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

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: Nick McCarthy blog

 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. Our first blog comes from academy Sports Therapist Nick McCarthy. Nick has a wealth of experience working as a sports theapist in the professional game, he currently works for the Manchester Giants and has previously worked for Mersey Tigers. Nick has also worked with Jordan Brand, British Basketball, Midnight Madness and the NBA.

 Prehabilitation

In this blog I will be talking about a few ways young athletes can help avoid or reduce the risk of injury. Obviously there are situations we cannot control where in a contact sport like basketball (yes I said contact sport!) injuries can occur, but as Coach Neal Hopkins always says we can only control the controllable.

Firstly it’s important to just touch on what I mean by injury in this context. Injury can occur to many structures in the body, the main structures that you hear about in basketball are the ligaments, due the high nature of ankle injuries seen usually on the lateral side affecting the anterior tailo-fibular ligament (ATFL), the calcaneo-fibular ligament (CFL) and the posterior tailo-fibular ligament (PTFL)  (or in light of the most recent high profile injuries the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)). Other structures seen can involve the muscular system; classic examples in explosive sports are the various grades of tear to the hamstring or attachment area to the bone in the tendon.  And it would be criminal not to involve skeletal injuries, I’m sure we have all seen the Kevin Ware injury on various social networking sites. Finally a system that people may not be classically aware of is the muscle fascia.

So on to the ways to reduce our injury risk……

Hydration

This is a simple concept. Keep the body hydrated and avoid pointless and avoidable muscular injuries. But why can dehydration cause injury? A dehydrated muscle fascia can leave the body feeling aches, stiff, and in some cases exhausted. Micro tears in this structure can cause inflammation just like it would with any injury and can cause fluids in the area to dry up. Knock on effects can be the contribution to muscle weakness due to constrictions on the muscle that it envelops and I’m sure you can put 2 and 2 together and realise how that can now tie into muscular injuries if a muscle cannot fully contract it will have a detraining effect and essentially weakness the muscle long term. Keeping yourself hydrated is a very easy step and is easy to monitor. Looking at the colour of you urine can be a good indicator of dehydration the darker the colour the more dehydrated we are in simple terms.

Muscle Function

Functional training is of key importance. Being able to move the body explosively without putting our joints into risky positions is key. At Myerscough basketball Academy, myself and Head of Strength and Conditioning Alex Hodgson focus on the smaller stability muscles in all exercises to ensure correct firing and activation of muscle. A main focus for us is on the Glutes. Control of Rotation at the hip (see figure 1 where the players knee is in the vulnerable position resulting in a rupture of the ACL) ensures that the knee can stabilise in a safe position, this also has a knock on effect all over the body in posture.

Figure 1. Screen grab from Derrick Rose’s ACL rupture. Notice the internal rotation of the left leg combined with valgus knee position and flexion.

If our body is able to stabilise in correct positions then all muscles can work efficiently to prevent excessive forces on structure that may be unable to cope. This is true of all joints in the body when playing, training, or in the gym. Safe and effective training with purpose in the gym is of absolute importance so when your Therapist or S&C coach give you the prompts to correct your form it is very important to do so to ensure that when you are on court and using these functional movement patterns your brain will have learnt a correct pattern and allow you to carry them out in the safest way to reduce risk.

Proprioception

Proprioception is the brains knowledge of where the limb is in space. This can be a common problem with the typical ankle sprain, especially when it comes to reinjury. When injury occurs it’s very easy to think about what structures have ‘strained’ or ‘torn’ what is sometimes forgotten about by players is the neurological effects. Proprioceptive training during the rehabilitation phase is a classic protocol (figure 2 shows a classic used proprioception exercise). In this instance let’s look at avoidance of that injury. As a player I’m sure most of you have used the euro step as a move to get to the basket. This is a great example of a complex movement that will involve knowledge of where to step and place your leg and foot….proprioception. So when training trying to add balance exercises that challenge you and reach out of your base of support can help both stabilise the joint and allow the brain to discover how to stabilise in vulnerable positions. With an increase proprioception you can now tell your feet where to land and how to land in a safe area.

Figure 2. Reaching the toes out along the white lines can challenge balance, and hip stability whilst training where to place the leg.

So there are a few examples of how you can start to avoid avoidable injury. No one wants to sit in the stands when you could be on court.

 Nick McCarthy BSc (Hons) MSOST

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