Hoopsfix Podcast - British Basketball with Sam Neter

For Episode 93 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Commissioner of the Australian NBL, Jeremy Loeliger.

Loeliger has overseen an unprecedented growth period of the NBL across the past 5 years, as the league has gone from on the verge of bankruptcy to one of the most prominent leagues globally with arguably the closest product as a game day experience to the NBA. Click here to enter your details and be notified when we release our in depth case study.

In 2015, multi-millionaire Larry Kestleman took a 51% controlling stake in the league (he now owns 94%) for $7million operating capital, and brought on Loeliger as General Manager to oversee the transition. Those 5 years have seen tens of millions of dollars invested, packed out stadiums, free to air tv deals, rafts of sponsorship agreements, franchise valuations go from tens of thousands to multi millions, and the league having become a breeding ground for NBA prospects who do not want to go to college like LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton through the Next Stars program.

There are some remarkable similarities to the BBL's history - both had a 'heyday' in the 90s, before experiencing an extreme lull, both countries do not own their own facilities and arenas, both leagues used to have equal ownership between every franchise (the BBL still does), and both have to battle culturally against bigger national sports.

It was hard to get into everything within an hour, but we discussed the progress of the NBL and tried to extract the learnings for the BBL.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
04:56  Interview start
05:00 History of the NBL and how Larry Kestleman and Jeremy Loeliger came to be involved
17:39 How much investment it took to turn things around
23:40 The first deals and how much they relied on their relationships
27:07 How important the relationship between the federation and the pro league is
32:34 The underrated role the Australian Basketball Players Association has played in it
37:03 The importance of having home grown talent in the league
41:52 Decision making within the NBL and with the franchises
44:21 Teams buy in when they see the success
46:03 Whether the league currently owns any of the franchises
49:44 The importance of having a centralised marketing plan
52:30 How important digital and social has been to the growth of the league in the last 5 years
55:30 Whether the NBL is now profitable
56:08 How much more room the NBL has for growth
57:01 The importance of having people that know both basketball and business
58:53 Sign off and positive conversations about British basketball

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 92 we sit down with Chris Mayes, Technical Director of BC Triple Threat in Haarlem in Holland.

Mayes, who grew up on the South East coast near Worthing, started out playing before turning his eye to coaching between Worthing and Solent Kestrels under the tutelage of the legendary Jimmy Guymon

Whilst trying to build his experience at a camp in the US, he was told he would need a degree to be able to permanently relocate across the channel so returned to the UK to take an assistant role with Worthing Thunder, whilst doing an undergraduate degree in Coaching Science at the University of Chichester.

However, in late 2004 he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, having to undergo surgery and requiring a period of recovery but it gave him an opportunity to reflect and decide coaching was the path he wanted to pursue seriously.

After getting his undergrad, he moved to Worcester for an MSc in Coaching Science whilst assisting with the BBL side, before feeling that for him to progress like he wanted, he would need to leave the UK. He dropped out of his masters and in 2010 took an unpaid job (food and board only) at Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain.

After five years at CBA (he did end up taking a salary!) working with some of the top prospects in Europe, he moved on, having now worked in Belgium with Pepinster-Verviers, Liege Basket and Leuven Bears (where he was interim Head Coach for a period), Netherlands (New Heroes Den Bosch), and Spain (CB TerrAlfàs), in roles split between Assistant Coach with the pro side and youth development roles.

Mayes has now spent over a decade on the continent in unstable conditions in pursuit of a career in the sport he loves.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:32 Interview start
02:40 The situation with COVID-19 in the Netherlands
04:22 Chris' role as Technical Director with BC TTT
06:33 The structure of BC TTT
09:53 Comparing the levels of junior talent in Holland to the UK
12:04 Mayes' first exposure to basketball and why he decided to pursue coaching
18:03 Getting his undergrad in coaching science and whether it has helped with his coaching
20:22 Why chose not to pursue the US route in the end 
23:36 Dropping out of his masters at Worcester
24:27 What he was unable to get in the UK which led him to want to go abroad
26:54 Why he wanted to go overseas
28:56 The process of going abroad and landing a role with CBA
32:30 The early years of Canarias Basketball Academy
34:07 His roles and responsibilities at Canarias Basketball Academy
36:07 How often he was coming back to the UK when at CBA
38:21 The realities of day to day life at CBA
42:23 Some of the most talented players he worked with
45:46 The Sports Illustrated article in 2016 alleging potential underhanded dealings at CBA
48:47 Why he decided to leave CBA
51:05 Moving to Belgium with Pepinster-Verviers
52:43 The differences going from elite youth to elite pros
56:38 Player development becoming team development
58:48 Whether his focus is around youth development or coaching at pro level
1:01:38 Believing development comes from top to bottom
1:08:34 Working with the Armenian national team
1:12:42 Moving to rival Belgium club Liege
1:14:27 His time with Leuven Bears in Belgium, becoming interim Head Coach
1:16:56 The lack of stability in basketball coaching
1:20:41 Whether the instability of coaching is sustainable
1:23:09 If there is frustration with the British game for not allowing him to be able to develop at home
1:28:58 Best British junior player he's ever seen
1:30:27 The best coach he's worked with
1:31:22 His favourite basketball memory
1:32:09 Whether we are going to see a return of Makem Takem podcast
1:32:58 Where Mayes wants to be in 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 91 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with Belfast-based Marc Mulholland, the Executive Director & Creative Producer of the Belfast Basketball Classic with Inspirus Sports.

Mulholland is a former Irish junior international, and plays a huge role in the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic - the first NCAA tournament to take place in Europe with the Sport Changes Life Foundation and partner NCAA MAAC Conference and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

He has been embedded in the Irish basketball community for years starting in historic St Gall's Basketball Club in West Belfast, a time at Lisburn Scorpions and Andersonstown Tigers. Having done extensive coaching from development to Team NI Academy level, is now a Basketball Northern Ireland & NI Sport Forum Board Member, and is currently on FIBA's Timeout 2.0 programme, which helps players & former players make the transition into the next phase of their career.

With a background in film and media, he released 'House of Hopla', a SCRAM Films documentary about legendary NBA shooting coach Dave Hopla. A story about Belfast , Basketball and Brotherhood, in 2019.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:41 Interview start
03:02 Impact of COVID on basketball in Northern Ireland
07:43 How Northern Ireland fits into the British basketball governing body structure
11:15 Players in Northern Ireland are able to choose whether to represent Ireland or GB
14:28 Basketball culture in Ireland
22:50 Whether young players in Ireland are looking to England/Scotland/Wales (incorrectly labelled the 'mainland' by me!) or players more local
27:01 The ideation phase of the Belfast Classic and how it came to be
40:57 How to finance an event with a budget in the millions
53:32 Raising sponsorship requires persistence and patience
59:56 British basketball needs to think bigger
1:01:12 What's in the future for the Belfast Classic
1:06:53 House of Hopla - Marc's documentary about Dave Hopla
1:15:52 Distribution options for documentary releases
1:21:13 FIBA Timeout Program
1:30:07 Potential for a BBL franchise in Belfast
1:32:58 Marc's aspirations for 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 89 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with Great Britain and San Pablo Burgos guard Kareem Queeley.

The 2001 born prospect, originally out of Leicester, has been regarded as one of the UK's brightest talents since bursting onto the scene as a 13 year old winning the MiniCopa MVP whilst on trial with Real Madrid.

He swiftly signed a multi-year junior contract with Real Madrid, moving to Spain to continue his development - winning a Euroleague ANGT title in the process, whilst representing England and Great Britain at Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 level. 

He departed Real Madrid ahead of the 2019-20 season to sign with another ACB side, San Pablo Burgos, and most recently in October became one of the few Brits to win a club European title as they secured the Basketball Champions League title.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:14 Interview start
02:33 How Kareem first started playing basketball
03:28 Living in St Kitts before moving to England
04:40 Getting involved with the Leicester Warriors
05:24 Whether he feels he had a natural ability for it
05:50 How much he could work on his game as a youngster
06:11 The progression from there
06:39 When basketball became a serious pursuit
07:34 Choosing between football and basketball
08:03 What he learnt at Leicester Warriors that set the foundation
08:56 When he realised he was pretty good
09:15 Some of Kareem's bigger scoring games as a junior 
10:02 Weighing up his options as a 13 year old
11:44 Playing in the Junior Final Fours
12:28 Playing with teammates who weren't as talented
13:30 How the trial with Real Madrid came about
15:10 Winning the MVP at the MiniCopa in Spain and the impact mentally
16:22 What made him decide to sign with Real Madrid and move to Spain
16:55 What the pros and cons were that he was weighing up with deciding to sign in Spain
18:06 Signing a 4 year deal (2+2) and making the adjustment to Spain
19:21 The quality of the facilities at Real Madrid
20:16 How it works with his education in Spain and a typical day in the life
21:34 What type of school he attended
21:56 The language spoken on the court
22:12 The comparisons between what he had in England to Spain basketball-wise
23:07 The different competitions he competed in in Spain
23:25 His progression over the 4 years at Real Madrid
24:35 The level of competition Real Madrid faced at Junior level
25:38 Winning the Euroleague ANGT
26:28 Making the decision to not go to college in the US
28:42 The highlights from his 4 years with Real Madrid
29:28 Representing the England/GB junior national teams and whether there was a difference in his level
30:33 Whether coaches in Spain noticed any bad habits
31:26 His contract with Real Madrid coming to an end
32:28 Beginning the process of finding another team
33:19 At what point he became fluent in Spanish
33:39 Signing with San Pablo Burgos
34:29 Playing for Burgos' feeder team and not their ACB side
35:27 Becoming a true 'professional' and getting that first pay cheque
36:03 How he feels about his own development as a player
37:01 Whether the club can hold him more accountable now as a pro
37:27 The instability  of being a professional basketball player
38:16 Dealing with the impact of COVID-19 in 2019-20
39:22 Winning the Basketball Champions League
41:56 Dealing with not playing as many minutes as he might like
42:54 The impact of COVID-19 on the current season
44:29 His day to day at the moment
45:08 The surprises about pro life
46:06 Representing the England/GB junior national teams
48:05 What prevents GB from getting top 8 finishes at every age group at Division A level consistently
49:09 Other players he rates from his generation
50:07 Getting a call up to the GB Seniors
52:17 Best coach he's played for
52:58 Favourite basketball memory
53:37 Favourite teammate
53:55 Hardest player he's ever hard to guard
54:25 Best individual performance he's ever witnessed
54:55 Best British player he's played with or against
55:16 What's in the future for Kareem 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 89 of the Hoopsfix podcast we sit down with Kent Crusaders Director Jesse Sazant.

Sazant, originally from Canada, built the foundations of his coaching career and philosophy working under the legendary Dave Smart at Carleton University, before moving to the UK in 2000 to pursue his teaching career.

He got involved with Kent Crusaders - then known as East Kent Crusaders - the day he landed in England, before becoming a director 3 years later and taking over the reins of the programme. In the 17 years since, the Crusaders have grown to mini ballers (boys & girls), U12 (boys & girls), U14 (boys & girls), U16 (men), U18 (men) and Senior men's teams, along with two academies.

Alongside the Crusaders, Jesse has served Head Coach of the England Under-15 boys development program for 5 years, assisted the England Under-16 men for 4 years, was Chairman of the EABL for 4 years, has coached various South East Regional teams and was a statistician at the London 2012 Olympics.

Sazant also served in the competitions group for Basketball England's Basketball Development Model in 2016.

In this two hour episode, we discuss the growth of Canadian basketball and the lessons that can be applied to British basketball, along with the birth of the EABL and Basketball England's attempts to change the game through the Basketball Development model and much more.

00:00 Intro
02:32 Interview start
02:58 Jesse's start in basketball in Canada
05:23 Who is Dave Smart and his relevance to basketball in Canada
06:39 What his takeaways and learnings were from working with Dave Smart
11:15 Dave's confrontational demeanour and whether it can be too much
13:38 Smart's role as GB U20 Head Coach and what happened with the programme
16:53 Whether the young British player mentality is not ready for accountability
20:01 Fixing the depth problem within British basketball
24:09 If defining club's levels needs to be federation led
26:26 Whether the BBL could be taking a lead on the pathway
28:38 How Canada develops players and the mixture between clubs and school sides
34:50 Canada's rise to prominence as a basketball nation
39:41 Coach development in the UK
46:43 Why Jesse moved to the UK and his biggest surprises about basketball here
52:06 The progression of basketball since he has been here
53:52 His intentions around coaching when he moved here
56:24 His year with Humph Long at the East London Royals
1:00:44 How much of an advantage London or big city clubs have
1:02:27 How to prevent players from moving clubs
1:05:09 Making the decision to focus on the Crusaders
1:06:45 Becoming a director of Kent Crusaders and taking the reins
1:08:20 Whether there were aspirations to have a BBL franchise
1:09:00 Could Kent support a BBL franchise?
1:10:09 Discovering Ryan Richards
1:16:50 Whether it was obvious Richards was a potential NBA player
1:18:25 If Ryan reached his potential as a player
1:21:35 Academy basketball - why academies are important and what role they have to play
1:25:25 The different competitions academies were competing in originally
1:27:11 The formation of the EABL and where it has come to
1:38:32 The decision by Basketball England to move the academy leagues back in-house
1:42:11 Easy wins for the academy leagues to improve
1:44:43 Basketball England's BDM - Basketball Development Model
1:50:58 The scale of the changes the BDM were initially proposing
1:53:28 The change of direction the Kent Crusaders decided
1:58:36 Favourite coach he's been around
1:59:14 Best British junior player he's seen
2:00:23 Favourite basketball memory
2:01:29 Best individual British basketball performance he's witnessed
2:02:23 What's in the future for Jesse and Kent Crusaders 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 88 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Head of Basketball Operations for Luol Deng, founder of recruitment and scouting service She's Got Next, and assistant coach at Sierra Canyon High School, Steve Vear.

Vear, a former England junior international, played the majority of his career in NBL Division 1 with a season in the BBL with Leicester Riders, before making the move into to his own coaching business and working with Deng, heading up the UK arm of the Luol Deng Foundation.

As part of that role he oversaw Deng Camp, and the transition into the Deng Camp Top 50 format with rankings in 2014, alongside coaching - he headed up Brixton Topcats' WBBL side, coached London Southbank University, was an assistant with the U16 England Women national team and assisted with City of London Academy's Under-19 women's squad that dominated in 2016-17.

Midway through that season, Vear moved to LA to be with his wife, where he currently resides, continues to be the Director of Deng Camp - overseeing their UK, USA and Australia camps, launched She's Got Next, a recruiting and scouting service to help place British females in the US college system, and is an assistant coach with the powerhouse Sierra Canyon High School girls' team.

In this bumper three hour episode, we discuss Steve's story and the learnings that can be applied to British basketball.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:37 Interview start
03:19 How Steve first started playing
04:29 Whether playing with his brothers developed his competitiveness
05:24 Starting playing at 6 years old and how much of an advantage it is
07:59 The level of provision he had as a six year old to play
09:45 When it became a serious pursuit
13:57 When he thought he could have a professional career
16:20 The dominant Ealing Tornadoes junior team led by Steve and Walid Mumuni
20:02 The landscape of junior basketball when he was coming up
22:39 How good Richard Midgley was
26:24 Luol Deng as a junior
30:48 Rough & Ready and Steve's experiences and memories of it
35:59 Rough & Ready being ahead of its time in putting players on a pedestal
37:49 Steve's short stint at High School in the US
47:11 Whether he gave up the idea of returning to the US 
48:47 Whether he wanted to stay in the UK or planned to play abroad
52:24 Whether Steve feels like he reached his potential as a player
54:01 What he was able to earn in NBL Division 1 as a player
56:40 Playing for Kingston University
59:38 Playing in an inter-county tournament for Sussex with Steve Gayle
1:01:19 Beginning the process away from playing after Leicester Riders
1:07:38 His first involvement with Deng Camp via Andrea Norton
1:13:35 His role as CEO of the Luol Deng Foundation in the UK
1:15:59 The progression of Deng Camp to Deng Top 50 Camp
1:25:02 The depth of talent in the UK 
1:30:46 Advice he would give to a young player not selected for Deng Camp
1:37:26  Difference in the mentality between British players and overseas players
1:42:50 What would happen if you put Sierra Canyon's teams in the EABL & WEABL
1:45:17 Working with the 2016-17 CoLA girls squad and the program Jackson Gibbons is building
1:52:29 Steve's decision to move to LA and leaving British basketball behind
1:58:23 She's Got Next - Steve's recruiting service and the comparisons between the US and the UK talent
2:05:01 The US pathway as a progression route for young British players
2:13:39 Eligibility for British players in the US college system and where players are getting it wrong
2:20:56 Whether players needing to go to High School & Prep School is on the decline
2:25:55 The biggest surprises about basketball from when he moved to the US
2:34:20 What the UK could learn from the US without needing a massive cash infusion
2:46:56 Best British junior player he's seen
2:47:15 Best coach he's played for
2:49:04 No. 1 draft pick from all the of the Deng Camps
2:49:44 Favourite basketball memory
2:50:28 Best individual performance he has witnessed in British basketball
2:51:35 What's in store over the next 3-5 years - South Sudan Basketball Federation

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.
 

In Episode 87 of the Hoopsfix podcast we sit down with former GB international and 12 year pro Dzaflo Larkai.

Larkai retired from playing ahead of the 2019-20 season and made a smooth transition into life after playing as an international NBA scout with the Milwaukee Bucks.

'Flo' played professionally for 12 years, spending most of his time in Japan where he won 7 titles, including doing the regular season and playoff double three times consecutively. He also played in Spain and in the UK - suiting up for Mersey Tigers, Leicester Riders, Manchester Giants and London Lions where he won a Cup and League title.

More recently, he has joined Luol Deng's coaching staff for the South Sudan national team as an assistant in their continental qualifiers.

Since COVID-19 hit, Larkai's contract with the Bucks has been paused and he is currently waiting to see how it plays out but remains hopeful he will be brought back on board.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:26 Interview start
03:03 Making the transitioning from playing into his next career
11:27 How a role with an NBA team as a scout comes to fruition
17:18 What scouts are looking for and the red flags
22:55 The level of talent in Africa and how far we are from African ball becoming a powerhouse
27:58 The difference in young players from Africa compared to young British players
30:30 What made Flo first start playing the game
34:32 The three versions of Flo that exist that help him make decisions
41:13 Forgetting basketball players are humans
43:37 Becoming self aware
45:54 Starting out at Chessington Wildcats
52:57 How Brixton Topcats cultivated that family feel and loyalty within the club
55:24 The landscape of junior basketbal and who the talents were of his generation
58:43 How the move to the US for prep school came about
1:03:22 Turning down D1 offers to go to Prep School
1:06:27 Playing with Rasheed Quadri at La Salle
1:07:49 Redshirting his first year at La Salle due to injury
1:10:45 Playing in his Redshirt Freshman year
1:14:39 Whether the transition to college basketball was easier than he expected
1:17:55 His memories of Rough & Ready
1:20:47 His sexual assault case at college that led to his departure from La Salle
1:32:03 Transferring to Bellarmine and how the case changed him
1:37:33 Turning pro and signing in Spain
1:43:25 Ending up playing in Japan
1:48:52 Whether he knew he was going to end up longer term in Japan
1:50:57 What sort of money you could earn in Japan
1:52:01 Managing your finances whilst being a pro basketball player
1:57:15 What his younger and older self would say to him now

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 86 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Jamie Edwards, former England international and now heading up the new Manchester Giants project.

After almost a decade of dwelling near or at the bottom of the league table, in February of 2020, Manchester Giants saw new ownership led by Edwards, and have started this season as a new-look outfit, with a competitive roster, new home venue and re-brand.

Edwards grew up playing for Oldham Celtics before making the move to Manchester United and was taken under his wing by the legendary Alton Byrd, who remains a mentor to this day.

After going to the US for High School (at Byrd's former school), he returned to the UK where he had a 5 year career in the BBL before getting into running basketball camps and clinics, ultimately leading to the creation of NBA Mad Skills, a nationwide tour of 16 cities and towns which saw him featured on Channel 4 with Scoop Jackson.

Edwards was involved in two unsuccessful attempts at buying the Giants franchise in the late 90s, before setting up Trained Brain in 2000, where he does peak performance coaching with elite athletes and people.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:49 Interview start
03:51 How Jamie started playing basketball
06:28 The Manchester United basketball programme
10:12 How juniors used to all play before the seniors to encourage the club links
13:31 Playing at Royal Albert Hall
17:30 Being mentored by Alton Byrd
19:32 The similarities in their position and height meaning Byrd took a liking to him
22:39 Jamie went to the same High School Alton did
25:51 Choosing not to play college ball
27:16 Returning to the UK to play at Chester
30:30 The length of Jamie's pro career
31:56 Why he chose to retire from playing
35:11 Working camps and setting up the NBA Mad Skills nationwide tour
37:24 The first attempts at buying the Manchester Giants in the late 90s
41:09 What was it that motivated him to want to own a BBL franchise
44:03 The years he attempted to buy the franchise
44:29 What stopped it from happening
44:43 The franchise being valued higher in those times
45:15 Whether he has been biding his time over the last 20 years to get the franchise
47:38 How transferring ownership of a franchise works
49:31 How many other people are involved with the ownership of the club
50:31 Where the funding for the club is coming from
51:05 How the reality of running a BBL club compares to his expectations
52:53 Assessing the state of Manchester basketball
59:28 Moving into the National Basketball Performance Centre
1:02:41 The importance of knowing the history to be able to build for the future
1:05:32 The release of Callum Jones from the club
1:08:06 The balance of home grown development with winning at the BBL level
1:10:53 Getting tangible minutes for young British players and whether the focus is on players from the North West
1:14:40 What Jamie's day to day looks like
1:16:57 Looking to the future of the Giants
1:22:34 Whether it's a good look for players to have to have another job whilst in 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 85 of the Hoopsfix podcast, we sit down with first year pro and GB Senior international Akwasi Yeboah.

Currently plying his trade with Saint Quentin in France's Pro B for his rookie year, Yeboah is coming off a hugely successful college career, where he played at Stony Brook before becoming a grad-transfer to Rutgers.

He is one of the few Brits to score over 1600 points during his college career, made multiple-all conference teams, and also led the 2017 GB Under-20 side to Division A promotion whilst earning All-Star five honours.

Yeboah was part of the 'comeback kids' Barking Abbey side that won the 2015 NBL Division 1 Men's title with a squad that consisted of just one player over 19.

Due to COVID-19, Yeboah missed out on his opportunity to play in the 2020 NCAA Tournament (which was cancelled) and subsequently increase his 'stock' for the pros, and has navigated turning pro during a challenging time for basketball globally.

In this 1 hour and 20 minute pod we discuss Akwasi's journey so far and how he is finding pro life.

Time stamps:
00:00 Intro
02:37 Interview start
03:01 Transitioning to pro life
04:03 Whether there is more pressure now he's a pro
04:40 How COVID-19 has affected the basketball in France
07:24 The lockdown in France and how it's impacting the league
08:46 Whether COVID-19 impacted the decision on where he signed
10:43 How COVID-19 has impacted Akwasi's opportunities
12:05 What it felt like to sign his rookie contract
13:21 Whether there are any surprises about being a pro basketball player
14:52 What Akwasi does with his down time
15:26 What a day in the life looks like
16:58 How his French is coming on
17:33 Akwasi's early years in Ghana and why he moved to the UK aged 9
19:18 Getting punished with a cain in Ghana
21:20 How much his brother Kwame influenced his playing
23:16 Playing for London Spartans, Brentwood Fire and NASSA
24:04 The stacked NASSA junior side that were a year up from Akwasi
26:06 Now playing on the GB Senior squad with guys he looked up
26:39 His first junior national team experience
27:17 Not getting selected for the England Under-18s
28:15 The point he realised he could be a professional player
29:38 His first year at Barking Abbey and transitioning to an academy
30:56 The jump in his development from his first year to second year at BA
32:32 The group he was with at BA and how much that pushed him
34:02 The NBL Division 1 run with BA and getting his only D1 scholarship offer at the back of it
37:22 Whether he always maintained the faith he could play at NCAA Division 1 level
38:20 If there was any hesitation to sign with Stony Brook immediately
38:48 The herd mentality when it comes to recruiting
39:25 The transition to the US
40:06 Putting on weight in his Freshman year
40:43 The decision to redshirt his first year at Stony Brook
42:19 The team making the NCAA tournament in his redshirt year
43:57 Whether the level of provision and facilities at D1 schools become normalised after a period of time
45:31 Whether college sports in the states has a higher level of provision than the pros
46:19 If redshirting made it hard to know whether his skills would transfer to games
48:04 The coach that recruited him leaving after his redshirt year
50:13 Hitting the rookie wall in his Freshman year
51:06 Not having the option to transfer even if he wanted to
51:48  Being named All-Rookie conference team in his Freshman year
52:37 His year by year progress in his college career
53:42 Looking back on his 3 years at Stony Brook and the standout memories
55:42 When he started thinking about the pros
56:26 Whether being a grad-transfer and getting his masters was in his head when he initially redshirted
57:20 When he knew he was going to transfer
58:04 The recruiting process from schools to be a grad-transfer
59:29 Whether he always knew Rutgers were going to be the likely choice
1:00:30 The differences between mid-major and high-major level at college
1:01:40 Whether anyone ever torched him in the Big 10
1:02:16 The best player he personally guarded
1:02:59 Playing against NBA talent and seeing it up close
1:03:54 His season at Rutgers
1:05:58 The difference between Rutgers and Stony Brook off court
1:07:03 Missing out on the NCAA tournament and being nationally ranked
1:08:15 Playing for Junior national team and whether it helps with his development
1:09:15 Whether having knowledge of the international game gives him an edge in college
1:10:06 Deciding which agent to sign for when it came to turning pro
1:12:06 How he is approaching his rookie year
1:13:11 Whether playing in the BBL is on his radar at all
1:15:05 Best British junior player he's seen
1:16:29 Best coach he's played for
1:17:18 His favourite basketball memory
1:17:42 Where he wants to be 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 84 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with Worcester Wolves Head Coach Matt Newby.

Having been coaching for over 21 years, Newby, is one of the few coaches to have won titles at NBL Division 4, Division 3, Division 2, Division 1 and BBL levels following his BBL Cup title in January with Worcester. He has won no less than 14 national titles across Senior competitions, from National League, to BUCS and the BBL.

He built a programme from the bottom up, taking the Leeds Carnegie programme from the lower rungs of the national leagues through to a BBL franchise, the Leeds Force, which was in the top flight from 2014-2018.

Coach Newby had a difficult departure from the Force, and after two years out from the pros returned last season at the helm of the Worcester Wolves.

In this 1 hour and 40 minute podcast, we go into his new life at Worcester, dissect the journey of Leeds Carnegie through the national leagues to the BBL and look at the role of educational institutions like universities and their role within British basketball.

Time stamps:

00:00 Intro
3:03 Interview start
3:07 How he sees this season going with COVID
4:01 Whether Worcester are in a better situation than some clubs because of the university partnership
5:12 Worcester’s roster this season and where the imports are
6:12 Whether he’s surprised with how well Worcester have been competing without their imports
7:14 Transitioning from Leeds to Worcester
9:01 The differences between his role in Leeds and Worcester
11:46 Reflecting on his cup title with Worcester
13:21 How high he would put the Cup title on his resumé
15:07 Matching up with Andreas in the Cup Final, his old NBL rival
16:51 How much of a blow it was for Worcester that the season was cut short due to COVID
18:26 His start in basketball and made him first get involved
26:35 Going to the US for 8-10 years every Summer
28:15 Covering his costs to go to the US
29:10 What the US was doing for his coaching development that he wasn’t getting in the UK
31:40 Whether young coaches now have more resource to improve their coaching
33:53 You’ve got to pay your dues to get a head coaching role
36:17 The importance of man-management and not just XS and Os
38:34 When recruiting a player how important is the connection the coach has with them
41:00 His involvement with York Vikings
41:44 Whether he was full time coaching from the moment he left uni
42:41 Implementing a scaled out schools coaching program
44:34 His coaching role with the council
45:43 How he first got involved with Leeds Met university
48:29 Why a university looks at sport and wants to focus on it
50:22 The timelines and aspirations of the plan for the university programme
52:18 The success of the programme through the national league and why it worked
56:11 The double-edged sword of being backed by a university
58:42 How BUCS and university basketball has changed over the last decade or so
1:02:53 How much of an opportunity BUCS basketball has to be a bigger part of the British basketball ecosystem
1:06:12 How the BBL opportunity in Leeds first arose
1:08:01 Losing the university backing of the BBL franchise shortly before the entry into the league
1:09:40 Why the decided to push forward with the franchise despite losing the full backing of the university
1:11:00 Whether he would advise himself back then not to enter the BBL
1:12:22 Picking up 9 wins in his first BBL season and whether that exceeded expectations
1:14:14 The differences between running an NBL Division 1 program and a BBL franchise
1:15:48 Whether he thinks the BBL franchise committee should have not let Leeds enter
1:16:27 Making the playoffs in Leeds’ second BBL season 1:18:42 The resources Leeds had in comparison to other BBL franchises
1:19:41 His final year with the club before departing
1:20:51 What ultimately led to the breakdown of the club
1:22:33 How hard it was having to leave the club he helped build up from the bottom
1:24:53 Whether he wanted to have another crack at a BBL franchise in Leeds after they withdrew from the league
1:26:18 What he was doing during his two years out from the pros
1:27:06 His thoughts when he was saw the Worcester position advertised
1:28:16 The lack of stability around coaching roles
1:29:22 best British junior player he’s ever seen
1:31:07 Favourite player he’s coached
1:32:21 His coaching role models and inspirations
1:34:47 Favourite basketball memory
1:34:24 Where he wants to be in 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.