Pre-season is upon us!

 

Well, pre-season is well and truly upon us and we are fortunate enough to have Coach Tony Garbelotto working with our staff and more importantly athletes during the next 6 weeks.

With a shift in focus moving towards positional specific practices and educational sessions, we are putting in place a six week movement that will allow athletes to gain next level knowledge about the way in which they play the game.

Coach Garbelotto on positional breakdowns

 



With this in mind and in the quest to share good practice we would like to open the doors to any coach/ teacher who would like to sit in and observe our player education sessions (both on and off the court).

Our focus will be around fundamental movement on Monday and Tuesday with positional specific practices on Wednesday and Thursday of each week, this of course broken up with strength and conditioning.

Sessions will include:

- Video analysis (individually and in small groups).
- On court break-down and clinics.
- Specific 'movement' sessions.
- Positional specific practices.
- In class education sessions.
- S+C phase development sessions.

We would also like to extend this invite to any players seeking extra advice and guidance on how to move your game forward particularly during the summer months.

To join us, simply email over and we can arrange a time to suit you.

Email nhopkins@myerscough.ac.uk for more details or to arrange a visit.

Myerscough take Northwest title

 

 

Last Wednesday saw the final competitive home game for Myerscough college. The last game was a top of the table clash between Myerscough and Runshaw in the BCS Northwest league.

The season record between these two teams was 1-1, in the first game Myerscough played Runshaw the team lost by 6 followed by a cup triumph where Myerscough edged out the visitors by 2 within the last 4 seconds of play.

The two teams had previously been scheduled to play on the 2^ndApril but unfortunately this had to be  postponed to a later date. After a long three week Easter break for the home team, the chance to finally set the record straight between the local rivals and take the place at the top of the table had arrived.

Yannick Kabalan, Adam Morris, Edward McNally, Kieran Skeffington, and George Metcalf started.

From the jump ball it was clear that there was nervous energy as Myerscough won the tip and immediately attacked the basket and missed the open score. The visitors weren’t to make the same mistake as they opened the scoring with a fast break bucket. Myerscough’s first two points of the game came in the form of 2 free throws by Adam Morris after a drive to the basket.

With emotions high the home side was over zealous on defence, reaching for the ball, gambling in defensive sets causing Runshaw to make 7 trips to the foul line (6 consecutive). Despite Runshaw scoring 9 of 13 Myerscough managed to do enough on the offensive end to the finish the first quarter up 24-17 - Kieran Skeffington contributing with 8 of his 19 points before the end of the quarter.

After an initial score by Ryan Knowles the second started slowly as both team struggled to find the bottom of the net. Runshaw’s forward A.Ashcroft seemed to knock down any shot he took. Myerscough still struggled to convert only scoring 3 points in the first 4 minutes. Rushed possession, miscommunication and turnovers saw the home side scoreless until Will Shaw managed to knock down the corner 3 to take the score to 30-24 to Myerscough. Although the offense had slowed down Myerscough managed to regain some composer on the defensive end and without fouling kept Runshaw’s to only 16 this quarter, seeing Myerscough take a 41-33 lead into the half.

The third quarter saw Runshaw get out to a 9 point run, forcing a lot of turnovers and converting opportunities. Myerscough used a timeout to try to refocus and regroup but it was to no avail, Runshaw's C. Baldwin and A. Ashcroft seemed to find a rhythm, whilst the lid wouldn't come off the ring for the home team. Myerscough who only managed to score 7 points in the third found themselves down 48-49 to the visitors.

Into the final 10 minutes and for both teams it was all or nothing time. Outside of the 1^rd quarter Myerscough offence had been dormant while defence had been the lynch pin for the home side. Tough defence with poor decision making caused Runshaw to give up an immediate 6 point run and with there primary scoring option (C. Baldwin) in foul problems things were looking good for Myerscough. The dagger came with just over 2 minutes left when a drive by Kieran Skeffington saw Baldwin pick up his 5^th foul. Smart play down the stretch and with Runshaw being unable to convert on any of their attempts Myerscough U17's ran out victors, leading Runshaw 68-57 and overall winners of  BCS Northwest division one.

 

Coach Daniel Gayle said this after the game 'It wasn't pretty but perseverance and hard work enabled the team to grind out the victory. Much respect to Runshaw who have kept us on our toes all season'.

 

Leading scorers:

Myerscough: K. Skeffington  19pts 4 reb 4 Stl, R. Knowles 16pts 5 reb, and Y. Kablan 11 pts 4 reb 4 stls

Runshaw: A.Ashcroft 21pts 8 reb, C.Baldwin 12pts 11 reb

 

The win signifies Myerscough's first BCS regional title only 8 months since the programmes inception.

 

 

Myerscough and Garstang plan a Giant future together

 

 

For the past couple of months athletes and coaches from Myerscough basketball academy have been volunteering their time to a local club (Garstang Giants) who have been quietly building what has become a fantastic place to learn and play basketball.

 

With a strong membership and family feel, Garstang Giants led by Gordon Kidd have established themselves in the local area as the number one place to go for basketball. With this in mind the club also provided a great place for Myerscough staff and athletes to coach the younger generation and gain vital experience.

 

After the excellent work Gordon Kidd has done with Garstang Giants since its inception it is with pleasure that we have been able to get involved with the club and it is with great excitement that we can announce an official partnership between Myerscough College Basketball Academy and Garstang Giants is being launched, this will see the formation of ‘Myerscough and Garstang Giants basketball club’

 

 

This partnership will see more opportunities for local young people to play and give them more exposure to basketball. It will also offer a player pathway from grass route level, onto academy level and hopefully to the world of professional basketball with the Manchester Giants (the academies parent club). From a coaching perspective it allows our academy players to step onto the ladder and pass on their knowledge to the younger generation.

 

Programme leader of basketball studies at Myerscough College Neal Hopkins said ‘this is another massive step forward not only for us as an academy but also for basketball in the local area. Gordon has done a remarkable job and to see sessions with over 30 in attendance is testament to his efforts, you can be sure that we will be putting everything into making sure that the club is a success’

 

Hopkins added ‘the club currently runs sessions for U14s and U16s on a Wednesday evening; we plan on adding an U12 section within the next month as there is huge demand. It has been great to see our academy players working with the young players, it’s very important for their development’

 

This announcement come just a week after it was announced that ‘Myerscough Giants’ would be competing in England Basketball’s senior national league next season and with expansion in mind Hopkins commented ‘We are planning to be in a position to deliver junior national league next season hopefully with a number of age groups, our staff are very excited with what the future holds – these are great times for the development of basketball in the area’

 

 

For more information please contact nhopkins@myerscough.ac.uk

 

 

 

Myerscough slump to Elite 8 exit.

The Elite 8 of the EABL proved to be the end of the road for Myerscough’s first competitive season as they squared off against the highly successful South Gloucester and Stroud College (SGS) who carried an impressive undefeated record in all competitions claiming two national titles along the way.

Andre Gayle opened the scoring for Myerscough, hitting from deep. Tamas Okros replied with a three of his own after an SGS score inside to give the home side a 2 point lead after 3 minutes. Points were traded throughout the quarter as both teams sized one another up, neither really taking a grip of the game. SGS closed the scoring to take a two point lead after the first 18 – 16.

A mini burst for SGS opened up the second as they took advantage of poor defensive rotations and a lack of concentration from Myerscough. SGS pushed the lead out to 10 with 5 minutes played as Myerscough struggled to find their touch, missing relatively easy looks around the ring, a timeout was called by the travelling side as they found themselves in a scoring rut. Quick scores from Trevor Samuel and Montel Dennis pulled Myerscough back to within 6, only to be responded by an SGS triple. Back to back threes from the home side split up an 8 point Myerscough run to end the half SGS up  41 – 31.

Once again SGS opened the scoring after the break, and as Myerscough’s offensive struggles continued the home side extended their lead out to 22 midway through the third. From this point onward SGS didn’t look back. Myerscough could only convert for 7 point in a quarter that needed to be far more productive offensively and despite doing a relatively effective job defensively could not translate any of that conviction onto the offensive end. The score out at 20 after the 3^rd 58-38.

Into the 4^th and despite Myerscough’s best efforts early on the lid remained on the ring, in what was a low scoring and uninspiring quarter of basketball Myerscough strung together an 8 point burst to drag the score to 63-46 but the poor third proved too much of a hurdle and as time expired the final score finished 66 – 47 to SGS who advanced to the EABL final 4’s.

Montel Dennis finished up with a game high 11 points 5 boards for Myerscough, Trevor Samuel 9 points 3 boards, Emmanuel Kabengele with a respectable 7 points 12 boards. Tamas Okros led the way with 12 points for SGS Deane Williams chipped in with 10 points.

On the loss Coach Neal Hopkins had this to say ‘it was a poor performance from us for sure, I was really only interested in the guys doing themselves justice because they deserved to be playing at this stage of the competition, unfortunately we weren’t able to do that. We made way too many unforced errors and had a terrible day offensively – a 3 week break between fixtures certainly didn’t help. I wish SGS all the luck in the semi-final they are a well-coached, disciplined team who have developed a winning culture’

Hopkins added ‘it has been a remarkable first year for us, we have come from absolutely nowhere and have laid some solid foundations. For the record I would like to thank all of those behind the scenes who make the EABL possible it has been a pleasure to be a part of’

Myerscough will now welcome Coach Tony Garbelotto for 6 weeks of positional specific training – pre-season is well upon us!

 

 

Next step: Senior National League

The 2014/15 season will see National league basketball head to Myerscough College with the launch of our senior programme 'Myerscough College Giants'

In partnership with Manchester Giants, academy players will have the opportunity to play in England Basketball's Senior National League. The partnership importantly will allow our academy players to gain exposure to senior competition and will provide a direct pathway to the British Basketball League (BBL) with the Giants.

Programme leader Neal Hopkins had this to say 'this is a massive step forward, we were very excited to hear the news that our application had been accepted, this gives our academy athletes more opportunities to play at a higher level and the partnership will allow players to move between BBL and EBL squads'.

Giants Head Coach Jeff Jones added ' By entering a team in England Basketball's National League Division Four the opportunities that it offers for the further development of the academy players through the vital experience of competing at senior men's level can only be good for the overall development of the players, and will better prepare them for opportunities with the Giants BBL team'.

To view England basketball's senior league structure see here;

http://www.englandbasketball.co.uk/uploads/National%20League/14-15Season/Snr%20Splits%20for%20Publishing.pdf