Elite at X-Mass tournament in Belgium

As a history of tournament goes back to 2007, it is well established and known tournament that attracts teams from across the globe. This year edition brings teams from USA, Canada, Spain, Serbia, Germany and many more.

As London Elite season is fully underway in domestic and International leagues, we have fantastic news for our younger age groups as U12, U14 and U16 teams will take part in probably biggest youth basketball tournament in Europe which takes place 27th-29th December in beautiful town Kortrijk,Belgium.

Director of X-Mas Tournament Peter De Lepeleire said:” As organizer of the 2019 Aquarius X-Mas Tournament i warmly welcome one of the biggest basketball clubs in London to their event.During the three days of competitions, they will compete against opponents from Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada and 14 other countries.We hope it will be an outstanding experience for them ! “

Our U12 team has successfully started their Division 1 CBL league and currently sit on top of table. At tournament in Belgium our boys will face two Belgium teams, BBC Oostkamp and home team Kortrijk Spurs. Teams from Belgium, Netherland, Romania and Switzerland participate in tournament alongside our boys.

Coach Matt Williams cannot wait for the Belgium trip – “to experience European tournament play against high calibre competition show how far London Elite and UK basketball has progressed. A true opportunity for all age groups to bond and grow. This is a fantastic opportunity to evaluate and for coaches and players to step back and understand the reason why we are family club for the community”. U14 boys team will face Basketball ACA Amsterdam and teams from Belgium: Belfius Mons Hainaut and Antwerp Giants.

U16 teams is also enjoying undefeated start of their season while preparing to their first international trip. Head Coach Mauro Di Nunzio said:” We are looking forward to play the X-Mas tournament because the boys will play in a competitive environment and it only means we are getting better. I am quite sure that the boys will give the heart and hustle possession by possession. “

Our U16 boys in group stage will face teams from Belgium: Antwerp Giants, and Spalding Selection and German SC Rist Wedel.

Our Head Coach and Director of London Elite said:”to be part of such an amazing tournament is just a privilege to our club. It shows the journey we have made in the last 6 months and what is a true philosophy of London Elite family”

All players and coaches will travel on executive 57 seater coach provided by Dhillon of London to whom we would like to say massive: Thank You!

All live updates will be posted on Instagram and Facebook so please head to our social media for all updates!

EYBL U20 stage II in books!

Our U20 men’s team flew to Riga, Latvia to take part in second stage of most prestigious youth basketball project, EYBL. As currently this league provides most competitive games available in Europe, we knew we will be facing big challenges.

As boys touched down on thursday morning in cold Latvia, they truly enjoyed day of rest preparing to play on friday first game. In first match of the tournament, boys faced possibly best Latvian team in tournament BC Jugla. However led by K.Kolesnikovas and M.Disu jumped into 8 point lead at HT controlling the game. As Latvian team did not look to give up they made couple of 3’s to claim 1 point lead on 20 seconds to go. However Kevin Kolesnikovas made long range to to put Elite team up and took a charge to claim ball back from opposition.

However in controversial circumstances referees award ball to latvian team at 1.6 second to go. You Jugla team players executed perfect players leading to game winning buzzer beating lay up to claim win against our team. Heart breaking experience for our boys that game was.

In Evening game we faced Ventspils who are currently top 3 teams in EYBL. Our boys failed to execute same defence and let opposition with solid win. Coach Daniel said” i think we were still mentally in first game which hurt us a lot. Its tough start of tournament but i believe boys can do well in next days”

On day 2 of EYBL stage, our boys faced Sandvika team, young swedish team. Our boys hit their lows after dropping first games. It was Swedish side that used our boys struggle and converted in easy comfortable win.

Coach Daniel said:”we had lots of expectation and really after the game hit us hard. I knew i have to pick up boys off the floor and help them to realise how good team we can be. Tough job to do but these boys truly deserve it.

In Second game of the day boys came out of changing rooms as completely different team. Played aggressive defence forcing Liepaja players into turnovers leading to easy lay ups. Led by 22 points from Matthew Disu our team claimed first win of the stage!

In last day of the tournament our side faced currently 2nd sead, leader of EABL, and top division 2 Men’s NBL, Myerscrough. Our boys went out of blocks claiming first half 29-24 behind hot shooting from K.Kolesnikovas and great defensive effort from R.Murray and T.Agbede. However slow 3rd period saw Myscro jumping into 7 point lead before final period. While Opponents were looking to close the game pour boys showed “character never quits” and brough game into 3 point difference with 40 seconds to go behind hot outside shooting from M.Disu. Great team defence forced myscro players into shot clock violation however our boys missed 3 opportunities to level the game and academy from North England escaped with small win.

Rio Murray received team MVP as recognition of his great performances through out a stage. 3rd stage is organised in Valmiera, Latvia at end of February. Please check London Elite TV on instagram for all games highlights!

Coach Daniel reflects on EYBL experience.

London Elite participates in 2 age groups of European Youth Basketball League in season 19/20. As both teams completed their first stages, coach Daniel reflects on importance of participation in such a big basketball project.

“As I decided to enter two of our talented squads into the most competitive league in Europe, it was no brainer that we will face challenges that we cannot see in the UK”

“Any good youth coach always has a player development at the bottom of his heart. It is easy to realise players need the toughest possible challenge. Why? Because without continual growth and progress through falls, struggle and sacrifice, such words as improvement & success have NO MEANING.”

“Our U20 team finished their first stage with 1-4 record however progress made was stated by EYBL President “quickest improving team in EYBL”. As boys improving with each game it was obvious that young Londoners will collect the win. In game number 4 we beat Helsinki Rocks 61-58 behind 23 from Matthew Disu, whereas at the last game of tournament boys came inch away from collecting 2nd win however DSN Riga got away with 2 OT win”

Our U20 squad is currently in Riga, Latvia for their 2nd stage of EYBL. Boys will face BS Jugla, BC Ventspils, Sandvika BB, BC Liepaja and Myerscough.

Coach Daniel continues” We had decent preparation for this tournament, playing few competitive friendlies, working on our weakest sides which extensively improved our squad since the previous stage. Still, a great deal depends on our top scorers M.Disu and R. Murray, however, our squad is deeper and we have lots of players that can step up to that level and contribute significantly to our team.

Team Roster: K.Kolesnikovas, R.Murray, M.Disu, J.Alimi, K.Ogunbona, R.Bumba, T.Agbede, K.Hines.

Follow our social media for live updates!

IT IS JUST A BEGINNING.

Two of our boys teams took part in Hoop Dreams tournament which took place on 1st December at beautiful ACS Cobham venue.

Both squads are building on a successful start of the season as they started top Division of CBL London with perfect 2-0 record. Having done intensive preseason and played numerous friendlies our squads entered competitive tournament organised on monthly basis.

First two group games our squads won in convincing way. U16 beat Sevenoaks Suns and Bracknell Cobras booking their spot in final. Our younger team faced Richmond Knights and Woking Blackhawks and collected 2 solid wins on their way to the final.

U12 had their own final played first, facing Bracknell Cobras. Despite great effort from Cobras team our boys showed a great team effort and an offence execution, winning their first ever final and collecting first club ever trophy!

U12 Head Coach Daniel Szatkowski said: “it was a very beneficial day for us, great opportunity to rotate all players providing needed experience. Great to see boys collecting first ever trophy but i am more then sure this is just a beginning.”

Their older friends faced challenging game from Kingston Wildcats in final of their own. As result was tie at Half time, it was coach Mauro team they picked more intensity in 2nd half claiming 2nd trophy of the day winning by 8 points.

Head Coach Mauro said:” We are still learning and it is longer process. I am happy with effort boys put but we have lots to work on.”

Next game for U16 will be in CBL Division 1 as they face London Halos while our younger boys will visit high caliber tournament organised by Zoo Crew on 21st December.

U16 start their season with perfect record.

London Elite U16 has started their season in the best possible way. With two games back to back we had to face two well organized teams which provided our young squad really challenging task ahead.

In first ever competitive game together our boys faced Barnett Bulldog. From a very first whistle our boys used full court press to reduce opponents freedome on offence as Bulldogs were run by extremely talented G.Kalazis who put phenomenal 30 points against our side. However our boys showed no fear and played through all difficulties showing great team spirit.

Led by trio A.Wildish, N.Soberano and A.Atakpu our team established themselves 14 point lead and controlled the game to the end claiming their first ever victory 46-40. As we had no rest we jumped straight into 2nd game against south east London side, Greenwich Admirals.

Our side started off with struggling to find a correct rhythm, individual foul trouble situation was not helping our team to establish themselves with right performance throughout whole first half, holding on to 1 point lead at HT. However our U16 team has great depth in squad with lots of talent on roster.

This proven too much for Greenwich side, as Soberano and Atakpu closed the game with clinic plays to establish few point win while Finton Phillips hit a very important 3 pointer to seal the game. Boys Started their league with perfect 2 wins out of 2 games! well done!

u16_elite_joined

Top scorers vs Barnett Bulldogs:

A.Wildish 12 (2), N.Soberano 11 (2), M.Kitovas 8, A.Atakpu 8, N.Khostkhadei 3, D.Kvashin 2, F.Phillips 2, D.Arroyo 0, M. Ardoi 0,

Top scorers vs Greenwich Admirals:

Boys will look to build on on perfect start while they compete in Hoop Dream London tournament on 1st December at ACS Cobham.

A.Atakpu 12, N.Soberano 11, A.Wildish 8, S.Jones 5, F.Phillips 5,T.Fasil 2 D.Kvashin 1, M.Kitovas 0, N.Khostkhadei 0, D.Arroyo 0,

U12’s starts their season in a perfect way.

London Elite start their first ever season together with perfect 2-0 record. As a part of CBL premier division, our young squad made themself proud with 2 wins which did not come easy.

In first ever competitive game, our U12 squad faced Zoo Crew at our home venue, Alec Reed Academy. Game showed much of interest from parents and friends which in total reached over 60 people .

Game started with our point Guard Kaya Birsen sinking 2 back to back 3s lifting crowd to their feet. It was clear signal for Elite U12 to grow in confidence really quick. First quarter finished with commanding lead 12-4 behind great display from Anton Safin on both ends of the floor.

However Zoo Crew which is an American team entering their first season in London top division, never looked to give up and claimed next 2 quarters behind really strong performance from their guard Aldric Trotter.

Nevertheless, it was the game that London side much needed. Great atmosphere, intensed game, close score. When both sides went into 4th quarter with tie result, it was our Anton Safin who performed with unbelievable maturity leading our side to very important 44-36 win in first ever game!

In 2nd game of CBL division 1 our u12 squad faced our local west London rivals Chiswick Gators. Game started with trading baskets and none of side being able to establish bigger lead.

As game remained close throughout first half, it was Elite u12 team that put next gear in in 2nd half establishing double digit lead behind offensive display from Kaya Birsen who earned himself a MVP of the game securing our talented side 2nd win in the league moving on to 2-0.

Head coach Daniel Szatkowski stated:”Being thrown into such a deep water without previous experience of playing together was truly a tough test. The American Side Zoo Crew showed great coaching and really high understanding of the game. I am truly proud of our side who sticked together and won both close games. This is long term process and we are heading in the right direction”

Our u12 team will take part in Hoop Dreams tournament on 1st December followed by 3rd round of CBL League on 22nd December, against Barnet Bulldogs.

Start of the season for Girls!

As London Elite club is fully underway with domestic and European competitions for boys, we have been waiting in big anticipation to start our girls section.

Our long wait came to the end when girls young squad went to play their first competitive games in Winchester on Sunday 10th of November.

In first ever competitive game, our girls faced host team Winchester Royals. Our team jumped in early lead with great offensive display from Amelie and Anna and controlled game in low scoring battle of two sides. Our team struggled to convert on many occasions but left their heart playing great defence. As we went in final period with 6 points lead, the host team scored more points in last quartet and took 2 point win.

Elite girls went into second game without a break, nevertheless it was more experienced Solent Kestrels team who controlled the game. Despite gap being 20 points, there was a lot of positives to take out of this performance. As we faced one of best teams in the league we held opposition to their lowest score so far.

Our Tops scorer for the day as Anna Safin with 14 points.

Young Elite girls will face next week Sevenoaks Suns and Winchester Royals at home.

U17 finish on high first EYBL trip!

London Elite U17 boys team went for their first competitive experience straight into highest competitive league, EYBL.

Stage were hosted in beautiful DNS arena in Riga, Latvia. Our Head Coach Daniel knew it will not be easiest competition. “I decided to enter our team into this extremely competitive team based on individual potential of my players, but basketball is a team sport and we knew we have to work on this aspect mainly”

Players expected tough match ups from Eastern European team, but showed no fear playing against some powerhouses of European basketball. In both games of first day boys showed a lot of individual potential however team execution was our team main issue which was main reason we lost first 2 games.

Morgan Cotterell who recorded good tournament with 10 point per game and 2.6 assist said:”This was a great learning curve for our team and showed how we can become one of strongest teams in the league”

Aaron Pyne, our PG who has received Outstanding performance award of tournament said: “It was amazing to come to such a high competition and improve as a team that much. I personally learnt a lot and had a great opportunity to prove myself and get further feedback on what to work on. Really happy to be able to work for team and receive such a prestigious award”

Last day of tournament presented boys hardest teams when our team faced previously undefeated VTB Lublin team from Poland.

After slow start and going 29-13 down in first period, our team led by trio Cotterell, Olalekan and Pyne proved that have no fear of opposition and led to 1 point win behind buzzer beater basket from Israel Olalekan to seal 2nd win of tournament in match up against tough opposition.

Israel Olalekan who has been selected to best 5 of tournament after averaging 15.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game said:

“Being fairly small team we came to tournament with nothing then confidence on our shoulders. As we progressed through, we learned how to work together and put our differences aside to win our games. We surprisingly shocked other really strong teams.

Israel continues on how EYBL helped him in developing his game:” As a student of the game i’ve learnt many skills and life lessons from my coach Daniel. Being a young player travelling and experiencing many different levels, i can change and develop many techniques for future reference as i move forward .

Our u17’s return to London with heads up and amazing amount of feedback regarding what to work on.

Next stage is being held in Lublin, Poland 24th-27th January 2020.

EYBL U17 start their Euro campaign!

Riga, Latvia 25/10/19

London Elite U17 team will start their season 19/20 in most prestigious league in Europe as they travel to Riga,Latvia.

During first stage our boys will face teams from Russia ((Khimki Moscow, BC Samara, BS Admiralteiskaya) and Poland (TBV Start Lublin)

Competition will take place in beautiful and historic venue Daugava Sports Center where Kristaps Porzignis played when was younger.

Going into tournament Coach Daniel Said: “we have very talented group of players and i believe we can be very competitive here. But mainly we will look to build our team stronger and become one unit which is most important thing right now”

Our younger team will rely on individual performances of 3 of our leaders ,guards M.Cotterell and A.Pyne and athletic I.Olalekan it can be deadly combination.

Morgan Cottrell said:”I think we have a very strong team and guys are hungry to win. We have a lot of talent on this trip and will play as hard as we can”

First game of tournament is taking place Friday 25th October at 11:20 local time (UK 9:20) against Khimki Moscow.

Israel Olalekan said:”We are very diverse team with different styles and skills to offer. As we fairly new team we enter best competition in Europe. It is a lot lot to live up to, however we have no problem facing biggest teams.

Roster for our team: I.Olalekan,A.Pyne, M.Cotterell, L.Bigby, D.Bigby. D.Houghton, K.Thomas, A.Wildish, N.Soberano, A.Akappfu

A.Pyne rightly summed things up: “As a team this is nothing but stepping stone for the future. We are here to get better as team and play for win”

First games tomorrow so stay tuned!