Myerscough embark on their first Euro adventure

 

After the successful open day and taster event run by the basketball academy staff on Monday the 14th of April, it was straight back to it; this time in readiness for our first trip abroad.

 

Luxembourg was the chosen destination, and with the promise of a great international tournament in Bertrange (the Sparteens cup) we hit the road.

After a long trip, we arrived in Folkestone, where we would spend the night ahead of a ferry crossing to Calais in the morning. A trouble free trip across the channel on Thursday took us into France. En route to Luxembourg (a 5 hour trip from Calais) we called in on Dunkirk for history lesson. After spending a few hours stretching our legs it was back on the bus.

 

With this being many of the guys first trip abroad to play basketball, Luxembourg provided a fantastic location, a quick visit to the arena in Bertrange, which is an outstanding venue put everyone in high spirits and lifted the excitement levels ahead of our first game on Friday evening.

Our game schedule meant that we had Friday morning off; this gave us a great opportunity to head into the Luxembourg City. The city steeped in history was a fantastic place to visit – it really gave the guys an idea of the culture of our host country and an eye opener as to the beauty of Luxembourg.

With a return to the arena we prepped and got loose ahead of our opening fixture against OKK Belgrade (Beograd). Our Serbian opponents who were founded in 1945 carried a lot of history, their professional team play in the top league in their home country and the club have had several members inducted into the FIBA hall of fame including the late Radivoj Korac. It was most certainly the best way to start our European adventure and without understand the magnitude of the club we were about to face we tipped off. No fear was shown in the opening exchanges and despite the Serbian side holding a significant height advantage Myerscough adjusted well limiting the inside presence of Belgrade with a physical approach. In European fashion Belgrade broke up our transition and made life hard, tactically prying on any visible weaknesses. As the game wore on it was obvious that Myerscough were not to be beaten easily and with Belgrade limiting their rotation we continued to plug away. An 11 point hole that had developed but with one minute to play we brought the score to within 2 points after a well worked offense from a timeout, and a stop on the defensive end resulted in an opportunity to score – however Myerscough rimmed out from deep. After a late foul Myerscough dropped game 1 by 3 points, missing 13 free throws along the way, final score 48 - 45. In what was certainly an eye opener for the lads we had battled throughout, for many this was the first time playing abroad and the first time experiencing the physical and tactical elements of European basketball – it was a great way to start. Belgrade went on to win the tournament crushing most teams on the way.

 

It was back to the hotel ahead of a loaded Saturday and an early get up.

With the first game at 8:30am we were up and at breakfast at 7:15am – our first game of the day would put us up against Leuven Bears of Belgium, with both teams starting slowly it was clear that concentration would be the order of the fixture, with a rotation of Coaches Myerscough’s Dan Gayle took charge. With both teams exchanging and neither able to pull away the game headed backwards and forwards for its entirety, Leuven shot the ball well from downtown whilst Myerscough struggled for an offensive impact. Leuven did a great job in preventing our dribble drive game and limited us to contested jump shots, which at 9am in the morning was not as effective as it could have been. As time wound down the Belgium’s opened up a small margin and as time expired managed to maintain the lead to send us to a 0 – 2 record walking out 4 point winners 32-28.

 

There was no time to rest as our final group game came at 11:30, this time we would play Binnenland from the Netherlands, a team we had watched the previous evening and been very impressed with. The game was fiercely competitive from the beginning and incredibly close, both teams coming up with big plays on both ends of the floor. Myerscough as they had done all tournament went far deeper into their rotation than the Dutch team using all 12 player through most quarters with great effect, with 3 minutes left we found ourselves down by 4 points. With two great stops we tied the game up, and with 18 seconds to play ran a play out of a timeout to take the lead – the play, run to perfection resulted in an open lay-up, possibly with too much time we failed to execute allowing the Dutch team to run the floor to score for 2. With no timeouts remaining we ran what we could but couldn’t find a score – a foul late in the clock put Binnenland back to the line where they split to take a 3 point advantage and no time left for a last heave. In what was a fantastic game of basketball with highs and lows we dropped to a 0-3 group record after the 49-46 loss. High praise was in order for both teams after the fixture for putting on a real show. It was a great game to be a part of.

Having finished bottom of a very tough group we would now play for 7 – 12^th spot.

Our first classification game would come against Stambruges who had finished 3rd in group A – after a slow start we hit stride, finding our touch around the ring and finishing well through contact. Stambruges struggled to stay in front of our guards and we scored with relative ease. The game put into context the level of the teams in our original group as we eased to a 30 point victory to mark our first international W – final score 62 – 32.

 

In what was our fourth game of the day we would take on the host team Sparta, a relatively young team who were eager to please the home supporters. It was very much self-preservation mode for the first quarter, with neither team asserting themselves on the game after a gruelling schedule.

 

Sparta shot the lights out from downtown to open up a 6 point gap during the 2^nd, to be replied by a rally from Myerscough levelling the game at the half. Some big plays down the stretch by a tired Myerscough team helped us etch out a 6 point victory and set up the possibility of 6^th place. The final score being 42 – 36, in what was a real battle of a game.  

 

The evening saw some down time and allowed us to stay at the arena to watch Sparta’s professional team play league champions Amicale as Sparta hunted the last playoff spot – we were treated to an awesome exhibition of basketball and the guys got to experience the atmosphere at a European basketball game – it was certainly inspiring. Sparta led by a point guard master class from the outgoing Kasey Ulin grabbed a memorable victory over their rivals in what was a heated, high paced affair. After the game it was back to the hotel and to bed!

 

With our final fixture at 2pm on the final day, we had the chance to sit back and watch some of the other teams and take on ideas during the final morning, it also allowed some time for reflection on what had been a great experience.

Game time came and once again we took to the court against Leuven Bears in an attempt for some retribution from our group game defeat. We started well, moving the ball with purpose and finishing well to punch out a 10 point lead, then as rotations came in we began to fatigue, going 9 minutes scoreless to trail by 8 at the half. A third quarter push saw us tie the ball game going into the fourth but with energy levels low we slipped to a 4 point defeat to end our tournament in 7^th place and with lots of positives to think about.

With an evening spent in the hotel it was an early start on Monday morning as we headed back to the UK, somehow we managed to get to Calais within great time and managed to catch an earlier ferry, meaning we arrived back at Myerscough after a 9 hour drive at 6:30pm – marking a little victory at the end of a great trip.

Upon reflection the tournament had provided a great stage for us to gain some valuable experience, which is what we hoped for. A great spread in playing time and everyone seeing extended minutes was the aim of the trip and considering the inexperience we have at that level the guys should be proud of every minute they played. There is a lot to take away from the trip and memories that will last a life time – our huge thanks go out to Sparta for hosting us.

 

 

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

Myerscough lose to Tyne Met in second round of BCS Cup

Myerscough College were knocked out of the BCS National Cup on Wednesday after falling to Tyne Metropolitan College. Danny Horta led Tyne Met with 25 points and 8 rebounds whilst Eddie Matthew added 19 points.

Tyne Met's superior outside shooting was a huge factor in the 83-68 win as they connected on 8 of their 23 three point attempts whilst Myerscough scored just 2 from 7. The hosts tallied 8 assists to the visitors 3 whilst pulling down 5 more rebounds. Trevor Samuel racked up 22 points and pulled down 9 boards along with Chris Bwana's 13 points in the loss for Myerscough.

Myerscough Head Coach Neal Hopkins commented; "I was really impressed with Tyne Met - they put on a clinic from downtown and we didn't have an answer for it on the day; there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from the nature of this loss, we must travel better and our guys need to value their preparation. It's safe to say we are looking to make big improvements for next weeks EABL game"

The two teams will meet again next week in Newcastle in an EABL game. Myerscough will look to avenge Wednesday's loss whilst Tyne Met will be eager to extend their lead at the top of the North Sea Conference. 

AASE Programme extends opportunity for basketball academy players

In June 2013, Myerscough College Basketball Academy received approval from England Basketball to run an AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) programme in conjunction with parent club Manchester Giants. The college is one of just 17 AASE accredited institutions for basketball in the country and as a result they automatically qualified to compete in the newly formed EABL (Elite Academy Basketball League) in just their first year as a programme.

Six of the 23 first year students at the academy are part of the AASE programme, which is designed for athletes "who have the realistic potential to achieve excellence in their sport and are seeking to perform at the highest level as their main career goal". The student-athletes receive a minimum of 14 hours on-court training each week and also have access to expert strength and conditioning staff. Students will receive a Level 3 Diploma in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance at the end of two years and also have the opportunity to complete several officiating and coaching qualifications. With the objective of supporting elite athletes in an educational environment, the AASE programme aims to provide exit routes into higher education or the sport industry for those players who do not make it as professionals - AASE works along side a students full time college qualification.

AASE athletes Chris Bwana and Ryan Knowles are both attending the initial England U18 training camp this weekend. Head Coach and Programme leader of the Myerscough College Basketball Academy Neal Hopkins commented "We are incredibly pleased to be able to offer prospective students the opportunity to be an AASE apprentice, the framework that AASE provides is exceptional and truly adds to our students academic and basketball experience whilst they are here at Myerscough. the AASE programme gives young athletes the ideal platform to not only improve on the court but also off it"

For more information on AASE please see the England Basketball website

Alternatively you can contact course leader Neal Hopkins nhopkins@myerscough.ac.uk

Manchester talent shines through as Giants bounce back

Chris Bwana

Myerscough College Basketball Academy players Andre Gayle and Chris Bwana were awarded significant minutes by Manchester Giants Coach Jeff Jones in a huge 42 point win over Surrey United.  Andre Gayle played a season high 18 minutes, recording 7 points including one three pointer.  He also pulled down 2 rebounds.  Academy point guard Chris Bwana nailed 2/2 free throws, givi

ng him 2 points to go along with 3 boards. Manchester were led by Stefan Gill and David Aliu, contributing 27 and 26 points respectively, both shooting an outstanding 77% mark from the field. Forward Rob Marsden picked up his third d
ouble-double of the season, notching 15 points and 11 rebounds and hammering down a thunderous dunk.

Andre Gayle

After a painful 52 point loss away to the high flying Newcastle Eagles on Friday, there is no doubt Sunday’s victory will have been a huge morale booster for the Giants squad.  They now sit in 8^th place in the BBL championship league table.

Yorick Williams and Mike Bernard

Although they are struggling to perform consistently, the Giants continue to fulfil their objective of giving local talent a chance to shine, with no less than 8 Manchester born players on their roster this season.  As veterans Mike Bernard and Yorick Williams close out their careers at the club where they began two decades ago a new generation of Manchester talent is beginning to flourish. It is hoped that Gayle and Bwana will be just the first in a long line of academy players to suit up for the Giants.

Just two months after its launch the programme has its first Division 1 commit and sees 6 or 7 players regularly participate in Giants training sessions.  The academy is a cornerstone for the future success of the Giants project, which has the long term ambition of competing in Europe. 

Keep up to date with the progress of the Giants by following them on twitter @ManchesterGiant

All photos credit: Jack Hinds photography (http://www.jackhindsphotography.com/) 

Report by Ed McNally 

A day in the life of an academy player: Monday

Morning



The Academy's court

Many players return to college on Sunday evening or Monday morning after the weekend. Academy players start the week with a training session which lasts 2hours and 45 minutes (9-11.45) , this session follows an hour (8-9) in which the sports hall is open for players to shoot, practice their ball handling etc.. During the morning practice players usually work on individual skills and/or team concepts. This Monday players rotated between three stations for 2 hours; Ball handling, Individual offensive moves and finishing and explosive movement. Stations were followed by around 45 minutes of offensive/team concepts and paired shooting. All five academy coaches are present at practices on Monday morning.

Afternoon

Following practice players have just over an hour in which to eat their lunch and rest before lessons commence at 1. There are two lessons on Mondays, one from 1 till 3 and another from 3 until 5. Currently timetabled for this half-term is Fitness Testing for Sport and Exercise at 1 and Assessing Risk in Sport at 3.

Evening



The gymnasium

After lessons conclude at 5 players eat their dinner and prepare for individual practice which begins at 6. The focus of individual practice varies each day, common areas of focus are Shooting, Ball handling and individual defence. The specific focus this Monday was weak hand dribble moves and finishes.

The sports hall is available for two hours after the conclusion of individual practice, during this time many players choose to stay and practice their shooting or participate in scrimmage games.

After a 12 hour day at college, Academy players (and coaches!) head to bed ready for Strength and Conditioning at 7.30am and another day of hard work on Tuesday.

Click here to view a sample timetable for Mondays 

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