Elite U12 set on International Duty

U12 players will be on international duty this weekend .This is our first ever trip abroad, and it is set in Belgium.

We are happy to confirm our youngest squad will take part in one of the biggest youth basketball festival, starting this Friday 27th of May 2022. New adventure awaits, and so is new experience which could not be any better. Gerolsteiner Arbeidershuis basketball tournament will take place between the 27-29 of May in the beautiful town of Sint, Belgium . Our team will travel by luxury & comfortable coach this Thursday evening.

The competition at the tournament is looking really strong. Out of 4 teams, our boys will be competing against 3 that are coming from the American AAU system which will provide a great test for our young squad . 5 games across this tournament will be definitely a new experience that our players and coaches cant wait. Space High Elite I (USA), Basket Poperinge (BEL), Eagles Basketball (USA), Space High Elite II (USA). Those teams our young squad will face in the group stage of the tournament.

Our GM Daniel Szatkowski said this: “Since we have opened doors at London Elite, We were committed to providing the best opportunities for junior players in the UK. This tournament is a great opportunity, especially playing against American teams is something rarely seen in UK basketball. There is a lot of great news on the way but we will definitely make most of this Belgium trip.”

Squad travelling to Belgium will be made of : Q.McKelvey, N.Macionis, L.Addison, O.Wagner, E.Onashile, J.Assam, S.Kaniki, G.Robson, G.Chong, A.Ayyadi and N.Ferrari

Feel free to check out our social medias for frequent updates with scores, news and everything that is going around this trip!

National League season recap

Long awaited, Elite’s first National League season has come to the end. It is truly hard to believe this was a premiere season for us. The whole program success stands as a testimony that the hard work at club foundations pays off. Freezing period during lockdown, gave us time to create strategy how to approach season 21/22 in a best possible way. Along with excitement which was high since , multiple teams were heading towards their first ever season at national league level we coudln’t await the moment of start. Few months later , we come out of very successful Summer 2021 where we collected RBL and CBL championship titles!

U12 Review: Unbelievable Journey.

September 21′ brought lots of questions for our youngest members . Most of players from last year have moved up to U14, some moved from the west London area. This made us think if we should push with the project or simply pull out of National league. At times with less then 5 players in training, it became a challenge and test for us as an organisation. Now looking back we can say that It would have been a massive mistake to pull this team out of NL . Our youngest squad Led by Quinton McKelvey picked couple very talented players on the way and finished 2nd place in league! Journey and testimony for all players and parents involved was indescribable. Currently the future is bright!

Highlights of the year: 2OT win vs Talented Kingston Lions team.https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaM9E0lpAp8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

U14 review: Goals Achieved!

As previously, the stem of the team results lays in our talented players led by young guard Kaya Birsen. Yet again Kaya didn’t disappoint the U14 Elite fans and brought us joy and plenty of great memories with his amazing game. The journey of our young players’ development leads to one conclusion; the coaching and quality structure which London elite offers is the root for our success. Upcoming talents Sam Scott and Aron Okenge will be players to look out for in near future. Our U14 NBL team finished season with record 14-2, claimed the South IV conference championship title and secured a promotion to Premier level of competition next year!

Check out highlights from a key victory this season:(22) London United vs London Elite (NBL U14 Boys 2021/22 Game 2 Highlights) – YouTube

U16I Review: Mission Completed.

After very successful recruiting summer 21′. Our expectations grew big on our upcoming u16 squad. It did not take us long to enter this talented squad into prestigious EYBL. Season started with multiple wins Coach Mauro DiNunzio had lots to look forward to. His troops improved with each week of fixtures and claimed South II conference title behind fantastic 19-1 record! After regular season was finished, Our boys entered promotion play offs where in first round we faced Milton Keynes. Convincing win (79-54) came behind great defensive performance, our squad sealed final where We faced Woking Blackhawks away. As it was last game of the season, our boys came out firing and claimed a Promotion to Western Premier competition with convincing 106-78 victory!

U16II review: Purpose Fulfilled

With numbers constantly going up, we had more then 12 players showing talent good enough for playing at NL level. With placement of U16II into NL, we have invested resources and time which was very beneficial investment for our club . The evident progress made by our team which was mainly year 10 players was really impressive. Team members proved that they deserve to be on A team in upcoming season. Hard work from coach Kieran resulted in team coming to nearly 500 record as they ended up 8-12 in whole campaign! Well done!

U18I Review: Bright Future

After successful summer 21 and securing multiple players with scholarships in USA, We knew that upcoming season will be a tough test. With 90% squad being in first year it suppose to be a learning curve. But it was more then that. Our talented troops led by Oskar Striuga, Anthony Wilson and David Jesubayode, have proven that they are capable of beating any team in their league. Our team came 2nd out 10 and have proven to be a force to look out to in coming season. Eligible players from that squad formed our U17 EYBL team which was capable of sweeping stage in Romania. We can clearly see that right foundation have been laid for next 12 months.

U18II Review: Progress Made.

Do not sleep on this team. Formed with multiple talented U17 players, with whom many travelled with our U17’s team across Europe. It was a big headache in offseason how to classify which player goes to A or B. But we are glad that many players who started off on our second team are now considered strong candidates for our first team in upcoming season. great work by coach Daniel and coach Kieran.

Men’s Review: Undefeated Squad.

There was only one goal for this team. Knowing how much talent, experience and skills we have acquired in last summer, goal could be one. Winning our division 3 league. And team led by coach Sam Stiller did it in perfect way. Going undefeated in whole season shows that there is pure potential is in our men’s section. But best part of it: it is just a beginning! Look out for exciting news coming up in this summer!

Our GM Daniel Szatkowski said: “First ever National League season was a true accomplishment for our program. We have achieved what we set out as a goal. Promotion of 3 out of 4 teams is remarkable achievement. We still have to remember that despite high ambitious, this was our first ever NL campaign. With more fantastic excitement coming to our home, Capital City Academy, we can say one thing. Season 22/23 cannot come any sooner!”

KD committs to JUCO champions.

KD. Karyiek Dixon. Name that was introduced to wider public by countless, high entertaining game dunks. Player that brought hundreds spectators to our home matches with length, athleticism, and versatility which despite young age help him to achieve division 3 MVP title.

KD is widely loved by teammates, coaches and all people involved in our club. It is always saddening to release such a great team spirit player, nevertheless helping young London players achieve their dreams is what lies in centre of our club. Officially we can announce that Karyiek has committed to Vincennes University (VU) playing in NJCAA Div 1.

This is what KD had to say: “My time at Elite this season, playing alongside my teammates and Coach, allowed me to grow as a player and helped show me the player I can become. Finishing the regular season undefeated was a goal we shared, achieved and was well deserved. The next step on my basketball journey is joining the trailblazers family at Vincennes University, where I will further develop my game and work to help the team win another National championship.”

The VU Men’s basketball team holds a record of 681-74 within fantastic P.E. Complex, including a 179-13 record under current VU head coach Todd Franklin. Know as Trailblazers, VU Basketball team is 4 time NJCAA Division 1 champions, with last title recorded in 2019.

After the Trailblazers were awarded the championship trophy and cut down the nets at Hutchinson Sports Arena, Franklin was named Coach of the Tournament and freshman Kevin Osawe was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.  Sophomores Keith Clemons and Kevin Kangu were named to the 12-player All-Tournament Team.

The Trailblazers are four-time national champions. They won national titles in 1965, 1970, 1972 and 2019.

VU holds the record for most national championship appearances with 34. They Trailblazers also hold the record for most consecutive tournament appearances in the modern era of junior college basketball. This was their seventh straight trip to the national tournament.

Head Coach Todd Franklin is part of famous  NJCAA Hall of Fame. This is what he had to say: “We are extremely excited to welcome Karyiek Dixon as the newest member of the Vincennes basketball family ! I believe his physical style will fit perfectly with the way we have built what we believe is the top Juco program in history !

We would like massive THANK YOU for all Kayriek has done for our club. He will always be part of our history and we will be looking our for his further development!

History in the making

4 games. 4 wins. 0 losses. Our U17 squad made history as the first London Elite team to go undefeated at the EYBL stage.

The first stage of the U17 campaign took place in mid-November in Sopron, Hungary. It was the first international tournament for our squad and results did not go the way players wanted, eventually finishing with a 1-3 record. However, the response to these frustrating results could be any better. Countless hours of hard work boys put in helped the team in areas progress was needed.

2nd stage of group A of U17 EYBL was held in the capital of Romania, Bucharest. The first game on Thursday evening saw our team getting first Win against home team Stiinta Bucharest II and provided an opportunity to provide good minutes to every player on the roster. 12 hours later, on Friday early afternoon our Boys versed Moldavian team Admirals Chisinau. the eastern European team has put our boys through a good test however our team continued their good form into game 2 and claimed the second win of the tournament.

3rd game of the tournament gave our boys a chance to face again Turkish side Suadiye which we lost to at stage 1. A game that went back and forth saw our team seal 3rd win of the tournament 71-62 behind 20 points from D.Jesubayode.

The last game of stage 2 provided our team with the toughest test. Facing tough Italian team Kouros Napoli. Led by legendary Italian coach Antonio Petillo. The game started in our favor, with a strong 10 point lead at Half time. However, adjusted defense by the Italian side caused our team to change the style of the game and as a result, Napoli took a 1 point lead halfway through 4th. However, T. Istrefi and A.Wilson’s strong and1 plays secured our side 55-51 win.

This type of performance would not be possible without individual contributions from our talented players. Anthony Wilson was named team MVP. Anthony recorded 11.25 points per game, 9.6 rebounds on efficiency 13.9 per game.

David Jesubayode received a nomination for prestigious All-Star 5 of the tournament behind 14 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, and 3 assists. We cannot miss the contribution from young Conor James who recorded 11.25 points per game.

Our young squad has finished in respected 3rd position out of 11 teams competing in group A of European Youth Basketball League. What an achievement!

Our young squad will look to continue their great performance upon return in UK with last part of National League nad CBL is just ahead.

Elite enters excellent partnership with UCFB

We are delighted to announce that London Elite Basketball club have entered into a partnership with UCFB and its Global Institute of Sport (GIS), based at the iconic Wembley Stadium. UCFB IS a world-first in higher education, with pioneering degrees in sports industry.

Register Your Interest in UCFB/GIS

From coaching to marketing, and finance to esports, they offer a range of specifically tailored programmes to kick off your career in the multi-billion pound sector. GIS, the Master’s arm of UCFB, utilises a global network of industry leaders to provide unparalleled postgraduate programmes in sport. James McKeown, GIS’ Chief Operating Officer, commented: “We’re so excited to announce the UCFB Wembley and London Elite Basketball academy today. It’s a momentous occasion for UCFB to partner up with such an elite basketball programme from here in Brent, creating a pathway for future professional basketballers to come and study their degree with us here at UCFB and Wembley, and train like a pro at the same time.

“This marks our next step in the growth of our elite sports strategy. We’re excited to add to our existing football academies for men and women at UCFB, and hope to see many of our graduates playing sport as well as working in sport in the years to come.” McKeown continues

The partnership will incorporate the launch of UCFB’s very own Basketball Academy, designed for aspiring professionals to continue training and competing at an elite level, alongside gaining a degree in sport, with a particular focus on industry experience and employability. As one of the most dynamically growing basketball clubs in London, we will be providing expertise in coaching for all those involved with the academy. Students at UCFB will be apriority within our teams and will have access to a range of support from our club. Having a partnership in the educational pathway will help us to continue to grow and expand our club.

Our General Manager, Daniel Szatkowski, said: “To have a partner of this quality is the best possible news for our club; GIS is one of the leading sports academic institutions in the world. We are committed to building the highest standard basketball programme in the UK and I am more than confident we will achieve this. Provision of U12 EYBL, Div. 2 and 3, BUCS is definitely what serious players need. I can’t wait to see students benefit from this great partnership. The future is truly bright.”

Should you have an interest in this exciting project, please fill in form HERE or contact coach Daniel on 07453314867 or email [email protected]

London Elite Welcomes Support of Leading Global Tech Company Datasite

London Elite, a basketball club focused on developing London’s young sporting talent, is delighted to announce its sponsorship by global technology company, Datasite, a leading SaaS provider for the M&A industry.

Datasite regularly supports initiatives that help bring about greater diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in its own business and industry. The company is a visionary sponsor of Exponent Women, an industry organization that is dedicated to giving women dealmakers access to meaningful interactions and educational content. Datasite helps educate and inspire the next generation by enabling its leaders to speak with students at institutions like NYIT in Manhattan and the AFAS in Minneapolis, about technology careers.

Merlin Piscitelli, Chief Revenue Officer for Datasite in Europe, the Middle East and Africa said:

“We at Datasite are passionate about supporting the communities where we live and work and London Elite is an excellent example of a programme that is making a difference in the lives of young adults. Sports equip young people with key skills, like leadership, collaboration, dedication, and camaraderie, that will be crucial to their future success and can open up new avenues of opportunity that might not have been previously available.”

Our Director, Daniel Szatkowski said: “We thank Datasite for its generous support, which will give our kids opportunities both on and off the court, including a chance to compete, gain confidence and skills they can use the rest of their lives. Basketball has the power to change lives and Datasite’s contributions will help our kids understand the importance of hard work and achieving goals. Sports is a great unifier, motivator, and leveler.”

to learn more about Datasite, please visit: www.datasite.com

We will regularly update you on project we run together. There will be real impact on our local community. Exciting times ahead!

2021 Review

2020 compared with 2021

2020 was not an easy year at all. Therefore we had a lot of doubt what 2021 would bring ahead. National league had been cancelled, with the view there were not a lot of basketball tournament & leagues options for our players left future was a little gloomy. Indoor sessions cancelled, small group sessions only allowed and list went on … Those were the times we were not much used to ,both the players and the couches. We tried different approach as our vision is that London Elite is to push for opportunities in difficult times , to keep encouraging, build teams with respect to current regulations. We have created a short summary of 2021 below, which proves this point . The achievements our teams and players accomplished regardless the obstacles, difficulties and general overall surrounding pessimistic approach gave us an anchor thought that if you really want you can achieve so much more!

U18 Sweep Squad

With cancellation of 20/21 season, we were fortunate to have 2 summer leagues at highest level of junior basketball in UK. Revolution Basketball league and Community Basketball League provided so much experience and exposure, our boys quickly forgot on what was lost due to lockdown. With both leagues being formed by some top junior programs in UK we always knew it will be a tough task to claim both titles. However things are always easier when squad is formed from really talented players and coaches.

In RBL league our boys faced Baltic Stars in final, which proved a really tough test for our team. Despite being down 14 in 4th quarter, our squad led by A.Wildish and A.Atakpu ( final MVP) sealed amazing come back to claim final game 84-77 becoming first RBL champion in U18 age group.

Shortly after claiming first title our boys booked their Final of CBL with hard fought win over Southwark Legends in semi final. It was a challenging task in final as our squad went against one of most titled clubs in London, Brixton Topcats. Having won a RBL title already, there was no stopping for our boys. They left no chance for team from south London and claimed 2nd Summer league final. Having won biggest community league was a cheery on ice for our boys!

Not long since securing Summer Leagues titles, our club focus was directed at next event of high calibre. We proudly organised a first ever Summer Showcase for u12 boys age group. 3 days event was taking place at our home Capital City Academy and we could enjoy packed schedule which saw teams of like Manchester Magic, Chiswick Gators or Brentwood Fire compete to define first champion. After thrilling final our young squad led by K.Birsen won in final by only 1 point against talented and athletic Chiswick Gators team.

American dream.

Successful campaign of our U18 could not go unnoticed. Multiple of our players have received their full sports scholarships and decided to head across the pond to continue their career there. This was just another testimony of quality of campaign we had pleasure to witness

  • O.Beckford landed scholarship from Keystone Academy Kings
  • S.Ovia went Phelps School
  • A.Atakpu continues his journey at Elevation Prep
  • A.Pyne is at Panthers Hoops
  • A.Wildish went to world famous Prolific Prep.

With only week rest , the team started for first ever National League campaign. We have entered multiple teams from youngest U12’s to Men’s division 3. Senior Elite team signed for legendary coach Sam Stiller , which showed what plans club have for their men’s section. First half of the season saw our team going 5-0 and reach last 16 of National Cup.

With senior team doing so well, our junior section did not have any other plans then follow their footsteps. We currently sit on top of the table for U18, U16 and u14 teams while our U12 are joining two other teams with same record in their league. Great performances across the board are not surprise. Hard work players and coaches are putting into our club.

EYBL is back!

European Youth Basketball League was something we deeply missed in last two years. we could not be happier to welcome news of its return for coming season 21/22. Our two squads compete in Central Region of this prestigious league. Our U16 started their campaign with 2-2 record during first stage in Debrecen, Hungary while U17 had slow start 1-3 at their stage in Sopron, Hungary. It is amazing to be back at travelling across Europe to face tough European competition.

With such a successful 2021 we are more then confident that 2022 will be even better! Lots of exciting news on the way!

Just a beginning

1st trip in book. Memories made.

While there is still lots of uncertainty around in terms of international travel, we have succeeded in safely travelling to EYBL U16 tournament in Debrecen, Hungary. Not only we travelled but we competed and proved that UK teams can be a threat top European competition. Our brave squad split record with 2 wins and 2 losses, however most important was a progression over period of this tournament. Our team showed not only we are athletic unit, but we can adapt to different styles of basketball.

Our boys started tournament with clash against Romanian Sibiu Basketball club. Our team established 15 point lead half way through 3rd quarter, however fatigue from travel across continent took its tall and Romanians were able to cut our lead to only 2 points with 1 mins left. Strong resilience from our boys helped them hold their nerves and secured first international win 64-62 in their European campaign.

On day 2 we faced Macedonian team Vodno Suns Skopje . Balkan team provided our team much of difficult test. Combination of different defensive system, good shooting performance. There was lots to reply for our boys. But led by Connor James (31 points, 10 rebound), Reale Basquine (23 points, 16 rebounds) and Noa Istrefi (20 points, 8 rebounds) our U16 team prevailed and secured 2nd win of tournament!

3rd day saw our teams facing Hungarians teams of Atemeromu Paks and hosting Debreceni Academy. Our boys left all they had however cam short on both occasions. We finished our first tournament with 2 wins and 2 losses.

Head Coach Mauro DiNunzio said: “EYBL trip was a great experience for our team. Boys competed with their heart each game they play. Improvement throughout tournament was just unreal. This trip helped us create amazing bond between player and helped us realised how good we can play. This was really win win situation for our squad “

We cannot miss fact of outstanding performances by Connor James and Reale Basquine. Connor was most efficient player among all teams competing in Hungary (eff 25.50) while Real was crowned best rebounder of tournament (14.50 rebound per game)

Our team made everyone proud at our club and we are very confident that this is just a beginning for our young side. Amazing progress made under coach Mauro was visible for anyone following progress of our team at EYBL stage. Boys now head back to National League and CBL competitions and will prepare for stage 2 which takes place in Trsteniki, Serbia 20-23 January 2022.

Back at it!

Long wait is over. This could not get any better.

We are happy to announce that our U16’s squad under coach Mauro DiNunzio is flying out to Debrecen, Hungary to take part in EYBL U16 Central Europe. News like this is a massive relieve for our club knowing what difficult times we are going through.

Our boys and coaches have negatively tested for Covid and are on the way to one of most prestigious tournaments in European basketball.

Our U16 team has started season with undefeated record 4-0 in National league and boys are now have their eyes on EYBL which takes place between 4th-7th November.

Head Coach Mauro said:” This trip is a great stepping stone for the team and club. It gives us a chance to compete against best teams in Europe. It can be a challenging however, this experience can definitely boost team and players confidence and help boys develop their game. Myself and players are very excited for this opportunity!

Our boys will start tournament with clash against CBU SIBIU coming from Romania on Thursday night. Following day our club will square up against Macedonian Vodno Skopje.

Saturday will see our team playing twice. 1pm vs Atomeromu Paks followed by 7pm tip against Debrecen Academy.

This is an outstanding opportunity for our squad to gain unreplaceable experience at that high level.

All games will be livestreamed on YouTube and we will keep you posted with links on our social media. Look out this space!

Welcome Coach Stiller!

We are thrilled to announce that we have secured service of most experience and title coaches in history of UK basketball. Coach Sam Stiller will be in charge of our men’s team competing in division 3.

Coach Stiller had a pro career that spanned over two decades both domestically and in Israel, whilst also representing England and Great Britain internationally. During his playing career in UK with Cadburys Boost Kingston he had a chance to compete against powerhouses like Barcelona, Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow or Maccabi Tel-Aviv. He is known as one of greatest shooters that UK ever produced.

After retiring from playing eventually got into coaching, where he helped take NASSA from Division 4 to Division 1 from 2010-2013, whilst picking up three consecutive Coach of the Year Awards, and then picking up another one in 2016-17 with London Westside. Coach Stiller has since moved to Israel where he worked at HAPOEL Nesher.

Summer 2021 saw Sam return to UK and we are truly fortunate to secure services of such an experience coach to help us build our Men’s side of program. Coach Daniel is stepping down from Head coach ta men’s to help our community side which has been growing in numbers. This is what GM Daniel Szatkowski had to say:” Our club has grown to really big numbers with over 200 players registered. There is big number of new projects we are working on and therefore i have less and less time to coach. When i heard about an opportunity to employ Sam it was no brainer to me. His vision, passion and experience is what our club needs right now. I am really happy to welcome Sam to our London Elite family”

Our Men’s team is currently 4-0 across competitions and have progress to last 16 in National Cup with confident win against Division 2 London Westside 84-56.

Coach Stiller said:” I know despite being young club it has already a great structure, support and philosophy. From developing great youngster all the way up to have a great potential with men’s team. I can see great opportunity for me to help club grow to another level. Our short goal is to make promotion to division 2 and in few years time make it to BBL.”

“We have currently very talented and experience team and it is time for Elite to shine!”

You can see Coach Sam in action at next Men’s game which will take place Saturday 30th October vs Surrey Rams. 6pm tip at Capital City Academy. exciting times ahead!