting for a spot in play-offs.” Leopards have played the fewest number of games in Division One, with at least three in hand over all of the teams above them, and they’ve played four less than the top two. But having lost four of their seven outings, they will know that they can barely afford a single slip-up in the final three months of the season if they are to better last season’s runners-up spot.
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January 2012 LEOPARDS will look to progress towards another final when they host Worthing Thunder at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon, tip-off 4 pm. The Big Cats are already through to the National Cup final where they will face Bristol Academy Flyers, and on Sunday they will look to reach the semi-finals of the National Trophy. With Thunder having spent the last three years in the BBL, it will be the first competitive meeting between the clubs since the 2007/8 season, although they did meet in a pre-season tournament two years ago. Having dropped down from the BBL, Thunder have made a good start in Division One, and are one of three sides tied in second place with 7-3 record. While Leopards only suffered one defeat in the Trophy group stage to snatch home court advantage in Sunday’s quarter-final, Thunder finished third in Group One with four wins from six games. Thunder’s National Cup hopes ended at the last 16 stage with a heavy loss against the Flyers. Leopards’ coach Dejan Mihevc is ready for a tough game: “With league results Worthing has showed that they have one of the best teams in the league. It is always a special challenge to play one of the teams that is right at the top of the table and if this is a Trophy game, when one game counts everything - it means even something more, something bigger. “From our players I expect that they will be concentrated and will fight al the way through for every ball. I know that they understand the importance of the game and I am sure that they will give everything to win this game.”
LEOPARDS return to action after the Christmas break when they host London Capital at the Brentwood Centre on Friday evening – tip-off 8 pm. After almost four weeks without a game, coach Dejan Mihevc can’t wait to get back into action: “I am very excited that we are starting to play games again after a quite long break. It will be nice to be out there on the court again. “Capital showed some good games in last few rounds and improved much as a team. They lost some close games and also got their first league win in December, what it means that they will be more then an easy opponent. I expect hard game where we will need to control rebounding at both end of the floor and be 100 percent concentrated for whole 40 minutes to win.” While the Big Cats have enjoyed success in both the National Cup – where they will face Bristol Academy Flyers in the final – and the National Trophy, their league form has been indifferent and they will need to go a winning streak if they are to challenge for honours. The Big Cats are currently tenth in the 13-team league with a 2-4 record, but have games in hand over every other side in Division One. Capital have had a tough start to the season, and are 12th with only one win from eight games. They also lost all five National Trophy games and went out of the National Cup at the first stage. The teams met on the opening night of the season and Leopards needed overtime to win 72-62 in the Trophy. Vilius Sumskis marked his brief stay with the Leopards by leading all scorers with 16 points, adding 11 rebounds for a double-double, while despite struggling with foul trouble throughout the game, Ousman Krubally finished with 15 points and nine boards.
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December 2011 LEOPARDS Basketball Club have secured funding to expand their community programme into the Basildon area after Christmas. The Big Cats are currently providing healthy living advice and basketball coaching to nearly 5,000 school-age children in the east London and Brentwood area, and with Basildon Sporting Village staging five of their home games in the New Year, they are looking for schools to participate in the scheme. Leopards have secured a number of grants, including funds from Sportivate and Sport Essex, and are looking to attract both senior and primary schools. For more information, call 07828 470015. Leopards Managing Director Gareth Roberts said: “We’re excited about playing and working in the Basildon area, and hope that our community programme will enable us to become part life in Basildon.” The Big Cats’ community programmes have drawn praise from the schools that they visited. Kate O’Riordan of Churchfield’s Primary School in Redbridge commented “Many thanks for another successful session yesterday, the children really enjoyed the roadshow”. Jo Peters of Marks Gate Primary School in Romford added “There was great organisation and implementation, the children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed themselves and lots of interactive learning took place. The players were good role models for the children”. Leopards play their first game at Basildon Sporting Village is on February 5 when they face Brixton Topcats, and they return on February 19 and February 26, with all games tipping off at 4pm.
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December 2011 LEOPARDS’ players Ousman Krubally and David Buchberger were delighted with the Big Cats’ 96-84 victory at Tees Valley Mohawks which aw them qualify for the National Cup final. Dejan Mihevc and his team will now meet Bristol Academy Flyers at Ponds Forge in Sheffield on January 29. “I’ve never really won any at basketball” admitted American forward Krubally who returned to the club in the summer after an outstand debut season in 2010/11. “We had four losing seasons at college, and most of the things I won were at football (soccer), so it’s great to be in a final. “I hope we can win the Cup for the Leopards fans, and continue to improve during the second half of the season.” Meanwhile, after turning down an offer from BBL champions Mersey Tigers to join the Big Cats, Buchberger was delighted with the win in Middlesbrough: “I’m very excited that we’re moving on to the final. I think I it’s great for the Leopards team and programme, and in the last month we’ve come together nicely as a team - being in the final is a reflection of how we’ve gelled as a unit on and off the court. “It was a really good win tonight. I’m really excited for myself and my team-mates that we’re going to the final and I hope we can use it as a springboard for the second half of the season.” Details for tickets and travel to the Final in Sheffield can be found soon on www.leopardsbasketball.co.uk. The Big Cats now have a break until they return to the Brentwood Centre on Friday, January 6 for a Division One game against old rivals PAWS London Capital.
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December 2011 LEOPARDS will be looking to reach the National Cup final for the second time in their eight year history when they make the long trip to Tees Valley Mohawks. The Big Cats have a good record in the competition having reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last five season and won the competition in the 2005/6 season. The original Leopards also won the competition in 1997, and were runners-up in 1999 and 2001. Tees Valley were relegated in 2010 but bounced straight back to Division One last season, and are currently joint eighth in Division One with a 2-3 record, but lost all six National Trophy games. They have certainly rode their luck on the way to the semi-final having won 64-63 at third division Huddersfield Heat in the first round, 66-64 against another Division Three side - Manchester Magic - in the second round and 80-75 at second division club Team Northumbria. In the quarter-final the bounced back after a hammering against Reading Rockets in Division to beat the same opposition 87-82 at home to set up the meeting with Leopards. The Big Cats hammered neighbours Brentwood Fire 80-62 in the first round before winning a thriller 80-79 against Division Two side London Westside in the second round. Fellow Division One Westminster Warrior were beaten 96-86 in the last 16 before Leopards recorded an impressive 86-66 victory at Bradford Dragons in the quarter-final. Shooting guard John Lister played a key part in that win at Bradford with 17 points, and he’s looking forward to the semi-final: “On Sunday against Mohawks it's a great chance for us to finish the year on a high by securing a birth in the Cup final. We certainly aren't travelling north for six hours to come home empty handed.” Leopards’ coach Dejan Mihevc acknowledges that Sunday’s trip to Middlesbrough is his side’s most important game of the campaign: “This game is probable the biggest one for us this season. We know that home team is in a great advantage because they play at home, and we need to travel more than five hours away, but at that kind of games where you have a chance to get in the final you must forget everything and do your best to get there.” Lukas Volskis, who captained Leopards in Ousman Krubally’s absence last week, is also aware of the importance of the game: “Tees Valley may be the biggest game of the year for us so far just because it's that a bit more special considering what is at stake. You don't get a chance to get into a National Cap final every day so we are definitely looking forward to travelling up there and playing. It should be a good game considering they have beaten an impressive Reading Rockets team already.”
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December 2011 LEOPARDS make an early start to this weekend’s Division One programme when they host Westminster Warriors at the Brentwood Centre on Friday evening, 8.00 pm. Friday’s visitors are coached by former Leopards Matt Collins and have had a tough start to life in the top flight after being promoted last season. They are currently joint bottom of the table with one win from seven games, and their two wins in the National Trophy group stage were not enough to prevent them going out of the competition. The sides met in the National Cup third round in October, and with Vernon Teel posting a 32 point, 12 assist and ten rebound double-double, the Big Cats progressed with a 96-86 victory. John Lister added 18 points, while David Buchberger added 17 points and five rebounds on his debut. Ousman Krubally had yet another double-double with 15 points and 13 rebound. The sides also met at the same stage of the Cup last year where a crowd of over 1000 saw a thrilling 72-69 victory for the Big Cats. Free-throws from Marlan Henry and Josh Johnson sealed the victory for the Leopards in the dying seconds to seal a fourth straight trip to the quarter-finals. The previous game between the two sides in 2008 was also a thriller as the Big Cats won a triple overtime thriller 123-118. A massive trey from Lukas Volskis sent the game into a first overtime period, while Russ Jordan hit a late basket for the Big Cats to force a second extra stanza. Leopards, who were led by 30 Hrvoje Pervan points, then took control. Marlan Henry led the Warriors with 33 points. Leopards’ shooting guard John Lister is looking for a better performance against the Warriors than the one that saw the Big Cats go down at Medway Park Crusaders last week: “We expect to bounce back on Friday against Westminster, we expect them to come out hard and play a free flowing game. If we can stop there transition game it will go a long way to us getting a good result.” Fellow guard Lukas Volskis expects a tough game: “Westminster will always be tough to play against as they play hard every game. They will be fired up since we beat them the last time round so I am expecting a very hard fought game, should be exciting as both teams are athletic and have some young talent and some very good experienced players.” Despite that win in October, coach Dejan Mihevc isn’t taking anything for granted, and is looking forward to playing at Brentwood: “It’s our second home league game of the season and we are very excited to play at home crowd. We are expecting a good support from our fans, and we can assure that we won't disappoint them. Westminster is a dangerous team that will play hard the whole game and if we want to win we must be 100% the whole game and play good aggressive defence.”
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December 2011 AS they prepare for Friday’s league meeting with Westminster Warriors at Brentwood, Leopards’ American pair Ousman Krubally and Vernon Teel continue to lead the way in the latest set of EBL statistics. Both players are in the hunt for the Division One Most Valuable Player award despite a poor start to the league season. Forward Krubally, in his second season with the Leopards, is comfortably top of the over all rankings – which includes National Trophy and Division One games - with a score of 30.2. He is top of the rebounding charts with a massive 13 boards per game and third in scoring with 24.8 points per game. His 2.6 assists per game also put him in the top 20 of that category. Meanwhile, Teel is second in the over all rankings with a score of 25.71. His 30.43 points per game sees him comfortably top of the scoring charts, more than five points clear of Derby’s Rishi Kakad, and he is second in assists (4.86 per game) and seventh in rebounding with 8.29 boards per game – which is outstanding for a guard.
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December 2011 LEOPARDS players Lukas Volskis and John Lister are keen to put Saturday’s loss against Medway Park Crusaders behind them as they look ahead to a big weekend. Volskis made no excuses after the Big Cats went down 93-83 in Kent: “The Medway game was tough for us to deal with to be honest. We played really well for about 34 minutes and it is always frustrating when you can't keep it going and hang on to the win. “I thought everyone gave all they had and it took a few small plays down the stretch to change the outcome of the game. They hit some really big shots which is always hard overcome. We didn't have Ousman [Krubally] once again but I still think we had more than enough depth to come up with the win, it just wasn't meant to be this time round unfortunately.” Lister agreed with his team-mate: The Medway game was really disappointing, we can't become a team that relies on Ous to win games and I believe we should have finished the game stronger and taken the points. We will learn a lot from the loss going forward but again very disappointing!” The Big Cats return to action on Friday evening when Westminster Warriors are the visitors to Brentwood – tip-off 8pm – in a must-win Division One game while on Sunday they travel to Tees Valley Mohawks for the National Cup semi-final.
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December 2011 LEOPARDS will be looking for success in both the league and cup this weekend as they face games on Friday and Sunday. The Big Cats host London rivals Westminster Warriors at the Brentwood Centre on Friday evening (8pm) in EBL Division One before making the long trip to Tees Valley Mohawks for the National Cup semi-final two days later. Friday’s visitors have had a tough start to life in the top flight after being promoted last season. They are currently joint bottom of the table with one win from seven games, and their two wins in the National Trophy group stage were not enough to prevent them going out of the competition. The sides met in the National Cup third round, and with Vernon Teel posting a 32 point, 12 assist and ten rebound double-double, the Big Cats progressed with a 96-86 victory. John Lister added 18 points, while David Buchberger added 17 points and five rebounds on his debut. Ousman Krubally had yet another double-double with 15 points and 13 rebound. Despite that win, coach Dejan Mihevc isn’t taking anything for granted, and is looking forward to playing at Brentwood: “It’s our second home league game of the season and we are very excited to play at home crowd. We are expecting a good support from our fans, and we can assure that we won't disappoint them. Westminster is a dangerous team that will play hard the whole game and if we want to win we must be 100% the whole game and play good aggressive defence.” The Leopards play-caller acknowledges that Sunday’s trip to Middlesbrough is his side’s more important game of the campaign: “This game is probable the biggest one for is this season. We know that home team is in a great advantage because they play at home, and we need to travel more than five hours away, but at that kind of games where you have a chance to get in the final you must forget everything and do your best to get there.” Mohawks are joint eighth in Division One with a 2-3 record, but lost all six National Trophy games. They have had some close games on their way to the last four, including a surprise 87-82 home win against Reading Rockets in the quarter-final. The Big Cats will be looking bounce back after a poor performance at Medway Park Crusaders saw them lost 93-83 on Saturday. With forward Ousman Krubally missing, the Big Cats struggled against the size of the Kent side, but really should have close out the game after leading by as many as ten in the first half. Leopards controlled the first half, leading 20-15 after the opening period and were up by ten going into the final two minutes of the second quarter before Crusaders rattled off a 7-0 run to cut the margin to 39-35 at half-time. With former BBL guard Steve Vear controlling the play on his return to Crusaders, the home side started the second half strongly and took their first lead of the game at 41-39. Despite struggling to stop Canadian big man Joe Schow in the paint, Leopards stayed in touch, and David Buchberger capped a 7-2 run by draining a pair of free-throws after being fouled on the buzzer to send the visitors into the final break with a 60-59 lead. The teams were level midway through the final period, but Leopards’ offence dried up down the stretch as they slipped to their fourth straight away league loss. Vernon Teel led the scoring for the Big Cats with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists with Buchberger adding 19 points, four boards and three assists. Lister chipped in with four three pointers on the way to 14 points and three blocks while acting captain Lukas Volskis added nine points.
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December 2011 LEOPARDS travel to Medway Park Crusaders on Saturday where they will look to repeat their 103-92 National Trophy victory in early October. The Big Cats had to overcame a furious fight-back against Crusaders to get that win and wrap up a place in the National Trophy quarter-finals. Vernon Teel put them 93-73 up with three minutes remaining to seemingly seal the game, only for Sam Betts to sink a three and start a 13-0 run to reduce Leopards’ lead to 93-86 with 90 seconds remaining. Teel, who finished with a game-high 40 points along with eight rebounds, and Lukas Volskis stopped the rot as the Big Cats closed out the win. Ousman Krubally finished with a 27 point, ten rebound double-double in just under 29 minutes of action before fouling out, with John Lister adding 20 points for the Big Cats. The Kent side, who include former Leopards Sam Salter and Gareth Laws in their squad, are level with Leopards in eighth place with both sides having 1-3 records. Crusaders signed Adrian Fenyn, who piped Krubally to the Division One Most Valuable Player award last season, but they have struggled in their first season in the top flight with their only wins against top flight opposition in nine games have come against basement side London Capital, and they went out of the National Cup against Division Three side Newham Neptunes. That game in October was first time that Leopards and Crusaders had met in competitive action, but the sides have played each other three times in the last four years. In 2008 the Big Cats marked their return to Brentwood with an 80-71 victory, before suffering defeats in 2009 (49-44) and this season (67-56) in reduced length games.
28 November 2011 LEOPARDS have announced that they intend to apply for a British Basketball League (BBL) franchise for the 2012/13 season and beyond. Since supporters of the original Leopards reformed the club in 2004 the Big Cats have played in the England Basketball League Division One, winning the National Cup in 2005/6 and finishing runners-up in the league last season. With one of the biggest community programmes in the country and impressive home venues at the Brentwood Centre and Basildon Sporting Village, the club now feels ready to take the step forward to become a fully professional club and compete in the top level of basketball in the country. “It gives me great pleasure to announce that we are actively looking to join the BBL for next season” said club chairman Fred Dicker. “This is a very big step for our club but although it has taken time it has been our aim since our formation in 2004. “The application process is not an easy one, but I believe we have quality personnel at the club to make a successful bid. We need to put in place a management team that will provide the skills required to run a BBL franchise with a desire to be competitive in our first season. “I am also delighted to announce Gareth Roberts has accepted my invitation to be our club’s first Managing Director. Gareth has, in the past, held various roles within the club. He, along with Ian Mitchell, has set up our community programme. Gareth is a very bright young man with plenty of new ideas and fantastic energy which can only be an asset to the Leopards organisation. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our fans, sponsors and match day crew for their support and unending determination making us the organisation we are today.” The Big Cats are currently looking for sponsors and partners to help take the club into the BBL, and expect to make an announcement as to whether their franchise application has been approved in March 2012.
25 November 2011 LEOPARDS’ guard Lukas Volskis is looking for the Big Cats to get their league season back on track when they host Bristol Academy Flyers at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon. A tough start to the league season has seen Volskis and the rest of the Big Cats unable to build on their form in the other competitions – which has seen them reach the last four of the Cup and quarter-finals of the Trophy – and he is hoping that they can turn the corner on Sunday: “We have another tough game against Bristol at home. we have been quite unfortunate with the league fixtures as we lost some close heart breaking games which weren't helped by the injury problems we've been dealing with. This week everyone should be back and playing.” Leopards go into Sunday’s game on the back of a rollercoaster weekend which saw them lose 110-77 at Bradford Dragons in EBL Division One before bouncing back to hammer the same team 86-66 in the National quarter-final the following day, and Volskis admitted that they didn’t perform in the league game: “We had a tough weekend in terms of travelling and playing one game and then another in less than 24 hours. Saturday's game was definitely one to forget as Bradford really out-played us in all aspects of the game. Obviously it was very tough to take a heavy loss especially when you have a Cup game the next day. “The great thing for us was the way we were able to bounce back the next day and keep our cup run going. We did a great job of mentally preparing ourselves for the game making sure that there wasn't even room for a thought of repeating the previous day's result. we played with a lot of energy and played the way we are supposed to play all the time. I was really pleased with the performance of the 20 point win and I am obviously looking forward to the National Cup semi final.”
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November 2011 LEOPARDS’ American pair Ousman Krubally and Vernon Teel are leading the way in the latest set of EBL statistics. The two Big Cats are dominating at the top of the main categories as they head into this weekend’s home game with leaders Bristol Academy Flyers. Forward Krubally, in his second season with the Leopards, is comfortably top of the over all rankings with a score of 30.5. He is top of the rebounding charts with a massive 14.5 boards per game and third in scoring with 24.75 points per game. His three assists per game also put him in the top 20 of that category. Meanwhile, Teel is second in the over all rankings with a score of 25.8. His 30.2 points per game sees him comfortably top of the scoring charts, more than four points clear of Derby’s Rishi Kakad, and his fourth in assists (4.4 per game) and fifth in rebounding with 8.8 boards per game – which is outstanding for a guard. Teel isn’t the only Leopard in the top ten for assists, with Lukas Volskis eighth with 3.4 per game.
24 November 2011 LEOPARDS' fans will have the chance to join the Great Britain Supporters Club at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday when the Big Cats host Bristol Academy Flyers. The organisation's aim is to GB basketball fans, to support their team. In the lead up to Olympics they will be working toward finding venues to screen Olympic basketball in several locations around Britain, giving supporters the chance to back your team in the company of fellow fans. They will organise annual fan events, exclusive to GB Basketball Supporters' Club members, and assist with travel arrangements to future tournaments. Their ultimate goal is to advance purchase tickets to GB basketball events, to enable them to have the chance to watch these events live in an area full of British Basketball fans, creating an amazing atmosphere at the games to help cheer the team to victory. They will also be giving existing basketball fans priority access to any game or event tickets they can get hold of." Annual membership costs £10, and there will a stall inside the Brentwood Centre on Sunday for fans to join.
24 November 2011 LEOPARDS will look to turn their cup form into league points when they host Bristol Academy Flyers at Brentwood on Sunday afternoon – tip-off 4 pm. The Big Cats have won eight of their nine National Cup and Trophy games this season, but have started the league season with three straight away losses. They will face a Flyers team who have lived up to their name with a blistering start to the season with 13 wins from their first 14 games, and they go into the game sitting top of the Division One table. Leopards’ coach Dejan Mihevc expects a tough game at the Brentwood Centre, on Sunday: “They basically managed to kept the whole team that won the league last year and they are still undefeated [in the league] this year. I think that this tells us all. “They are probable the best team in the league with a great coach and a great program what for sure give them the role of a favourite. Our chance is in aggressive defence and discipline offence, where we will have to play on our highest level for winning the game.” Mihevc will be hoping that shooting guard David Buchberger is fit to return to the side after missing the last two weekends due to a knee injury. This weekend will be the first time for five weeks that the Big Cats have only one game. Leopards have played the most games in the country, 16, with seven double-header weekends. Flyers have had the second toughest schedule in the country – which includes full-time BBL sides – having played 14 games. The game sees the top two sides in last season’s final table meet, and the teams met four times in 2010/11, splitting the series. A home loss against Flyers in November 2010 proved key as Leopards finished at runners-up, and they also went down in the West Country in the group stage of the Trophy. However, the Big Cats gained revenge with a 78-66 victory in Bristol as they knocked the Flyers out of the Trophy and repeated the trick with a stunning 80-51 road victory in the league a fortnight later. Leopards go into Sunday’s game on the back of a rollercoaster weekend which saw them lose 110-77 at Bradford Dragons in EBL Division One before bouncing back to hammer the same team 86-66 in the National quarter-final the following day.
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November 2011 LEOPARDS have been drawn away to Tees Valley Mohawks in the National Cup semi-final after both sides bounced back from heavy league losses to gain revenge in Sunday’s quarter-finals. The Mohawks lost by 36 points at home against Reading Rockets on Saturday to win 87-82 against the same side on Sunday while the Big Cats put Saturday’s 110-77 hammering against Bradford Dragons behind them with an 86-66 success the following day. The game will be played in Middlesbrough on Sunday December 11, with a probably tip-off time of 4pm. Both sides are also in league action that weekend with Leopards hosting Westminster Warriors on Friday November 9 (8pm) and Mohawks playing Leicester Warriors the following day. Sunday saw the Big Cats lead from tip to buzzer, building a 28 point lead at one stage as they continued their fine record in the Cup. Ousman Krubally scored six of the first eight points as Leopards raced into the lead and they won each of the first three periods by at least four points to go into the final break 69-47 ahead. After three-point plays from John Lister and Vernon Teel had given them a 28 point lead, they had to withstand an 11-0 Bradford run, but a trey from Volskis broke the Dragons’ resolve as the Big Cats wrapped up their place in the semi-final. Teel finished with his second triple-double of the season with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists – adding four steals and two blocks for good measure, while Krubally led all scorers with a 29 point, 11 rebound double-double. With a much better all-round scoring effort than the previous day, Lister added 17 – including five three-pointers – and Volskis ten, while youngster Dominic Norton had two big three-point efforts at key times. Full match reports from both of Leopards’ games at Bradford will be online on Tuesday.
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November 2011 LEOPARDS have announced that several of their home fixtures after Christmas will be staged at Basildon Sports Village. The Big Cats play the majority of their home games at the Brentwood Centre with the remaining games having been staged at Barking Abbey school in east London. However, five games after Christmas will be staged at Basildon rather than Barking Abbey, starting on Sunday February 5 when they host Brixton Topcats. They will also face Leeds Carnegie on Sunday February 19, Bradford Dragons on Sunday February 26 and Worthing Thunder on Sunday April 7, as well as the play-off quarter-final if they get home court advantage on Sunday April 14. All games at the venue will tip-off at 4 pm. “We are very pleased to be able to work with Basildon Sporting Village and be able to bring Division One basketball to Basildon for the first time” said Leopards’ Community Director Gareth Roberts. "The venue is a new state of the art facility which we are excited to be able to use and feel this will be great for our existing fan base as well as a great opportunity to help grow the club further in a new catchment area. “We also plan to extend our very successful East London community programme into the Basildon area and help grow the sport in Essex from grass routes upwards.” Cllr Kevin Blake, Basildon Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: "I am delighted to hear the Leopards have chosen the Sporting Village to play some of their games. "This will give people the opportunity to see basketball on their doorsteps at one of the best facilities in the region." Other fixture news sees Leopards’ home game at Brentwood against Tees Valley Mohawks being moved from Sunday December to Sunday January 22 due to the unavailability of the venue.
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November 2011 LEOPARDS will be looking for success in two different competitions this weekend as they face a pair of games at Bradford Dragons. The sides meet in an EBL Division One fixture on Saturday, with the Big Cats staying overnight in Yorkshire before meeting again in the National Cup quarter-final. The Dragons have made a good start to life in the top flight of English basketball and are currently sitting in third spot in the league with three wins from four games. As well as three wins to reach the Cup quarter-final, they finished fourth in group two of the National Trophy with a 2-3 record to progress to the last eight. The sides met in the National Trophy and Leopards recorded a comfortable 81-68 victory with Vernon Teel leading the way with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Leopards’ coach Dejan Mihevc will be hoping that his side’s injury problems have eased after they were without American forward Ousman Krubally and shooting guard David Buchberger last weekend The Big Cats have an excellent record in the National Cup having won the competition in their second season, 2005/6, and having reached at least the quarter-finals in six of the last seven seasons. Last season saw a last eight exit at the hands of Derby Trailblazers, while the previous campaign saw them reach the semi-finals before going out against Manchester Magic.
10 November 2011 FORMER Leopards’ captain Robert Youngblood is excited about facing his old club when the Big Cats host Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the BBL Trophy on Friday evening. The action at the Brentwood Centre tips off at 7.30pm, and for veteran forward Youngblood it will be a return to his first club, having helped the original Leopards win back-to-back BBL titles in 1997 and 1998 as well as lifting the 1997 National Cup. The BBL’s elder statesman is looking forward to returning to Brentwood: “It was my first professional club, I was captain there for five years, and we won some trophies. So they will always have a special place for me. I’ll be looking to show them that I can still play a bit! “We’re not going to underestimate them because they played really well when we played them the first time. The point guard, Vernon Tell, and the four-man, Ousman Krubally, are two talented players, who are good enough for the BBL. If they could get a big guy, they could be a really good team. We’re going there to win the game, and we’ll prepare for them in the same way we’d prepare for anyone.” Riders’ coach Rob Paternostro isn’t expecting an easy game against the Leopards, either: “Last time against the Leopards I was impressed. They were a well coached team who had a lot of young talent. Vernon Teel and Ousman Krubally are both solid players, we could definitely see them playing in our league, both are athletic and skilled and should have great seasons for them.” Paternostro is also looking forward to returning to Brentwood for the first since the 2002/3 season: “Going back to play there will bring back memories for me, I used to love to compete against the likes of Rod Brown, Jason Kimbrough and Rashod Johnson., It will be nice to see some of the Leopards fans from the past.”
9 November 2011 LEOPARDS face a double header against Leicester this weekend – hosting Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the BBL Trophy campaign at the Brentwood Centre on Friday evening before visiting Warriors in Division One on Saturday. The Big Cats suffered from foul trouble when they played the Riders in the midlands as they went down 104-78. Leopards’ coach Dejan Mihevc is expecting a tough test against the high-flying Leicester side: “Riders are in my opinion of the best teams in BBL and has a great organization also. Coach [Rob] Paternostro is doing a great job, and they are for sure one of the candidates to win this year Championship. They have a team with a few very good individuals led by GB National team captain Sullivan, who made a big difference immediately when he joined the team. “Their quality is in their team. They have some exceptional individuals (Sullivan, Rundles, Hardy) who will each add something special to the team and will have a great support in Royster, Wierzbicki and players in rotation who will always step in and do their jobs. “When we played against them the first time we did really well at the beginning of the game until our two Americans both got three fouls. We were running the floor really well and play hard defence with high intensity. The whole game we were struggling in boxing out and rebounding and even there is a physical deference in teams and we can expect similar problems we need to do much better job with that in next game.” The Leopards play-caller has enjoyed the experience of competing against sides from the top flight this season: “Of course it is a great experience that will for sure have positive affect on our players and our team in the long term.” The Big Cats have certainly been busy this season due their involvement in the BBL Trophy, with Saturday’s game against Warriors being their 14th of the season. Warriors finished sixth in their National Trophy group with a 2-4 record, and went out of the National Cup against Division Two title favourites Hemel Storm, but they opened their Division One campaign with a surprise 77-75 victory against Brixton Topcats.
4 November 2011 THERE'S sure to be plenty of fireworks at Barking Abbey on Saturday evening as Leopards meet Reading Rockets in a National Trophy group game. It’s the final game in Pool Two, and the winner of the match-up gets home court advantage against Worthing Thunder in the quarter-finals, while the lose goes to Brixton in the last eight. Both sides have 3-1 records in the competition, having beaten Bradford Dragons, Medway Park Crusaders and London Capital but lost to Derby Trailblazers. Reading opened their league campaign with a 68-54 loss at champions Bristol Academy Flyers on Saturday, but remain in the National Cup. The game at Barking Abbey tips off at 8 pm with admission £4 for adults and £2 for children. With Manchester Magic having dropped into Division Three for this season, Rocket s are the only team who have competed in Division One since the Big Cats joined the competition in 2004, and the Reading side have a good record against us. The sides have met 26 times in the last seven years, and Leopards’ 73-61 win at Rivermead in the league last season was only the fifth time that we have beaten them. Even in our most successful season ever, last year, Rockets won four of the five meetings – including wins in the semi-finals of both the play-offs and Trophy. Despite that disappointing record against the Rockets, the Big Cats did win the most important meeting between the sides when they lifted the 2005/6 National Cup with a 79-75 victory at the NIA in Birmingham. With Leopards also in action at Brixton on Sunday, shooting guard John Lister is looking forward to the weekend: “I’m really looking forward to our next two games, a chance to claim home court advantage in out Trophy match and of course our opening league game. Again despite our newish squad we've had another week of practise and I hope to see some steady improvement resulting in two wins.” It will be the first time that the sides have met at Barking Abbey, but incredibly it will be the tenth different venue that has staged a Leopards versus Rockets match-up. Rockets’ Performance Analyst Ben Fisher knows it is going to be another tough game against a Leopards’ team Reading consider their arch-rivals: "Leopards could potentially be favourites for the league title this year as they have added some great talent to what they already have. American Ousman Krubally returned from last season which was a massive boost for them, and with the additions of a second American in Vernon Teel, Australian John Lister, and David Buchberger from Mersey Tigers as well as returning Lukas Volskis and a new Head Coach in Dejan Mihevc, they are most definitely a force to be reckoned with and we will have to look at ways of limiting where they have been most successful so far this season."
4
November 2011 SUNDAY afternoon sees the Big Cats travel across London to open their league campaign at Brixton Topcats, tip-off 4 pm. Andy Powsland’s team won five of their six Trophy games to finish second in the group, but go into the game after a disappointing weekend which saw them lose 77-75 at Leicester Warriors in the league and see their defence of the National Cup end with a shock defeat against Division Three side Newham Neptunes. Leopards also opened their league season at Brixton Rec last season and the crowd where treated to a thrilling game which went down to the final second before Josh Sharlow sunk a three-pointer to give the Big Cats an 81-78 victory. The return league game proved to be a more comfortable victory for the Leopards as Ousman Krubally finished with a 22 point, 15 rebound double-double on the way to an 81-69 win. The sides also met at Brentwood in a National Trophy pool game, and 31 points from Krubally together with a 38-25 fourth quarter helped the Leopards overcome a stubborn Topcats side 91-77 to qualify for the quarter-finals. Having hosted Reading in the Trophy the previous night, the game will be Leopards’ second double header in a run of four back-to-back weekends, and the Big Cats have played more games than other side in English basketball this season. After splitting their games against Westminster Warriors (National Cup) and MK Lions (BBL Trophy) last weekend, Leopards shooting guard John Lister had mixed emotions: “It was good to beat Westminster and move onto the next round, given we are still adding players to our roster and getting wins it can only serve as a warning to the rest of the competition that our best is still to come. “Going down to the MK Lions was really disappointing, especially since we know we can match it with them after a strong first half. Our lack of experience showed as the game went on but hopefully we can take lots from the game moving forward.”
2 November 2011
LEOPARDS guard Lukas Volskis is excited about how the Big Cats are
progressing as they prepare for a weekend which sees them host
Reading rockets in the National Trophy showdown at Barking Abbey on
Saturday before travelling across the capital to play Brixton
Topcats the following day.
1 November 2011
PRESTIGE Homes MK Lions coach Mike New had praise for the Leopards
after his side were given a first half scare before running 93-65
winners in the BBL Trophy, on Sunday.
29
October 2011 LEOPARDS have strengthened their squad ahead of this weekend’s pair of home games with the signing of shooting guard David Buchberger. The 24-year-old joins the Big Cats after a brief spell with BBL side Mersey Tigers where he averaged 3.5 points in 14 minutes per game. The British/American dual national decided against remaining with the north west club and Leopards’ coach Dejan Mihevc was swift to swoop for him. Buchberger spent four years with American University side Lehigh where he averaged 6.6 points per game in his final two seasons – helping the Mountain Hawks to the Patriot League title in his final season, 2009/10. He also had a spell in FYR Macedonia last year, starting for SuperLeague side ABA Strumica and averaging 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and a steal per game. Coach Mihevc is delighted with his new signing: "David is a smart player that already has some European experience what is for us very important. He is really good on pick and roll execution, but his main strength is his shot. His quality and experience is, for sure, what we needed to add and he will definitely help that we will became better as a team.” Buchberger will make his debut in Saturday’s National Cup third round game against Westminster at Brentwood, and with no cup-tie restrictions in the BBL Trophy is also able to face Milton Keynes Lions on Sunday afternoon at the same venue. As Buchberger joins up with the Big Cats, there will be one familiar face missing as shooting guard Marlan Henry has hung up his boots to concentrate on his coaching career at junior level. Leopards’ chairman Fred Dicker paid tribute to Henry, who joined the Big Cats at the start of the 2009/10 season: “Marlan’s a great character, and we’re sad to see him go. We’d like to thank him for his contribution over the last couple of years.”
27 October 2011 There’s cheap basketball on offer at the Brentwood Centre this weekend as the Leopards stage two key games. The Big Cats host Westminster Warriors on Saturday evening (7.00 p.m.) in the National Cup third round before MK Lions are the visitors in the BBL Trophy, tip-off 4.00 p.m. And if you buy a ticket on Saturday, you can get one for Sunday’s action for just £1 at the same time! There’s also a chance to win a prize on Sunday afternoon for the best Halloween costume, so make sure you are at Brentwood to cheer on the Big Cats.
27 October 2011 BBL basketball returns to the Brentwood Centre for the first time since 2002 when Leopards host Prestige Homes MK Lions on Sunday afternoon, tip-off 4.00 p.m. While Leopards will be looking to spring a major surprise, a win will ensure Lions a place in the last four of the BBL Trophy. Leopards travelled to Milton Keynes a fortnight ago, and with star forward Ousman Krubally sitting out with an ankle injury, they went down 113-72 despite a 43 point haul from guard Vernon Teel. Dejan Mihevc, the Big Cats coach knows the size of the task facing his young side: “MK is a very balanced team. Coach New did a very good job on recruiting. The main thing was to keep [Demarius] Bolds who for sure is one of their best players, even though their strength come from the whole starting five players, where any of those players will contribute to the final result. “I would say that the whole starting five team is key for them, I would still pointed out triangle of Stefan Gill, Bolds and Daniel Northern, where Gill is a great leader on the floor that will always know when to pass and when to take responsibility to finish. Bolds is an all-round players that will always play hard in defence and is their main threat of offence. He is very dangerous of a dribble and moves very well without the ball. “Northern with Adrien Sturt and Howard Crawford provide them that they can play very strong under the basket what gives other players on the perimeter more space.” Mihevc believes that his side can give Lions a tougher game this week: “Last game against them we couldn't answer to their inside game. They were just too physical for us. With Krubally back and signing [Will] Ohuaragbe under the basket I believe that home game will be totally different story.” MK coach Mike New is determined to avoid an upset at the Brentwood Centre: “Leopards are a well coached team, who play hard for 40 minutes with a couple of outstanding imports in Krubally and Teel. “When we played them before, we again got off to a really strong start and that goes a long way. We must however do a better job of containing the ball to stop penetration and also help better on dribble drives to the basket. “Their two danger men are Krubally, who is athletic and active and Teal who can get into a zone and put up big numbers once he gets going.”
26 October 2011
LEOPARDS tip off their double weekend at the Brentwood Centre on
Saturday evening (7.00 p.m.) with a National Cup third round tie against
Westminster Warriors.
20 October 2011 LEOPARDS return to EBL action on Sunday afternoon when Bradford Dragons are the visitor to the Brentwood Centre in the National Trophy. Both sides have already wrapped up a place in the quarter-final, but a top two finish would ensure them a home game in the quarter-final. Leopards sit third in the table with two wins from three games, having won on the road at both Capital and Medway Park Crusaders but losing an overtime thriller against Derby Trailblazers at Barking Abbey. Meanwhile Bradford have split their first four games with wins against Crusaders and Capital, but losses against Trailblazers and Rockets. The Yorkshire side have also progressed to the last 16 of the National Cup with big wins against Burnley College Blaze and Sefton Stars. They host Leeds Carnegie in the last 16, with Leopards and Dragons scheduled to meet in the quarter-final if both are successful last weekend. It will be the first meeting between the two clubs, with Leopards expecting a tough game against a side packed with American and European players. The Big Cats two American players will go into the game on a high after becoming the first EBL players to be named in the BBL team of the week. Vernon Teel poured in 67 points combined in the two losses against Riders and Lions last weekend, and although he missed the Lions’ game due to injury, Ousman Krubally’s 24 points and 17 boards against Leicester were enough for him to join his team-mate on the bench for the team. Only players who are on winning sides get named in the starting five of the team, otherwise both could have realistically looked at a starting place.
18 October 2011 Even if we lost both games and struggle under the basket in the second game because [Ousman] Krubally didn't play, I am still satisfied with the performance that we showed” said the Leopards coach after the big cats lost 104-78 at Leicester Riders and 113-72 at MK Lions. “At the end of the day our average age is only 20 years old and all of our guys played in those games. They all showed some great effort and once again our senior players leaded with Krubally and [Vernon] Teel showed that they are true leaders and will make good influence to our younger guys that have a great opportunity to learn from such players. “It was good learning experience which I believe will only make us better as a team. I believe that our guys will be better and better every game and that both teams will have to take us seriously when they will come to play in our gym in next rounds”. Leopards will look for revenge against the Lions when the two sides meet at Brentwood on Sunday October 30 (4pm), but before then they have two other key home games. On Sunday October 23 Bradford Dragons are the visitors in the National Trophy, tip-off 4pm, while on Saturday October 29 the Big Cats host Westminster Warriors in the National Cup third round, tip-off 7pm.
16
October 2011 GREAT Britain captain Drew Sullivan had praise for Leopards after he proved to the catalyst in Jelson Homes DU Leicester Riders’ 104-78 BBL Trophy victory against the Big Cats on Saturday evening. The GB skipper hit five of six shots both inside and outside the three point line on the way to a 30-point, eight rebound night but was impressed by Dejan Mihevc’s team: “They’re a tough group of kids. I don’t really know much about the EBL, but I’m sure they’re one of the top teams. It was always going to be tough for them playing against us, and I think they blew their gasket a bit in the first quarter. They had to put a lot of work in during the first period and I think it showed later in the game, but they played hard and did well for themselves as far as I’m concerned.” Leopards’ Americans Ousman Krubally and Vernon Teel each finished with 24 points, with the former adding a massive 17 point. Both players were victims of some harsh calls in the first period as they each picked up three fouls, and it was while they sat on the bench at the start of the second quarter that Riders took control, going on a 21-1 run to blow open a tied game. Leopards continue their travels with a BBL Trophy game at Prestige Home MK Lions on Sunday evening.
15
October 2011
THE Big Cats’ opponents in the BBL Trophy on Saturday, Jelson Homes
DMU Leicester Riders, have strengthened their squad ahead of the
game with the signing of Team GB captain Drew Sullivan.
14
October 2011 THE Big Cats' pair of road games in the BBL Trophy this weekend have gained plenty of coverage. Click on the link below to read all about the Leopards! http://www.bbl.org.uk/?leopards-face-trophy-test,2655
14
October 2011
LEOPARDS face arguably the toughest weekend in their eight year
history, but coach Dejan Mihevc is looking forward to competing in
the BBL Trophy.
13
October 2011
AFTER a weekend where he poured in 56 points and pulled down 33
rebounds to help Leopards to a pair of victories, captain Ousman
Krubally is looking forward to the challenge of playing in the BBL
Trophy this weekend.
13
October 2011
AS Leopards prepare for a big weekend of BBL Trophy action, both
coaches that will face the Big Cats have said that they won’t be
taking them lightly.
12
October 2011
LEOPARDS coach Dejan Mihevc was a happy man after the Big Cats
progressed in both the National Cup and National Trophy over the
weekend.
10
October 2011
IT went down to the last shot,
but Leopards reached the last 16 of the National Cup with a
thrilling win against London Westside on Sunday evening.
10
October 2011
Medway Park Crusaders 92
(19,42,62) Leopards 103 (16,46,80)
6 October
2011 LEOPARDS’ new shooting guard John Lister believes the best is yet to come for the Big Cats as they prepare for two tough games over the weekend. Lister and the rest of the Leopards side travel to Medway Park Crusaders for a National Trophy Pool Two game on Saturday (5.00 pm) before hosting London Westside on Sunday at Shenfield School at 5.30 pm on Sunday. “I can see a lot of potential with the group that suited on Saturday night” said the new Leopard after Saturday’s overtime loss against Derby Trailblazers. “We played with a lot of energy of it's obvious that once we get a few more practises under our belt as a full squad we will be very tough to beat. Whilst it was disappointing to go down in OT we can keep our heads up knowing that we are moving in the right direction.” Saturday’s action in Gillingham will be the first time that Leopards and Crusaders have met in competitive action, but the sides have played each other three times in the last four years. In 2008 the Big Cats marked their return to Brentwood with an 80-71 victory, before suffering defeats in 2009 (49-44) and this season (67-56) in reduced length games. The Kent side have narrowly lost both of their opening games in the Trophy, going down 69-67 at Reading Rockets and 67-74 at home against Bradford Dragons, but they have progressed in the National Cup with an 87-64 win against Hackney White Heat. Under coach James Vear, Crusaders added former Leopards Gareth Laws and Sam Salter to their roster for their first top flight, though their key signing looks to Adrian Fenyn. The former Leeds Carnegie forward piped Leopards’ Ousman Krubally to the Division One scoring title last season, and poured in 28 points in the loss against Dragons. Sunday sees the Big Cats take to the floor at Shenfield School for the first time, and they will face a tough test against newly promoted Westside. Coach Dejan Mihevc will have to decide between forward Krubally and new point guard Vernon Teel as Division One sides are only allowed one non-EU player against lower ranked opposition in the National Cup. Westside survived a second half comeback against London Greenhouse Pioneers in the first round to win 57-53 and set up Sunday’s clash. The winner of the game will host either Westminster Warriors or Crawley in the last 16 on October 30. The newly promoted London side have had mixed results in the Division Two Patrons’ Cup competition, winning a 66-64 thriller against Eastside Eagles before going down 81-64 at holders Hemel Storm. Coach Mihevc is still looking to add to his roster following the decision of centre Vilius Sumskis to leave after just three weeks with the club. The seven foot Lithuania centre was transferred to a German Division Four side for a club-record fee, and Leopards are exploring several options as a replacement.
6 October
2011 FORMER Leopards coach Bob Donewald ensured himself a place at the London 2012 Olympics as his China team became the ninth qualifiers by lifting the FIBA Asia Championship on Sunday. The Chinese lifted the tournament trophy after a four year break with a thrilling 70-69 victory against Jordan in the final. Jordan were surprise finalists after overcoming highly rated – and previously undefeated - Iran in the quarter-final. It’s been ten years since Donewald wrapped up a five year spell in Britain with two rollercoaster seasons with the Big Cats. With his eye-catching suits and ability to get ejected from any game at any time, the American coach certainly brought colour to the BBL. However, after two years in the China job, and five straight losses in the London Invitational Tournament in August, the former NBA assistant coach was under pressure in his second year as China coach - and he was clearly a relieved man after Sunday’s success: “The leaders of the CBA [Chinese Basketball Association] have been very supportive as we are transitioning an older group on their way out with a lot of new and young talents. “And all credit to my players as they have been a joy to coach and achieved what two years ago most people doubted. We were so beat up and injured all summer and we came together without two huge pieces in Wang Shipeng and Zhou Peng”. The Chinese – who lost to GB in the London Invitational Tournament - had trailed by five at half-time, but a 28-20 third period set them up for their 15th title. Yi Jianlian led the way for Bob Donewald’s team with 25 points and 16 rebounds, and was voted tournament MVP having averaged 16.6 points and 10.8 boards in the competition.
3 October
2011
Leopards 91 (32,47,60,79)
Derby Trailblazers 97 (19,41,61,79)
1 October
2011
New point guard Vernon Teel will make his Leopards debut in
tonight’s National Trophy pool two game against Derby Trailblazers
this evening.
30
September 2011
LEOPARDS will have new shooting guard John Lister in action for them
on Saturday evening when they host Derby Trailblazers at Barking
Abbey (7.00 pm). Lister is excited about playing for another set of Big Cats: "I'm really looking forward to playing over here in the UK for the Leopards this season. Coming so close to winning the grand prize last year in Australia is driving me to be as successful as possible this coming season, and from what I can tell so far with the work everybody here is putting in we are set for a big season."
29
September 2011
LEOPARDS have now confirmed their four BBL Trophy fixtures.
26
September 2011
LEOPARDS play their first home game of the season at Barking Abbey
on Saturday evening when Derby Trailblazers are the visitors in the
National Trophy, tip-off 7.00 p.m.
20
September 2011
LEOPARDS set themselves up for a home National Cup second round tie
with London Westside as neighbours Brentwood Fire were comfortably
beaten 80-62 on Sunday afternoon.
20
September 2011
LEOPARDS coach Dejan Mihevc was a happy man after his side opened
the new season with a pair of wins over the weekend.
20
September 2011
LEOPARDS coach Dejan Mihevc was a happy man after his side opened
the new season with a pair of wins over the weekend.
18
September 2011
LEOPARDS opened their season with a 72-62 overtime victory at PAWS
London Capital in the National Trophy on Sunday.
17
September 2011
LEOPARDS have accepted a late invitation to compete in the 2011/12
BBL Trophy competition.
15
September 2011
LEOPARDS captain Ousman Krubally is looking forward to the new
season as the Big Cats prepare for this weekend’s games. Tickets to Sunday’s National Cup showdown against the Fire are available on the day and from the Brentwood Centre in advance.
15
September 2011
LEOPARDS faced a tough time on Saturday as they competed in the
Medway Park Invitational Tournament in Kent. The top scoring for Leopards was dominated by Lithuanians, with Vilius Sumskis marking his debut with 14 points and Lukas Volskis hitting 13 in his first game back with the club. Zak Wells finished with eight and Ousman Krubally added seven.
Hosts, and Division One newcomers, Medway Park Crusaders provided
the opposition for game two, with the Big Cats going down 67-56.
Krubally stepped up to lead the way with 17 points, with Sumskis
adding 12, and Josh Johnson and Marlan Henry chipping in with six
apiece.
12
September 2011
LEOPARDS coach Dejan Mihevc is looking forward to the start of the
new season as the Big Cats prepare for two games at the weekend.
30 August
2011
LEOPARDS have announced two more signings as they prepare for the
forthcoming England Basketball season.
23 August
2011
FORMER Leopard Dan Clark faces an anxious wait to see if his hand is
broken as Great Britain prepare for the European Championship in
Lithuania next week.
18 August
2011
TWO of the Leopards squad have helped England under-16s make history
by with a promotion winning summer.
1 August 2011
TWO of the Leopards’ 2011/12
squad have helped England under-16s make an excellent start to their
European Championship campaign.
26 July 2011
LEOPARDS forward Simeon Esprit
has been leading the way for England under-18s at the European
Championship – but his efforts have proved in vain.
19 July 2011
LEOPARDS players Simeon Esprit
and Zac Wells will travel to Bulgaria to play for England under-18s
in the European Championship this week.
10 July 2011 Dejan Mihevc
has made his first signing as Leopards coach with the announcement
that Ousman Krubally will return for a second season with the Big
Cats.
5 July 2011
Leopards have announced that
Dejan Mihevc will coach them in 2011/12 season after Mark Clark
stepped down from the position.
27 June 2011
Leopards will face a mixture of
old and new opposition when they open their National Trophy campaign
in September.
27 June 2011
BA London Leopards are looking
for community coaches in Brentwood and Harlow area as they continue
to expand their community programme.
13 June 2011 LEOPARDS will open the 2011/12 basketball season with an intriguing derby game as they host Brentwood Fire in the National Cup first round. It certainly looks to be a baptism of fire for the Division Four newcomers as they make the short trip to the Brentwood Centre on Sunday September 19, tip off 4pm. The Big Cats won the competition in 2005/6, and have reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last four seasons. They have played lower division opposition 14 times since reforming in 2005, with their only loss coming in their inaugural season. “It’s a great derby game for the town of Brentwood, and hopefully the basketball fans in town will be out in force for it” said Leopards’ general manager Dave Ryan. “Obviously we’ll be overwhelming favourites, but we’ll give Fire the respect they deserve, and certainly won’t be taking them lightly.” The winner of the tie will host either Division Two side London Westside or fourth division London Greenhouse Pioneers in the second round on October 9. If the competition goes to form there will be repeat of the Leopards versus Westminster Warriors game in the third round. That tie attracted a 1,000 plus crowd to Brentwood, but Junior Williams’ newly promoted Division One side will have to beat London Uxbridge College Emperors in the first round and either Crawley or Sevenoaks Suns in the second round for a shot at revenge against the Big Cats.
6 June 2011 LEOPARDS point guard Josh Johnson was included in a 19-man Great Britain under-20 squad as they started their preparation for the European Championship over the weekend. Johnson took part in a three-day camp at Colchester College-Braintree Campus over the weekend, and featured in both of GB’s games against Scotland under-23s. Britain won 77-50 on Saturday and 86-65 the following day as part of the combined camp with the under-20 women. Johnson – who is still eligible for the side next summer - did well in both games, and looks to remain with the squad when it is trimmed down. They now return to camp, and their next pair of games come over the weekend of June 25/26 when they host Holland under-20 at Bristol. They return to Braintree in early July to face pairs of games against Denmark under-20 and Belgium under-20. The 19-year-old won the young player of the year award at Leopards last season having proved instrumental in a season that saw Leopards finish second in EBL Division One and reach two cup semi-finals.
25 April 2011 LEOPARDS players were among the top in the two EBL Division Ones following the announcement of the end-of-season awards last week. Niamh Dwyer won player-of-the-year in the women’s division, and also collected the leading scorers’ award, while Ousman Krubally finished in both categories. Despite only six wins in 21 league for the young Leopards women’s team, Dwyer was one of the standout offensive players this season, averaging 22.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and a fourth-best four assists per game. Meanwhile Krubally was edged out by a single vote in the player-of-year poll as Reading Rockets’ Niko Scott took the award. He also went agonisingly close in the scoring award as Leeds Carnegie’s Adrian Fenyn finished with 22.5 points per game to Krubally's 22.39. The 23-year-old American forward did take the rebounding award with a massive 13.22 boards per game and also had the highest ranking per game which takes account of the four main statistical categories. “We’d like to congratulate Niamh, it’s great for the women to have the MVP for the second straight year, but we feel a bit sorry for Ousman, to be honest” admitted Leopards general manager Dave Ryan. “I think he was the best player in Division One, and it would have been nice for him to finish with a trophy. I guess that Scott being here all year, and Ous only joining in December made the difference.” Ryan confirmed that the Big Cats are in talks to retain Krubally for the 2011/12 season: “We’ve made Ous an offer, and we’re hopeful that he’ll be back with us. We face a lot of competition, though, as his stats were outstanding.” Krubally wasn’t the only Leopard in the leading stats at the season’s end. Fellow American Josh Sharlow dished out 4.3 assists per game to finish third in the league, with English point guard Josh Johnson adding 3.25 assists to finish eighth as well as being the second most accurate three point shooter in the division. Leigh Greenan was the seventh highest rebounder in the league with 8.34 boards per game, while Krubally and Greenan finished third ad fourth respectively in two-point field goal percentage. For the women, Shequila Joseph’s 7.5 rebounds per game placed her seventh in Division One, while Christina Haskin was sixth in two-point field goal percentage.
21 April 2011 BA London Leopards 69 (12,36,51) Reading Rockets 80 (17,34,58) LEOPARDS saw their play-off dreams end at the Amaechi Centre as poor free-throw shooting cost them. Ousman Krubally hit 12 of his 13 efforts at the foul line, but the rest of the team combined for just seven from 23 as Leopards suffered their fifth semi-final defeat in the last three years. Krubally led the Leopards with 21 points and 15 boards, with Leigh Greenan adding 14 and Josh Sharlow 11. Led by 22 points from Robbie Parker, 18 from Niko Scott and 16 from Will Hall, Rockets reached the title game for the second time in three years and hammered Leeds Carnegie 88-63 in the season’s finale on Sunday afternoon. Rockets won the tip, and after both sides had come up short, Jon May gave Reading the lead before Josh Sharlow answered at the other end. Robbie Parker made it 7-2 to Reading with a trey, but Greenan replied from the foul line before Sharlow was forced to sit down on two foul after just three minutes. That lead grew to nine as Lohfink hit a pair at the line and Scott scored on the break forcing a timeout from Leopards’ coach Mark Clark with 5:12 on the clock. Reading’s lead grew to 13 as Sharlow collected a third foul at the offensive end before Krubally ended Leopards’ drought with a pair at the line. Sharlow made it a single digit game with a long jumper, and Borja Pintor-Henningsen hit two of four at the line to make it a seven point game going into the last minute of the period. Krubally also hit a pair as Leopards stretched their run to 8-0 forcing a timeout by Reading coach Samit Nuruzade and his side went into the first break leading 17-12. Scores from Krubally and Greenan opened the second period scoring before the former gave Leopards their first lead of the game. Josh Johnson made it a 16-0 run for Leopards and Greenan added to the Leopards’ lead with four points to make it 24-17 with 6:26 on the clock, forcing a Rockets timeout. Scott broke the 20-0 run but scores from Johnson and Greenan kept Leopards’ noses in front, and Marlan Henry made it 30-22 with a scoop shot and three minutes left in the half. A massive Scott trey off Guymon’s shot cut that lead but despite Greenan answering it was Rockets who finished strongly as and Johnson’s single free-throw sent the Big Cats into the locker room 36-34 ahead. Krubally opened the second half with an and-one to make it a five point game, but Scott answered with a long jumper and a 6-0 run put Rockets ahead by one. Krubally joined compatriot Sharlow on three fouls as he was also called for an offensive charge, and a pair of Scott free-throws put Reading 46-42 up with four minutes of the period remaining. A lovely Sharlow pass set Johnson up to hit a trey to make it a one point game but a Guymont trey put Rockets up by six. Pintor-Henningsen kept the Big Cats in the game with a big trey but it was Rockets who led 58-51 at the final break. Parker opened the fourth period with a drive to basket as he was left un-guarded and Krubally picked up his fourth – and second offensive – foul shortly afterwards. Two Krubally free-throws and a steal and two from Sharlow made it a five point game before Krubally eat the shot clock to hit a trey from the top of the key. Rockets were up by 64-60 at the five minute mark before Will Hall was sent to the line where he hit both shots to put his team six up and force a Leopards’ time-out. The move made little difference as Parker made it a 9-0 run to put Rockets 70-60 ahead, before Krubally hit a pair at the line to make it a eight point game with 3:25 on the clock. A May trey as the clock wound down proved to be the dagger in the heart for Leopards as the Big Cats called a timeout with Reading 73-62 up and 2:48 on the clock. Krubally fouled out with 2:22 left, and Rockets were left to seal their place in the title game as they ran down the clock. Leopards: O Krubally (21), L Greenan (14), J Sharlow (11), J Johnson (8), M Henry (5), B Pintor-Henningsen (5), S Esprit (3), K Cairns (2), D Norton, Z Wells, R Alexis (DNP), L Olaniyi (DNP).
15 April 2011 LEOPARDS coach Mark Clark is looking for his side to round off a successful season by lifting the EBL Play-off title on at the weekend. The Big Cats play Reading Rockets at the Amaechi Centre on Saturday, with the winner facing either Leeds Carnegie or Division One champions Bristol Academy Flyers on Sunday. Clark’s team head into the season finale on a ten game winning streak, and have won 22 of their 30 games in all competitions this season as they took the Division One runners-up spot. However, three of those losses have come against the Rockets, and Clark is expecting a tough game: “From the four games so far I expect Reading to be well prepared they always do a great job preparing for their opponents. They always ask questions with their defence which is something we have to counter. “They are obviously deep with good quality players making contributions from the bench, it is good to see Mat Guymon coming through in the second half of the season. He has always been a player with potential and knowledge to play at a high level and he is showing that now. You can not look at Reading without focusing in Niko Scott. He has been their leading scorer all year but just concentrating on him will only let the others hurt you. “As with every game we have played this year this semi is about our performance, executing our game. If we can impose our tempo we will be happy. It is always about the group for us and with every single member important to that group we always find a way to compete. We have had a lot of very close games this year and we now trust and believe each other and the system we have on the floor. We will try and do that and it will up to Reading to try and counter us. “We will not be changing anything. Our Barking Abbey players have been fundamental to our success their roles alongside Josh Sharlow, Ousman [Krubally], Leigh [Greenan] and Borja Pintor-Henningsen behind the leadership of Marlan Henry has enabled us to play at a high tempo and to try and entertain our fans. That is what will we be doing in Manchester.”
12 April 2011 BA London Leopards (2) v
Reading Rockets (3) WHEN Leopards and Rockets meet in Saturday’s final game at the Amaechi Centre it will be the lower seeded Reading side who go into the game with the better record in games between the two clubs. Samit Nuruzade’s team have won three of the four match-ups between the teams this season, and are the only side to hold the over all head-to-head record against the Big Cats. Rockets also lead the all-time series between the team 24-5. The teams met in Brentwood in the opening weekend for both sides, and Rockets took advantage of an under-manned Leopards side to romp to an 83-54 victory in the National Trophy. Marlan Henry, the Leopards’ veteran at 27, led the scoring with 14 points, while Simeon Espirit and Cairns each added nine points - the former also pulling down nine rebounds. But the Big Cats had no answer to American Scott who led all scorers with 28 points in just 24 minutes, with Louis Sayers and Matt Guymon each adding ten points. Espirit opened the scoring with a pair from the foul line and scores from Henry and Cairns helped Leopards into a 7-4 lead after four minutes of action. But Scott gave notice of what was to come with eight straight points as Rockets grabbed a lead they would never lose, and despite Cairns and Henry both scoring treys, the visitors led 24-19 at the first break. A 29-11 second period put Rockets comfortably in control , and Gymon opened the second half scoring for Reading. Espirit hit four points in a 6-0 run, the Leopards were never able to get the margin below 20 as four Sayers points put Reading 71-42 up at the final break and the game effectively over. The sides met again in November, and Leopards won their first ever game in Reading – at the tenth attempt - as Rockets were beaten 73-61 in Division One play. The visiting side trailed by six points with seven minutes remaining, but held the Rockets scoreless for five minutes as they poured in 14 straight points before wrapping the win up from the foul line. Sayers (17), Harrison Gamble (13) and Lohfink (10) led the Rockets. Josh Sharlow led the way for the Leopards with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Greenan added 14 points and five boards, with Josh Johnson (12) and Esprit (10) also finishing in double figures. Leopards trailed by one at the first break and that deficit doubled at half-time before the teams shared 32 third period points. Ryan Lohfink doubled that lead with the opening shot of final quarter and despite scores from Owen-Thomas and Greenan, a Matt Guymon trey put Reading 56-50 ahead going into the final seven minutes. At that point Leopards noticeably stepped up their defence and Sharlow launched the streak that sealed the game for the visitors. Rockets gained revenge at Brentwood in February with a 77-68 victory, though the hosts held on for the head-to-head decider. Leopards had led 56-55 with five minutes left before the visitors reeled off 11 straight points to take control and consign them to their fourth league defeat of the season. Scott led all scorers with 24 points for Rockets, Lohfink added 16 with Will Hall and Gamble chipping in with 12 apiece. Esprit continued his good form from the weekend with 16 points, with Johnson also adding 16 and Leigh Greenan 13. Ousman Krubally, who played despite having spent the morning having his knee x-rayed, saw his seven game run as Leopards' top scorer end and he struggled with foul trouble and was limited to seven points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Leopards returned to Berkshire six days later, and a titanic Trophy semi-final saw the home side reach the title game with a 62-60 overtime victory. Scott led the home side with 21 points and six rebounds, with Lohfink adding 13 points and five boards, while Guymon and Hall finished with 11 points apiece. After a poor game against the Rockets at Brentwood the previous week, Krubally was back to his best, finishing with 23 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes for the Leopards . On a night when it seemed both sides would have struggled to hit the ocean, the rest of the Leopards' scoring was shared around with Keelan Cairns, Simeon Esprit, Josh Sharlow, Josh Johnson and Leigh Greenan all finishing with seven points each. Cairns and Greenan finished with 12 and 11 boards respectively as Leopards out-rebounded the home side 48-23, while in the absence of the injured Henry, Sharlow played all 45 minutes. Leopards who went into the first break 11-6 ahead, but they were held scoreless for over six minutes in the second period as the home side went into the locker room 25-21 ahead. Six straight Krubally points dragged the visitors back into the game and it was Leopards who went into the fourth period 41-37 ahead as Johnson drained a shot from downtown. Lohfink opened the fourth quarter with a jump shot, but the visitors led throughout the period without ever pulling away. Lohfink made it a one point game at the six minute mark, but Cairns replied with a trey and Leopards were still 54-51 ahead with 80 seconds remaining before Scott hit a three with 1:06 on the clock to send the game into overtime. Krubally scored the first point of the extra period after 53 seconds, but that was to be the last time the visitors led as Will Hall put Reading in the lead with 3:46 remaining. Guymon hit another big three, but four from four foul shots by Krubally tied the game at 59 with a minute remaining. The winning shot came from Scott and he converted an and-one with nine seconds remaining, but there was still drama as Harrison Gamble was called for an intentional foul on Johnson with five seconds left. The young guard converted one of the two foul shots, but Leopards failed to get off a decent shot as Reading progressed to the title game.
10 April 2011 LAST Sunday's awards night at the Brentwood Centre saw Ousman Krubally and Josh Johnson win the Leopards MVP and Young Player of the Year trophies. The award for Ousman will come as no surprise as the Georgia, Atlanta born player finished with the top ranking in EBL Division One. He averaged 22.14 points and 12.07 rebounds per game and is one of the front-runners for the league MVP awards. He was the second highest scorer and leading rebounder in Division One, as well as having the second best shooting percentage. Things weren’t quite so clear-cut in the young player category, with Simeon Esprit and Keelan Cairns also featuring in the voting, but Josh’s late season form proved vital. He was one of three players to feature in all 18 league games, finishing the season with 11.1 points, 3.7 assists and five rebounds per game. His 39.4% three-point shooting saw him finish joint fourth in the league. Leopards’ full stats can be found here: http://www.sportingpulse.com/team_info.cgi?c=1-5917-75557-117947-9280287&a=STATS
7 April 2011 LEOPARDS have received a boost ahead of their play-off semi-final against Reading Rockets with the news that Simeon Esprit will not be banned for the game. The young English forward was ejected in our final regular season game, at Derby Trailblazers, for leaving the bench following an altercation on the court. However, at a disciplinary hearing at England Basketball on Wednesday, he was given only seven penalty points, and is free to join up with the Big Cats at the Amaechi Centre on April 16. Ticket and hotel arrangements will be published here as soon as they are known.
5 April 2011 A 77-68 victory against Durham Wildcats sealed Leopards’ place in the EBL Division One Final Four, on Sunday afternoon. In front of a packed house at the Brentwood Centre, Leopards led from tip-to-buzzer to chalk up their tenth straight victory. The Big Cats will play Reading Rockets in the semi-final at the Amaechi Centre on Saturday April 16, with the winner facing either Bristol Academy Flyers in the final the following day. A Greenan basket eight seconds into the game gave Mark Clark’s side a lead they never lost, but it wasn’t until the final minute that a stubborn Wildcats side were finally put away. Foul trouble caused problems for the Big Cats throughout the game, with Greenan and Ousman Krubally combining for just 41 minutes as they led the scoring with 18 points apiece. Krubally added seven rebounds at each end for another double-double, with Greenan was one of three players to finish with nine rebounds. Josh Johnson finished with 14 points and nine boards, and Josh Sharlow added nine points, nine rebounds and six assists. Coach Clark was understandably delighted after the game: “It is great for everyone involved to be making the trip to Manchester. We again showed what a resilient group we are. We came out really strong and were the aggressor early and built the early lead. We always knew that Durham were going to be tough and they refused to lie down and when they closed it to a two point game we were asked serious questions - especially as Ouse had already fouled out. “Josh Sharlow again as he has for the last few weeks showed great leadership and Leigh Greenan after a difficult last few weeks with injury played hard in the last five minutes. On a day when lots of great Leopards memories were recounted as original Leopards owners Ed and Annie-T Simons were at the game this organisation has given itself the chance to create some of its own memories. “It is almost surprising that in a season that has been so competitive that the top four made to Manchester. It will be a great weekend with the best four teams looking to win a championship we will simply get back to work on Monday and prepare to bring our best performance to the Amaechi Centre.” Greenan’s opening score sparked a strong start to the game as Leopards scored the first seven points of the game, including a trey from Keelan Cairns, and they led 14-2 at midway stage of the first period. But the visitors showed that they wouldn’t lie down, and Paul Nelson launched a 6-2 run for the Wildcats, and despite a Sharlow trey, Durham cut the lead to 21-14 going into the first break. Simeon Esprit opened the second period scoring off a Johnson assist, but there was little to choose between the teams in the quarter as they shared 40 points. The lead grew to ten with a Johnson trey off Dominic Norton’s assist, and a single free-throw from Krubally made a 13 point game going into the final three minutes of the half before Paul Elderkin’s trey helped the visitors close out the half of a 10-4 run to make it 41-34 going into the locker room. Kevin Bulger made it a five point game to open the third period, but scores from Krubally and Greenan kept Leopards in front and another Cairns trey made it 50-41 with five minutes gone. Greenan made it 54-43 with 3:22 on the clock, but Wildcats again closed out the period strongly on a 7-2 run to cut Leopards’ lead to 56-50 at the final break. That run was stretched to 11-2 as Michael Davies and Chris Pearce scored baskets to make it a two point game. Krubally picked up his fourth foul with 7:46 on the clock and left the game two minutes later on a dubious offensive call with the Big Cats clinging on to a 60-56 lead. Greenan made it a five point game with as many minutes remaining, but with three minutes remaining it was 63-59 to the Leopards, with Esprit joining Krubally on the bench after two quick fouls. Nelson made it a three point game from the foul line, but scores from Johnson and Sharlow – after a Greenan steal – put the hosts 67-60 up with 80 seconds remaining. It was Greenan who scored the killer basket with 47 seconds on the clock to put his side up by ten and then completed the three point play, and although Bulger hit a trey, the Big Cats wrapped up their place in the semi-final from the foul line. Nelson led the Wildcats with 17 points, with Paul Elderkin adding 14, Bulger 13 and Pearce 11, but the hosts’ 49-26 rebounding advantage proved key.
30 March 2011 YOUNG Leopards fans have the chance to be coached by the Big Cats next Sunday before they take to floor at the Brentwood Centre in the play-offs. The Big Cats don’t know who they will be facing in the quarter-finals yet – with the game due to tip-off at 4 pm – but under-16s can have a 40 minute session prior to the game. The training costs £3 and includes free admission to the half-time shootout (admission tickets sold separately), with coaching starting at 2.15pm. Places can be booked by emailing leopardsgm@hotmail.com or by calling 07828 470015. 30 March 2011 BA London Leopards v Durham
Wildcats League record: Leopards 14-4;
Wildcats 7-11 IT'S a battle of the cats at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon as Leopards host Durham Wildcats in the play-off quarter-finals. The home side will be looking to build on their highest ever league finish – second – while for Wildcats it’s a chance to repeat last season’s success when they added the Division Two play-off crown to the regular season title. Leopards coach Mark Clark is looking for his side to move on after a mentally draining weekend which saw them produce big comebacks in their wins against Manchester Magic and Derby Trailblazers before hearing the news that they hadn’t won the league while travelling home from the midlands: “It has been a great regular season for the programme a lot of young players have really stepped up. It was disappointing that we could not clinch the title but Bristol over the season have come through their own injury problems and won some huge games to secure the title. “Now our focus moves to the play-offs and Durham are a very dangerous team, who can score in a hurry, they have great perimeter threat. We will take the beginning of week lightly to recover from the weekend but will be ready to play the defence we need to make the Final Four. It will be a packed house at Brentwood on Sunday and we plan to get our up tempo game on the floor.” Wildcats coach Dave Elderkin – who was general manager at the original Leopards - knows the task facing his side at Brentwood: “I think they have had a really good season. I like the youth element to their side, and [Leigh] Greenan has got real potential. Without a doubt, [Ousman] Krubally is one of the finds of the year. In our practices this week, and we’re hoping to add a third one because of the importance of the game, we’ll be figuring out a way to top him getting inside. That’s the key to playing against him. They have a guard who brings the ball up at about 200 miles per hour, and by no means are they a one-man team. “We have Reading a decent game on Saturday, and we gave Leopards a decent game at our place. Obviously we want to do better than last time we went there. Paul Nelson is back and Pape should be available. Colm Hicky is abroad, but the big loss is Chris Pearce. He’s threatening to try to train later this week, so we’ll see how it goes. “Leopards have got a good coach and a good team, but upsets still happen in the play-offs. It’s a very even league and we’ll be aiming to cause the upset. We have a chance, and we have to take it.” The teams split their regular season games, with the home side taking advantage of their undermanned visitors on each occasion. When the sides met for the first time in the north east, Leopards led at each of the three quarter breaks, but were outlasted by Durham who ran out 84-81 winners. Paul Elderkin led the home side with 22 points, Kevin Bulger (16) Paul Nelson (11) and Michael Davies (10) also finishing in double figures. Leopards were led by Krubally’s 23 points, with Greenan adding 20 Josh Johnson and Josh Sharlow 13 apiece and Keelan Cairns hit four treys to finish with 12 points. In the return at Brentwood, Leopards made it four straight wins with a 75-60 victory as Krubally continued his fine season with 30 points and 19 rebounds in a game that Leopards took control of in the third period. Krubally was perfect inside the arc, hitting all 14 of his two-point efforts, and teenager Simeon Esprit added 14 points, three blocks and as many assists for the Leopards, with Josh Sharlow chipping in 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Leigh Greenan missed a double-double by a single point having pulled down 12 boards. Kevin Bulger led the visitors with 22 points, with Michael Davies and Stephen Jones each adding ten. 28 March 2011 LEOPARDS general manager Dave Ryan had praise for the Big Cats after they sealed the runner-up spot in EBL Division One with a pair of wins over the weekend. They overcame big deficits in both games to win 90-85 against Manchester Magic and 88-84 in overtime at Derby Trailblazers, but Bristol Academy Flyers’ win at Brixton Topcats ended their title chances. “I'm proud of our guys” said Ryan, “We've got the best player in the league in Ousman Krubally, but we're also got a lot of kids. And in the last few weeks we've shown that we WILL NOT lose. We're starting three teenagers, and they deserve so much credit. As do the likes of Leigh Greenan and Josh Sharlow as well. “The decision to work with Barking Abbey’s basketball academy has paid off massively, and it’s great to see the Leopards back challenging for honours. “We’ve got the play-offs to come, and Durham won’t be easy, but we’re definitely in with a shout. It’s just about this season, either, we’re building a long-term sustainable programme that will always be challenging for honours.” Leopards will wrap up their home season on Sunday when Durham Wildcats visit the Brentwood Centre in the play-off quarter-finals, tip-off 4 pm. The north east side were one of four sides to beat the Leopards in Division One games this season, but Mark Clark’s side gained revenge with a 75-60 home win a month ago. The Big Cats are expecting their biggest crowd of the season as they look to qualify for the Final Four in Manchester. 27 March 2011 The Division One title race will go down to the final day after Leopards defeated Manchester Magic 90-85 on Saturday evening. Bristol Academy Flyers still have their destiny in their own hands as a win at Brixton Topcats will give them the title, while Leopards need to win at Derby Trailblazers at lunchtime to keep their hopes alive. A 31 point, 22 rebound double-double from Ousman Krubally helped the Big Cats record a come-from-behind victory against Magic on Saturday evening. Mark Clark’s team were outscored 35-19 in the second period to trail 50-37 going into the locker room. They fought back to level the score at 65 at the final break and scored nine of the final ten points to take the win. Five players finished in double figures for the home team, with Josh Johnson adding 14 and Simeon Esprit 12. Leigh Greenan had an 11 point, 13 rebound double-double, while Josh Sharlow followed suite with 11 points and ten assists. Keith Page (28) and Ryan McAdam (24) did the bulk of the Magic scoring with Alan Metcalf adding 14. Trailblazers and Leopards meet for the second success on at lunchtime as both sides finish their Division One regular season campaigns. The sides met at Barking Abbey last week, and a dominant overtime period saw Leopards score the first ten points on the way to a 90-81 victory. Leopards opened a 14-3 lead after five minutes, and only trailed for 48 seconds in the game, but were made to fight all the way by a Derby side they will host in the play-offs if they win the league. Krubally again led the home side with 27 points and 17 rebounds, with guards Sharlow and Johnson adding 20 and 19 respectively with the latter adding a career-high 17 boards. Martyn Gayle led the Trailblazers with 20 points, with Mark Woodhouse adding ten and former Leopard Dave Attewell nine. The Trailblazers, who go into the weekend with a 6-11 record, are consigned to finish in eighth spot a year after winning the title even if they win on Sunday as Manchester Magic and Durham Wildcats both hold the head-to-head deciders against them. Meanwhile, Leopards head into arguably the biggest day in their seven year history with a 13-4 record , but coach Mark Clark isn’t letting the pressure get to him: “All we must do is take care of our own games. “In terms the overall league position all we must focus on is our performances. Bristol have had a great season and at the moment it is their title to lose. Brixton is one of the toughest places to get a result and obviously they will confident having beaten Bristol in the cup final. They will also want the good performance going into the play-offs. But again Bristol have been strong all year and must go into Sundays game as favourites.” The Big Cats will hope to have 21-year-old starting centre Leigh Greenan available again after missing the win against Derby with an ankle injury and Marlan Henry should also return which will help a Leopards side who had only two players aged over 19 in last week’s win against the Trailblazers. If Leopards win, all eyes will turn to Brixton where the Flyers will look to gain the victory which will give them the title. 22 March 2011 LEOPARDS’ women’s coach Damian Kennedy was delighted after his side pulled off a shock 70-67 victory against Nottingham Wildcats on Saturday evening.“We were delighted with the performance on Saturday” he said. “We gave ourselves a chance in the game with our work rate. Defensively we were tough on every possession. Offensively we took care of the ball and were aggressive, we shared the ball nicely. Against their pressure defence we showed composure and made plays when we were ready. It was great for us to get a win against a team like Nottingham. “We've been 'in' games against the top of the table teams coming down the stretch and to finally close one out was enjoyable.”Leopards’ win means the title looks destined to remain with City of Sheffield Hatters who now need two wins from their final four games, although they can seal a fifth straight championship by beating Wildcats on Saturday as they would have the head-to-head decider.”The lady Leopards rushed into a 23-11 first period lead, and were 40-25 up at half-time. The visitors chipped five off that lead in the third period and won the fourth 18-15, but Kennedy’s side held on for a surprise victory.Nimah Dwyer led all scorers with 40 points for Leopards, with Shaquila Joseph adding 19. Wilesa Hardy finished with 28 for Wildcats, with Short chipping in with 13 and Siobhan Prior ten. 18 March 2011 BA London Leopards v Derby
Trailblazers THE Leopards will be aiming to keep their title hopes alive when they host Derby Trailblazers at Barking Abbey Leisure Centre on Sunday lunchtime. With six straight wins under their belts, the Big Cats are continuing to sit on the heals of leaders Bristol Academy Flyers with a 11-4 record, but will need the West Country side to lose one of their two remaining games and win all three of their own if they are to take the title for the first time. If their neighbours Leicester Warriors lose against Reading Rockets on Saturday afternoon, Trailblazers will go into Sunday’s game having already wrapped up a place in the play-offs as they hold the head-to-head record against them, thanks to a 92-57 victory last week. The Trailblazers are eighth in the table with a 6-10 record. It will be the first league meeting of the campaign between the teams as they meet twice in the final eight days of the regular season, but the sides did face each other in the National Cup quarter-final at Brentwood in November. Mark Clark's Leopards trailed by 11 going into the last five minutes of the game, but despite a fine comeback, Simeon Esprit's last gasp shot couldn't send the game into overtime as Derby won 82-79. Josh Sharlow led the scoring for the home side with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Esprit added 19 points. Despite playing under ten minutes in the first three periods due to foul trouble, seven foot centre Leigh Greenan finished with 13 points. For Derby, Martyn Gayle finished with 18, with Mark Woodhouse adding 17 and Sam O'Shea 12. Leopards’ coach Mark Clark isn’t looking any further than his own team’s games as they enter the final fortnight of the regular season: “All we can do is focus on our three games. The fact we play Derby twice in a week adds another dimension. “I said before they beat us the cup that were better than their league position and I definitely believe that now. In Dave Attewell they have a player of great ability and experience his return alongside Stedroy [Baker] means so much to Derby in terms of how to play the game. We have added a real resilience to our play over the last few weeks. We have begun to understand how to get the best out of Ous [Ousmann Krubally] to add to the output of the whole group and in spite of the various injuries we have managed to find ways to win games. “I am not sure if Leigh [Greenan] will play this weekend he left the game on Sunday before OT and has not practised all week so far, so will have to see how he responds to treatment and Borja’s [Pintor-Henningsen] scan results will be here midweek. “Whatever the outcome we have to show the same resilience as a group and find the way to perform.” Trailblazers’ assistant coach Steve Baxter knows the importance of the game to his side: “Going into the Leopards game on Sunday we will know more about our likely final league position. Leicester and Capitals both play games against top of the table opposition on Saturday so it will be a lot clearer what is required from us on Sunday. “It's been a while since we played Leopards in the Cup last year. Both teams have changed their personnel a little since then so I don't place a great deal of relevance to that result. Regardless of the results on Saturday we want to win every game we play and we need to focus on that as opposed to any possible league position. I am sure all coaches in the league who reach the play-offs will want to get there with a bit of form behind them. “We won't treat this game any differently to how we have treated the last 23 we have played this season. We need to work hard in training for a start, work on some things we need to improve on and work on some things we will need to do to win the game this weekend. “Leopards are probably the biggest team in the league this season so we know we have to stop their inside game. They are the best team at securing the rebounds at their own end and second only to Brixton at offensive rebounding. We started off the season doing a poor job on our own boards but we have down a much better job of this since the turn of the year. People will attribute a lot of this to Dave Attewell re-joining us at Christmas and he does do a great job under the basket but our guards are also much improved in helping out on the boards than they were earlier in the season. “Ousman Krubally is obviously a danger man for Leopards. He did not play earlier in the season when we faced them but he has made a real impact for them since he joined. Leopards are a young team who are quite inexperienced in terms of senior English basketball and that makes their current standing this season even more impressive. They will still be in the race for the title when we play them so we know they are going to be fighting tooth and nail to win.” 12 March 2011 BA London Leopards v
Leicester Warriors LEOPARDS will look to continue their title charge on Sunday afternoon when Leicester Warriors are the visitors to the Brentwood Centre. Following Friday’s win against Brixton Topcats, the Big Cats are clear in second place in EBL Division One with a 10-4 record, and the head-to-head decide over Reading Rockets who are the only side likely to catch them. They nee d to win their final four games of the season and hope that leaders Bristol Academy Flyers slip up against either PAWS London Capital or Topcats. Meanwhile the game is of equal importance to Warriors who are still trying to seal a place in the play-offs. The Warriors went into a weekend which also sees them travel to Derby Trailblazers in seventh place in the table with six wins from 15 games. A strong fourth period was key when Leopards 75-63 at Braunstone Leisure Centre in November, and Big Cats coach Mark Clark knows Sunday will provide his side with another tough test: “Leicester was a very close game earlier in the season and they were without their leading scorer and team leader. “It is always difficult preparing for the second game in a weekend, but if we are to keep the pressure on the leaders then that is what we have to do. On top of managing our injury list we are having to deal with assistant coach Lloyd Gardner who had twins last Thursday, his influence is difficult to cover but the strength of our group is the group so experienced players like Marlan Henry are having to show increased leadership. “It should be a defining weekend of our season.” 9 March 2011 BA London Leopards v Brixton
Topcats PLEASE NOTE TIP-OFF TIME HAS BEEN CHANGED TO : 8.00 PM LONDON rivals Leopards and Brixton Topcats meet at the Brentwood Centre, with a win key to both teams but for different reasons. Leopards go into the game in second place in EBL Division One with a 9-4 record, and the head-to-head decide over Reading Rockets who are tied with them. They’ll be waiting on the result of Thursday night’s game in Bristol where a win for the visiting Rockets would put the Big Cats in the position of knowing that they can win the title with five straight wins to close out the season. Meanwhile, Topcats are still in with a chance of grabbing home court advantage in their first season back in the top flight. They head into a hectic weekend which sees them also travel to Reading on Saturday night and host Durham Wildcats on Sunday in fifth place having split their first 14 games. They have a game in hand over fourth placed Leeds Carnegie, but the Yorkshire side have the head-to-head decider over them. Having seen his side defeat Durham Wildcats 75-60 last weekend, Leopards’ coach Mark Clark is happy as his team heads into a weekend where they also host Leicester Warriors: “Our group is really coming together last week we dealt with determined Durham team very professionally. “This week with two games against teams who recently have both put together good performances. Brixton are always a difficult opponent. Andy [Powlesland] and Paul [Mundy-Castle] have found a way to get the best out of a group that are very talented, their defensive effort is always good and they are one of the strongest rebounding teams in the league. We need to continue to make good decisions with the ball.” It will be the third meeting between the two teams, and Leopards will be looking to complete a sweep over their London rivals. American point guard Josh Sharlow sunk a buzzer-beating three to give them an 81-78 victory when they met in the league at Brixton Rec in October. They met again in January at Brentwood in a winner-takes-all National Trophy pool game, and 31 Ousman Krubally points helped the home side to a 91-77 victory. Topcats coach Andy Powlesland is ready for his side’s toughest weekend of the season: “We face a triple header this weekend in an effort to clear their game schedule before the end of the season and leave next weekend free for the BUCS Final 8 competition. “I look forward to the challenge of having six games in ten days which will be very demanding and I am sure will pose us some fitness problems. We managed a winning triple header two seasons ago in Division Three and hope the weekend starts off with Leopards on Friday who are still in with a shout of the title and will no doubt be determined to beat us. “We need this game to maintain a hope of a top four finish and a home court draw in the play offs. We have lost to Leopards twice this season and hope to compete better this time. They have two good USA imports in Ousman Krubally and Josh Sharlow backed up with some good English talent in Leigh Greenan and Marlan Henry. Their coach Mark Clark is well known to me and has the experience to prepare his team for the run in and a challenge for the title.” 7 March 2011 LEOPARDS added their support to the British Basketball “Say Yes” campaign when the giant jersey made an appearance at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon. The 20 foot tall jersey looked on as the Big Cats took another step towards their best ever finish in Division One with a 75-60 victory against Durham Wildcats. By Sunday evening we’ll know if it was all worthwhile. Fingers crossed! 4 March 2011 LEOPARDS will be doing their bit to support the British Basketball “Say Yes” campaign when the giant jersey will make an appearance at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon. The jersey will tour across the country raising awareness and gathering support for the Standard Life GB team who have yet to find out whether they have secured their host nation spot and thus compete at the Stratford Olympic Park basketball court in July 2012. Historically the Olympic host nation has received automatic qualification for their teams to enter their Olympic Games. However, these regulations changed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 resulting in the ultimate decision resting with the international federation, in this case, FIBA. Great Britain is therefore awaiting this decision which is due to take place on 13 March 2011. Federation Chairman of British Basketball, Bill McInnes OBE, commented on the ‘Say Yes’ activity: “FIBA is well aware of the recent outstanding performances of our GB teams, and also the commitment of everyone in our federations to the future growth of the game in Britain. However I think this campaign is an excellent opportunity for individuals across the country to show how much they want GB basketball teams to be part of the London Olympics next year.” Prior to its appearance the Leopards versus Durham Wildcats game, the jersey will have been to Sports Central for a Newcastle Eagles game, the Manchester Evening News Arena for the announcement that Team USA will be playing there in 2012, Covent Garden for National Basketball Week, and the O2 on Friday and Saturday. Leopards general manager Dave Ryan said: “It’s great to have the jersey at Brentwood. We’ll be the only club side outside BBL champions Newcastle Eagles to have the honour and hopefully it’ll raise some awareness of the battle to get Team GB in the London Olympics.” 4 March 2011 The Big Cats would like to congratulate assistant coach Lloyd Gardner and his girlfriend Laura on becoming parents for the first time. Twins Neeve and Archie were born on Thursday, and we look forward to seeing them in Leopards’ vests in a few years time. 2 March 2011 BA London Leopards v Durham
Wildcats IT'S third versus fourth at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon as London Leopards host Durham Wildcats. The Big Cats go into the weekend with an 8-4 record, while Durham head into Saturday’s game against leaders Bristol Academy Flyers with seven wins from 13 games. Leopards coach Mark Clark is sweating on the fitness of a couple of players as his side head into a run of five straight home games: “Durham at any time would be a tough game, but with the injuries we have to Leigh Greenan and Borja Pintor Henningsen, it is going to be even harder. We ran out of steam in the fourth quarter in Durham and they shot the ball very well. If we let them have too many open looks from the three point line we will struggle. “As we have said since the start of season we have to base our success on the defence we play. If we pressure Durham for 40 minutes they will have to shoot really well to beat us.” For Wildcats coach Dave Elderkin, it’ll be a chance to meet old friends having been the general manager at the original Leopards club, and he’s pleased to be returning to Essex: “I’m really looking forward to going back to Brentwood where I had some great times with the old Leopards. They’ve done very well this season, and adding Ousman Krubally has clearly made an impact in terms of performances for them. We played them when he’d just signed, and he was clearly settling in. “We’ve won our last four, and by the far the win against Brixton in overtime was the hardest of those games, but it’s been a fortnight since we’ve played. We have a few niggling injuries, but we expect to have everyone available.” The head-to-head decider is at stake on Sunday as Wildcats recorded a narrow 84-81 victory when the teams met in the north east in early January. Leopards had led at each of the three quarter breaks, but a strong fourth period saw Elderkin’s side outscore them 23-18 to take the win. Paul Elderkin led the home side with 22 points, with Kevin Bulger (16) Paul Nelson (11) and Michael Davies (10) also finishing in double figures. Leopards' forward Ousman Krubally completed a good weekend with 23 points, with Leigh Greenan (pictured) adding 20, Josh Johnson and Josh Sharlow 13 apiece and Keelan Cairns hit four treys to finish with 12 points. 2 March 2011 FORMER Leopards coach Jon Burnell was celebrating on Sunday afternoon as his new side, Hemel Storm, lifted the Patron’s Cup. After six years with the Big Cats, Jon moved on to assist Dave Titmuss at the new look Hemel club, and they lifted their first piece of silverware with a thrilling 75-72 victory against London United-Harefield Academy. The crowd at the Amaechi Centre were treated to an excellent final in the Division Two competition, with the biggest lead of the game coming in the first half when Hemel went up by seven points. English forward Dru Spinks, who played in a couple of pre-season game s for Leopards at Wodson Park, won the MVP award with 25 points - including a perfect seven from seven at the foul line - nine rebounds and a couple of assists for Hemel. Two other Leopards who had longer careers with the Big Cats that Spinks also played key parts with point guard Joe Matthews finishing with 11 points and three assists while Mark Quashie had six boards to go with his four points. 28
February 2011 LEOPARDS’ Division Four team had their best result of the season as they defeated South East Division leaders Canary Wharf Baltic Staff 69-68 on Saturday evening. The Canary Wharf team consist mainly of London-based Lithuanians and brought a large crowd to Barking Abbey, but they were stunned as Louis Annan hit two free-throws 23 seconds from time to seal the win and avenge a 112-61 defeat in late November. The Little Cats led 14-9 at the first break, and shaded the second period to go into the locker room 31-24. The visitors narrows the gap to 50-46 at the final break, and the looked to have taken control as they extended their run to 20 unanswered points to lead by ten with five minutes remaining. However, a timeout from coach Dejan Mihevc proved key as the Leopards reeled off a 10-0 run of their own to give them the initiative again. After Annan had taken his tally to 11 points with a pair at the charity stripe, some tough defence prevented the visitors taking a good shot, and Lucky Olaniyi managed to get a tip on a shot. The ball hit the front of the rim and Simonas Bublys grabbed the rebound. The ball was knocked from his grasp, but the found the aptly named Olaniyi who held on as the buzzer sounded. Olaniyi led all scorers with 23 points, with Bublys adding 15 for the Leopards. Tadas Bagdonas led the visitors with 16 points, with Laimonas Alisauskas adding 14 and Irmantas Bernatas 13 as Canary Wharf suffered only their second defeat of the season. The young Leopards will look to build on that win when they travel to fifth placed London Greenhouse Pioneers next Sunday. There wasn’t such good news as Leopards women’s team were hammered 89-55 at Leeds Carnegie. The Yorkshire side rushed into a 31-12 lead at the first break and it was effectively over at half-time as they outscored the young Leopards 25-10 in the second period. The teams split 36 third period and 30 fourth quarter points as Leeds recorded their ninth win of the campaign. Nimah Dwyer led Leopards again with 16, while Shequilla Joseph and Millie Watkins finished with ten apiece. Tina Menz led all scorers with 25 points for Carnegie, with Jo Clayden adding 15 and Bland 12. 28
February 2011 COVENTRY Crusaders have become the latest team to bite the dust after the announcement that they have resigned from EBL Division One. The Crusaders had been members of the EBL for 23 years, but head coach Roger Payne who was bankrolling them this season has run out of funds after the club was unable to attract a sponsor for the remaining of the season. The withdrawal of the Crusaders means that Leopards two wins against them are deleted from the record, a fate which also befalls league leaders Bristol Academy Flyers and fourth placed Durham Wildcats. Second placed Reading Rockets and fifth placed Leeds Carnegie also lose a win each having only played them once. Of particular disappointment to the Big Cats will be that they paid out for an overnight stop following the Crusaders game as they were in action at Bristol the following day. 24 February 2011 FORMER Leopards coach Jon Burnell will be looking to pick up a national title on Sunday when Hemel Storm face London United-Harefield Academy in the Patron’s Cup final. Burnell was the coach of the new Big Cats for the first six years of our existence before leaving in the summer as we linked up with Barking Abbey. He guided the Leopards to the National Cup in 2005/6, as well as a third placed finish in Division in 2009/10 and a total of four other semi-finals. After leaving the Big Cats last summer, he formed part of a group that have brought national league basketball back to Hemel Hempstead, and is currently Associate Head Coach to Dave Titmuss. The Patron’s Cup is the Division Two equivalent of the National Trophy that Leopards have reached the semi-final of twice in the last three years, and if Sunday’s game at the Amaechi Centre is as exciting as the three games this season between the finalists, the fans in Manchester are certainly in for a treat. United hold a 2-1 series lead in the games, but the biggest margin of victory has been three points as the two clubs have served up some thrillers. As well as JB, the Storm line-up contains two former Leopards – point guard Joe Matthews and forward Mark Quashie – and we’d like to wish the ex Big Cats all the best on Sunday. 24 February 2011 LEOPARDS’ Division Four team recorded only their league win of the season when they defeated Southgate Academical Lions 75-63 at Barking Abbey, on Saturday evening. Led by 17 points and 18 rebounds from Simonas Bublys, the Little Cats bounced back from a poor start to virtually ensure that they don’t finish bottom of the table. Dejan Mihevc’s team trailed 10-3 after five minutes of action, but outscored the visitors 14-6 in the rest of the period to go into the first break 17-16 ahead. It was all Leopards from there on as they rushed into 28-19 lead by the midway stage of the second quarter, and went into the locker room at half-time leading 38-28. That lead was extended to 12 after five second half minutes, and pressure didn’t let up as the home side went into the final break 56-43 ahead. Coach Mihevc took the advantage to use all 12 players during the game, and after the sides shared 26 points in the first five minutes of the final period, Southgate knocked a point off the final margin in the last five, but were unable to prevent Leopards moving up to eighth in the table. Mantas Adomantis added 12 points and seven boards, with Lucky Olaniyi and Jheryl Cabey (pictured) finishing with eight and six rebounds respectively to go with their 11 points. Dominic Norton (pictured}, who played a part in the Big Cats win the following day against Leeds Carnegie, had six points, six assists, four boards and three steals. The Little Cats face a much tougher test this week when they travel to league leaders Canary Wharf Baltic Staff on Saturday evening. 24 February 2011 PAWS London Capital v BA
London Leopards LONDON neighbours Capital and Leopards meet at Capital City Academy on Saturday evening with both teams looking to strengthen their play-off bids. Capital are seventh in the table with a 5-9 record, and need the victory to help them towards a place in the post-season, while the Big Cats are looking for home-court advantage in the play-offs and are currently third with nine wins from 13 games. Last week’s 11 point home win against Leeds Carnegie means that the Leopards are now two wins clear of the fifth placed Yorkshire team, with a game in hand, and coach Mark Clark was delighted with the victory: “I was really pleased with last weekend. We had six guys in double figures and we showed a lot of belief in what we are trying to achieve.” Clark isn’t taking Saturday’s opponents lightly as his side look for a league double over the Neasdon side: “Capital are one of those teams that a dangerous opponent” he said. “They have a lot of talent and if they are allowed to play they can score in a hurry we will need another big game from Lee Greenan and Ousman [Krubally] to help us to cope without Borja Pintor-Henningsen. “The gradual return of Marlan Henry from injury is a big plus. The key will be to impose our defence on Capital to keep the tempo high.” Krubally poured in 18 points on the start of the seven game run in which he top scored for the Leopards when the sides met at the Brentwood Centre in January. The Big Cats led for most of the game, but found their cross-town rivals stubborn opponents before finally completing a 72-68 victory. Josh Sharlow finished with a 17 point, ten rebound double-double, adding four assists and three steals, while Josh Johnson had probably his best game as a Leopard with 11 points and six assists. Charlando Brown led the Capital scoring for the second time against Leopards this season, finishing with 19 points, with Kaleston Wood adding 12 for the visitors. The sides also met in the National Trophy this season, with the eventual result being clouded in controversy. Twenty-eight points from Brown helped the home side win 73-56, but the result was overturned by England Basketball due to the court at Capital City Academy being marked out with the post-2012 lines. 24 February 2011 FOR the third time this season, Leopards women found Division One champions City of Sheffield Hatters too hot to handle as they crushed 102-49 at Barking Abbey on Saturday. Niamh Dwyer opened the scoring for the home team, but from then on it was one-way traffic, with Hatters rushing into a 24-10 lead at the first break. That lead grew to 40-18 after five second period minutes, and Hatters went into the locker room 55-28 ahead at half-time. Leopards were architects of their own downfall as they committed 33 turnovers, and Hatters' lead grew to 72-39 at the final break before they wrapped things up with a 30-10 fourth period. Dwyer again led the home side with 23 points, four assists and four boards, with Rosie Hynes adding eight and Shequila Joseph six. Sarah Naylor led all scorers with 26 points in just 25 minutes, with Stephanie Gandy adding 25 points and nine rebounds. Helen Naylor finished with 16 points and American Kisha Lee 15 on her Hatters debut, while Cup Final MVP Lisa Hutchinson had seven assists and six rebounds to go with her four points. The lady Big Cats will look to avoid a season sweep by Leeds Carnegie when they travel north on Saturday. Carnegie title challenge is now over as they’ve slipped to fourth place with eight wins from 15 games - although they still look a good bet for the play-offs – while Leopards are down to seventh with a 4-9 record. When the teams met on the same court in November, Carnegie kept a firm hold on fourth place with an 89-76 victory. Tina Menz led the home side with 31 points, with Rehana Khalil adding 16, and only missing out on a double-double by a single rebound. Niamh Dwyer had another fine game for Leopards, finishing with 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Christina Gaskin finished with 13 points and a massive 19 boards, while Shequilla Joseph also had a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds. The return at Barking Abbey saw the visitors win 81-76 thanks to a strong fourth period performance. Leopards started strongly with a 21-12 opening stanza, before Leeds fought back to level the score at 40 going into the locker room. The sides shared 52 points in a high scoring third period, before Carnegie outscored the hosts 15-10 in the final stanza. 18 February 2011 London Leopards v Leeds
Carnegie LONDON Leopards and Leeds Carnegie will both be looking to improve their chances of home court advantage in the play-offs when they meet at Barking Abbey on Sunday afternoon. Leopards go into the game in third place with eight wins from 12 games, while Leeds are fourth with a 7-6 record. The teams had contrasting fortunes in the National Trophy semi-finals last week, with Carnegie reaching the title game with a comfortable win at Leicester Warriors but Leopards going down in overtime at Reading Rockets. When the sides met in Yorkshire in November, the home side ran out 81-70 winners. Josh Sharlow scored 20 for the visitors while Simeon Esprit and Borja Pintor-Henningsen each added 12 points. Zoltan Supola led Leeds with 19 points, Albert Margai finished with a 17 point, 12 rebound double-double, and Gyorgy Polya and Jean Wakanena each added ten points for the hosts. Leopards' coach Mark Clark is looking to bounce back after the loss against Rockets: "Obviously I'm disappointed about the semi-final loss. It was a great advert for the level that EBL1 teams can play. It was clear that both teams had prepared for the game. "The talk after the game from the crowd, both sets of coaches and the players was unfortunately about the officiating. That should not take anything away from Reading's win because they played a great game. "I was very proud of our group on Saturday in the way we executed defensively and our effort was exceptional. I was even prouder in the way a young team picked itself up on Sunday and defeated a very talented and dangerous opponent in Coventry. Josh Sharlow showed great leadership and veteran Marlan Henry showed why he is important to our group. "We will have to show all that resilience if we are to overcome a Leeds team who are in my opinion one the favourites for the play-offs. They have had many injuries but are still in the top four. I would make them to be one of the most dangerous teams in the post-season. They are very balanced, have good size and have many ways to hurt you. "We emphasise every day in practice about execution, our effort, our systems. This will be biggest test so far in how far we have come." Leeds coach Matt Newby expects a tough game against the Big Cats: "The Trophy final will be special and our players and staff are excited about the game on the 27th. However we have a very tough proposition against another in-form team which again reflects the merits of sporting partnerships between academic institutions and sporting clubs. Leopards are certainly in stride and coach Clark certainly seems to be getting the very best out of his domestic youth and strong imports alike and with their own Trophy semi-final going to the wire against Reading and only two points determining the outcome of the game it proves they can match up against any team in the league. Additionally they can now focus on the league and play-offs and I expect them to firing on all cylinders on Sunday." 18 February 2011 LEOPARDS women face one of the toughest games of the season when they host leaders City of Sheffield Hatters at Barking Abbey on Saturday, tip-off 6.00pm. Sheffield have an 11-1 record, while Leopards moved up to sixth place with their fourth win in 12 attempts when they beat Brixton Topcats last week. When the sides met in October, the Naylor sisters combined for 59 points as Hatters comfortably won 92-63. Sarah finished with 34 points and Helen 25 as Hatters made it two wins from as many games. The visitors edged the first period 20-15, but blew into a 52-30 lead with a dominant second quarter. Leopards chipped a point off the deficit in the third stanza, but Sheffield wrapped things up with a 22-14 final period. Nimah Dwyer led Barking with 24 points, with Christina Gaskin adding eight and Anne Marie Powell six. Sarah Taylor chipped with 17 for the visitors. The sides also met in the National Cup quarter-final, and with the game tied going into the final six minutes, Hatters stepped up to take control and win 81-63. Leopards won the battle of London 60-51 against Brixton Topcats on Saturday to take the season series 3-0. The visitors won the first period 18-14, but Leopards battled back to go into the locker room 30-25 ahead. That lead was doubled to 48-38 at the final break and although the visitors got the margin down to four heading into the final three minutes, Leopards held on for the win. The division's top scorer, Niamh Dwyer, led Leopards with 27 points, with Bisera Peshkova adding nine and Christina Gaskin eight. Ijeoma Ofomata led Brixton with 13, while Lenssa Mohammed and Josephine Maignomo hit eight apiece. Leopards Division Four team are also in action at Barking Abbey on Saturday evening when they host Southgate Academical, tip-off 8.00pm. 10 February 2011 THERE'S a chance to bid for some unique items after Sunday’s game against Coventry Crusaders when Leopards hold another auction at the Brentwood Centre. Among the items going under the hammer are two tickets to attend the PGA Championship at Wentworth; tickets to see Sally Morgan or the Cage Fighters Championship, both held at the Brentwood Centre – both events are sell-outs; signed West Ham pictures; and also some memorabilia signed by Great Britain international Dan Clark and the Leopards team. The event will be held in the bar immediately after the Big Cats’ game on Sunday, so make sure you don’t miss it! 10 February 2011 BA London Leopards v Coventry
Crusaders LONDON Leopards coach Mark Clark isn’t taking Coventry Crusaders lightly as his side look to continue their title challenge at the Brentwood Centre, on Sunday. Crusaders arrive at the Brentwood Centre in tenth spot in Division One having won three of their ten games, but have won their last two games and it took overtime before the Big Cats sealed an 83-76 victory in the Midlands three weeks ago. “Coventry have now had a couple of wins after so many close losses including to us in overtime” said Clark. “In Casey Crawford, they have one of best offensive players in the league and a team that works extremely hard. We will have to prepare to do a better job on the boards and inside if we are to perform to our best level.” The Big Cats split their games last weekend, hammering Bristol Academy Flyers 80-51 on their own court to end the leaders’ unbeaten start to the league season before going down 77-68 at home against Reading Rockets the following day. That loss against Reading saw them drop down to third in the table with a 7-4 record, and with a National Trophy semi-final at Rockets on Saturday, it’s another tough weekend for the Leopards. When they travelled to Coventry last month, the Big Cats let a ten point half-time lead slip and Crawford looked to have won the game with 21 seconds left when he converted an and-one after a spin move saw him fouled by Leigh Greenan. It was top scorer Ousman Krubally who sent the game into overtime with eight seconds left as he drained a trey from the top of the key before some tough defence saw Crusaders fail to get off a shot at the end of regulation time. Crawford opened the overtime scoring, but that proved to be Crusaders only points until the final minutes as Leopards wrapped things up from the foul line. Krubally led the scoring for Clark's team for the fourth straight game with 26 points, half of which came in the final three minutes of the first period. Josh Johnson finished with 14 points, with Leigh Greenan adding 12 and Simeon Esprit 11. For the home side, big man Crawford proved unstoppable at times with 33 points, but was given little support as only Siman Stewart and Roy Owen joined him in double figures with ten apiece. The game will see a shoot-out between two of the division’s leading scorers; Krubally goes into the weekend averaging 21 points per game, while Crawford is averaging 24.2ppg after his first five games as a Crusader. Women in action on Sunday The weekend’s action is wrapped up at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday as London rivals Barking Abbey and Brixton Topcats match-up. The Big Cats go into the game in sixth place with a 3-8 record, while Topcats are bottom of the table with one win from 13 games. Two of those three Leopards’ wins have come against the Topcats, giving them the head-to-head decider against their London rivals. The opening day of the season saw them record a 76-56 victory at Barking Abbey, thanks mainly to a 31 point haul from Niamh Dwyer on her league debut. Maisie Elston added nine points and Rosie Hines eight in a balanced Leopards offence, while the Topcats were led by 19 points from Prouzova, with James the only other player in double figures on ten. Maisie Elston added nine points and Rosie Hines eight in a balanced Leopards offence, while the Topcats were led by 19 poinst from Prouzova, with James the only other player in double figures on ten. In the return at Brixton, Leopards' ended a losing streak with a 73-64 victory, but only after a fight-back from the home side. Niamh Dwyer opened the scoring on her way to a team-high 23 points, with Millie Watkins adding 11 , with Rosie Hynes chipping in with ten.Ofomata was the only Topcat in double figures with 25 points, with Lavinia Da Silva and Tereza Prouzova each adding nine. Watkins finished with 11 for Leopards, with Rosie Hynes chipping in with ten. 10 February 2011 SATURDAY'S National Trophy semi-final against Reading Rockets in taking place at Wolfenden Sports Centre, University of Reading, Shinfield Road, Reading, RG6 6AH - Tel: 0118 3786538 It will be the eighth different venue Leopards have played Rockets at! If you’re travelling by car, leave the M4 at Junction 11. Take the B3270 exit signposted Earley up the hill (past Foster Wheeler) to roundabout with traffic lights - turn left - towards Reading (Shinfield Road). Continue along this round for approx 2 miles passing over 2 mini roundabouts. Continue through the traffic lights and 600 yards on your right is the main entrance to the University with the Wolfenden Sports Centre immediately on your left. 9 February 2011 Reading Rockets v London
Leopards READING Rockets and London Leopards will be looking for a place in the National Trophy final when they meet the BA London Leopards at the University of Reading, SportsPark on Saturday evening. The Rockets have enjoyed a lot of success in this competition over recent years, winning the trophy for three successive seasons before being defeated in the semi-final last season, while for Leopards it is only the second time they have reached the final four. It will be the second meeting of the season between the teams in the competition with Rockets having strolled to an 83-54 victory against an undermanned Leopards team at Brentwood in September. That win set the tone for the season, as both sides have won on the road in Division One match-ups. The big Cats travelled to Rivermead in November, and recorded a 73-61 victory before rockets gained revenge last weekend with a 77-68 win in Brentwood. Leopards’ coach Mark Clark is looking for his team to bounce back after the disappointment of losing against the Rockets last week: “I’m disappointed about the result on Sunday. It was almost a repeat of the game in Reading, it was close all the way and then one team got a crucial run the fourth period - this time it was Reading. “We've already looked at the game and we stopped doing what had made us successful in the last few weeks. The schedule of playing in Bristol and then at home did not help but take nothing away from Reading they played well and going into the rest of season they are obviously one of the major contenders.” Clark isn’t reading anything into last week’s result as his team prepare to face Reading against: “Saturday’s semi is a completely new game lasts weeks game will have no relevance. We know the key is our defence and the belief in the whole team. We have to share the ball effectively and play BA Leopards basketball. We always try and focus on what we have to do. If we do that we can come away with the win and give ourselves the chance of competing for silverware.With Rockets also beating Manchester Magic last week, head coach Samit Nuruzade was understandably a happy man after seeing his team pick up two important league wins last weekend and is hoping the form shown by the Rockets continues in this crucial encounter. He said, "I was really proud of my players last weekend, we have been working very hard to get to where we are now and I am hoping what we have developed here will continue. Every single game we have played has been a test for us but I have been pleased with how we have battled through each challenge and most recently put together an excellent run of results. Saturday will however be our biggest test against a talented Leopards team especially as we played them only last weekend and there is a place at stake in a national final. If we continue on the path we are on and play how we have been playing then I see no reason why we cannot reach our first national final this season but it will be a difficult encounter against a top Leopards team." Along with the Rockets, the Leopards are the form team in EBL Division One winning four out of their last five games including a big away win at league leaders Bristol Academy Flyers. Rockets Performance Analyst Ben Fisher knows the Leopards will pose some different problems this time around and expects an even tougher game than the one at Brentwood one week ago. He said, "We are pretty confident with what they will run offensively however in our previous game individual players did not perform as expected. Their new American Ousman Krubally was in foul trouble and I felt we did a good job when he was in the game but I expect him to be even more hungry to win as he had a quiet game. They probably didn't shoot as well as they could have but credit to us for holding them to 68 points. As a club we really respect their programme and what they do and they will certainly be fired up and prepared under the guidance of Mark (Clark) and Lloyd (Gardner). It should be a great game and I'm sure they will once again be a handful for us." Rockets go into Saturday's match-up with only one injury concern. Lithuanian Lukas Aleksandravicius missed last weekend's double header with a rolled ankle but he is expected to return to action at some point during the week leading up to the game. 4 February 2011 Leopards v Reading Rockets THE Big Cats host old rivals Reading Rockets on Sunday afternoon in a key game at the Brentwood Centre. The two clubs both have 6-3 records going into Saturday’s games, and with leaders Bristol Academy Flyers having reeled off ten straight league wins to start the season, but Rockets and Leopards know that they cannot afford a loss on Sunday. With the hometown Big Cats travelling to Bristol on Saturday, head coach Mark Clark knows the importance of the weekend for his side: “It’s a big weekend for us playing the other teams at the top of table. Reading had injury problems when we won there. There defence is as good as anyone's and their guard play excellent. Again we need to control tempo. “It is the toughest weekend you could face but a great weekend to make the right statements and build momentum.” Both teams go into the game in good form, with Leopards having four straight wins in all competitions and six victories in their last seven, while Rockets have won three consecutive league games to break away from the pack in Division One. The game is a dress rehearsal for the National Trophy semi-final, which will see the Big Cats travel to Reading on Saturday February 12. The two sides have already met twice this season, with both winning on their opponents’ court. A poor Leopards performance in September saw them lose 83-54 in the Trophy group stage but a strong defensive display in November’s league meeting saw them take the Division One points with a 73-61 victory. Rockets head coach Samit Nuruzade was pleased with his team's victory against Leicester Warriors last weekend but is expecting a tough game at Brentwood: “I was really happy with the way we played at both ends of the floor against Leicester, especially at the offensive end as we executed much better and our good defence allowed us to take the pressure off us scoring wise. “We must take that into this weekend as we face two teams that are very capable of winning against any team in this league despite their contrasting league positions. We will need to prepare thoroughly for both games, especially Sunday's as the Leopards are in really good form at the moment and we are yet to face their new American (Ousman Krubally). I have been pleased with how we are progressing, and this weekend will be a good indicator as to how far we can actually go this season but I am confident that the spirit we have shown so far, coupled with our defensive efforts, we can come out on top in both games." Rockets performance analyst Ben Fisher, who knows the Leopards very well, has indicated that Krubally will be a key match-up on Sunday and knows the London team will be looking to complete the double over his team: “Leopards are doing a great job this year and like Rockets, are still challenging for silverware. Coaches Mark (Clark) and Lloyd (Gardner) are doing a great job with the team and have made an excellent signing in the form of American Ousman Krubally who has already troubled many teams so far. Along with fellow compatriot Josh Sharlow they are certainly a force to be reckoned with. “They are a team of talent and other key players such as seven-foot Leigh Greenan, in form Josh Johnson, and Keelan Cairns to name but a few can cause problems on any given day. We have to make sure we are fully prepared in order to go to Brentwood and get the win and we will be doing everything we can to do that." The Rockets go into the weekend's game still waiting on the return to full fitness of Centre Steve Vaughan who has been hampered with a groin injury for the last three weeks. Lithuanian Lukas Aleksandravicius will hopefully shake off an ankle injury sustained in practise but the Berkshire club will be without the services of 6'6 guard Louis Sayers for the rest of the season as the 18 year looks likely to be out of action until the start of the 2011-12 campaign. 2 February 2011 Bristol Academy Flyers v BA
London Leopards THERE’s a top of the table clash at Filton College on Saturday as leaders Bristol Academy Flyers host the Big Cats. The Flyers go into the game with a perfect 10-0 league record, while Leopards are tied with Reading in second place having won six of their nine games, but have the advantage of having just two of their ten games after Saturday on the road. Andreas Kapoulas’ Flyers team go into the game having lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Their National Trophy hopes ended at the quarter-final stage a fortnight ago as the Leopards produced a dominant performance in the West Country to win 78-56, while last Sunday their grip on the National Cup ended with a 77-63 loss against Brixton Topcats in the final. Kapoulas is looking for his team to bounce back: “January has been disappointing for us. Early in the month we continued our success in the league with wins over Brixton and Manchester but our performances in the Trophy quarter-final versus Leopards and Cup Final versus Brixton have not been up to Flyers standard. A lot has to do with injuries that have disrupted our rotations and rhythm of play on both ends of the court. However we cannot look for excuses. We need to step up our defensive efforts and do a better job of taking care of the ball. “The Leopards league game on Saturday is crucial in terms of regaining our lost confidence. Coach Clark has his team playing very well and new import Krubally has made a big difference, not just in terms of points and rebounds but also team morale. I also particularly like the way Josh Johnson is playing and leading his team and his contribution has been key to the Leopards success. “It is going to be a very difficult game and all our players recognise the importance of it. One thing I can say for sure is that we will compete for 40 minutes and we will fight for the ball every single possession.” With the Leopards hosting Rockets at Brentwood on Sunday, it’s an important weekend for the London club as head coach Mark Clark acknowledges: “It’s a big weekend for us playing the other teams at the top of table. At some point Bristol will get out of their recent slump and we have make sure it is not on Saturday. They are struggling with injuries but they still have two quality imports and are well coached. Their strength is their team and if we do not improve again at the defensive end they have enough weapons to make you suffer. It all about tempo and if we control it I am confident we can perform well.” Flyers will look to stop Ousman Krubally who pored in 26 points in that game in Bristol a fortnight ago and is now Division One’s second leading scorer with 22 points and third in the rebounding table with 10.5 boards per game having led the Leopards in scoring in their last six games. That win for Leopards in Bristol provided revenge for the London side, as Flyers had already beaten them twice this season. October’s National Trophy group stage meeting in the West Country saw the Flyers stroll to am 82-63 victory before Kapoulas’ side continued their unbeaten start to the league season with a 78-67 win at Barking Abbey. 27 January 2011 Manchester Magic v London
Leopards LEOPARDS will look to strengthen their bid for a top three finish when they travel to Manchester Magic, on Saturday. The Big Cats go into the game sharing second place in the Division One with old rivals Reading Rockets – who they play in both league and National Trophy action in early February – having won five of their first eight games. With leaders Bristol Academy Flyers not in league action this weekend they will look to close the gap at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Magic’s loss at Bristol Academy Flyers last week saw them drop down to joint tenth in the table with a 3-6 record, and they are still two wins behind the seven sides bunched on five wins each. The sides have yet to meet this season, but Magic did the double over the Londoners last season and have an impressive record against them. They met each other in the semi-finals of all three knockout competitions in 2009, with Magic winning on each occasion and the Manchester side have all but two of the 15 meetings between the clubs since Leopards entered Division One in 2004/5. Leopards’ coach Mark Clark expects a tough game in the north west: “Manchester are always a tough opponent and I expect they will provide us with a stern test at home. “They have a lot of young talent that are beginning to mature into senior players. We need to build on last week’s performances and keep getting better. We really need to contain there guard play and stop them sharing the ball so well.” 26 January 2011 LEOPARDS will visit old rivals Reading Rockets in the National Trophy semi-final as they look to win the silverware for the first time. The game will take place at University of Reading Sportspark on Saturday February 12, tip-off 6.30 pm. This is a different venue to where the Big Cats have faced the Rockets in the past, and travel details will be available before the game. The trip to Reading replaces the scheduled league game at Derby Trailblazers, and the following day’s home game against Coventry Crusaders at the Brentwood Centre remains unchanged with a 4pm tip-off. The winner of tie will face either Leicester Warriors or Leeds Carnegie at the Amaechi Centre on Sunday February 27. The Rockets and Leopards have already met twice this season, each winning away from home, and they’ll stage a dress rehearsal on Sunday February 6 when they meet in Division One at the Brentwood Centre. 21 January 2011 WHILE the Big Cats’ first team travel to Coventry and Bristol for a key couple of games this weekend, BA Leopards’ other two sides both have home games at Barking Abbey this weekend. Saturday sees Leopards’ Division Four team host Uxbridge College Emperors while on Sunday the women are at home against Team Northumbria. The young Leopards go into the game against Uxbridge occupying eighth place in Division Four with a 2-8 record, while the visitors are joint fourth with six wins from nine games. It will be the first game between the teams as October’s scheduled game was postponed due to the home side having double-booked their court. On Sunday afternoon the Lady Big Cats host Team Northumbria in Women’s Division One as they look to move back into play-off contention and repeat November’s 70-53 away victory against the Newcastle team. Nimah Dwyer led all scorers with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the visitors - agonisingly missing a triple-double by a single assist as well as collecting a couple of steals. Christina Gaskin also finished with a double-double of 11 points and 12 boards, while Shequila Joseph pulled down nine rebounds to go with her ten points. Clark had 17 defensive rebounds and six assists to go with her 17 points, while Kristen London (14) and Zoe Vickers (13) completed the Northumbria top scorers. Leopards’ loss at leaders UWIC last week saw them remain in sixth place with a 3-7 record, and coach Damian Jennings is looking for them to bounce back after that defeat: “We need a strong 40 minutes to overcome Northumbria” he said. “The size and offensive strength they have added in Laura Calder paid immediate dividends with their win over Brixton last weekend. For us, we need to play with consistency for the whole game. We need to eliminate some of the individual and team errors – both mental and physical. If we can do that, the result should take care of itself. “ Northumbria picked up their first victory of the season when they hosted Brixton Topcats last week. 21 January 2011 Bristol Academy Flyers v
London Leopards LEOPARDS will be aiming to join Reading Rockets, Leicester Warriors and Leeds Carnegie in the semi-finals of the National Trophy when they travel to Bristol Academy Flyers on Sunday evening. The Big Cats will stay overnight in Swindon after the Coventry Crusaders game on Saturday evening before facing the Division One leaders the following day. The sides have already met on the same court in the group stage of the competition this season, and after falling 16-1 behind in the first five minutes Flyers controlled the game on the way to an 82-63 win. Bristol were led by 20 points from young English guard Tyrone Treasure, with Doug McLaughlin-Williams adding 18 and Enrique Garcia adding 15. Leopards' Simeon Esprit had an excellent game on the way to a 15 point haul, with Leigh Greenan also scoring 15. Flyers also won, 78-67, at Barking Abbey when the sides met in Division One play in November, never looking back after a 10-0 start. Greg Streete led the visitors with 22 points and seven rebounds, with Doug McLaughlin-Williams adding 15 points and eight boards while his American compatriot Davis Bowne finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Leigh Greenan led the Leopards' scoring for the second straight game with 14 points and seven boards, with Keelan Cairns also pulling down seven rebounds to go with his 13 points and Simeon Espirit adding 11 points, four boards and three steals. While Leopards head into the weekend in seventh place in Division One with a 4-3 record and are 8-6 in all competitions, Flyers are top of the league with a 9-0 record. Their only defeat this season came in the Trophy, against Reading Rockets, which ultimately cost them top spot in the group and a bye through to the semi-finals. Bristol captain Greg Streete knows that the London team will not be an easy obstacle on the way to the Trophy semi-finals: “Leopards are always a strong opponent and have picked a new import (Krubally) who is very athletic and we need to make sure we contain. We have performed very well so far in the league and the Cup so it will be great if we could continue our success in the trophy competition as well.” As well as that win against the Leopards, Flyers also shaded a close game 78-75 at PAWS London Capital and won 73-64 at home against Brixton Topcats. However a 70-67 loss – their only of the season – at Reading Rockets cost them top spot and a bye to the semi-final. Leopards’ route to the last eight proved a bit more complicated. A heavy home loss against Rockets followed by that loss at Bristol saw them needing to win their final two games to progress. A 73-56 defeat at Capital was subsequently ordered to be replayed due to the incorrect court markings at Capital City Academy, and their London rivals then conceded the game 20-0. That meant that Leopards had to beat local rivals Brixton Topcats – who themselves had also had a walkover win against Capital – in a winner-takes all showdown for a place in the quarter-final. Even then it wasn’t simple, with the snow putting paid to the first attempt to play the game, but a massive 31 point, 14 rebound double-double from Ousman Krubally saw them through with a 91-77 victory. 20 January 2011 Coventry Crusaders v London
Leopards COVENTRY Crusaders will look for their second league win of the season when they host London Leopards on Saturday evening. It will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams, and the sides split their games last year as they both missed out on the play-offs. Crusaders won an overtime thriller 101-92 in the midlands before the Big Cats came back from a big first half deficit to win 86-78. Coventry will be pleased that Carl Latham-Henry is no longer with the London club as he scored a total of 59 points again them, while Leopards will be looking out for Dave Edden who scored 23 and 27 points respectively against them last season. Leopards go into the game in seventh place in Division One with a 4-3 record, but have games in hand over everyone above them in the table. Crusaders also have games in hand over the rest of the division, but are currently bottom of the table with one win from seven games. The teams go into the game on the back of contrasting results, with Leopards having progressed to the quarter-finals of the National Trophy with a 91-77 home victory while Crusaders lost a tight game 67-62 at PAWS London Capital. Leopards coach Mark Clark was happy with his side’s performance: “I’m pleased with the way we played in a very disjointed game. With 95 free throws in a game it is difficult to get any rhythm. Ouse and Lee obviously did well as a pair on the inside and it was good to get Simeon [Esprit] quality minutes after last weeks injury. Local derbies are always difficult and with Brixton being strong this year it was always going to be tough. ”Our spirit is important to us and we again showed we are prepared to work for each other. It is pleasing to make the knock out stage of any competition and we will look forward to playing Bristol again next weekend. As it is our third meeting already there should be no surprises.” 18 January 2011 WHILE Leopards’ were celebrating reaching the National Trophy quarter-finals, there was disappointment for the club’s other two teams over the weekend. Barking Abbey women made the trip to Cardiff to face league leaders UWIC Archers, and despite a 28-point haul from Nimah Dwyer, Damien Kennedy’s side lost 81-59. The Big Cats were never able to recover from a 24-11 first period, and trailed 42-28 going into the locker room at half-time. A 22-17 third period effectively ended the game as a contest, before Archers wrapped things up with a 17-14 final stanza. Christina Gaskin added 15 points for the Leopards, with Millie Watkins chipping in with six. Great Britain international Megan Hoffman led the Archers with 19 points, with Stef Collins adding 14 and Sarah Wagstaff ten. Meanwhile, Barking Abbey Leopards men made a rare trip outside London, and went down 80-53 at Southend Scorpions in Division Four. Despite 14 points from Zac Wells, the home side led for almost all of the game, building on a 25-4 first period advantage to go into the locker room 43-21 up at the half. That lead grew to 30 with a 24-16 third period before the Little Cats narrowed the final margin with a 26-23 final stanza. Lucky Olaniyi added ten points and Dominic Norton eight for the Leopards. 14 January 2011 London Leopards v Brixton
Topcats THERE'S a shoot-out at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon as the London Leopards and Brixton Topcats both look for a place in the National Trophy quarter-finals. The Leopards go into the game with one win from three games in the competition, whilst Brixton have a 2-1 record. A victory for the home side would see them finish level with the Topcats, but they would go through on the head-to-head rule, whereas a victory for Brixton would seal them a place in the last eight. That victory was a walkover win against PAWS London Capital after their cross-town rivals were ordered to replay the original tie, and Leopards coach Mark Clark is determined to take advantage of the reprieve: “Whenever you given a second opportunity, as we have been, you have to take full advantage. Even though Brixton have proved to be one of best teams this year if we show the same belief as a group that we showed last weekend we can get the win and the quarter-final place. The home support could be the difference so i am hoping for a good crowd.” Topcats coach Andy Powlesland knows his side have a tough weekend ahead of them, with a league match at Manchester on Saturday, as well: “I lost Arturo Noha to a hip injury in practise last week and Armand Anebo has not recovered from his ankle injury on Sunday. “I think the weekend will be another tough one for Brixton, two away games again, one a long road trip to an improving Manchester and the other effectively a knock-out Trophy game with the winner progressing. I know we will be competitive in both and I look forward to the challenge.” Topcats head into the weekend in third place in Division One with a 5-4 record after a pair of losses last weekend while the Leopards are in fourth place in the table with four wins from seven games. One of those four league victories came against Brixton on the first full weekend of Division One action this season, and it proved to be a thriller as a Josh Sharlow buzzer-beating three saw Leopards run out 81-78 winners. Karolis Petkus looked to have sent the game into overtime when he drained a three for Brixton with 5.6 seconds remaining, but London coach Mark Clark called a timeout and Leopards ran the play he had drawn up perfectly before Sharlow buried the triple from the top of the key. The game will see the return to Brentwood of former Leopards favourite Sam Salter who played for the club between 2005 and 2008 and scored the free-throws that clinched the 2005/06 National Cup. The veteran shooting guard is looking forward to returning to his old club: "I'm excited about the game, and really looking forward to getting back in to the gym at Brentwood and seeing some old faces. Obviously I'm looking for a victory and a place in the quarter-final, but it'll be good to see everyone again," said Salter. Powlesland is also excited about the London derby. He said, "I am looking forward to the match-up with Leopards to see if we can continue our winning streak and to avenge our only home defeat of the season so far. "The game in October was a great example of English basketball and went down to the wire with Leopards winning on the buzzer. Since that game I have Arturo Noha back healthy and we have picked up Marcus Knight. "I also understand that Leopards have signed a second American in a position that will provide an excellent challenge for the likes of Armand Anebo and David Ajumobi. The game also now has meaning for both teams since the reversal of Leopards defeat at London Capital and a win to progress would see us face Reading in the quarter-final." With Brixton returning to the top flight after an 11 year absence, it will be only the second meeting between the teams - although they did play a series of scrimmages during the last two seasons. That only other competitive game between the two sides came in the National Cup quarter-finals last season, and after a tight first period it was the Leopards who powered to a 95-73 victory. 14 January 2011 LEOPARDS women’s team will aim to upset the formbook when they travel to Division One leaders UWIC Archers on Saturday. Archers go into the game with a 7-1 record, while Leopards’ 81-76 loss against Leeds Carnegie last week has seen them drop to sixth spot with three wins from nine games, and will be looking for the division’s top scorer Niamh Dwyer to continue her impressive form which has seen her average 24.75 points and four assists per game. When the sides met at the Brentwood Centre in November, Archers finished strongly to win 64-55. The visitors led 19-17 at the first break but were pegged back to 29-29 at half-time. The home side led by five midway through the third period, but Archers fought back to lead 43-40 at the final break and eventually sealed things from the foul line as they outscored the visitors 21-15 in the fourth quarter. Kate Butters led the visitors with 17 points, with Aurelie Durand adding 13 and Nicki Avery 12. Niamh Dwyer again led Leopards with 19 points, with Millie Watkins adding ten. Leopards’ coach Damien Kennedy is hoping to bounce back after that defeat against Leeds Carnegie: “I’m looking forward to getting back on the floor this weekend. “While we were disappointed with last weekend’s result against Leeds, we can take a lot of positives from the game. We played well for long periods, but in the final quarter we lacked the experience of closing out a tight game. It will help us as we progress this season. “We’re looking forward to facing UWIC, if we can rebound the ball and consistently take care of it, we will give ourselves a chance. ”In the game against Leeds, the Big Cats started strongly with a 21-12 opening stanza, before Leeds fought back to level the score at 40 going into the locker room. The sides shared 52 points in a high scoring third period, before Carnegie outscored the hosts 15-10 in the final stanza. UWIC coach Damian Jennings can’t wait to get back into action against the Leopards: “We are simply looking forward to playing! Due to the weather our last EBL game was versus Leeds on the 27th November and it was a loss so we have much we wish to put right - starting with a win. “For the second year in a row we have used the New Year gap to go on tour to Belgium and once again it proved a success. The top league in Belgium is better than the EBL so it was important for us to at least compete and move our 2010 performance forward ready for the business end of the season. “Barking are a very tough team to play, with some of the youngest basketball prospects on display in the EBL. Through Damien Kennedy and the Academy set-up they bring a collectiveness and individual skill level where if you are not switched on as a team they will punish you.” 14 January 2011 LEOPARDS Division Four team will be looking to build on last week’s 70-68 victory against London Westside II when they travel to Southend Scorpions. The Scorpions are fourth in their debut EBL season with six wins from eight games, while that win against Westside lifted Leopards up to eighth spot with a 2-7 record. When the young Leopards hosted Southend in October, a strong second half failed to prevent a 78-76 loss against a side ran by former Leopards Gianni Lettieri. Dominic Norton hit 24 points, with Sam Dumscombe adding 18 and Ryan Alexis 12. Against Westside, Dominic Norton led the way for the Big Cats with 23 points as they withstood a fourth period onslaught from the visitors to wrap up their second league win of the season. The Barking side led 16-14 at the first break before pulling away to lead 38-29 at half-time and 58-43 going into the final stanza. And although Westside outscored them 25-12 in the fourth period, they held on for the win. Allen added 14 points and Zac Wells eight. 13 January 2011 AFTER a weekend which saw his team split their two games, Leopards coach Mark Clark was a reasonably happy man. The Big Cats defeated PAWS London Capital 72-68 at the Brentwood Centre on Friday night before losing another tight game 84-81 at Durham Wildcats the following day. “Against Capital, I was really pleased that we showed great belief in each other to beat a tough team in a tight game. The young players made valuable contributions without Borja Pintor-Henningsen and with Simeon [Esprit] injured. “At Durham on Saturday, we played a great game against a very good team that has lots of offensive weapons. We showed again that we are progressing and Ouse [Ousman Krubally] demonstrated what a great asset he will be. The performance of Josh Johnson and Josh Sharlow showed great ability and tremendous character with the demands of the back to back games.” The Big Cats return to action at 4pm on Sunday afternoon when Brixton Topcats are the visitors to the Brentwood Centre for a key National Trophy game. Clark's team will be without shooting guard Josh Owen-Thomas for the rest of the season after the youngster returned to Australia. If he'd played for Leopards in 2011 he would have lost a year's eligibility of college basketball in The States, due to the NCAA's complex rules. 10 January 2011 Leopards 72 (22,38,56) PAWS London Capital 68 (15,31,48) OUSMAN Krubally poured in 18 points on his home debut as Leopards moved up to third place in EBL Division One with a hard-fought victory against cross-town rivals Capital. The Big Cats led for most of the game, but it wasn’t until the closing seconds that they wrapped up their four league win in six games. Josh Sharlow finished with a 17 point, ten rebound double-double, adding four assists and three steals, while Josh Johnson had probably his best game as a Leopard with 11 points and six assists. Charlando Brown led the Capital scoring for the second time against Leopards this season, finishing with 19 points, with Kaleston Wood adding 12 for a visiting team who arrived 15 minutes after the scheduled tip-off time. The game was won on the boards, with Leopards out-rebounding the visitors 45-25, Leigh Greenan pulling down 13 rebounds to go with his eight points. Cairns opened the scoring, and Irish big-man also hit a trey as the Big Cats opened strongly to lead 9-2 at the five minute mark. Krubally – who only played 21 minutes due to foul trouble – made it a nine point game before Capital rallied, and with Wood hitting two of three foul shots after an unnecessary foul from Krubally, they closed the gap to 22-15 at the first break. Chiedozie Offiah, who played a couple of summer league games for Leopards six years ago, opened the second quarter scoring for the visitors but with Krubally converting an and-one, the Big Cats remained comfortably ahead, and a Sharlow free-throw sent them into the locker room 38-31 ahead at half-time. Capital hit the first five points of the second half to make it a two-point game before Sharlow grabbed Marlan Henry’s missed shot and converted a lay-up to double the lead. Krubally kept the lead at four, but Brown made it a one point game at the five minute mark when he sunk a trey before scores from Greenan and Krubally put the Big Cats back in charge as they reached the final break 56-48 ahead. Brown continued to be his side’s main offensive threat as he opened the fourth period scoring, and although Johnson replied, a Jamal Felix basket off Brown’s assist gave Capital the lead for the first time in the game, 59-5 with 6:11 remaining. Offiah doubled that lead from foul line before Greenan levelled the score, and the teams were still level heading into the final 110 seconds. Greenan broke the tie with a single free-throw, only for Felix to do likewise with exactly a minute left. A Josh Clark foul with 44 second left sent Cairns to the line where he coolly sunk both charity shots. Wood missed a three-point effort, and after both sides had called timeouts, the visitors were forced to foul Sharlow. The American point guard hit both free-throws to put Leopards four up, and Johnson grabbed Brown’s missed three-pointer to seal the Big Cats’ win. O Krubally 18, J Sharlow 17, J Johnson 11, L K Cairns 9,Greenan 8, M Henry 5, S Esprit 1, Z Wells, S Dunscombe, R Alexis, M Adomaitis (DNP) 6 January 2011 WITH the re-arrangement of their outstanding home game against Derby Trailblazers, Leopards have plenty of home games in the final six weeks of the season. The Trailblazers game was originally postpone in November due the clubs meeting in the National Cup quarter-final, and will now be played at Barking Abbey on Sunday March 20, tip-off 3.45pm. That means that the Big Cats will be at home in their final five home games of the campaign, and starting on Sunday February 13 when they host Coventry Crusaders at Brentwood, they have a run of seven out of eight games on their own courts – with their only away trip coming when they make the short journey to London Capital. Before that run of games, Leopards return to the Brentwood Centre on Friday evening when Capital are the visitors for a EBL Division One game, while on Sunday January 16 there’s the big National Trophy shoot-out against Brixton Topcats. 6 January 2011 WHILE Leopards Division One men’s team host PAWS London Capital at Brentwood on Friday evening before travelling to Durham Wildcats the following day, their women’s and Division Four teams also return to action after the Christmas break. The women host Leeds Carnegie at Barking Abbey on Sunday lunchtime (1pm), and will be looking to move up the Division One table into a play-off place. The lady Leopards went into the Christmas break in joint fifth place along with Sevenoaks Suns with a 3-5 record. Meanwhile, Chris Straker's Carnegie are fourth in the table with five wins from eight games, and are the only side to have beaten leaders UWIC Archers in the league. Leeds face Sevenoaks on Sunday remain in the south east overnight to face the Leopards. Damian Kennedy’s side travelled to Leeds in November, but it was Carnegie kept a firm hold on fourth place with an 89-76 win. Tina Menz led the home side with 31 points, with Rehana Khalil adding 16, and only missing out on a double-double by a single rebound. Niamh Dwyer – who leads the Division One scoring - had another fine game for Leopards, finishing with 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Christina Gaskin finished with 13 points and a massive 19 boards, while Shequilla Joseph also had a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds. There’s also action at Barking Abbey on Saturday evening (6pm) as BA Leopards host London Westside II. A poor start to the game cost Leopards when they travelled to Westside in October, and 18 points from Lucky Olaniyi weren’t enough to prevent a 68-58 loss. With the older Barking Abbey players involved with the Big Cats’ senior side this season, the young Leopards have struggled and are currently ninth in the table with a 1-7 record – but with Westside only two spots above them, they look to mark their first game for five weeks with a victory. 4 January 2011 LEOPARDS return to the Brentwood Centre for a rare Friday night game this week as local rivals PAWS London Capital are the visitors for an EBL Division One clash. The Big Cats went into the Christmas break laying in fifth spot in the 11-team division, having won tree of their opening five games. However they have games in hand over all of the sides in the top eight. The following day the Big Cats make the long trip to the north east to face Durham for the first time, and wins in both those games would put Mark Clark’s side in a position to push for the league title. Capital and Wildcats currently share third place with four wins from seven games, while only leaders Bristol Academy Flyers have less that the Leopards’ two league defeats. Clark’s team have already faced Capital in Neasdon in a National Trophy game this season, and although they went down 73-56, it was the visitors who picked up the victory after the result was overturned by England Basketball due to incorrect markings on the court. That result kept the Big Cats in the competition, and their key game in the group stage against Brixton Topcats has now been confirmed for Sunday January 16 at the Brentwood Centre. Friday’s game starts at 7.30 pm, and it will give the home fans their first chance to see new American forward Ousman Krubally. 16 December 2010 THERE'S a shootout at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday afternoon as Leopards and Brixton Topcats both look for a place in the National Trophy quarter-finals. Leopards go into the game with one win from three games in the competition, while Brixton have a 2-1 record. A victory for the home side would see them finish level with the Topcats but they would go through on the head-to-head rule – which a victory for Brixton would seal a place in the last eight. Topcats head into the weekend in second place in Division One with a 5-2 record, and reached the National Cup final for the first time last weekend, while the Big Cats are in fourth place in the table with three wins from five games. One of those three league victories came on the first full weekend of Division One action this season, and it proved to be a thriller as a Josh Sharlow buzzer-beating three saw the Big Cats run out 81-78 winners. Karolis Petkus looked to have sent the game into overtime when he drained a three for the Division One leaders with 5.6 seconds remaining, but Leopards coach Mark Clark called a timeout and Leopards ran the play he had drawn up perfectly before Sharlow buried the triple from the top of the key. Keelan Cairns scored all his points from downtown as he led the Big Cats with 15 points, while Borja Pintor Henningsen added 14, Simeon Esprit 12 and Sharlow 11. The Topcats were led by 20 points from Armand Anebo, with Petkus adding 15. The game will see the return to Brentwood of former Leopards favourite Sam Salter who played for the Big Cats between 2005 and 2008 and scored the free-throws that clinched the 2005/6 National Cup. The veteran shooting guard is looking forward to returning to his old club: “I’m excited about the game, and really looking forward to getting back in to the gym at Brentwood and seeing some old faces. Obviously I’m looking for a victory and an early Christmas present, but it’ll be good to see everyone again.”Topcats coach Andy Powlesland is also excited about the London derby: “I am looking forward to the match-up with Leopards to see if we can continue our winning streak and to avenge our only home defeat of the season so far. “The game in October was a great example of English basketball and went down to the wire with Leopards winning on the buzzer. Since that game I have Arturo Noha back healthy and we have picked up Marcus Knight. “I also understand that Leopards have signed a second American in a position that will provide an excellent challenge for the likes of Armand Anebo and David Ajumobi. The game also now has meaning for both teams since the reversal of leopards defeat at London Capital and a win to progress would see us face Reading in the quarter-final.” With Brixton returning to the top flight after an 11 year absence, it will be only the second meeting between the teams – although they did play a series of scrimmages during the last two seasons. That only competitive game between the two sides came in the National Cup quarter-finals last November, and after a tight first period it was the hometown Leopards who powered to a 95-73 victory. Leigh Greenan led the way with 24 points and 18 rebounds as a Leopards side missing leading scorer Carl Latham-Henry due to a back injury reached the final four for the second time in their history. Five of the Big Cats eight man squad finished in double figures, with former Topcat Ronnie Baker hitting 21, Ignazio De Ferrari 18, Chris Michaelides 12 and Marlan Henry 11. The home side did a good job of keeping veteran point guard Paul Mundy-Castle quiet, limiting him to just nine points off three from 15 field goal shooting, with Avelino Antonio leading the Brixton scoring 18. Petkes added 17 for the visitors, with Tom Adorian scoring 14 despite struggling with foul trouble. The game was won on the boards as Leopards out-rebounded the visitors 47-27, and they also out-shot Brixton from both inside and outside the arc. 15 December 2010 THE Big Cats' women's team, Barking Abbey Leopards, made it a winning weekend for the club with a 73-64 win at Brixton Topcats on Sunday. Coach Damien Kennedy was a happy man after his side ended their losing streak: “It was good to get the win” he said. “we played well for long periods and also had stretches where we were not great, allowing Brixton the get back into the game. We were able to dig in coming down the stretch to close out the game.” Nimah Dwyer opened the scoring on her way to a team-high 23 points, and with Chantel Charles hitting seven straight points, the Leopards scored the first seven points of the game before taking a 20-14 lead into the first break. A Millie Watkins basket took that lead up to 13 two minutes into the second period and the closest Brixton came was with 13 seconds of the half when Ijeoma Ofomata made it 34-29 before Dwyer hit a buzzer-beating trey to stretch Leopards’ advantage to 39-29 going into the locker room. Watkins made it a 21 point game after three minutes of the third period, but the home side fought back and Tereza Prouzova made it a ten point game going into the final break as the sides split 38 third quarter points. The home side didn’t give up without a fight, and Ofomata made it a one point game with 1:51 on the clock when she scored from downtown. But that was the last time the Topcats troubled the scorer as Rosie Hynes and Chanel Lassman both hit three-pointers as Leopards held on to move up to fifth in the table. Ofomata was the only Topcat in double figures with 25 points, with Lavinia Da Silva and Prouzova each adding nine. Watkins finished with 11 for Leopards, with Hynes chipping in with ten. 12 December 2010 LEOPARDS have strengthened their roster with the addition of American forward Ousman Krubally. The 22-year-old signed in time for Saturday’s trip to Leicester Warriors, and joins the Big Cats after an impressive career at Georgia State. Last season saw him finish as Georgia State's top rebounder with 5.7 boards per game and averaged seven points per game to rank fifth on the team. He had 11 double-figure scoring games, including five double-doubles on the season and scored in double figures in six of the final eight games, averaging 10.5 ppg and 5.9 rpg for that stretch. The 6’6” forward stated 11 games during the season, including the last six, and finished his season with a career-high 19 points against Hofstra in the CAA tournament first round. He had career-high 16 points and 11 rebounds against Delaware, and was Georgia State's nominee for the CAA's Dean Ehlers Leadership Award. Leopards coach Mark Clark is delighted with his new signing: “Ousman is a great fit for us, and we’ve added a great athlete who really compliments the players from the academy . “His experience at Georgia State will really help the young players, and I am expecting Ousman to give us a presence on the boards and add real energy to our defence.” The addition of Krubally means that the Big Cats have two imports in action for the first time since April 2007, and with nine home league games after Christmas they will be looking to push up the EBL Division One table. The Leopards fans will get their first chance to see Ousman in action on Sunday December 19 when the Big Cats host Brixton Topcats in a must-win National Trophy game at the Brentwood Centre, tip-off 4pm. 9 December 2010 LEOPARDS coach Mark Clark has stressed the importance of a good start as his team travel to Leicester Warriors, on Saturday. The Big Cats last played on Saturday November 20, and Clark is conscious of the long break: “It’s important after the two week gap to be ready to play minute one” he said. “We need to show the same spirit in the away wins at Reading and Brixton if we are to beat a good Leicester line up who have showed they are competitive in the league.” Meanwhile, Leopards are sweating on The Royal Mail’s ability to deliver a letter inside 24 hours as they hope to field a new signing at Leicester on Saturday. They hope to have an American forward registered in time for the trip to the Midlands having completed his paperwork on Thursday afternoon. “Mark and the other coaches are really excited about the signing” said general manager Dave Ryan. “We’ve sent the forms by next day delivery, and hopefully they’ll be with England Basketball by Friday. We’ve done everything we can to get things moving, and it’ll be a massive boost if we go into the game on Saturday with two imports for the first time since April 2007.” The lady Leopards also return to action this weekend, visiting Brixton Topcats on Sunday afternoon. Both sides go into the game needing a victory, with Leopards in sixth place having won two of their seven games and Brixton sevens with a 1-5 record. The opening day meeting saw Nimah Dwyer poured in 31 points to lead the young Leopards to a 76-56 victory. A tight first period saw Leopards go into the opening break 17-16 ahead but they blew the game open with a 20-10 second quarter to lead by 11 going into the locker room. A 20-16 third stanza saw that lead grow to 57-42 at the final break before they wrapped things up with a 19-14 fourth period. Maisie Elston added nine points and Rosie Hines eight in a balanced Leopards offence, while the Topcats were led by 19 points from Prouzova, with James the only other player in double figures on ten.After a week off, Leopards coach Damien Kennedy [pictured] is looking forward to returning to action: “The break has given us the chance to get everyone healthy and ready to go.“Brixton have improved since our first meeting, so it’s going to be hugely important that we are ready to play right from the tip.” 6 December 2010 AFTER a two week break Leopards return to action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Leicester Warriors. The Big Cats’ period of inactivity has seen them slide down to sixth place in the Division One table, but they have games in hand over all of the sides ahead of them, and only leaders Bristol Academy Flyers have lost less games than Mark Clark’s team. They will face a Warriors side who are a place below them in the table with two wins from five games, and like Leopards they departed from the National Cup at the quarter-final stage. The teams met for the first time last season, with Warriors winning both match-ups. The visitors were unable to build on a good start at Leicester as they went down to a 92-85 defeat when the sides first met in November. The Big Cats held a double digit lead with three first half minutes remaining, but eventually found the hosts’ strength-in-depth too much to handle. Carl Latham-Henry again led Leopards, finishing with 27 points, while Leigh Greenan hit 18 despite suffering from foul trouble and Ignazio De Ferrari added 15. Warriors were led by 21 Tyler Kathan points, with MD Janiska adding 20 and Joe Reynoso 15. In the return Leopards’ relegation fears were increased as Warriors never looked back after scoring the first seven points, and won 92-84 at Brentwood. To make matter worse for the Big Cats, Laurent Irish was ejected 23 seconds before half-time after a seemingly innocuous tangle with Warriors’ Ramiah O’Neill. Once again it was Latham-Henry who led the way for Leopards with 32 points and five assists in 36 minutes, while Greenan added 15 points, 14 rebound and four blocks and Jonny Wright hit two treys on his way to ten points. American forward Kathan led the visitors with 26 points, with Emile Hopkins (16) and Reyoso (11) completing the Warriors’ scoring. Warriors coach Karl Brown will be a familiar face for long-term fans of the Leopards having played for the original Big Cats in their first two seasons. The Big Cats return to Brentwood on Sunday December 19 when they host Brixton Topcats in a National Trophy and while it is a group stage game it’s a do or die game for both teams with the winner progressing to the quarter-finals. 29 November 2010 WHILE the Big Cats' men's team were enjoying the weekend off, Leopards women were in action on Saturday, but couldn’t snap a four game losing streak as highly-rated Nottingham Wildcats defeated them 74-55 at Barking Abbey. A low scoring first period saw Wildcats open a 13-10 lead, but they took control in the second quarter to lead 39-24 at half-time. That lead grew to 59-40 at the final break before the sides shared 30 fourth period points. Nimah Dwyer was held to a season-low 15 points, while Shequilla Joseph added 13 and Lana Doran nine. Meanwhile, it was also a disappointing weekend for Leopards’ young Division Four side as they slipped to two heavy defeats. They visited high-flying Canary Wharf Baltic Staff on Saturday, and suffered a 112-61 hammering. They were 23-12 down at the first break, but the game was effectively over by half-time with the hosts leading 56-26. A 29-11 third period ended any hopes of a comeback before the home side wrapped things up with a 27-24 final period. Lucky Olaniyi top scored for the Big Cats with 17 points, with Ryan Alexis adding 14 and Mantas Adomaitis ten. On Sunday they made the short trip to Newham (NASSA) Neptunes, and despite a good first half they went down 73-52. The Big Cats led 16-13 at the first break, and the sides went into the locker room tied for the half-time break tied at 26. The home side pulled away to lead 50-42 at the final break before wrapping things up with a 23-10 fourth period. Olaniyi again led Leopards with 21 points, but was the only player in double figures with Alexis adding nine. 25 November 2010 LEOPARDS’ women’s team will look to end a four game losing run when they host second placed Nottingham Wildcats at Barking Abbey on Saturday evening – tip-off 7 pm. The Wildcats have won four of their first five league games this season and have also progressed to the National Cup semi-finals where they will meet Leeds Carnegie. Meanwhile, Leopards have slipped down the table to fifth place with a 2-4 record, and will aim to bounce back after going out of the National Cup at City of Sheffield Hatters on Saturday. Leopards coach Damien Kennedy is hopeful his side can return to their winning form of early season: “We’re looking forward to the visit of Nottingham on Saturday. They have put together a very deep and talented roster this season and are highly favoured to be in the running for silverware. “We were 'in' both games last weekend going into the final minutes - we made some mistakes which we didn't have the experience to recover from, and both Leeds and Sheffield punished us for that. “We need to be aggressive and decisive at both ends against Nottingham - they have great size so rebounding is going to be especially crucial. We must dominate our own glass and be active on the offensive boards on Saturday night.” Wildcats certainly enjoyed their trip to Barking last year, winning 91-58, but were made to fight all the way to complete a double before grinding out a 73-69 victory. The game sees two of the division’s top scorers face each other, with Leopards’ Niamh Dwyer topping the table with 23 points per game, and Wildcats’ Phynique Allen fourth with 17.7ppg. Dwyer is also leading the assists table with six per game and is converting 91 percent of her free-throws as well as picking up nine rebounds per game. Nottingham coach Phil Waghorn is looking to build on last week’s successful weekend: “After two good results from our double header weekend last week we expect another tough game at the week. “Barking have the league’s current top scorer in Niamh Dwyer and as with [Ta'Yani] Clark last weekend any time a team has a player of high shot making ability it can carry a team through periods of the game when team mates may be struggling to score. “We showed continued improvement at both ends of the floor last week and will be looking for much the same this weekend. To this point we have had some good offensive balance and if we are to continue climbing up the table we will need that to carry on.” 22 November 2010 THERE was double disappointment for the Lady Leopards as they went down to a pair of losses in Yorkshire. As part of a double-header with the met at Leeds on Saturday they suffered their fourth league loss of the season, 89-76 against Carnegie, before exiting the National Cup with an 81-63 loss at holders City of Sheffield Hatters, on Sunday. Niamh Dwyer had another fine game for the Big Cats at Leeds, finishing with 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Christina Gaskin finished with 13 points and a massive 19 boards, while Shequilla Joseph also had a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds. A Dwyer trey saw them level the score at 22-22 going into the final minute of the first period, but Leeds scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 26-22 ahead at the first break after Dwyer’s buzzer-beater rimmed out. The home side extended that lead to eight points midway through the second period before Dwyer led a 9-1 run to tie the game at 38. A last second basket put Leeds 44-41 ahead at half-time, and a tight third period saw a switch to a zone defence work well for the visitors before a buzzer-beating trey saw Carnegie stretch that lead to 65-60 at the final break. A Gaskin trey took the margin down to 67-63, but that was as close as they got as Leeds pulled away late in the game. At Sheffield, the Big Cats were 24-11 down at the first break and 39-29 at half-time before a strong third period saw the visitors outscore the Hatters 22-15 the make it 54-51 going into the final break. That good Leopards run continued as they tied the game with six minutes remaining before Hatters stepped up and dominated the final stages to progress to the semi-final. Dwyer again led the way with 21 points, with Joseph adding 11 and Chantel Charles (pictured) ten for a Leopards team who were without two starters for their games over the weekend. Leopards host Nottingham Wildcats at Barking Abbey on Saturday evening, tip-off 7 pm. 18 November 2010 LEOPARDS face the team who are level in fourth place with them in EBL Division One when they travel to Leeds Carnegie University on Saturday. Leeds’ 90-79 loss against Manchester Magic saw their nine game winning streak in all competitions come to an end, while Leopards picked up their second league win in three games with a strong fourth period performance before slipping out of the National Cup with a three-point loss against Derby Trailblazers the following day. Leopards’ coach Mark Clark is looking for his side to bounce back after that Cup exit: “Obviously we want to take advantage that they are coming off a difficult loss against Manchester. If we can start well that will give us the advantage for what will be a difficult away game. “I thought we played well in both games last win, a good win at Reading and I didn’t think we played badly against Derby. Derby’s record doesn’t reflect our good they are we want to start well, so I was still pleased with how we are progressing. That game against Derby could’ve gone either way, and I thought it was good example of the level of Division One. It was disappointing for us and the crowd, but we want to bounce back and get the win at Leeds.” The teams met for the first time last season, with the home side winning on each occasion. A strong fourth period set Leopards up for their first Division One victory of the season when they defeated Carnegie 71-58 at the Brentwood Centre in mid November. The Big Cats outscored a Leeds side
previously unbeaten in the league 28-12 in the final
quarter to move up to ninth in the table. Carl
Latham-Henry led the Leopards’ scoring for the
seventh time this season with 22 points, adding six
rebounds and four assists. Ignazio De Ferrari added 13
points and an impressive seven blocks, while Marlan Henry
finished with 11 points and Leigh Greenan [pictured]
had a ten point, 15 rebound double-double. American pair Adrian Fenyn (24) and Mike Medved (19) scored the bulk of Leeds’ points. Three months later, undermanned Leopards team found high-flying Leeds too strong as went down 93-72 in Leeds. With De Ferrari, Henry and Francesco Rinaldi all unavailable and Sam Richardson out with a broken thumb, coach Jon Burnell was again forced to name himself as eighth man, and despite a reasonable start the visitors never looked like avoiding defeat. Latham-Henry was again Leopards’ leading scorer with 24 points, with Greenan finishing with 21 and Laurent Irish 15. American pair Mike Medved (24) and Adrian Fenyn (22) lead Leeds as they went back joint top of the table (albeit for less than 24 hours) while Herczeg added 13. Greenan opened the scoring, and five points from Latham-Henry kept Leopards ahead, 7-6 after three minutes of action. However, that was as good as it got for them as a Fenyn put-back started an 8-0 Leeds run, and they never trailed again 18 November 2010 LEOPARDS women’s team face a weekend on the road with two vital games in Yorkshire this week. On Saturday they travel to Leeds Carnegie for a league game that gives fans of the Big Cats the chance to see them in action prior to the men’s game, while on Sunday they face City of Sheffield Hatters in the National Cup quarter-final. Carnegie have split their first four games, while the Big Cats have a 2-3 record after suffering a pair of losses last weekend. Leeds won 87-71 when the sides met in Leeds last season, but Abbey gained revenge with an 81-63 success in east London when they clashed in February. “It’s another double header weekend to look forward to” said Leopards coach Damien Kennedy. “We played poorly against Sevenoaks last Saturday night - we lacked urgency and decisiveness at both ends of the floor and were duly punished by Sevenoaks. While our performance on Sunday against UWIC was not at the level technically that we would like, it was certainly an improvement. “We look forward to visiting Leeds on Saturday - it is important that we start well and control the tempo from the tip. Leeds are well coached and are a tough team - it should be a great game.” After watching the men in action against Carnegie, Leopards will move on to Sheffield, and stay overnight before facing Hatters on Sunday afternoon. Vanessa Ellis’ Hatters team have won the competition in the last two seasons and have lifted the Cup on no fewer than 13 occasions. The Big Cats will aiming for revenge after their 92-63 loss in Barking when the teams met in Division One a month ago. The Naylor sisters combined for 59 points as Hatters made short work of the young Leopards, edging the first period 20- before blowing into a 52-30 lead with a dominant second quarter. Leopards chipped a point off the deficit in the third stanza, but Sheffield wrapped things up with a 22-14 final period. Niamh Dwyer led Barking for the third straight game with 24 points, with Christina Gaskin adding eight and Anne Marie Powell six. Sarah Taylor chipped with 17 for the visitors. Leopards coach Damien Kennedy is looking forward to the second half of Leopards’ weekend double in Yorkshire: “On Sunday we play for a spot in the cup semi final. It’s a great game to look forward to. “We played Sheffield earlier in the season and were taught a lesson by coach Ellis' team. It is an opportunity for us to see how far we have come in that time. These games are always special, Sundays should be no different.” As holders, Hatters received a bye in the first round before hammering Leicester Riders 85-21 on their own court in the second round. Leopards have also made comfortable progress, winning 89-35 at Hertfordshire Warriors – Oaklands College and 93-15 at home against Newham (NASSA) All Stars. Hatters recorded two comfortable when the sides met in the league last season, 83-50 on the road and 71-38 at home, but the young Barking team nearly caused an upset in the play-off semi-final before Hatters sneaked through 62-59. Rose Mason was the difference between the two teams as she took over in the fourth period, finishing with 23 points and six rebounds as Hatters reached the title game for the 19th straight season. Helen Naylor added 14 points for Sheffield, but it was Barking Abbey's Natalie Stafford who led all scorers with 24 points. Ella Clark finished with 13 points and as many rebounds, while Harriett Yea was a rebound shy of also getting a double-double having scored ten points. 15 November 2010 BARKING Abbey Leopards suffered double disappointment as they went down to a pair of defeats in Women’s Division One over the weekend. The lady Leopards lost 74-56 at Sevenoaks Suns on Saturday before league leaders UWIC Archers defeated them 64-55 at Brentwood Sunday lunchtime. Led by Great Britain international Rose Mason’s 20 points, Suns outscored the Big Cats 23-19 and 23-10 in the first two quarters to lead by 17 at half-time, and they took that advantage out to 63-40 at the final break. Leopards did win the final period 16-11, but it was too late to prevent Suns’ first win of the season. Lewis added 15 for Suns with Renee Busch chipping in with 13 points, while Dwyer hit 22 for Leopards and Christina Gaskin finished with ten. The following day was much more encouraging for Damien Kennedy’s team as Archers were made to fight all of the way before they overcame a stubborn Leopards team. The visitors led 19-17 at the first break but were pegged back to 29-29 at half-time. The home side led by five midway through the third period, but Archers fought back to lead 43-40 at the final break and eventually sealed things from the foul line as they outscored the visitors 21-15 in the fourth quarter. Kate Butters led the visitors with 17 points, with Aurelie Durand adding 13 and Nicki Avery 12. Nimah Dwyer again led Leopards with 19 points, with Millie Watkins adding ten. 11 November 2010 LEOPARDS and Derby Trailblazers go head-to-head in the National Cup at Brentwood on Sunday as they both look to become the first side to reach this season’s semi-final. Both teams reached the semi-final last season, with Leopards losing to Manchester Magic and Derby going down against eventual winners Bristol Academy Flyers. The Big Cats reached the quarter-final for a fourth straight season with a 100-65 victory against Hackney White Heat in a game switched to their second court at Barking Abbey before a crowd of over 1,000 at Brentwood saw them edge a thriller 72-69 against Westminster Warriors. Both of Derby’s wins in this season’s competition have come on the road, with Wellingborough hammered 10-60 in the second round before Sheffield Arrows were beaten 81-51 in the last 16. Leopards coach Mark Clark is excited about the prospect of reaching the semi-final: “It’s the cup the most historic trophy in English basketball. I hope we get another 1000+ crowd to help us get to a semi final. “Derby have great experience with ex leopard Stedroy Baker and some exiting young players so it will tough As long as we show spirit as a group we will be confident.” In contrast, Trailblazers coach Jamie Maudsley isn’t concerned about the game being a cup-tie, and is just looking for a victory: “The cup is no different to any other game. Whether it’s the cup, the trophy, the league, we just want to win games. Leopards are a really well coached side and their coach has got a lot of experience. They’ve got some fantastic young players that they’re giving court time to which is great for English basketball, they’ve got some solid veterans too and they’ve got a decent American, so they’re a tough proposition. “It’s going to be an interesting game. We’ve not done too well the last few times we’ve been down there, so we’ll have to see what we can do. Personally, I don’t think past results will play a part, because they’re a new set up this season, with a lot of new players and a new coach so it shouldn’t be about anyone bearing grudges. “The opening few weeks of this season have been a difficult transition for us. I’m asking different things of some of the players from what they were doing last season, so although we’ve got a lot of guys that were here last year, they’re performing different roles and it takes time to adjust. “As for Leopards, we’ve seen them play and we’ve got some tape of them in action, so once again it’ll will be about trying to prepare as well as possible and then to turn that preparation into a win when we get on the court at Brentwood.” Despite Leopards failing to reach the play-offs for the first time in their six year history last season, the Big Cats did manage to inflict one of championship Derby’s five league defeats on them when they won a tight game 69-65 at the Brentwood Centre in November. The Big Cats led from the fourth
minute of the game against a Trailblazers team who had
gone into the weekend with ten straight wins under their
belts. Veteran point guard Ronnie Baker finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Marlan Henry added ten points. Martyn Gayle led Derby with 16 points, with Mark Woodhouse the only other visitor in double figures with 11. In the return, Leopards were made to pay for a poor start as Trailblazers ran out 100-89 winners. The home side scored the first 18 points of the game, and it took until the 5:36 had elapsed before Carl Latham-Henry put the Big Cats on the scoreboard. Although Jon Burnell’s team outscored Trailblazers during the rest of the game, and were still in with a chance of victory in the final minute, they had left themselves too much to do. Joel Madourie led the hosts with 18 points, with Sam O’Shea adding 15 and Simon Spencer 13. Latham-Henry marked his return from illness by leading the Leopards with 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Marlan Henry (pictured) added 21 points, with Leigh Greenan having an 11 point, 13 rebound double-double, and Lukas Volskis chipped in with ten points. 11 November 2010 LEOPARDS’ women’s team face a tough game on Sunday as they welcome Division One leaders UWIC Archers to Brentwood, tip-off 1pm. Archers have won their first four league games, including an overtime victory against champions City of Sheffield Hatters, while Leopards have a 2-1 record. When they travelled to Cardiff last year the home side ran out 88-76 winners despite 33 points from Natalie Stafford, and Archers completed the double in the return at Barking Abbey with a 73-58 victory. Archers play-caller Damian Jennings is ready for a tough weekend: “"We are looking forward to what will be an extremely tough weekend. Double headers are always a challenge but travelling to Newcastle Saturday to then travel south to Brentwood for Sunday will add to the task in front of us. “The players have raised their game to every challenge thus far and this weekend will be exactly the same." Big Cats coach Damien Kennedy knows the size of the task facing his young side at Brentwood: “Sunday doesn't get any easier against UWIC at Brentwood. The last undefeated team in league will come to us after a great win against Sheffield last week. “They will also be on the back end of a double header weekend so conditioning will be a huge factor. Playing smart and decisive basketball under pressure will be key against UWIC. We will have to do an excellent job of taking care of the ball against their relentless full court pressure defence. If we are able to do that, we'll give ourselves a chance.” The Big Cats are also in action on Saturday when they made the short trip to Sevenoaks to face the Suns. Suns are the other Division One teams still searching for their first league win after three games, but having added GB internationals Rose Mason and Harriett Yea (a former Abbey player) it looks only a matter of time before they pick up that first win. Sevenoaks knocked Leopards out of the Cup last season, but the Big Cats side gained revenge in the league with an 85-54 home victory and a 70-43 road win in Kent. Leopards coach Damian Kennedy expects a tough road test in Kent: “We start the weekend with a trip to Sevenoaks on Saturday. Sevenoaks are very dangerous, with one of the most talented and experienced rosters in the league. “They have lost all three league games so far this season by seven points or less and will be ready to fight all the way on Saturday to pick up that elusive first win. We need to make sure it doesn't happen on Saturday night by matching their intensity at both ends while taking care of the ball.” 11 November 2010 LEOPARDS will meet old rivals Reading Rockets for the second time this season at Rivermead on Saturday, with EBL Division One points at stake. The two sides clashed at the Brentwood Centre in National Trophy action in late September, and visitors Rockets produced a commanding performance on their way to an 83-54 start to the season. Leopards coach Mark Clark is hoping for a better performance from his team when they meet the Rockets again: “Reading are always a tough opponent, but we are better than the trophy meeting and have been able to prepare properly for, so we want to put last weeks defeat behind us and perform as a group as we know we can.” Rockets go into the game having beaten Manchester Magic in their opening Division One game of the season last week, while Leopards have split their open two league games. Rockets coach Samit Nuruzade was delighted to get off the mark in the league: "I was really pleased with our victory over Manchester. It is always a tough place to go and win and I'm delighted we were able to do so early on in the season. Offensively we certainly weren't at our best but it was clear we had learnt from our defeat to London United as we had one of our best games defensively of the season. “We also showed good spirit in overcoming a ten point deficit and I expect that fight and determination to carry forward into this weekend's games. We now need to start getting consistent performances out of every player and I feel we are heading in the right direction in terms of development for each one of our guys. “Double header weekends are always tough but it is good we have two games at home. We are expecting two difficult encounters but I will be asking the same from my players again and I feel if we get that we can come out with two wins." Rockets performance analyst Ben Fisher watched Leopards’ home defeat against Bristol Academy Flyers and saw signs of improvement from when Reading last played the London side: "Leopards are much improved from our first encounter of the season and we expect a much sterner test this time around. The addition of American point guard Josh Sharlow has really helped them in terms of stability and leadership and has added another offensive threat. He can also hit game winners like he did against Brixton! “He has been complemented by the signing of Borja Pinta Henningsen who is starting to also make his mark. What is great about their set-up is that they are similar to us in that they are developing young English talent and we will need to be aware of the threats posed by players such as Leigh Greenan, Simeon Espirit, Josh Owen-Thomas and recently added Fola Adeleke but to name a few. They didn't have a good start and finish to their last game against Bristol, however, they showed glimpses of what they can do and we will certainly have to be aware of that going into Saturday." 8 November 2010 LEOPARDS are now joint second in women’s Division One after a 70-53 victory at Team Northumbria on Saturday. Leopards coach Damien Kennedy was delighted with his side’s victory in the north east: “We played really well, and all 12 girls contributed and had a positive influence at both ends of the floor” he said. “We did an outstanding job on [Ta'Yani] Clark, she’s averaging close to 30 points and nine offensive rebounds – we kept her down to 16 points and she didn’t get a single board at our end. We kept the other American down to 14 points, and the pair of them are Northumbria’s focal point on offence. The younger English girls did a great job defensively, and that was our best performance of the season. Nimah Dwyer led all scorers with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the visitors – agonisingly missing a triple-double by a single assist as well as collecting a couple of steals. Christina Gaskin also finished with a double-double of 11 points and 12 boards, while Shequila Joseph pulled down nine rebounds to go with her ten points. Clark had 17 defensive rebounds and six assists to go with her 17 points, while Kristen London (14) and Zoe Vickers completed the Northumbria top scorers. Dwyer scored the first four points of the game, and a pair of Rosie Hynes free-throw put the visitors 6-0 up, but a pair of Clark free-throws tied the game at 11 going into the final three minutes of the period. The home side closed out the first period on a 7-1 run to lead 20-14, but Hynes drained a trey to halve that advantage early in the second period. Gaskin gave Leopards the lead again with 4:27 on the clock, and they never trailed again as they went into the locker room leading 34-28 after a Gaskin basket. London cut that lead to four with a pair from the charity stripe to open the second half, but the closest the home got was when Vickers scored a basket with 7:17 on the clock. But Joseph hit a three off a Dwyer assist to 9-1 run, and the Big Cats went into the final break 51-41 ahead. The visitors scored the first six points of the final period to stretch that lead to 16, and Northumbria never got closer than 12 points as the London side made the long trip home with the league points. 5 November 2010 NOT content with victories against Brixton Topcats and Westminster Warriors in the last couple of weeks, Leopards completed a hat-trick of victories against London sides on Wednesday – without shooting the ball! The Big Cats were given a 20-0 walkover against PAWS London Capital after their cross-town rivals failed to set a date for the replayed National Trophy tie. The original game finished in a 73-56 defeat for the Big Cats, but England Basketball ordered the game to be replayed after Leopards protested that the court was incorrectly marked out. However, Capital failed to agree a date for the game, and Leopards have now been given a walkover. “It’s not how we want to win games, we were happy to replay it - we actually like playing basketball!” said general manager Dave Ryan. “But it puts us back in the Trophy, and hopefully we’ll make the most of the reprieve.” Leopards will now face Brixton Topcats – who also received a walkover against Capital after they failed to get their players signed in time for the opening game of the season - in the final group game, with the winner of the tie progressing to the quarters. The game will take place at Brentwood on Sunday December 19 – tip-off 4 pm. 5 November 2010 BRISTOL Academy Flyers' coach Andreas Kapoulas expects a tough game as his side prepare to face the Leopards at Barking Abbey on Saturday. “The Leopards game will be a big challenge for us. They are a very well coached team and over the last few weeks they have gathered plenty of experience playing at the Division One. They will be tough especially as they are playing at their home court. Winning away from home is about concentration, consistency and toughness. It will be very useful for our coaching staff to see how our players will respond this weekend. “Last weekend was very good for our club. Getting a place in the National Cup quarter-finals and having the opportunity to defend our title is a target that we discussed with the team at the start of the year. We are improving every week and defensively we are a lot further than where we were last year. Both games last weekend it was our defence that created offence by keeping our opponents below 50 points and under 40% shooting from the field which was very pleasing to see. “At the moment it’s very important to remain focused and keep working hard in practices to improve our team game. “ The action at Barking Abbey starts at 7 pm, and Leopards will be boosted by the news that new signing Fola Adeleke is fit for the game. The guard/forward re-signed for the Big Cats a fortnight ago, but an ankle injury has kept him out of the victories against Brixton Topcats and Westminster Warriors. Adeleke was a key member of the all-British Leopards team which finished fifth in Division One in 2007/8, reaching the quarter-finals of the National Cup and play-offs in the process. 4 November 2010 BA London Leopards v Bristol
Academy Flyers TWO sides with perfect league records, albeit with only three games played between, them meet at Barking Abbey on Saturday as BA London Leopards host Bristol Academy Flyers. Flyers go into the game with a 2-0 record, while Leopards are also undefeated in Division One action – winning their only game so far at Brixton Topcats. Both teams also progressed in the National Cup last week, with Leopards winning a tight game against Westminster Warriors, while Flyers hammered Plymouth Marjon. The sides have already met in the West Country this season, and a poor display from the Leopards saw them go down 82-63. Flyers recovered from a poor start to overcome Leopards and now face Reading next Sunday knowing a win will give them top spot and a bye to the semi-finals. The Big Cats rushed into a 16-1 lead, but then allowed the home side back into the game as never recovered the momentum. Clark gave debuts to American point guard Josh Sharlow and big Spaniard Borger Pintor Henningsen, with the former finishing with 11 points and an impressive eight assists while the latter struggled with foul trouble but showed flashes of his potential late in the game. Leopards' Simeon Esprit had an excellent game on the way to a 15 point haul, with Leigh Greenan also scoring 15. Bristol were led by 20 points from young English guard Tyrone Treasure, with Doug McLaughlin-Williams adding 18 and Enrique Garcia adding 15. However, with two successive wins under their belts, Mark Clark’s team will look to continue their steady improvement on Saturday, and the Leopards’ coach is looking forward to seeing how his side are developing: “Playing Bristol so quickly after the Trophy game gives us a chance to see how far we have come over the last three weeks” he said. “I believe we have developed. The Bristol game was Josh Sharlow’s first EB game and he had only been in the country a matter of days so as he has developed his role the team has developed. Our cup win was not the best we have played but it did show that we remained composed under pressure. While we did not shoot well last week we did not force things too much and have improved in how we take care of the basketball.” Clark expects the Flyers to provide tough opposition: “Bristol will be a tough test they have continuity in their programme from last year and they have started well so their confidence will be high. They are a well coached very cohesive unit and have developed their tempo and way of playing. To perform well on the weekend we have to play at our tempo. If we do that then we will perform better than the Trophy game. The result will then take care of itself.” In contrast to October’s game , the two meetings between the teams last season resulted in the away side going home happy. In December, seven man Leopards returned from Bristol with what proved to be their only away league victory of the season, with a 90-85 success. With leading scorer Carl Latham-Henry missing with a back injury, it was big men Leigh Greenan and Ignazio De Ferrari who did most of the damage for Leopards, finishing with 28 and 27 points respectively, while Ronnie Baker led the team superbly and finished with 17 points. Doug McLaughlin-Williams led the Flyers with 27 points, with Greg Street finishing on 18. The return was also tight, but this time the short-handed Big Cats could not hang on as they went down 83-79 at Barking Abbey. The hosts had led by as many as 17 points midway through the third period, but with a depleted squad, they noticeably tired during the final 15 minutes as Flyers escaped with the victory. With Latham-Henry again missing, Greenan led the Big Cats scoring for the seventh time this season, finishing with 26 points. Marlan Henry and Lukas Volskis also stepped up, finishing with 21 and 20 points respectively, but with no points coming from the bench. Leopards’ lack of strength in depth was clear to see. Tyronne Treasure led Flyers with 23, with Streete adding 15, Daivs Bowne 11 and Asa Waite 10. 4 November 2010 LEOPARDS’ ladies team make the long trip to the north east on Saturday afternoon to face Team Northumbria in EBL Women’s Division One. The Big Cats go into the game with a 1-1 record having beaten Brixton before suffering a heavy home defeat against champions City of Sheffield Hatters, and recorded a massive 93-15 home win against Newham (NAASA) Neptunes in the National Cup on Sunday. Northumbria will be looking for their first victory in three outings this season, including a shock National Cup exit at the hands of Division Two side Durham Bobcats. Leopards coach Damien Kennedy knows his team face a difficult game in the north east: “We face a tough trip away to Northumbria on Saturday. They are a tough team, and although they are currently 0-2, they've played highly fancied UWIC and an improving Brixton side away. “We are developing chemistry and consistency week by week and with that comes increased confidence. We will need to be stingy defensively and extremely active on the boards on Saturday. If we do that, while taking care of the basketball and controlling the tempo, the outcome will take care of itself. “ The sides met in the north east exactly a year ago, and 20 points from Zoë Vickers helped Northumbria to a 70-62 victory but Abbey gained revenge in February as Division One MVP Natalie Stafford poured in 40 points to lead them to 73-63 victory. One thing for certain is that the lady Leopards will face a considerably tougher test than last week’s National Cup tie against Newham (NAASA) Neptunes at Brentwood. It clearly wasn’t going to be the visitors’ day as they turned late and at the wrong venue, and when the game got going it quickly became clear that it was a mis-match of epic proportions. Kennedy’s team held the visitors scoreless in the first period, while pouring in 34 points of their own, and while NAASA did score the first basket of the second period, but Leopards replied with 20 straight points to end the game as a contest. Alice Walton led all scorers with 22 points, with Michelle Turner adding 12. The Big Cats will face a considerably tougher test in the quarter-finals as they travel to holders City of Sheffield Hatters on Sunday November 21. 2 November 2010 LEOPARDS' Division One game against Derby Trailblazers, scheduled for Sunday November 14, has now been replaced by the National Cup quarter-final against the same opposition. Tip-off remains at 4 pm, and the Big Cats will be looking to continue their good run which has seen them win their last two games. 28 October 2010 THE Big Cats will be celebrating Halloween during their home game against Westminster Warriors on Sunday. There will be prizes for the scariest costumes, so make sure you dress up to support the Leopards – it would be ghoulish not to! 28
October 2010 IF the Leopards fans get to see a game half as good as the last time their side met Westminster Warriors in the National Cup, they are in for a treat on Sunday afternoon. The sides clash in the last 16 of the competition, tip-off 4 pm, with the game sponsored by Street Team and LG Insurance. The Big Cats are expecting a big crowd for the game, and hope to beat the 700 they had at the Brentwood Centre 18 months ago. The teams met at Leopards old home at Wodson Park in the 2008/9 second round and, arguably the most incredible game at the Ware venue, saw the Big Cats come out 123-118 winners – but only after triple overtime. Badminton games were moved to other courts and a local league game that should have been played across the main court was delayed as a 123-118 thrilling game lasting two and half hours, saw numerous lead changes. It only went to overtime after the home side had scored the final nine points of the game inside 90 seconds. The hero, young point guard Lukas Volskis launched a huge three-pointer with just two seconds left to send the game into overtime. Having seen his side end a three-game losing streak against Division One opposition – although their Trophy game at Capital has since been ordered to be replayed – with a thrilling victory at Brixton last week, Leopards coach Mark Clark wants another good performance from his side: “It’s a Cup game, and obviously winning it is very important to us. We’ll respect Westminster, they’re not dis-similar to Brixton and we need to build our performance last weekend. “They have a lot of experience with Junior Williams as coach and it will be a huge game for them as they have nothing to lose. We need to come up with a quality performance and ensure that we get to the next round.” 28
October 2010 LEOPARDS’ women’s team will finally make their debut at the Brentwood on Sunday when they host Newham (NASSA) Stars in the National Cup second round. The Leopards have won one of their first two Division One games, and reached the second round with an 89-35 crushing of Hertfordshire Warriors, while Stars were given a walkover against London Westside. Big Cats’ coach Damien Kennedy is looking forward to the tie at Brentwood: “We’re really looking forward to our cup game against NASSA. We're coming off the back of a tough loss against a very experienced Hatters team last weekend. “We know we didn’t do ourselves justice with our performance and we will learn and improve from the experience - the girls are raring to go for Sunday’s game. It gives us another opportunity to get better. Cup games are always great occasions and I hope Sunday is no different.” Tip-off at Brentwood is 1 pm, with admission free. 25
October 2010 A week after it appeared that their National Trophy hopes were over, Leopards have been thrown a lifeline after their game at PAWS London Capital was declared void. The Big Cats launched an appeal against the 73-56 defeat as Capital’s court was marked out with the post-2012 court markings – against England Basketball rules – and the Competition Committee have backed them and ordered a replay. Following the London Olympics the three-point line will be moved back half a meter and the lane under the basket will be widened. Although EB are willing to allow clubs to play with the new three-point line, they are insisting that the smaller lane under the basket is also marked out. “We only appealed against the loss because we felt we had a genuine case” said general manager Dave Ryan. “Obviously we’re pleased to be given a second chance, but we did make it clear before the game that we felt the court needed re-marking and this could have all been avoided. “We looked into the rules after the game, and we were surprised that it’s okay to play with the new three point line, but that’s a moot point – we appeal under the rules and we’ll be looking for a victory when we go back to Capital City Academy.” The date of the replayed game has yet to be determined, but it needs to played before the Christmas break. It is the first time since Leopards joined EBL Division One seven years ago that a top flight game has been replayed, but the Big Cats have a reputation for doing something a bit different having seen a league game against Bristol Academy Flyers finish three months after it started to an injury to a player. 25
October 2010 LEOPARDS' women's team found champions City of Sheffield Hatters too tough on Saturday evening as they went down to a 92-63 home loss at Barking Abbey. Great Britain internationals Helen and Sarah Naylor sisters combined for 59 points as the visitors edged the first period 20-15, but blew into a 52-30 lead with a dominant second quarter. Leopards chipped a point off the deficit in the third stanza, but Sheffield wrapped things up with a 22-14 final period. Nimah Dwyer led Barking for the third straight game with 24 points, with Christina Gaskin adding eight and Anne Marie Powell six. Leopards’ B team saw their game at Uxbridge postponed due to problems with the hosts’ court, but they return to action on Saturday night when Ealing are the visitors to Barking. 21
October 2010 Brixton
Topcats v’s BA London Leopards LEOPARDS will look to open their Division One season with a victory on Sunday afternoon when they travel across the capital to in-form Brixton Topcats. Andy Powlesland’s side have won five of their first six games, and opened their league campaign last week with big victories against last season’s top two of Derby Trailblazers and Manchester Magic. In contrast the young Leopards team are still finding their feet as will be looking for their first win against Division One opposition as they open their league campaign. Leopards coach Mark Clark is expecting a tough test in south London, but is hopeful of having an extra player in his squad for Sunday’s game: “Brixton are probably the team that has started the season better than any other” he said. “They’re back in Division One and have gone back to traditional Brixton basketball. All 12 players play and play hard they are relentless in the pressure they put you under and they are never out of a game as the game at Derby showed. “They are well coached with Andy and Paul bringing both good coaching experience and a real understanding of what has made Brixton successful in the past. “We have to take care of the basketball and continue to build on the good parts of the performances in the last two Trophy games. For period we have shown we can compete we need to play for the full 40 minutes “We should have Fola Adeleke with us on Sunday. The former Leopard and Barking Abbey student forward will be attending Junior College in the States and his intensity will give us a lift defensively.” Adeleke was a key member of the all-British Leopards team which finished fifth in Division One in 2007/8, reaching the quarter-finals of the National Cup and play-offs in the process. The game will see Topcats’ shooting guard Sam Salter facing his old side, having been a fan favourite with the Leopards supporters. Salter sunk the free-throws which helped Leopards win the 2005/6 National Cup with a 79-75 victory against Reading Rockets, and spent three full seasons with the Big Cats - including a spell as assistant coach – before taking a break from the game early in 2008/9 campaign. There is another link between the two sides as Topcats’ player-assistant coach Paul Mundy-Castle was a member of the original Leopards team that won the BBL title in 1997. Powlsland is excited about Sunday’s London derby: “I am looking forward to the game; Leopards are a team we know quite well from previous seasons with practise scrimmage games and the National Cup fixture last year. “I see the key players for Leopards being Marlon Henry and Leigh Greenan and I will be working in practise to limit the impact these guys can have on the game. Leopards have had a poor start to the season and I hope we can pile on more misery in this first league encounter. “I know they are still looking to bring in an import player or scorer, but as a young team I think they will only get better under the tutelage of Mark Clark and I expect a tough game as any London derby should be. “We have picked up a few injuries but I have a deep squad and cover at every position which is needed now as our University BUCS games start on Wednesday. Paul Mundy-Castle will be out for a few weeks after a knee injury at the weekend, I have Arturto Noha recovering from a broken finger and Papa Demba Kasse in rehab after an operation on a knee injury he picked up in pre-season, when I have a full healthy squad picking the 12 will be very difficult indeed.” With Brixton returning to the top flight after an 11 year absence, it will be only the second meeting between the teams – although they did play a series of scrimmages during the last two seasons. That only competitive game between the two sides came in the National Cup quarter-finals last November, and after a tight first period it was the hometown Leopards who powered to a 95-73 victory. Leigh Greenan led the way with 24 points and 18 rebounds as a Leopards side missing leading scorer Carl Latham-Henry due to a back injury reached the final four for the second time in their history. Five of the Big Cats eight man squad finished in double figures, with former Topcat Ronnie Baker hitting 21, Ignazio De Ferrari 18, Chris Michaelides 12 and Marlan Henry 11. The home side did a good job of keeping veteran point guard Mundy-Castle quiet, limiting him to just nine points off three from 15 field goal shooting, with Avelino Antonio leading the Brixton scoring 18. Karolis Petkes added 17 for the visitors, with Tom Adorian scoring 14 despite struggling with foul trouble. The game was won on the boards as Leopards out-rebounded the visitors 47-27, and they also out-shot Brixton from both inside and outside the arc. 21
October 2010 LEOPARDS players have been busy in the east London community over the last few weeks as the Big Cats’ Hoops 4 Health programme has proved a great success in its opening phase. “It has been a real pleasure to work with the London Leopards players to deliver the exciting Hoops 4 Health programme into schools in Barking, Dagenham and Redbridge” said Leopards H4H Administrator Ian Mitchell. “To say that we have had a rapturous reception is an understatement. The Hoops 4 Health two hour roadshows have been very well received not only by the children and but the teachers as well. Feedback from the schools has been very positive with all schools rating the programme as excellent.” Key healthy living messages are delivered in an interactive way which promotes both learning and enjoyment whilst ensuring that the children get every opportunity to take part in fitness routines and basketball skills and drills, leaving them wanting more. Kate O’Riordan of Churchfield’s Primary School in Redbridge commented “Many thanks for another successful session yesterday, the children really enjoyed the roadshow” Jo Peters of Marks Gate Primary School in Romford added “There was great organisation and implementation, the children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed themselves and lots of interactive learning took place. The players were food role models for the children” Leopards’ players Leigh Greenan, Josh Sharlow and Marlan Henry along with assistant coach Rikki Broadmore have been delivering the project to 32 classes across the two London boroughs. The next phase of the project is to deliver six hours of quality coaching to all the classes enrolled with the Leopards coaches particularly looking forward to harnessing the overwhelming enthusiasm for basketball experienced during the Road Shows. The culmination of the project is the Hoops 4 Health tournament which will take place at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday 19th December when participating schools will compete for the Hoops 4 Health Trophy. 21
October 2010 LEOPARDS women's team will be aiming to upset perennial champions City of Sheffield Hatters when they return to action at Barking Abbey on Saturday, tip-off 7 pm. The Hatters are the most successful club in British basketball history, are aiming for a fifth straight league title. Both sides recorded victories in last weekend’s opening games, with Hatters surviving a scare against Sevenoaks Suns to win 80-72 while Leopards hammered London rivals Brixton Topcats 76-56. Hatters recorded two comfortable victory against Abbey last season, 83-50 on the road and 71-38 at home, but the young Barking team nearly caused an upset in the play-off semi-final before Hatters sneaked through 62-59. Rose Mason was the difference between the two teams as she took over in the fourth period, finishing with 23 points and six rebounds as Hatters reached the title game for the 19th straight season. Helen Naylor added 14 points for Sheffield, but it was Barking Abbey's Natalie Stafford who led all scorers with 24 points. Ella Clark finished with 13 points and as many rebounds, while Harriett Yea was a rebound shy of also getting a double-double having scored ten points. Leopards’ new coach Damien Kennedy – who stepped up from running the club’s Division One Four men’s team in the summer – is looking forward to the game against Hatters: “We face a very tough Sheffield Hatters team on Saturday” he said. “Sheffield are a powerhouse in English women’s basketball. They are an experienced team, excellently coached by Vanessa Ellis; and have been the measuring stick for everybody else in recent years. “For us, Saturday’s game is an opportunity to progress and improve on last week’s performance against Brixton. It is an opportunity for our less experienced players to gain more 'live' minutes at this level, against one of the more talented rosters in the league. For us to compete we need to play intelligent and aggressive basketball at both ends of the floor for 40 minutes.” Leopards Division Four side are also in action on Saturday evening, travelling to an Uxbridge College Emperors side who opened their league campaign last week with a 126-71 road with at Southgate Academical Lions. 18
October 2010 THERE were mixed results for Leopards women’s and men’s Division Four side on Saturday with the Big Cats picking up one win from two games at Barking Abbey. The women’s team host cross-town rivals Brixton Topcats and led by 31 points from Niamh Dwyer they coasted to a 76-56 victory. A tight first period saw Leopards go into the opening break 17-16 ahead but they blew the game open with a 20-10 second quarter to lead by 11 going into the locker room. A 20-16 third stanza saw that lead grow to 57-42 at the final break before they wrapped things up with a 19-14 fourth period. Maisie Elston added nine points and Rose Hinds eight in a balanced Leopards offence, while the Topcats were led by 19 poinst from Prouzova, with James the only other player in double figures on ten. The lady Leopards face a tougher test next week when they host league and National Cup champions City of Sheffield Hatters at Barking Abbey, tip-off 7pm. Meanwhile, the young Leopards Division Four team fell just short in their comeback against Southend Scorpions as they went down 78-76. The Little Cats had trailed 30-23 at the first break before going into the half-time break trailing 51-30. But Dejan Mihevc’s team fought back in the third period as they outscored the visitors 26-14 to trail by only nine going into the fourth period. That form continued in the final stanza as the hosts won the period 20-13, but it proved just too little too late. Dominc Norton led the way with 24 points, with Sam Dunscombe adding 18 and Ryan Alexis 12. Mihevc and his team travel to Uxbridge College Emperors on Saturday. 13
October 2010 LEOPARDS travel to Capital City Academy on Saturday night looking to keep their National Trophy hopes alive on Saturday evening. Neither team has a Trophy victory to their name this season, with both clubs having lost to Bristol Academy Flyers and Reading Rockets, but with Capital having also lost to Brixton Topcats their interest in the competition is over. Leopards can still reach the knockout stage, though they would need to beat both Capital and Topcats – and realistically need Reading Rockets to beat Bristol. With Capital having spent the last three seasons in the BBL, the only time the teams have met was in September 2009 when Capital edged a tight pre-season friendly 78-75. The Big Cats made light of a poor start to run their higher division opponents close, and were still in with a chance of forcing overtime with six seconds remaining. Leigh Greenan led Leopards’ scoring for the first time, with 19 points, a total equalled by American trialist Sly Brooks. The two sides last met competitively in the 2006/7 season, and Capital – under the coaching of former Leopard Pete Deppisch – proved to be a bogey team for the Big Cats as they won five of the six games against them, including dumping them out of the National Cup and play-offs. 11
October 2010 LEOPARDS coach Mark Clark was happy with his new look team as they bounced back from defeat at Bristol in the National Trophy to hammer Hackney White Heat 100-65 on Sunday. “It was a good weekend for us" he said. "We showed in first part of game at Bristol that we have guys who can play at this level. We struggled a bit to adjust but Bristol played well, and deserved the win. It was a good learning opportunity on the floor and gave us the opportunity to give a lot of minutes for Josh Sharlow which is important. “We came out on Sunday and Hackney gave us some problems early in the game, so we had to adjust on the floor. Again we gave Josh some major minutes, and we talked at half-time about the guards needing to be an offensive threat. “Borja [Pintor Henningsen] came off the bench as Leigh [Greenan] was struggling and he really gave us energy, but everyone contributed which is encouraging. “We have a long way to go, and we might have to make some additions, but there’s two reason for doing this. One as a is to be competitive on the floor and we’re starting to do that, and two - as a programme – it enables our best young players to play at the right level. We’re starting to achieve what we set out to do.” The win means that Leopards will face Westminster Warriors in the third round at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday October 31. Leopards make the short trip to PAWS London Capital on Saturday looking for the win to keep their interest in the National Trophy alive. 8
October 2010 LEOPARDS Director of Basketball Mark Clark is ready for a tough weekend as the Big Cats look to get back on track in the National Trophy and progress in the National Cup. Clark’s side travel to Bristol Academy Flyers in the Trophy on Saturday before facing Hackney White Heat in the National on Sunday (4 pm) in a tie that has been switched to Barking Abbey. “As a whole it’s a tough weekend for us, with a trip to Bristol – which is always a tough place to win – and a cup game on the back end of it” he said. “The Cup game is one that we have to win, because there’s no second chances, but having Josh available to play for us will definitely help." “We expect to be better than our last game, and that’s how we are approaching things in the first few weeks of the season. We’ll see where we are at the start of the league season, as we need to be as competitive as possible when Division One gets underway.” One other piece of news for the men’s first team is that the National Trophy game at PAWS London Capital on Saturday, October 16 will now tip off at 6 pm. The Big Cats’ women’s team, Barking Abbey Leopards, are also in National Cup action on Saturday as they travel to, another side returning to the EBL after a two year break, Oaklands College Hertfordshire Warriors, with the winner hosting either London Westside or Newham (NASSA) Stars. Barking Abbey Leopards are now coached by Damian Kennedy, but there will be a key player missing from their ranks as Great Britain international Natalie Stafford has returned to Australia. Stafford helped Barking Abbey to fifth place in Division One last season, winning the player-of-the-year and top scorer awards in the process, and went on to help Team GB qualify for the EuroBasket finals for the first time. However a change of personal circumstances means she has returned to Australia, but is expected to still be available for EuroBasket 2011. Clark coached her last season, and is disappointed to see her leave: “It was great to have Natalie with us for a year, and it worked out really well for GB as they’ve added a player to the programme who will help them. She liked being with us, and we’re all disappointed that she couldn’t spend another year or two with us. But we wish her all the best with Sydney Kings this season.” 6
October 2010 LEOPARDS have been given a boost ahead of Sunday’s National Cup game against Hackney White Heat with the news that the tie has been switched to Barking Abbey. White Heat had problems getting a booking at their Queensbridge Sports Centre venue, so the game will take place at Barking with a 4 pm tip-off. “It’s good news for us” said general manager Dave Ryan. “The guys practice there every day, and know the rims, so it can only help us.” The Big Cats will be giving a debut to American point guard Josh Sharlow, and a victory will see them host either Westminster Warriors or Hemel Storm at Brentwood on Sunday, October 31. 5
October 2010 LEOPARDS will be looking to make progress in two different competitions over the weekend as they resume playing after a week off. The Big Cats travel to Bristol Academy Flyers in the National Trophy group stage on Saturday before facing Hackney White Heat at Barking in the National Cup second round the following day. Mark Clark’s team will give debuts to American point guard Josh Sharlow and Spanish forward Borja Pintor Henningsen on Saturday as they look to bounce back from their loss at home against Reading Rockets in their opening Trophy game. Bristol go into the game as the only unbeaten team in the five team group, having followed up their home win against Brixton Topcats with a victory at London Capital on Saturday. Andreas Kapoulas has kept the core of his team from last year, including American pair Doug McLaughlin-Williams and Davis Bown as well as young British player Tyronne Treasure, but the Big Cats have a good record at Filton College. Their 90-85 victory there last season was their only away league win of the campaign, and the previous year they won there in both the league and Trophy. White Heat opened the season with a 72-49 hammering of Portsmouth on Saturday, and the teams met at the same stage of last season’s competition with the Big Cats making hard work of a 76-57 victory on their way to the semi-finals. Leopards’ women’s team also start their National Cup campaign on Saturday when they travel to Hertfordshire to face Division Two newcomers Oaklands College - Hertfordshire Warriors with the winners hosting either London Westside or Newham Stars in the second round. A strong fourth period proved key for the Big Cats Division Four team, Barking Abbey Leopards, on Saturday as they opened their season with an 89-73 home victory against London Feltham Warriors. Dejan Mihevc’s team outscored the visitors 28-14 in the final stanza to wrap up the win. Lucky Olaniyi led the way with 18 points, with Zac Wells and Dominic Norton each adding 15 points. They return to action on Saturday evening with a trip to London Westside II. 27
September 2010 LEOPARDS still have lots of work to do following their 83-54 home loss against Reading Rockets on Sunday. With American point guard Josh Sharlow still in The States, and other signings to follow, it was a young Leopards team who faced Rockets in their opening National Trophy game at the Brentwood Centre. “We’re still a long way from the finished article”, said general manager Dave Ryan. “By the time we return to Brentwood in five weeks we’ll definitely have Josh, and we’re also looking at adding two other senior players. “That’ll change the whole dynamics of the team, and give us some more experience. The kids did well, and it was good to see that Friday’s rush to get Keelan Cairns’ international clearance was worthwhile, we just need to give them a bit of help.” Marlan Henry, the team’s veteran at 27, led the scoring with 14 points, while Simeon Espirit and Cairns each added nine points – the former also pulling down nine rebounds. The Big Cats had no answer to Rockets’ American Niko Scott who led all scorers with 28 points in just 24 minutes, with Louis Sayers and Matt Guymon each adding ten points. Espirit opened the scoring with a pair from the foul line, and scores from Henry and Cairns helped Leopards into a 7-4 lead after four minutes of action. But Scott gave notice of what was to come with eight straight points as Rockets grabbed a lead they would never lose, and despite Cairns and Henry both scoring treys, the visitors led 24-19 at the first break. Espirit again opened the scoring in the second period, and a Josh Owen-Thomas trey made it a two-point game before Scott capped a 13-2 run with five points to put Rockets into a double-digit lead. The visitors closed out the half strongly with the final 12-0 run, with Junior Jack hitting a pair of treys – including a buzzer beater – to send his team into the locker room leading 53-30. Matt Gymon opened the second half scoring for Reading, and although Espirit hit four points in a 6-0 run, Leopards were never able to get the margin below 20 as four Sayers points put Reading 71-42 up at the final break. An 8-2 run early in the fourth period sparked by Dominic Norton did give the home fans something to cheer about but Reading comfortably held on for the victory and the Leopards’ coaching staff will be looking to strengthen their squad before returning to action on October 9 at Bristol. Leopards: M Henry 14, S Espirit 9, K Cairns 9, L Greenan 8, J Johnson 5, D Norton 4, J Owen-Thomas 3, L Annan 2, S Dunscombe, M Adomaitis, Z Wells, D Akibo (DNP) 25
September 2010 LEOPARDS have received a boost ahead of Sunday's National Trophy opener against Reading Rockets with the news that Keelan Cairns has received clearance to play in the game. The 6'10" power forward played for Belfast Star last season, and Leopards spent all of Friday frantically trying to get international clearance for him to play at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday. The news came through that Cairns was cleared at 6 pm on Friday, and assistant coach Lloyd Gardner was delighted with the news: "It's great for us" he said. "We really need Keelan to give us some extra size and to provide back-up for Leigh [Greenan]." Sunday's action at Brentwood starts, with Keelan and the rest of the team, tipping off at 4 pm. Don't miss it! 24
September 2010 AS they prepare for their seventh season in EBL Division One, Leopards have announced their roster for the 2010/11 campaign. Head coach Mark Clark still hopes to add a senior big man, with a Spanish player due to come on trial next week, but unlike last season when the Big Cats struggled for numbers, there is plenty of depth in the roster. Former England junior international Leigh Greenan returns for his fourth straight year with Leopards, and the seven foot tall centre is now working for the club’s Hoops 4 Health policy as well as training ever y day at Barking Abbey. Shooting guard Marlan Henry is the only player to return from last year and will provide some veteran leadership for our young side. American point guard Josh Sharlow becomes Leopards’ first import player since the 2008/9 season, but the won’t be the only Josh in the backcourt as the Big Cats have added Josh Owen-Thomas and Josh Johnson. Carshalton born Owen-Thomas (pictured) started for England under-18s over the summer and averaged 11.1 points in 29 minutes for the national team over the summer, shooting over 45% on his 35 three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Leopards have fought off interest from Spain and several BBL clubs to add Johnson, who played for Barking Abbey last season. David Akibo and Dominic Norton both travelled to Estonia for the under-16 European Championship this summer. Akibo was unfortunate to suffer and injury that ruled him out of the tournament, but shooting guard Norton averaged 6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals in 25 minutes for England, and poured in 15 points in the victory against Ireland. Meanwhile Keelan Cairns can look Greenan in the eye, and joins the Big Cats from Belfast Star, while Simeon Espirit joins up with the Leopards after turning down another London club. The full Leopards roster is as follows: 4.
Dominic Norton 23
September 2010 THEY may be old rivals, having met on 21 occasions over the last six years, but Leopards and Rockets will both have new looks when they meet at the Brentwood Centre, on Sunday. Both clubs have new coaches, with Mark Clark taking charge at the home side and Samit Nuruzade is now the Rockets coach. The teams have also undergone major changes, with only Leigh Greenan and Marlan Henry returning after a disappointing 2009/10 season for the Leopards which saw them miss out on the play-offs for the first time. While the new-look Leopards are built around talented young players at Barking Abby Academy, they have added American point guard Josh Sharlow to their roster, and hope to have him available for Sunday’s game. One piece of good news for the Big Cats this week is that talented youngster Josh Johnson (pictured) has committed to the club having attracted attention from both abroad and at several BBL clubs. Sunday’s visitors have also undergone changes during the summer, with Samit Nuruzade becoming their fourth head coach in three years. They have certainly been busy in the transfer marked, with American Niko Scott and English point guard Matt Guymon snatched from under the noses of Manchester Magic and Plymouth Raiders respectively. Rockets won three of the four games between the sides last season, so we’ll be looking to improve that record. Rockets performance analyst Ben Fisher is expecting a tough game at Brentwood: “The Leopards are a team we know well and an organisation that are very similar to us in that they are really looking to develop young English talent, now under the guidance of Mark Clark. Like us, we know they have a young team that has some experience in the form of Leigh Greenan and Marlan Henry. “The addition of American point guard Josh Sharlow will definitely help them and bring some much needed experience and guidance to their ranks and we will have to be very wary of the threats he possesses." 20
September 2010 LEOPARDS have added American point guard Josh Sharlow to their roster ahead of Sunday’s season-opener against Reading Rockets at the Brentwood Centre. The 25-year-old joins from Saint Lawrence University in New York State where he was one of the college’s most successful players ever. The 6’ 1” point guard is excited to be joining the Big Cats: “I'm very excited about playing for the Leopards!” he said. “To have the opportunity to travel overseas and continue to play basketball is something I have always wanted to do, and I look forward to spending the next several months in England. I've heard great things about London and I'm excited to just start playing and doing whatever I can to help the club win!” “Josh is a tremendous playmaker and has the ability to make everyone around him better," said SLU coach Chris Downs. "We couldn't be more proud of him and look forward to him buying a bunch of Leopards t-shirts for the guys back here in the states...Go Big Cats!" Sharlow had an excellent four-year career at SLU, making an immediate impact as a first-year point guard and earning Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. He led the Saints to four straight Liberty League Tournament appearances and three straight regular season titles. Under his leadership, the Saints held an overall conference record of 46-11 (.804) and made three NCAA tournament appearances. The New York native earned second team All-Conference honors in 2008 and first team All-Conference honors in 2009 while also being named to the NABC All East Region second team. While captaining the 2010 squad, he closed out his final season recording career totals of 1,044 points, 492 rebounds, and 468 assists. He earned Liberty League Player of the Year honors and was named to the 2010 State Farm Division III All-America Second Team - the sixth in program history. “We’re really excited about signing Josh” said general manager Dave Ryan. “The coaching staff have worked hard to ensure that we get the right kind of player, who will gel with our young team and understand the challenges that will bring.” Sharlow becomes the first player that Leopards have signed straight out of the American college since the 2006/7 season, and he will work in the club’s Hoops 4 Health community scheme which sees the club providing basketball coaching and healthy living advice in Barking and Havering. The Big Cats hope to have him in the country in time for Sunday’s National Trophy game against Reading Rockets, which tips off at 4pm. Rockets also have a new coach in Samit Nuruzade, and having completed a hat-trick of Trophy victories between 2007 and 2009 they will want to get back to winning ways after an indifferent 2009/10 season. 13
September 2010 LEOPARDS women made a successful start to the season as they won all five games at the Bristol Storm tournament. They faced Leicester in their opening game, and despite having only had a one minute warm-up they won by 20 points. Great
Britain international Harriet Yea joined up with the team
for the second game, and poured in four treys in a game
that Leopards won by 50 points. There was a renewal of the old Leopards/Towers rivalry in the semi-final and Yea again led the scoring with 17 points as the Big Cats recorded a 76-50 victory. Glasgow were Leopards’ opponents in the final and it took a stunning fourth period comeback for the Big Cats to take the trophy. Poor defensive work and the inability to hit a shot meant that Leopards trailed by 15 going into the final period, but Yea and Masie Elston started to convert from downtown and they ran out 80-75 winners. Yea finished with 21 points. Alice Walton played tough defence the whole tournament while Watkins and Shaquilla Joseph grabbed a lot of boards. Rosie Hynes played well at the point and did a good job attacking the basket and getting a lot of assists, while Chantel Charles played good defence as well as scoring well in transition. Two new girls Michelle Turner and Lana Doran played really well coming off the bench, scoring in most of the games and playing good defence. 13
September 2010 LEOPARDS coach Mark Clark was pleased with his side's performances despite seeing them lose both of their pre-season friendlies over the weekend. Leopards’ season opened with a 74-56 defeat against a strong looking Team USA Select side at Brentwood, on Friday, while two days later they were beaten 94-55 by BBL play-off champions Mersey Tigers. “It’s been a really good start, it shows the level guys have to work at, and I’m pleased with how it went” said Clark. “We’ve played two good groups and gives us a marker to where we currently are. We can go back to work on Monday, and start getting better. The young guys showed what they can do, and when we add some older guys we’ll be better. We were a lot better on Sunday than Friday and we need to keep on improving.” Against Tigers, England junior international Josh Owen-Thomas led the way with 12 points and Josh Johnson added 11 against Tigers side containing two GB internationals and two current England players. Leigh Greenan gave the Big Cats the lead with a pair of free-throws, and scores from Henry and Owen-Thomas kept them ahead before a 10-0 run capped by England captain James Jones gave Tigers a lead they would never lose. The visitors led 29-15 at the first break, and although Zac Wells opened the second period scoring, a seven minute scoring drought saw Tigers reel off 21 points to lead 50-17. Owen-Thomas finally broke the run, and with Simeon Espirit hitting four points, Leopards cut the deficit to 66-31 at half-time. Leopards started the second half strongly as Owen-Thomas hit five points in a 12-2 run, and the hosts won the period 13-10 to trail 76-44 at the final break. With the game being held up following a collision between Greenan and referee Bob Bhania, Leopards couldn’t maintain that form in the fourth period, but there definite signs of improvement from Friday’s game. Leopards now have a pair of training games before opening their National Trophy campaign on Sunday September 26 when Reading Rockets are the visitors to the Brentwood Centre. 11
September 2010 LEOPARDS’ season opened with a defeat against a strong looking Team USA Select side at Brentwood, on Friday as they went down 56-74. With 20-year-old Leigh Greenan the Big Cats’ second oldest player, it was a youthful home side who took to the floor, but with two senior players still to join up with Mark Clark’s team there were plenty of positives for the Leopards. Greenan finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 19 points, while Marlan Henry added 13 points, four rebounds and two steals with Josh Johnson chipping in with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists. Eddie Marrs led the visitors with 17 points, five boards and four steals, with Jarvis Hill and Devon Carter each adding 13 points, and the latter pulling down five rebounds. The Big Cats out-rebounded the Select team 39-30, but struggled offensively and also turned the ball over 23 times. Greenan opened the scoring with a three-point play, and a tight first period saw the visitors go into the second quarter with a 23-21 lead. They never gave up that advantage as a 13-0 run saw USA take control of the game, and they went into locker room with a 42-28 lead. A low scoring third period saw the visitors shade it 10-8 to lead by 16 at the final break, and they wrapped things up with a 22-20 fourth stanza. Leopards continue their pre-season warm-up when BBL play-off champions Mersey Tigers visit Barking Abbey on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is 4 pm, with admission by programme priced at £2. Photo courtesy of www.essexsportsagency.com 8
September 2010 IF you would like to receive regular news updates, fixture news and results from the Big Cats, a mailing list form will be available to fill in at Leopards home game against Team USA Select at Brentwood on Friday. Your details will remain confidential to the Leopards organisation and as such will not be passed to any third party. On completion, your form will be entered into a special Leopards prize draw! The form will also be available at the Barking Abbey game against BBL play-off champions Mersey Tigers on Sunday, 12 September, tip-off 4 pm. Admission is just £2. 7
September 2010 AS Leopards prepare for their opening weekend of pre-season games, the Big Cats have announced that centre Leigh Greenan will be returning for his fourth season with the club. The 7 foot former England junior international has been a key part of the Big Cats team since signing for the club at the start of the 2007/8 campaign. The 20-year-old led Leopards’ scoring on nine occasions last season, and is widely regarded as one of EBL Division One’s leading big men. “It’s great to have Leigh back again” said general manager Dave Ryan. “We’re looking for him to have a big season, he has a lot of experience at this level now and has played close to 100 games for us.” Greenan will work for the Leopards in their Hoops 4 Health community scheme which sees the Big Cats providing basketball coaching with practical healthy living advice for children over the age of 10 years old in the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge with the eventual aim of producing health conscious, talented, basketball players. Another player returning to the club is shooting guard Marlan Henry, with the Big Cats due to announce the name of their new American guard next week. Greenan and the rest of the Leopards open their season with a tough pair of home games this weekend. On Friday evening they host touring team USA Select at Brentwood, with the action starting at 7.30 pm. It will be the third time the teams have met, with both the previous two having seen the American side come on top in games played at Capital City Academy in Neasden. They won 78-51 last year and 80-72 in September 2006. To open the season, Leopards are running a “kids for a quid” scheme on Friday with children under-16 admitted for £1. Leopards then visit their other home on Sunday afternoon when they host BBL play-off champions Mersey Tigers, tip-off 4 pm at Barking Abbey. Tony Garbelotto’s team have proved to be the summer’s big spenders with the capture of GB captain Andrew Sullivan and his former international colleague Tafari Toni. Admission on Sunday will be £2. 31
August 2010 LEOPARDS will face Great Britain captain Drew Sullivan when they start their pre-season friendlies next week. The 30-year-old Londoner made a shock switch from BBL champions Newcastle Eagles to Mersey Tigers last week, and will line up for his new club when they face the Big Cats at Barking Abbey on Sunday September 12. That game comes two days after Mark Clark’s team open their season at Brentwood with a game against the Team USA Select touring side. Natalie Stafford, who led Leopards’ women to the Final Four last season, has helped GB women qualify for the EuroBasket finals for the first time. A 77-59 demolition of Germany at Liverpool Echo Arena on Thursday evening saw them book their place in Lithuania next summer, and Stafford scored ten points and dished out four assists despite struggling with foul trouble. She added seven points in a 70-66 loss against Ukraine on Sunday in a game that held little significance for GB as they had already wrapped up top spot in their group. The 33-year-old finished with an average of 9.7 points per game in GB’s six games in the tournament, adding an average of three assists and 2.5 steals. It was her first summer of international basketball having received her British passport six weeks ago and she can now look forward to June’s finals in Poland. GB men also reached next summer’s finals with a 94-85 overtime victory against Bosnia, and former Leopard Dan Clark played his part in a successful season. He was held scoreless in the win against Bosnia, but finished with five points and three rebounds in Sunday’s 75-66 defeat in Ukraine. He finished the eight qualifying games with an average of 9.3 points per game, adding 4.8 rebounds and now looks a certainty for next summer’s finals in Lithuania. 24
August 2010 CHANTEL Charles and Shequila Joseph of the Barking Abbey Leopards women’s team helped England under-16s to their best ever finish at the European Championship B Division last week. Karen Burton’s team made it to the semi-final before losing out to eventual winners Hungary, and eventually finished fourth after a tired performance against Portugal in the bronze medal game. England qualified from their first round group with a come-from-behind victory against Romania and a big win against Macedonia, as well as a loss against eventual finalists Slovakia. A heartbreaking loss against Israel in the first game of the second round was quickly forgotten as they ended Germany’s unbeaten record before hammering Ireland. Bulgaria were beaten 62-58 in the quarter-final before Hungary proved too strong in the last four. Joseph finished as England’s leading scorer with an average of 13.8 points per game including 25 against Portugal in the final game. She was the competition’s seventh highest scorer, adding 4.6 rebounds, two steals and 1.2 assists per game – and still has another year at under-16 level. Charles led the team in assists (3.6 per game) and steals (three per game), adding seven points and 4.2 rebounds per game. The key win against Germany saw her explode for 21 points, seven boards, seven steals and five assists. Meanwhile, senior Leopards’ guard Natalie Stafford has helped Great Britain to the brink of qualification for the Women’s EuroBasket finals as they have won three straight games. Stafford poured in ten points as GB recorded a vital 70-63 victory in Slovak Republic on Monday evening, having scored the same number in last Friday’s 57-49 home win against Ukraine in Guildford. The Australian-born player, who has lived in the UK for seven years, is averaging 10.25 points per game and is leading the team with 3.5 assists per game. Britain host Germany on Thursday before travelling to Ukraine on Sunday, knowing that one win will send them into the finals. Former Leopard Dan Clark continues to play a big part as Britain’s men’ s team also close in on a place in next summer’s EuroBasket finals. The 21-year-old forward had a quiet game in Monday’s 75-56 loss in Macedonia, failing to trouble the scorers but pulling down three rebounds. It was Britain’s first loss in the competition, and they can seal a place in the finals on Thursday when Bosnia are the visitors to Liverpool. Clark is averaging 11.5 points per game, five rebounds and a block. 23
August 2010 LEOPARDS have announced two more pre-season games as they continue their preparations for the 2010/11 basketball season. The Big Cats will open their campaign with a game against Team USA Select at the Brentwood Centre on Friday, 10 September before hosting two games against BBL opposition at Barking Abbey. BBL play-off champions Everton Tigers visit Barking on Sunday, 12 September for what will be the first ever meeting between the two sides. A week later Leopards host old rivals Worthing Thunder who have continued to improve since making the step up to the BBL. “It’s a tough schedule” said newly appointed head coach Mark Clark, “but it will get us ready for the league season, which is the important thing.” Reading Rockets are the visitors to Brentwood when the EBL season gets underway on Sunday, 26 September, with the teams meeting in the National Trophy. 14
August 2010 LEOPARDS are celebrating this week after the news that their application for a grant to run Hoops4Health in East London during the next term has been granted. The Big Cats will visit and provide basketball coaching with practical healthy living advice for children over the age of 10 years old in the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge with the eventual aim of producing health conscious, talented, basketball players. The scheme will allow Leopards to employ two full-time players to work on the community scheme and will enable them to strengthen their team. The Leopards have previously worked on a similar project, but will now be fully responsible for the full operation. “It’s great news for us” said General Manager Dave Ryan. “It enables us to work in the community and increase the club’s profile, as well as helping us improve on the court." “We hope to expand the programme to include the Brentwood area, and are currently looking for a commercial sponsor to help us achieve that. Anyone | |
