Myerscough edge out Tyne Met in EABL, BCS team hand Stockport first loss

 Myerscough College emerged victorious from a highly competitive EABL clash with Tyne Met College today, winning 79-72. The hosts compensated for their poor free throw shooting with excellent rebounding and defence, pulling down 35 boards and snatching 12 steals.

The game was close throughout, Myerscough led by just three heading into the fourth quarter. Both teams had trouble shooting the ball in a low-scoring second half and all was to play for in the final minutes.

Myerscough's starting five scored 29 of the team's 31 second half points and late three pointers from Trevor Samuel and Andre Gayle were key in securing victory for the home side. 

Myerscough were led by Trevor Samuel (21 points, 8 rebounds) and Andre Gayle (21 points, 3 steals). Montel Dennis (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Chris Bwana (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) were also key.

"Today was a fantastic advert for the EABL, both teams played with great maturity and it was a pleasure to coach. I am a big fan of Tyne Met and the way Coach Steutel has them set up, they play a very intelligent game which is difficult to break down, hats off to our guys for executing our game plan and making the adjustments that were needed"  - Neal Hopkins, Myerscough HC

Today's victory saw Myerscough improve to 4-1 in the EABL as they move to 1st place in the North Sea Conference.

Myerscough 2nd team hand Stockport College first loss

Myerscough's 2nd team, which consists entirely of U17s, faced Stockport away in the BCS North West division today. League leaders Stockport College were yet to lose a game this season, that was until Myerscough handed them a 81-77 loss on their home court.

The young side put on an impressive display of determination and intensity and came up with defensive stops at crucial moments. Today's win sees the 2nd team improve to 4-2. In the coming weeks they will face Loreto in the league and Oldham in the National BCS cup quarter final.

Myerscough dismantle Childwall in 51 point win

Myerscough's 51 point victory over Childwall saw their EABL record improve to 3-1. A hectic schedule of fixtures over the coming weeks will see them host league leaders Tyne Met in what will be their first league game with home advantage, whilst a clash with rivals Loreto College is also upcoming. 

The visitors came out firing in the opening quarter, however their early defensive play left plenty to be desired as they conceded 17 points. Chris Bwana and Emmanuel Kabengele combined to score 14 of Myerscough's 26 second quarter points, giving them a 22 point lead heading into halftime. 

Myerscough caught fire in the third quarter, converting on 73.7% of their 19 field goal attempts. Their deadly efficient shooting, coupled with vastly improved defensive play, saw the guests outscore Childwall 31-9 in the quarter. 

Despite a lapse in defensive execution in the final period, Myerscough kept firing and came away with a 111-60 win. Emmanuel Kabengele led the way with a 19 point, 10 rebound double-double whilst Andre Gayle put on an impressive display of versatility with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. 

Other notable performers included; Trevor Samuel (19 points, 5 rebounds ), James Harvey (11 points, 7 assists, 5 steals), Ryan Knowles (14 points, 7 rebounds). 

As a unit Myerscough shot 44.4% from the floor and 75% from the line in the game. They will look to improve on their poor outside shooting (22.2%) and their alarming turnover rate as they face league leaders Tyne Met at home next week.  

The academy's second team ran out to a gigantic 109 point victory away at Holy Cross. Myerscough attacked relentlessly for the entire game and will look to carry forward momentum into next weeks clash with undefeated league leaders Stockport College.  

Nick McCarthy 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.

We spoke to the Academy's Sports Therapist Nick McCarthy about his background in the sport, his experience working in professional basketball and about his role here at Myerscough..

Nick working at the Jordan Brand Classic

When did you first begin playing basketball?

I first began playing during high school, probably around 12 years old. I was looking for an excuse to stop playing rugby and was told I had to play some sort of sport. A good friend of mine was already a good player and invited me to come down and train with him, I enjoyed it so much that I began to play basketball at every single opportunity I could. I continued to play through school and when I moved to the North West I began playing for Bolton U16/U18 national league whilst playing for Bolton men's team. I eventually played in the men's National league.



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

I've always loved sports so it was always going to be in the sports industry I looked to create a career. Sadly my dream of professional basketball wasn't looking like it would be an option so I needed to find a way to stay involved in the sport I love. Initially I studied a sports science degree and found that the classes on anatomy and physiology and sports injury were ones I truly enjoyed and wanted to pursue. After researching sports therapy and working out exactly what the role included I decided that it was the right choice for me and a career path that I would really enjoy!

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

Initially I started out working voluntarily for the Midnight Madness summer basketball tour where I make great contacts with players and coaches up and down the country. Following that I got the job as head therapist of a non-league semi pro football team in Crosby, Liverpool where I developed a great understanding of another sport. In 2009 I was introduced to Coach Tony Garbelotto who hired me to work for the Mersey Tigers basketball team (BBL) where we enjoyed a fantastic few season and won the Trophy, League and Playoffs. I have enjoyed numerous other roles in basketball as well; including working for the 2010 GB u23's program in the summer, where we travelled to play Germany in a series of games. I have been Head therapist for the European Jordan Brand Classic, I have also worked briefly with the England u18 program and the North-West regional U17's. More recently I have worked with the England men's select team. Currently I'm in my second season as therapist for the Manchester Giants BBL team, and obviously here at the Myerscough Basketball Academy..

During your time working in professional basketball is there an individual who stands out as a model pro/role model?

The first name that springs to mind is Nate Reinking (former-GB International). He was a pleasure to work with. He was fully committed to excellence. He took no days off when it came to looking after his body and was very in tune with what his body was able to do at certain points so maximised his efficiency. He was a calm presence on the team and a real role model in the locker room to younger guys. Drew Sullivan stands out also as a good role model/professional. He's an excellent player but leads by example. He demanded excellence from everyone on the team and made the guys around him better.


What advice would you give to young players who aspire to work within pro basketball?

My best advise would be to network with as many people as possible. The basketball community reaches all round the world and knowing people can give you avenues to 100's of places. Secondly be known for your hard work, for going the extra mile and not skipping steps along the way! Hard work plus a talent is an unstoppable combination.


How did you end up at Myerscough?

I have worked with Coach Neal Hopkins for years in the BBL and we both have an appreciation for developing basketball in this country. When the the academy was formulated by Coach Hopkins it was a no-brainer that I would apply for the job at the college.


What does your role as sports therapist at the Academy encompass?

My role is to keep the guys healthy and on the court. I also have a role in the strength and conditioning; to ensure that as much as possible is done to screen the players and see if we can identify any warning signs that could lead to injury and reduce the chances of them occurring. When a player gets injured it's my responsibility to rehabilitate them and return them to full functional fitness again with minimal risk of reinjury and then ensure that their strength and conditioning allows them to develop further. I work closely with Coach Hopkins and the other coaches to ensure they are aware of issues and guard against anything that could be a detrimental factor to the athlete.

How do you feel the first term went?

The first term has been fantastic, and the guys on the program have been a credit to the college. It's been great to see the guys develop into smart basketball players and become great athletes at the same time. The sky is the limit for a lot of these guys.

Click on the image to read Nick's injury
prevention blog contribution

2013 review: Myerscough College Basketball Academy

SEPTEMBER

After 18 months of preparation , Myerscough College Basketball Academy was officially launched on the 9th September. 24 students and 5 coaching staff completed their first week at the academy with great success as everyone settled into the daily routine at the academy and got to know each other. The following Monday, Montana State University Head Coach Brad Huse visited the academy in what was the first visit by an NCAA Division 1 Head Coach to the country this season. Huse watched academy players practice and advised coaches on the development of individual players and the programme as a whole. 

- Interview with Brad Huse

- Interview with Neal Hopkins

In their first taste of outside competition, Myerscough lost 75-50 away to Loreto College on the 25th September. Click here to read the EABL match report

OCTOBER 

This blog was launched on the 21st October! 

In their second EABL fixture, Myerscough took down local rivals Preston College in a closely contested game. Andre Gayle scored 32 points. Click here to read our match report

NOVEMBER 

Two weeks after beating Preston College in the EABL, Myerscough faced their local rivals once again in the opening round of the BCS Cup. It took a 25 point effort from Montel Dennis for Myerscough to scrape a 77-74 win away in Preston.

Click here to read our match report

Myerscough lost to a resurgent Preston College side in the semi-finals of the regional BCS tournament later in November. Myerscough host Preston in an EABL match-up in March, this will be the fourth and final time these two teams meet in the regular season. 

On the 17th November academy players Chris Bwana and Andre Gayle were awarded their first meaningful minutes in the BBL as the Manchester Giants dismantled the lowly Surrey Heat at Wright Robinson College. Click here to read our match report - Manchester talent shines through as Giants bounce back

After beating Preston in the first round of the BCS Cup, Myerscough were unable to advance further as they suffered a heavy 83-68 loss at the hands of a dominant Tyne Met side who put on an outside shooting clinic/ 

Click here to read our match report

Academy players enjoyed a trip to MediaCity UK in late November to watch a new series of a Question of Sport being recorded

DECEMBER 

On December 4th, Myerscough travelled to Newcastle for the second time in as many weeks to face Tyne Met. The visitors emerged victorious from a hard fought game which was neck and neck throughout. A key factor in the win was Myerscough's ability to shut down Tyne Met's top outside shooters and force them to look elsewhere for buckets. 

Neal Hopkins said of the victory; "I'm really happy with the guys, I can't see many team winning at Tyne Met - we had a game plan and it was stuck to. I have to praise the players for their maturity in this win, there will always be ways in which we can improve but today was a big step forward for us, it was great to see such a team effort"

Click here to read our match report 

Other competitions


-Our regional (BCS North West) / U17 team enter had a good start to the season, they picked up 4 wins across all competitions but suffered two disappointing losses to Loreto and Runshaw which they will be looking to avenge in 2014

-Myerscough enter the new year with a perfect 12-0 record in all MABL (Manchester Area Basketball League) competitions. 





Check out Head Coach Neal Hopkins' first blog post by clicking on the link below

The full package?

In his first blog, Academy Head Coach Neal Hopkins explores the psychology behind sporting performance and emphasises the importance of accountability in the development of young players

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL AT MYERSCOUGH COLLEGE BASKETBALL ACADEMY

The full package?

In his first blog, Academy Head Coach Neal Hopkins explores the psychology behind sporting performance and emphasises the importance of accountability in the development of young players

Part 1

I have recently been asked a question that really got me thinking, a young player asked me "what do you look for in a great junior basketball player?" My response "that's a great question" to be honest at the time it was very difficult to give that player a pure answer (if there is one).

I think coaches spend a lot of time (I know I do) considering what it is that makes a player special, of course our job is then to apply that philosophy. The idea behind my series of blogs is to look at what could be required to make 'the full package' or as the question went 'a great junior basketball player' 

As an individual there is usually one quest 'self-actualisation' this in simple terms would be someone who is fully using their potential, they have self-fulfilment. So here is the conundrum; how do we as coaches get our players to this? Does self-actualisation mean that a player can be great? Those are questions to provoke thought for you and for me to think about (probably for a long time) I also feel that the word potential is very vague - It was actually a recent AASE induction I went to that made me think about this, as pointed out then and with reference to Newton’s laws, converting potential (which is something that is static) into kinetic energy (something that is moving) is without doubt part of the coaching/teaching process but I guess we can't really refer to a player as having 'kinetic energy'. I haven't really considered the word 'potential' in the same light since, I feel it's redundant as why would you want your player to be static with their development? We want them to be moving. I guess you could say potential must be justified...  

The concept of 'self-actualisation' is very holistic and there have been a number of theory's behind it, probably most notable would be Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy of needs is what is says on the tin and probably best explained through the diagram below.

 In simple terms to have fulfilment you must build the pyramid. So it's at this point that I go back the initial question 'what makes a great junior player' well... In my eyes you could very easily map what you as a coach, player even a bystander believe are the make-up of a great player against Maslow’s Hierarchy. We take the base of the pyramid, the physiological components and add physical attributes; speed, strength, endurance etc. - the rest of the segments I'll leave with you at this time - that's definitely for another blog... In this instance I want to focus specifically on a word that I think is truly important to being successful (or not) and with reference to the hierarchy, I would run this word up and down the whole thing, that word being accountable.

I think this is a word that is really misplaced, maybe even forgotten by some. In an ever evolving world and with such emphasis on generational change I just think that a large number of junior players, even just young people have lost sight of what it means to be accountable; in context - I recently spoke with a college coach in America, we had a great discussion about recruitment, and the main part of that conversation was around the use of social media (Twitter, Facebook) in short and as discussed; it is so easy to find out all is needed to know about a person from their social media outlet, let's face it - it's a platform for expression. Now I have no problem with that, however it's very obvious and well documented that some express themselves in ways that are deemed un-ethical or incorrect; this brings me back to the word accountable. I believe that it is a responsibility of an educator (to state the obvious) which as coaches we are, to help young players understand that their inner voice is their inner voice for a reason and that there are extremely good methods to help improve those thoughts. I understand that social norms are not for all but when a split second decision (to make these thoughts public) could hinder the 'kinetic energy' or progress of individual, preventative measures should be taken. I think being consciously accountable is a skill that should be taught early and it is most definitely something we should encourage – I have found one of the most productive ways to do this is to goal set; this way players can monitor their performances on and off the court and hold themselves accountable to their goals; it's simple but affective but don't get me wrong, to get a teenager to buy into that process is not easy. 

So to answer the question, what makes a great junior player? First up you must be accountable, accountable to all the areas that are needed to reach self-fulfilment..

Watch out for Neal's next blog ( Part 2 of 'The full package' ),  due to be published in the coming weeks 

A DAY IN THE LIFE: Myerscough College Basketball Academy

Tuesday

Morning

Myerscough College Gym

Academy players wake up at around 7 am on Tuesday mornings. Half of the squad has an hours session starting at 7.30 in the gym with strength and conditioning coach Alex Hodgson and sports therapist Nick McCarthy. Players work on strengthening specific muscle groups, injury prevention exercises and core stability amongst other things. The other half of squad have around an hour and a half to practice shooting or ball handling individually in the sports hall and eat breakfast before their strength and conditioning session begins at 8.30. Following the conclusion of strength and conditioning and individual practice players have a 2 hour lesson with programme leader Neal Hopkins on Assessing Risk in Sport.

Afternoon

After the lesson finishes at 12pm players have an hour to get their lunch and rest before team practice begins at 1. The focus of team practice varies day to day however this Tuesday transitional defense and defensive rotations were the main focus. Although the majority of the squad train on a Tuesday afternoon, 2 players travel to St Peters High School in Manchester (with whom the academy has a partnership) to coach a training session for school children.

Evening

On Tuesday evenings academy players split into different groups and take part in various different activities. Around 6 academy players travel to East Manchester to train with the Manchester Giants professional team. Other players compete for one of the Academy's two partner teams in the Manchester Area Basketball League. For those players not involved in pro training or a fixture there is time to rest, complete classwork, or practice individually in the sports hall. Players eat dinner any time between 4 and 6.30, depending upon their personal schedule. By 11pm most players are in their rooms and are beginning to go to sleep, ready for another day of hard work on Wednesday!

Click here to view sample timetables

For further information about the academy email:nhopkins@myerscough.ac.uk

Inside MCBA: Alex Hodgson Interview

Inside MCBA (Myerscough College Basketball Academy) is a new 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.

Alex Hodgson is the lead Strength and Conditioning coach at the academy. He played professionally in his native Australia and in Europe and brings a wealth of basketball expertise to the programme. We spoke to Alex about his playing career and his role here at Myerscough..

When did you first begin playing basketball? 

I started playing when I was 9 years old in my home town in Australia. I was quite tall as a kid so it seemed a logical way to go with sport! I really enjoyed the sport so I continued to play there onward.

How did you end up playing professionally? 

I just kept playing! I played locally for my town when I was growing up and played representatively. I continued to make better teams and kept progressing until some opportunities arose which allowed me to get paid to do what I enjoyed!

Tell us about the different places you have played (and which was your favourite?)

I have played in lots of different places. My favourite place to play is at home with my friends and people I grew up with in Australia. If  c had the chance to play in Barcelona which was definitely my favourite place I have played away from home. I have also played here in the UK which was a great experience

What advice you would give to young players who aspire to play professionally?

Be obsessed with the game! If you want to be a professional you have to be dedicated and do your best. Not many people end up playing professionally just through cruising along and waiting for it to happen.

How did you end up working at MCBA?

I had played for Neal (academy head coach) for a couple of years. He knew my background and recognised that my basketball knowledge matched well with what he was trying to do here. I had finished my strength and conditioning degree locally at UCLan (University of Central Lancashire) and the opportunity came up and I thought it was a really good match.

What does your role as lead Strength and Conditioning coach encompass?

My main role is to develop the athletic side of the academy players. They're all at a developmental age so we are really looking to strengthen guys up and improve various performance aspects such as speed, agility and fitness.

How do you feel the first term at the academy has been?

It's been a learning curve but I think we've improved every week. I'm really impressed with the way the athletes have progressed so far. We're only a few months in and I think everyone has seen a marked increase in performance and strength. They are all seeing the benefits of all the training we do which is great! We're really looking forward to the future

Watch out for Alex's first blog post, due to be published in the coming weeks.