Back In The Day!
By Tony Shorey

Tony catches up with Ex-Leopards' Coach

CHRIS PULLEM

1. How did you end up coaching the Leopards?

Bob Donewald and I worked together in the New Jersey Nets organisation and developed a friendship over time. When Bob took his first coaching job in England with Leicester, I started following the BBL closely. Then Bob moved on and asked if I had interest in the position with Riders. I met with a representative from the club in Connecticut but we couldn't work out a deal.

Later, the Worthing job opened and Bob called to see if I had an interest. I did. He immediately called Worthing on my behalf and I took the job. We started the season in fairly good shape, then, after a disagreement with management, I resigned from the position. I was 27 years old at the time and didn't handle the situation properly. It was a decision I would regret for several years.

When Bob left the Leopards for an assistant coaching position with the Charlotte Hornets, we had a long phone conversation. Bob knew I wanted another opportunity to coach in the BBL so he introduced me to Ed and Annie-T Simons. After two or three conversations, we were able to agree to terms. It was an opportunity to coach, in my opinion, the greatest franchise in British Basketball!

2. How did you enjoy your time in England at the Leopards?

My wife Lisa and I talk about our time with Leopards almost every day! The good times were great. The bad times weren't too bad either thanks to dear friends. We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to be associated with Leopards basketball. ...and Ed and Annie-T were amazing!

3. Any memorable Leopards games?

At Chester, the 44 point 4th quarter game. Chester were nearly untouchable that season. Mookie, James Hamilton, Calvin Davis, Pero Cameron, John McCord and Coach Peers were beating everyone soundly. Our game plan was to pound the ball inside off the dribble or pass. when we went down 16 in the 3rd, I was beginning to doubt our strategy...then Mookie fouled out. Next was James, then Calvin. By keeping to our game plan, we were able force Robbie to run his bench which was noticeably weaker than the all-world starting 5. At that point, it was a race against time. We knew they couldn't stop us, but we had to make up an enormous deficit. Thanks to some terrific leadership from our English players, Martin Henlan and Carl Miller and crafty play from Rod Brown, Jason Kimbrough, and Rico Alderson, we were able to get a huge road win!

4. Do you keep in touch with any of the old Leopards?

I kept in touch with Rod Brown, Jason Kimbrough and Ravonte Dantzler for a few years but, unfortunately, we've fallen out of touch. I do keep up with some friends back in England, the Simon family, Dave Ryan, Sean and Lisa Worrall, and you, Tony!

5. Where did you go next after your time at the Leopards?

It was a very difficult decision to leave Leopards. But Lisa and I really wanted to start a family in the USA, so I took a Head Coaching position with Bellarmine University. Soon after, we had our first daughter, Jordana. Our second, Caroline, followed 20 months later.

6. What are you up to now?

I'm an Economic Developer in Kentucky. I have facilitated over $300mm in new development in the past three years. Apart from new development, I work with existing industry to identify opportunities to expand their business and work more efficiently. I also serve on several public policy committees at the state level and have worked as a lobbyist for various initiatives.

I'm not completely detached from basketball. I represent a few players as their agent (I'm the best type of agent...I take ZERO commission!) and hold individual instruction sessions with college athletes during their off season. Next summer, I hope to establish a brand of basketball coaching clinics and skill development camps in the UK starting with the Greater London area. It's a dream of ours to relocate to England some day so I can get back to coaching...but it probably won't happen until I retire!

Tony catches up with Ex-Leopards player

CALVIN FOWLER

1. How did you end up playing for the Leopards?

I was placed through to the Leopards by my college coach, Chris Pullem. He used to coach the Leopards before he came to my university, Bellarmine. Coach Pullem had me send my game film to Jon Burnell, and within a week I had a contract sent to me for a 2 year deal with the Leopards.

2. How did you enjoy your time in England at the Leopards?

I really enjoyed my time in England with the Leopards, I met so many great people, made new friends and got the opportunity to play basketball in a different country, it was an awesome experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life!

3. Any memorable Leopards games?

Every game was a memorable game for me while playing for the Leopards, I played every game like it was my last. It was a job that many of my peers back home in the States wish they had. I never took anything for granted.

4. Do you keep in touch with any Leopards team mates?

I keep in contact with a few of the players. I email Dave Ryan from time to time and give him some insight on some players that I think the Leopards may be interested in. I speak to Duncan Ogilvie, who is currently playing in Spain, quite often.

5. Where did you go next after your time at the Leopards?

After playing for the Leopards, I returned home to finish up my last semester of college. Being in England that season helped me grow not only as a player, but as a man. I realised that basketball was very important to me, but my education was more important. So I went back to take care of some unfinished business.

6. What are you up to now?

I am currently playing basketball in Amman, Jordan right now, I will be sure to keep you all posted on any other moves I make!

Tony catches up with Ex-Leopards Coach

BILLY MIMS

1. How did you end up coaching the Leopards?

In the summer of 1994, I was running a summer basketball camp as the Head Coach at an NCAA DII school, Barry University in Miami, Florida, when I got a telephone call from Barry Dow in London. We had just come off a great season at Barry and my best player, Anthel Hicks, was a 1st Team NCAA DII All-American and pro prospect. Barry was calling to tell me about a new franchise he was helping to start in London and wanted to talk with me about Anthel as a prospect for his team, the Leopards. I did everything I could to sell Anthel to him and spent over an hour on the phone with him. The next day, he called me back to see if I was interested in coaching overseas. He wanted to fly me to London ASAP and interview me for the Leopards head coaching position.

On Friday of that week, as soon as our camp ended, I went straight to Miami International Airport and boarded a flight for England. Barry Dow picked me up at Gatwick early that Saturday morning and took me straight to the Guilford Spectrum to watch a workout of potential English players. After a whirlwind weekend in London, I accepted the job on Sunday night over dinner at Planet Hollywood in Piccadilly Circus with Harvey Goldsmith and Barry Dow. Little did I know just how much that dinner, that night, would change my life!

2. How did you enjoy your time in England at the Leopards?

I loved my time living in London and coaching the Leopards. 1994 to 1999 were probably 5 of the best years ever in my coaching career. We never had a losing season. We won 2 BBL League Titles (the first team to win back-to-back league titles in six years), we won the National Cup once, we returned to the Cup Final once more, and we reached the BBL Final at Wembley once also.

We produced 2 BBL players of the year (Eric Burks and John White), and I was chosen to coach the South squad in the prestigious BBL All-Star game twice by the fans of British basketball (by the way – I believe I’m still the only BBL coach to coach in the All-Star game more than once and never lose, also setting the record for coaching the team to score the most points in BBL All-Star game history!) I have such fond memories of those Leopards teams that I coached, but English basketball and my time at the Leopards brought me something way more important than silverware or championships. I met my wife Lynne one night while dining in Planet Hollywood, our club sponsor for those first few years. We were later married in a fairytale setting in a 1000 year old church in Hythe overlooking the English Channel and my entire Leopards team stood beside me at the wedding! All three of my wonderful children, Courtney, Callie, and Josh were born in England. I have many friends and family still in England, so it will always feel like part of my home to me. Who knows, one day I may return to live there again!

3. Any memorable Leopards games?

I guess one of the most memorable Leopards games I coached would be the great come-from-behind victory over our arch rivals, the Towers, on SKY TV at Wembley Court. We were 20 points down at half-time and our star player Eric Burks was out with an injury. He came out the locker room from half-time in street clothes done for the night. John White took over in the second half and we had a great contribution from two of our English kids late in the game, especially Paul “Cherry” Mundy-Castle.

I also remember winning the National Cup for the first time in 1997 against Sheffield on their own floor. Again we trailed at half-time, but Burks and White were brilliant in the second half and we won the club’s first piece of domestic silverware. How could I ever forget the great win we had in Sheffield over current GB coach Chris Finch and ex-NBA player John Amaechi to claim our second straight BBL title in 1998. Ryan Cuff had been thrown out of the game in very questionable circumstances, but it was Mike DeFoe’s great defense on Amaechi and Robert Youngblood’s resilience that carried us on. Our motto was “RTL – Refuse To Lose” and that night, we practiced what we preached!

4. Are you still in touch with any of the old Leopards?

Yes, I speak often to Eric Burks, whose now the Director of Recreational Sports at my college alma mater, Charleston Southern University. I also talk to Robert Youngblood regularly. He and his wife have bought a home in Orlando not too far away from us, so we get to see them when he’s over here for visits. John White is back in Atlanta, Georgia and we speak every now and then. I also see Karl Brown each year when I return to England in the TV studios working together on the NBA Finals for British Television. My old Leopards assistant coach and close friend, Mark Clark, is doing a great job of developing young English basketball players along with another former Leopards player of mine, Lloyd Gardner at Barking Abbey Academy. I talk to them both regularly with strong regards to recruiting. One of these days, I’m going to get a great English player from them for my team here in Florida!

5. Where did you go next after your time at the Leopards?

From Leopards, I went on to coach another BBL franchise, the Leicester Riders where as fate would have it, my first game in charge at Leicester would be against my old club. In a standing room only Granby Halls, we beat the Leopards and Bob Donewald, the coach who had replaced me. I almost had tears in my eyes prior to tip-off that night as every single Leopards player came over to my Leicester bench and gave me a big hug to welcome me back to the BBL. Eighteen months later, I led Leicester to a double championship season, winning both the 2001 National Cup (again against Donewald and the Leopards with the help of another ex-Leopard, Larry Johnson) and the 2001 BBL Championship at Wembley Arena against Chris Finch and his Sheffield Sharks. I am very proud that those are still the only two trophies ever won by Leicester (the BBL’s oldest club) at the premiership level!

6. What are you up to now?

I am now entering my 5th season as the Head Coach at Florida Tech, an NCAA DII school located in Melbourne, Florida just south of Cocoa Beach and the Kennedy Space Center on the east coast and about 50 miles east of Orlando. Needless to say, my children do love their days out at Disney or Universal Studios. The university is 50 years old here and in my third season, I led the Panthers to only their 5th 20-win season in program history and our highest ever national ranking, #11 in the nation! I have used my time in Europe wisely to help in my recruiting here. Currently our best player is a 6’9” small forward from Pezinok, Slovakia. He plays for the Slovak senior men’s national team, and as a pre-season All-American candidate this year, he is a legitimate NBA prospect. We also have a 6’9” centre from Riga, Latvia, a 6’10” centre from Dublin, Ireland, and a 6’3” guard from Istanbul, Turkey. One day, I’d like to have an English lad here playing for me as well, maybe one developed in the Leopards youth programme! We also return four sophomores who were forced to start last year as freshman due to injuries, and one of them was last year’s Sunshine State Conference “Rookie of the Year.” We start official practice on October 15, and our first game this season will be on Sunday afternoon, November 15. We feel like we have a real good team and can’t wait for the start of the season. You can follow us on the web if you like as we televise most of our games over the internet, www.floridatechsports.com. I will certainly be following the London Leopards all season too. Good luck!!!