Hoopsfix Podcast - British Basketball with Sam Neter

For episode 113 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with new Chair of the British Basketball Federation (BBF), Chris Grant.

Having been announced in September and officially starting the role in November, Grant joined the organisation following a tumultuous summer for the Great Britain national team programmes, underscored by the men’s disastrous showing at EuroBasket.

In this little over an hour podcast, we discuss why he took on the role, what the challenges are, and what he is trying to do to change the future of the BBF.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:45 Interview start
03:05 How Chris came across the role and what made him want to take it on
03:56 His previous experience and knowledge of basketball
06:36 What his perception was of British basketball before getting involved
11:12 What are the specific issues that have held the BBF back over the years
16:53 The medals debate with regards to individual vs team sports
21:18 What Chris is going to do differently to try to unify the sport, and whether or not we should give up on the idea of a BBF with the Home Country Associations
29:58 Whether the option for the BBF to disband is completely off the table
32:33 Why he hasn’t done any interviews since taking the role
42:46 What commitment UK Sport has made to the programme moving forward
47:20 The terms of the UK Sport funding
50:41 The disastrous men’s EuroBasket campaign last summer
57:05 What the ideal process would be for accountability of the board
1:05:33 777’s interest in the national teams
1:08:04 Whether he could see 777 investing in the national team programme
1:09:23 Wether the increased investment in the league will mean the licence fee paid to the BBF will increase
1:11:29 How much it costs to run the BBF every year
1:14:46 Whether the men will be entered into the FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournaments this year

For episode 112 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with recently named CEO of the BBL, Aaron Radin.

Announced last week as the new face and boss of the league, the American joins the league after a 30-year professional career where he has held senior level positions at a multitude of sports, media and tech organisations such as the NBA, The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and most recently, Meta.

He joins the league almost exactly a year since 777 Partners announced a £7million investment into the BBL.

In this hour long conversation we go into his vision for the league and his new role, and what his hopes and plans are for the future of the BBL.

Timestamps:

2:37 Interview start
2:53 Aaron background
9:13 How the opportunity arose for the BBL CEO role
13:39 Working out immediate priorities
18:45 What goes into producing a world-class broadcast
22:11 How much more investment is required to get the BBL to level desired
25:24 The importance of technology and systems
26:45 How important a TV broadcast deal is
33:03 Where the figure 70% of audience is 13-34 is from
36:07 Content versus product
38:20 How many staff the BBL office currently has and how many they are trying to get to
43:22 Organisational structure and who the CEO reports to
44:06 Managing the 777 conflict of interest as owner of London Lions and the league
46:07 How many franchises the BBL could support and how many he’d like to see
48:26 The biggest drivers of revenue for the business moving forward
49:48 Balance between British and American import talent
54:03 How to develop fandom in British fans
1:01:28 Disparity between franchises and how to minimise its impact
1:05:06 How revenue sharing would work
1:05:47 What does success look like for the BBL

The show has been approved on iTunes – find it here and please subscribe to automatically receive new episodes straight to your phone/computer/tablet – if you could give us a review/rating it would be much appreciated to help the podcast spread far and wide, meanwhile it is also on Spotify here, Overcast, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

You can support Hoopsfix’s work in helping to grow British basketball on Patreon.

For Episode 111 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Princeton Tiger and unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, Tosan Evbuomwan.

The 21 year old out of Newcastle is fresh off a breakout season with Princeton, and is coming to London next week for the London Basketball Classic to play in front of a home crowd with his college team.

The former GB U18 and Hoopsfix All-Star Classic alumnus ended regular season play last season as the Ivy League leader in assists per game (5.0), and assist/turnover ratio (2.2). He ranked second in the conference in field goal percentage (53.2%), fourth in points (15.4), fifth in steals (1.4), and seventh in rebounds (6.4).

In this 50 minute episode we discuss his career so far, playing in the London Basketball Classic next week, and his hopes for the future.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
03:28 Interview start
03:35 Returning to England and playing on home soil
04:22 Looking ahead to the London Basketball Classic opener against Army
05:03 How important NCAA showcases in the UK are for young British players
06:02 Whether Tosan is going to be showing his teammates around
06:52 How he first got into basketball
08:03 What made him give up football and pursue basketball
09:03 How he ended up getting involved with the Newcastle Eagles
09:44 When the growth spurt happened
10:21 When he started taking the game seriously
12:44 Whether has has goals of being a pro and when that became the driver
13:30 Who the guys he was looking at as the best in his age group in the UK
14:22 Feeling out of his depth at first England U15s camp
15:33 His experiences in the EABL
17:28 How NBL Division 1 helped his development
18:15 How his two summers with the GB U18s in Division A was
19:16 Comparing Division A European teams to GB
21:07 Frustrations around British basketball
24:48 The recruiting process and how he ended up at Princeton
27:24 Blowing it in front of Princeton coaching staff on their visit to the UK
29:14 What his visit to Princeton was like and being a student-athlete on campus
30:50 Dealing with the academy load
32:10 His Major, and interest in finance along with work placement
33:52 Transition from the UK to the US and difference on the floor
35:33 Welcome to America moments
36:44 His Sophomore year being cancelled due to COVID
40:00 The step up from his Freshman year to his Junior year
41:27 His expectations going into the 2021-22 season
43:32 What his expectations are for this season
45:00 The best British player he’s ever played against
46:03 Favourite coach he’s played for
46:29 Favourite basketball memory so far
46:46 Most challenging basketball moment
47:20 Advice for a young aspiring British player
48:06 Where he wants to be five years from now

For Episode 110 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with GB all-time great Dan Clark, who announces his retirement from playing professional basketball.

The London 2012 Olympian, whose final season has ended up being his only one playing domestically - with the Manchester Giants in the BBL - is fresh off becoming GB men’s all-time caps leader during their recent EuroBasket campaign last month, adding to his all-time points, rebounding and blocked shots leader titles.

The first British player to sign a junior contract in Europe as a 14 year old, he had a 17 year professional career that saw him amass over 1800 points in the ACB, the top domestic league in the world outside of the NBA, while becoming GB captain as an ever-present force in the squad each summer.

In this hour long convo we discuss his decision to retire, what's next, GB's recent EuroBasket campaign, his first season in the BBL, as well as looking back on taking the European pathway as opposed to the US route.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
03:16 Interview start
03:26 Why Dan has decided to retire
05:11 Whether he thought coming into this season he could retire
06:25 What his masters is in
06:38 What the next step in his career is
07:59 Whether he had the next role lined up before making decision to retire
09:07 Whether he's completely stopped playing and working out
09:55 How difficult the recent EuroBasket campaign was 
13:27 Whether he would get involved with working with the federations
18:28 Does grassroots or elite need to be focused on first for basketball's development
20:10 Thoughts on the BBL after a full season in it
25:33 The impact Lloyd Gardner being Head Coach at Manchester had in bringing him back to the UK 
26:46 His assessment of the Giants' season
29:15 The situation in Manchester with regards to this off-season and the club's financial troubles
30:44 The lack of communication from the Giants 
32:56 Why the Giants might be struggling financially
34:34 Whether he could see himself owning a BBL franchise
36:30 Where the BBL could be better from a player experience perspective
39:00 The importance of a player association
41:20 Signing a junior contract in Spain as a 14 year old
49:06 The intricacies of signing a junior contract
51:10 What his schedule looked like as a 14 year old
52:40 How it worked with regards to getting paid
54:33 Being recruited by high major Division 1 programmes
56:34 Turning down the likes of Syracuse to take the European route
59:02 Whether he felt the NBA was in reach
1:53:05 His ability to pass the ball and where it came from
1:03:28 The standout moments from his career
1:05:29 His best individual performance
1:07:15 Best coach he's played for
1:09:34 Whether it was a surprise for him that Spain won EuroBasket
1:11:21 His favourite teammate of all time
1:12:51 Advice he would give to a young aspiring British basketball player
1:14:35 What he wants his legacy to be

For episode 109 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we do a special with British basketball legend Jo Leedham-Warner, who has announced her retirement from playing professional basketball.

An 11-year career that reads like a fairytale, Leedham-Warner is coming off an undefeated season in the WBBL where she was named MVP after returning to play following giving birth.

A London 2012 Olympian, EuroCup champion, WNBA draft pick and the NCAA Division 2 all-time leading scorer to name a few, Jo will go down as one of the all-time greats out of the UK and in this hour episode we look at her decision to retire and her final season in the WBBL.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:46 Making the decision to retire and how she feels about it
05:20 Having had a month to reflect on it since the end of the season
06:46 How important it was to have done a season after becoming a mother
07:52 How difficult it was playing after being a mother
10:53 How the club managed having a player with a newborn
13:33 The first practices of the season after time off to give birth
16:47 How important it was for Jo to finish her career on top
18:53 Has Mark or the club tried to persuade her to come back
20:06 Not collecting the MVP trophy before the WBBL Final
21:30 Jo's mentality and where it comes from
25:52 The shock win over her former club Bourges  
29:15 Frustration with the wider British public/media and own club not caring about what her and the team were doing
33:50 The amount of media that British basketball misses out on from not having a dedicated PR person
36:18 The WBBL not bringing Jo out for the final post-game presser at the WBBL Playoff Final
37:33 What she would do as the CEO of the WBBL
39:59 Deciding on whether to go back to school next to study psychology
43:45 Whether she would want to be involved with British basketball from a federation or club standpoint
45:36 How many conversations she had with the federations while being back in the UK to capitalise on her presence
51:35 What her career highlight is
53:19 Favourite coach
54:32 How she wants to be looked back on as a player
55:05 Advice for the next generation
 

With less than 2 weeks until the NBA draft, we sit down with projected lottery pick Jeremy Sochan to discuss how his preparation is going and ask him questions submitted from the fans via our Instagram page.

Sochan is set to become the first Brit drafted since Ryan Richards in 2010, and only the second to go in the lottery, following on from Luol Deng. 

The former MK Trojan and Solent Kestrel left the UK at 16 to attend La Lumiere High School before returning to Europe to play in Germany at OrangeAcademy. From there he signed with Baylor where he has risen draft boards over the course of the season to become a projected lottery pick on June 23rd.

In this 15 minute interview we spoke about how the draft process has been and answered questions for Jeremy from fans via our Instagram page.

Timestampes:

00:00 Intro
03:21 Interview start
03:45 What the last 8 weeks have been like since declaring
04:28 When he knew he was going to declare for the draft
05:26 What a typical day looks like for Jeremy at the moment
06:30 How is he feeling about it all
07:22 His own assessment on his game
08:15 Dealing with internet trolls
10:09 Biggest thing he's learned from his journey to the draft
10:59 Which coach has had the biggest impact on his game
11:21 When he was at Itchen did he think he would make the NBA
11:43 Best players he played against in England
12:24 What colour is he going to dye his hair next
12:40 Does he consider himself British, American or Polish
13:16 Who he wants to dunk on the most
13:29 How many pairs of basketball shoes he owns and favourite brand
13:46 Who he would compare his game to in the NBA
14:17 Does he remember the MK Trojans
14:45 Was going to the Solent Kestrels the right move for him
15:13 What is he most excited about
15:42 Approaching the financial side of things with NBA money
16:29 Would he consider owning an AAU team
17:10 What advice he would give to the next young player from the UK

For episode 107 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Lenz Balan, Vice President of 777 Partners and new owners of the BBL and London Lions.

Following on from the announcement that 777 have invested £7million into the BBL for a 45% stake (though their ownership of the Lions takes it to 50%), we thought it was necessary to get a look into who is behind the scenes at 777, find out their reasons for investing into British basketball and what their plans are for the league.

In this hour and a half podcast we dig deep into how the investment came about, what their learnings have been so far, and the scale of their ambition for British basketball.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
05:01 Interview start
05:28 Why did they invest in British basketball?
08:42 What 777's assessment is of what has held the game back in the UK so far
13:55 How private equity works and how investors will get a return and how long it will take
16:45 What the immediate plan looks like for the next 12 months
19:50 How important the TV piece is 
21:00 The scale of ambition of 777 and how much money is really needed
24:10 How 777 have been received in the British basketball community and dealt with politics
27:29 The level of collaboration required and involving other stakeholders in the plan
29:55 How the investment into the London Lions led to the BBL investment
31:29 The percentage stake 777 have in the BBL and how decision making will work now
33:34 The similarities between the Australian NBL and the BBL's situation and creating a situation for NBA draft prospects to do a rookie year in the UK 
38:04 The BBL's role in developing British talent 
40:47 His thoughts on British basketball culture
44:14 The GB national team programme 
46:14 Whether a strong national team programme is more important than a strong professional league
47:40 The London Lions mens teams not playing British players in European competition
50:39 Why BBL teams competing in Europe is so important
54:30 Is the Euroleague the aspiration with the London Lions?
55:49 Whether it's a conflict of interest to own the league and a club in it
57:21 What the key cities are the BBL is targeting for new franchises
59:19 How many franchises the BBL could realistically support 
1:00:43 Would the BBL ever consider promotion and relegation
1:02:13 Whether the size of the task ever becomes overwhelming
1:03:52 If the investment was to fail, why would it fail
1:06:00 What the biggest learnings and surprising things are so far 
1:08:30 How to work out which opinions to take seriously and which to disregard
1:11:07 The biggest mistakes they've made so far
1:14:30 How difficult hiring and finding the right people is 
1:17:39 How this BBL investment will impact the WBBL and the women's game
1:20:01 How the BBL will look in 10-15 years time if everything goes to plan
1:22:23 Facilities and how important the infrastructure around the game is
1:24:15 Whether current BBL owners will want to split their franchise equity stakes with other investors
1:25:44 What message he would have for fans 
1:27:22 Wrap up
      

For Episode 106 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with Jon May and Tom Bennett from the Malvern Hoops campaign, who have recently transformed their local basketball courts.

The five year campaign came to an end in August, after the brand new courts at Victoria Park, in Malvern, Worcestershire, were officially opened.

Not purely aesthetic, the courts have been resurfaced with new hoops installed, completed with spring loaded rims and fibreglass backboards.

In this hour long podcast, we go into the backstory of the Malvern Hoops campaign, how they managed to pull it off and what others who are trying to do the same thing can learn from them.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction
2:56 Interview start
3:30 Jon May's background
08:35 Tom Bennett's background
08:45 What made them both decide to take action
13:30 Their first steps after being positively received by the council
14:20 How confident they were of being able to make it happen
18:43 Where to go to find out about land permissions
20:02 What is the role in the council responsible for basketball court renovations
20:56 What they were looking to do
24:55 The first budget they drew up and the costs they were looking at
26:50 What the breakdown of costs were for an estimated £90,000 budget
28:10 What makes the Malvern Hoops campaign different to a lot the other art court projects
28:57 How they were going to be able to raise the money
29:56 How long of a process it is working with councils
31:36 The process of trying to raise £5,000 themselves
36:55 Deciding to involve netball for a different part of the park to help gain more support
40:25 Ensuring you publicise your campaign and getting media coverage
42:36 Importance of being able to show a need/desire for the project from the community
45:14 Jon and Tom's top 10 tips for anyone trying to their own basketball court project
45:43 1) Check the Malvern Hoops website for more details
46:13 2) Don't expect it to be easy
47:41 3) Get your budget and financials in order
49:54 4) Use 2D/3D software to get a mockup of the court project done
51:35 5) Be a spokesperson & advocate for your project
53:28 6) Get as much help as possible
56:04 7) Include costs for security in the project
58:11 8) Consider the use of FlexCourt flooring
1:01:20 9) Consider putting other sports into the proposal
1:02:54 10) Focus on having a big launch

The show has been approved on iTunes – find it here and please subscribe to automatically receive new episodes straight to your phone/computer/tablet – if you could give us a review/rating it would be much appreciated to help the podcast spread far and wide, meanwhile it is also on Spotify here, Overcast, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

You can support Hoopsfix’s work in helping to grow British basketball on Patreon.

For episode 105 of the Hoopsfix podcast, we sit down with England international and nine year pro, Joe Ikhinmwin.

In this two hour bumper episode, the former London Lions captain exclusively reveals he is retiring from basketball, with a smooth transition to The Cyber Nerds, the business he set up with three friends to review movies, comics and games which has become a huge success.

Starting his basketball career as a 14 year old at East London Royals, he moved on to Barking Abbey basketball academy before attending Seminole State Junior College and then NCAA Division 1 South Carolina State where he turned pro upon graduation.

He signed with the Newcastle Eagles in his rookie year before moving to his hometown London Lions where he has remained since, captaining the club for the past 6 seasons whilst winning a Cup, Trophy and League title.

We discuss all of that and more in this episode that crosses the intersection of basketball, business, content creation, player welfare, and more.

Time stamps:

00:00 Intro
03:37 Interview start
04:00 Joe reveals he is retiring
06:50 Why he's decided to retire now
09:24 Is Joe still working out to stay in shape?
10:48 Whether Joe is 100% of if he could come out of retirement in years to come
11:42 The transition to retirement from playing being easier due to his other stuff
13:28 Advice for younger players starting their career in the BBL
25:00 Whether the level of the BBL is underrated
26:54 Minutes and wages for British players in the BBL
28:51 The important of continuity of a roster for marketing
30:50 Clubs arguing they operate within the rules so signing naturalised British players is fine
31:55 Whether his contracts would have been enough to live well off and British players not being paid enough
33:55 What he would say to teams that say they don't have the budgets to pay players more
39:25 Where is the player union?
42:13 How much do players communicate throughout the league?
43:40 If players discuss their contracts with each other
50:20 Perception is everything
51:55 Joe's early days playing starting at East London Royals
56:30 How he ended up going to Barking Abbey
1:01:23 Sam's two standout memories of Joe
1:03:57 The impact Barking Abbey had on Joe's development as a person
1:06:49 Where Joe's work ethic came from
1:09:23 Self awareness as a player and why so many players lack it
1:11:27 Whether Joe has been able to have input on systems with teams he plays on
1:13:10 The London Lions last season and Joe's evaluation of it
1:17:39 Whether the big roster was a source of issues with players having to sit out on rotation
1:19:00 How much 777 have changed things internally with the London Lions
1:19:55 The impact of COVID last season on the Lions' European run and the Cup Final
1:23:13 The Cyber Nerds and the stuff Joe has going on off the court
1:27:37 Whether he started the Cyber Nerds with the intention of it being a business
1:28:35 The different revenue streams of the Cyber Nerds
1:32:30 How to monetize Hoopsfix, and size of the British basketball market
1:47:03 Having almost 100,000 followers on Instagram
1:48:29 Whether there is more pressure when posting with a large audience
1:50:24 Importance of a personal brand for athletes and whether players with a bigger following will have greater leverage with contracts
1:54:14 Marketing advice for the league and teams
1:56:44 Favourite basketball memory
1:59:50 Favourite coach he's ever played for
2:00:08 Best junior player he's ever seen
2:01:30 Best individual performance he's ever witnessed
2:02:33 His best performance of his career
2:05:12 What's next for Joe in the next 3-5 years

The show has been approved on iTunes – find it here and please subscribe to automatically receive new episodes straight to your phone/computer/tablet – if you could give us a review/rating it would be much appreciated to help the podcast spread far and wide, meanwhile it is also on Spotify here, Overcast, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

You can support Hoopsfix’s work in helping to grow British basketball on Patreon.

For episode 104 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with Jay Marriott, CEO of Gloucester Sport, responsible for new WBBL franchise Gloucester Queens and potential BBL franchise Gloucester Kings.

A former pro player and Head Coach of the Plymouth Raiders, Marriott was brought in by long-term friend Alex Petheram - 100% owner of the new Gloucester operation - to oversee and manage the basketball side of things, including the WBBL franchise that was recently accepted for this coming season, and a potential BBL franchise for the 2022-23 season.

In this hour plus conversation, hear from Jay on how the franchise came to be, what the process has been like, along with their plans for the future in a unique behind the scenes insight into what it is like to get a professional basketball franchise off the ground in the UK.

Time codes:

00:00 Intro
02:22 Podcast start
02:30 How did the franchise come to be?
05:08 The specific date Jay first heard of the potential franchise
06:02 Who the people are involved behind the scenes
08:35 The projected costs of having a BBL and WBBL franchise
11:01 What is the current BBL franchise fee
11:46 What is the value in a BBL franchise, is it a good investment
16:14 Whether there are standard operating procedures and documentation you receive as a BBL franchise owner
21:24 The timelines for a WBBL and BBL franchise and how they changed
26:18 How confident they are of having the BBL franchise accepted in 2022
28:50 Whether clubs should have to work their way up through the NBL and spend longer building their base before getting a professional franchise
34:35 Venues, and where Gloucester will be playing
42:14 Biggest surprises so far in the whole process
47:48 Visas and the process to be able to get import players
51:46 Roster make up with visa limitations
52:54 Whether Gloucester have scholarships to offer players
56:29 What their expectations are performance wise on the floor
1:01:29 Who will be coaching the WBBL franchise
1:05:10 Whether the WBBL gets less focus because its the same owners of the BBL clubs
1:08:58 Immediate priorities heading into the new season and over the next 18 months

The show has been approved on iTunes – find it here and please subscribe to automatically receive new episodes straight to your phone/computer/tablet – if you could give us a review/rating it would be much appreciated to help the podcast spread far and wide, meanwhile it is also on Spotify here, Overcast, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts.

You can support Hoopsfix’s work in helping to grow British basketball on Patreon.