Myerscough duo get England nod

AASE athlete Ryan Knowles and our head sports therapist Nick McCarthy will be linking up with England's 'New Horizons' programme this Easter.

The New Horizons programme is a crucial part of England basketball's player pathway and is designed to focus on individual development as well as help prepare players for the next stage of their development.

Ryan having England experience already under his belt is greatly looking forward to the chance 'it's going to be great to get down to camp, I feel I have developed a lot this year at Myerscough and I'm looking forward to putting the hard work I've put in to practice'

Ryan originally from Warrington, made the move to Myerscough after playing for the highly successful Cheshire Wire basketball club and is the first of our students to join up with an England programme.

Nick McCarthy who has worked tirelessly this season in supporting all of our basketball academy athletes had this to say on his roll 'working as part of a national team is a dream come true for me and it's a real honour. The elite environment that England basketball is creating for its players at all age groups is a fantastic platform to work on'

Nick added 'I've been fortunate to work in a high level environment for a few years now, in particular working at Myerscough where we have some great players and elite level coaching staff making the transition to national team level a lot easier'

 

Course leader Neal Hopkins added this 'it is a fantastic opportunity for Ryan and Nick and I know they will do a great job, Ryan has improved significantly during the course of the year and should be proud of his selection - Nick is one of the very best at what he does, he deserves success for the work he puts in'

Nick and Ryan will be heading down to London for camp on the 10th and 11th of April.

 

Myerscough ease past Priestley in the EABL

Myerscough and Preistley met for the second time within a week in the EABL - Myerscough coming off the back of a 50 point win in the previous fixture knew that Priestley were out to put on a far better showing this time round.

 

With this in mind Myerscough attacked the first quarter with total conviction, Andre Gayle netting first for the traveling team, after some early exchanges Myerscough stamped their authority with dunks from Trevor Samuel and Gayle followed by two triples – Priestley struggled with the pace and intensity from the aggressive Myerscough team – the score at the end of the 1^st was 29 – 10 in favour of Myerscough. Chris Bwana finished the quarter with 6 of his game high 9 assists, with Gayle going perfect from deep knocking down 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.

 

Into the second and with Myerscough using the points cushion to rotate the pace eased slightly – Will Shaw making his awaited return for Myerscough knocked down a smart mid-range jumper to push the score out to 37 – 14 5 minutes into the quarter. With Emmanuel Kabengele bossing the boards Priestley struggled to find a break in the quarter, Danny Miller provided Priestley with a glimmer of hope as he began to take advantage of some gaps finding as he found his range. The score at the break 43 – 23 to Myerscough.

 

Into the 3^rd and with Myerscough still rotating – Priestley began to come to life playing some of their best basketball, sitting in a 2,3 zone Priestley made it difficult for Myerscough to get back into rhythm – with the reintroduction of James Harvey Myerscough found their balance and some easy looks inside pushing the lead, which had been cut to 10, back out 13 going into the 4^th.

 

Myerscough turned the screw once again in the 4^th running the break well and nullifying the Priestley offense – Chris Bwana controlled the tempo and with some great hustle plays by Mason Maynard as well as superior rebounding from Trevor Samuel who finished with a game high 18 boards Myerscough pushed the lead back out to 20. The score at the end of the game 69 – 49 in what was game in which Priestley didn’t really recover from the first quarter onslaught.

 

Andre Gayle collected 22 and 8 with Trevor Samuel delivering a huge double double of 14 and 18 rebounds, Montel Dennis chipped in with 12 points and 6 boards.

 

“I thought we played our best basketball of the season in the first quarter” coach Neal Hopkins said after the game, “we moved the ball with pace and purpose, it was a pleasure to watch. Priestley definitely improved on last week’s performance so hats off to them. We have some work to do to prepare for the next few weeks but we are showing some great promise”

 

Myerscough lose out in MABL cup final

The rise of Myerscough through MABL competitions this year has been rapid; for a programme which is only 7 months old MABL has provided a great platform for our junior players who range in age from 16 to 19 to gain vital senior level experience, the cup competition has been the pinnacle of this.

After a hard fought cup campaign in which Myerscough basketball academy who play under partner club Preston Pride’s banner had knocked out teams from all divisions faced off against club rivals Preston Pride 1, who are currently sitting top in the MABL premier league. With both teams knowing all the finer details on one another the game promised to be an interesting one.

The final held at UCLan’s Sir Tom Finney sports centre provided the perfect environment for the all Preston affair.

Phil Hargreaves opened the scoring for Pride 1 and quickly found range to add another two points, Andre Gayle responded for Myerscough netting from deep – in a quarter that was not pretty to watch both team scrapped for points and traded either way. Pride 1 opened up a 5 point cushion at the midpoint in the quarter before Connor Tuxford converted 2 free throws to bring the score back to within 2. Myerscough looked to have found their touch as the time wound down hitting in quick succession to bring the score to 23 – 24 in favour of Pride 1.

With both teams looking more settled the 2^nd quarter scoring was opened by Montel Dennis of Myerscough. A run from Myerscough saw Pride 1 slip back to 9 point deficit and with Myerscough turning the screw and applying extended pressure Pride 1 almost buckled, up stepped Jonny Graham who halted the Myerscough run with back to back triples at a crucial time. Myerscough continued to probe defensively not allowing the opposition to settle into their offense with the game on a knife edge the half finished 42 – 40 in Myerscough’s favour.

Pride punched out a 7 point run to open the 3^rd, Graham Holland and Alex Hodgson doing the damage, this inspired Pride 1 and with back to back threes from Harry Beenham - Myerscough were forced to use a timeout;  with nerves settled and defense in mind Myerscough got the stops they deserved and attempted to chip away at Pride’s 11 point advantage. Andre Gayle repeatedly got to the line but struggled to convert from the charity stripe, Myerscough missed 7 free throws straight, despite this they managed to pull the lead back only trailing by 3 going into the final period.

A slow start by the young team saw Pride once again put together a 11 point run, this within the first 4 minutes of the quarter put Pride 1 in the driving seat, Chris Bwana who had been a revelation for Myerscough pulled back 4 points to make it an 8 point game with 5 minutes to play. Pride 1 made their experience count and knocked down two quick buckets to extend their lead to 12 with 3 minutes left – this margin proved too much for the battling Myerscough side. With the benched emptied and time expiring Pride 1 took the title 73 – 57, the fourth quarter proving fruitless for Myerscough who only mustered 5 points to Pride’s efficient 17.

In what was a hard fought fixture that saw two top teams test each other and was a great advert for the Manchester Area basketball league Pride 1’s age and experience told and they rightly ran out victors.

Chris Bwana hit 14 for Myerscough with Montel Dennis adding a cool 10

Phil Hargreaves picked up the MVP honours after an impressive performance for Pride 1 netting 16 points Graham Holland poured 23 for Pride.

Coach Neal Hopkins said this after the game “both teams fully deserved to be in this final, on this occasion Pride 1 deserved to win – they are a great team who would do very well in National league, I can’t complain at the result at all. Our young lads have come a long way this season and will learn from this game, which is very important to the ethos of our programme. Hats off to the organisers, especially Bob McGilvary for putting on a great event – it was definitely a show case for the talent in MABL”

Dan Gayle interview

Inside MCBA (Myerscough College Basketball Academy) is a feature which will see the coaching staff at the academy contribute regular educational blog posts to the site. We will conduct introductory interviews with each member of the coaching staff which will be published in the coming weeks.


Dan Gayle is 2nd team Coach at Myerscough Basketball Academy.. 

When did you first begin playing basketball?

I started playing when I was around the age of 8/9 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. My mum and I migrated when I was young and to make new friends she signed me up to play in a local club called 'ft Lauderdale Lakers'

How and when did you decide to pursue a career in Coaching?

It was apparent pretty early in my playing 'career' that I wasn't as talented at playing the game as most of my peers, growing up training at Brixton Topcats in the same era as Luol Deng, Matthew Bryant Amaning, Justin Robinson to name a few, it was obvious I wasn't going to be the next big thing. To make matters worse I was also riddled with countless health issues so that kind off pushed me into coaching.
 

 Can you tell us about your base of experience - where have you worked?

At the age of 16/17 I started out as an assistant coach for the London Towers U13's National league team with Aston Smith. I met u18's England head Len Busch at the Towers set up and he had me coach a few junior clubs with him over in Hinchley wood and Walton on thames. I worked at the Guildford Heat for 3 years coaching U18's, Div 3 men, and assisting Creon Raftopoluos. Coached with Surrey Rams headed up by Lekan Popoola, after which I spent 3 season at CBA (Canarias Basketball Academy) under Head coach and Director Rob Orellana.


What are the main differences between basketball in the UK and in Spain?

Although I wasn't coaching in mainland Spain, I learnt a lot from the coaches at the academy and those coaches who briefly visited. The coaches teach continuity, lots of repetition, fundamental movement with and without the ball, work ethic and the importance to repeat all of those things. The main differences I found between the two systems are that in Spain (Europe) the players can play\train within the same system from u10's - senior level and it’s all a part of the same type of play, whereas here I don't believe we do the same. Fundamentals skill development is also big over in Europe, while here in the UK coaches seem to be more focused on getting players to run set offences and winning games.

 What advice would you give to young  coaches who wish to progress up the ranks? 

I'm still a young coach myself, still trying to polish off my repertoire, be known for my philosophy and for producing players. Two big things that's helped me along the way are: Listening and watching, Speaking to other coaches and keeping an open mind. Networking is huge, take as many opportunities as possible and be seen everywhere!

How did you end up at Myerscough?

I came to Myerscough college by networking. I was seeking a new coaching position coming off the end of my time at CBA, while speaking to assistant coach Chris Haslam of Montana State during the off season he told me about a possible coaching opportunity. He mentioned to me that there was a new academy starting at Myerscough and put me in touch with Commander and Chief Neal Hopkins. My self and Neal spoke for a couple of weeks and agreed and shared the same enthusiasm to create and coach an elite basketball program here in the UK... The rest as they say is history.

Myerscough top Priestley in EABL

Myerscough College put on a defensive clinic in their 90 – 43 victory against play-off rivals Priestley College in the North – Sea conference, with the hosts holding Priestley to an 18 point second half.

The first quarter began with both teams trading baskets as Danny Miller opened the scoring for Priestley. An Andre Gayle dunk saw the momentum in the early goings shift toward the home team; Myerscough built on this to put together a 14 point run. A burst of their own from Priestley, including a three as time expired by Sam Hawkins, saw Myerscough take a  23 – 16 lead after the first quarter.

Myerscough heightened their defensive pressure in the second and Chris Bwana made his impact known, hitting 12 points in quick succession off a series of stops. Priestley struggled with the defensive pressure from the home side and only converted on 4 of their 19 attempts from the field in the quarter, Trevor Samuel made his presence felt on the boards collecting 6 of his game high 9 boards in the second period.  The score at the break was 47 – 25 to Myerscough

Danny Miller once again got the scoring started for the travelling side at the beginning of the third, hitting 2 of his 12 points with a nice move to the ring. Myerscough responded with a 9 point run to push the lead out to 56 – 27 with 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd. Montel Dennis then found his range for Myerscough, hitting back to back doubles to push the lead out to 32. A three by James Harvey after a well worked offense on the buzzer saw Myerscough 70-35 at the end of the 3rd quarter. 

Myerscough hit the first points of the 4th with another 3 from James Harvey.  Myerscough converted 5 shots from deep in a row to extend the lead out to 42. With defensive pressure a constant, Priestley’s offensive struggles continued, Earl Russell providing a high point for the away team with a strong baseline dunk. The game lost momentum down the stretch as Myerscough cruised over the finishing line, limiting the away team to just 8 points during the 4th. The game ended 90 – 43 to Myerscough, further boosting the home side’s playoff push.

Trevor Samuel missed out on a double double by 1 board finishing the game with 19 points and 9 rebounds, Andre Gayle netted 16 and added 8 assists whilst Montel Dennis contributed 17 and 7. Sam Hawkins dropped 8 points for Priestley to add to Danny Miller’s 12. Next week the 2 sides will go against each other again with Priestley expected to come back with vengeance.

Coach Neal Hopkins added this after the game ‘I was really impressed with our guys today, Priestley have knocked off some tough teams this year and it was important for us to put in a solid performance, we are looking strong and hungry but we won’t take anything for granted – we are looking forward to next week’

Myerscough blow out Bradford in EABL

Myerscough College ran out to an easy victory on Wednesday afternoon as they blew away North Sea conference rivals Bradford College, boosting their league position ahead of some tough fixtures.

Myerscough punched out to a first quarter lead of 24 – 3 and there wasn’t any looking back as Bradford struggled to convert throughout the game.





Bradford opted for zone defence and had success in slowing down Myerscough’s half-court offense in spells but the lack of an offensive threat saw them go into the half with just 7 points to Myerscough’s 50.

A 19 point burst at the beginning of the third by Myerscough was enough to kill the game off and also saw the tempo slow.

The game ended 91 – 15 in favour of the home side, Trevor Samuel continued his fine form by splashing in 25 points and adding 8 boards whilst Montel Dennis added 15 points.

Coach Neal Hopkins had this to say after the game; "It was important to put in a decent performance today; Bradford sat in a zone and made it hard for us at times, I have to credit them for not giving up and playing hard for the full 40 minutes. It is going to be a tough few weeks for us now with some big fixtures and for sure we are looking forward to them'

Myerscough host Priestley next week and will look to build on their 7 - 1 record.

Myerscough Basketball Open Days

 

Myerscough College Basketball Academy provides the opportunity for prospective students to join us for taster events and open days/ evenings.

Myerscough College will be hosting an Open Evening to showcase our highly successful basketball programme on Monday,  8^th December from 7- 9pm.

If you want to see the campus and get a feel for what the college has to offer why not come along? The event will serve as a great introduction to the college and is a real opportunity to find more about the range of basketball courses available here at Myerscough.

Designed to provide students with the unique opportunity to live and train as professional athletes, the Myerscough Basketball Academy will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of the game, whilst studying towards academic qualifications that are designed to provide the ideal pathway to university level degree courses or the professional world of Basketball.

Course tutors will be present and they can offer you expert guidance on what you can expect from studying at Myerscough College. In addition, you can also chat with staff from our admissions, finance, learning support and student services teams.

No appointments are necessary, you can just turn up on the evening.

We look forward to seeing you!

...........................................................................................................................................................

It will be a great opportunity to meet with our expert staff and gain information and guidance on the academic course and sporting provision here at Myerscough College.

Our open days/ Evenings will include;

·         Academic provision and exit route talks.

·         Player pathway workshops; including information on our AASE programme.

·         Meet and greet with current players.

·         Information and guidance sessions.

·         On court practice sessions.

·         Strength and conditioning tutorials.

·         Injury prevention workshops.

·         A chance to speak with our specialist tutors.

If you are interested in attending please contact Neal Hopkins (nhopkins@myerscough.ac.uk) to register for the day.

Previous open events;

Monday 14th March 2014, 10am - 3pm

For more information on the academy click here, to find out about our 2014 Summer Performance camp click here

Sport Relief: 24 hour basketball challenge

Myerscough College Basketball Academy Coach Dan Gayle is

organising a 24 hour basketball marathon to raise money for Sport Relief.  The event will take place at Myerscough College's sport centre from 12:00pm on Thursday 20th March until 12:00pm on Friday 21st March. 

The event will include:

-Mini Tournaments
-Designated sleeping and recreation rooms
-Refreshments
-Prizes for top scoring and longest standing player

Email: DGayle@myerscough.ac.uk for more information 

Myerscough Basketball Performance Camp

MYERSCOUGH BASKETBALL CAMP

Our 2014 Summer performance camp will run from Sunday 27th July until Friday 1st August at Myerscough College and UCLAN (University of Central Lancashire). Expert professional coaches and trainers will provide players with a week of comprehensive basketball education in a high intensity practice environment.


The philosophy of the camp is centered around individual player development; residential campers will train for around 41 hours across the five days. 35 hours will be spent practicing on court whilst 6 hours will be focused on Strength and Conditioning. Campers will make use of state of the art facilities at UCLAN's Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre and Myerscough's Sport Academy.

Ages: 14-25

Venues: Myerscough College and University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.

Residential - £279

Residential campers will stay on campus at Myerscough College and will have Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Non-Residential - £199

Non-Residential campers will train at UCLAN during the day and will not have any meals provided. They will need to bring a packed lunch and be dropped off and picked up from the university.

(Prices include a Myerscough Basketball reversible top)

Sample day at Camp 

7:30-8:30 Strength and Conditioning

8:30-9.15 Breakfast

Minibus to UCLan

Non-Residential campers arrive

10-12:30 Practice @ UCLan

12:30-13:30 Lunch

13:30-15:30 Practice @ UCLan

15:30-17:30 Practice @ UCLan

Non-Residential campers go home

Minibus to Myerscough

17:30-19:00 Dinner

20:00-21:00 Strength and Conditioning

21:00-22:00 Individual Practice

Coaches at last year's camp included;
-Neal Hopkins (Myerscough Head Coach),
-Tony Garbelotto (MLP Academics Heidelberg Head Coach, German ProA),
-David Aliu and James Jones (Manchester Giants professionals)
-Nick McCarthy (Head Sports Therapist, Myerscough and Manchester Giants)
-Dave Atkinson (North West England and Stockport Falcons)

CLICK HERE to download an application form 

Please note: Places on the camp are strictly limited to 50 and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. 

For updates on the camp keep an eye on our dedicated page on the website and follow our twitter feed

For more information please contact Neal Hopkins (nhopkins@myerscough.ac.uk)

Player highlight videos

Highlight videos for three of the academy's senior players were posted today. Check them out below! 
Contact Neal Hopkins for more information (nhopkins@myerscough.ac.uk)

Trevor Samuel - 6'4 Shooting Guard/Swingman 

James Harvey - 6'0 Point Guard/Shooting Guard




Andre Gayle - 6'4 Shooting Guard

VIDEO: Prowler training

Monday mornings at Myerscough College Basketball Academy..