Tag: #basketballengland #eybl #LondonElite

U20 EYBL SuperFinal

Last weekend the hard work displayed by our U20 Team all season, culminated in their appearance on one of Europe’s biggest stages – the SuperFinal of the European Youth Basketball League (EYBL).  The SuperFinal matches the best Teams from the EYBL regular season, for a final showdown in Levice Slovakia. U20 Head Coach Daniel Szatkowski had assembled an exciting squad drawn from our high-flying U-18 Team, alongside returning Elite alumni who had completed their seasons in Europe and the USA.

Game 1 saw the Team fall to Italy’s renowned College Basket Prep programme, who provided a shooting masterclass in the first half. Our boys staged a brave comeback to bring the game within 3 points, but the Rome Team’s experience ultimately proved too much. Nevertheless, confidence remained high as five players hit double digits in the game: Oscar Striuga (19 points), Anthony Wilson (16 points), Odaine Beckford (12 points, 10 rebounds), Josh Gentry (11 points, 8 rebounds), Seb Emanalo (12 points, 4 steals), and Alex Wildish (9 points).

Game 2 was a real battle against the experienced Budapest Honved who displayed their shooting prowess early on. This presented an uphill battle for our boys who once again staged a hard-fought comeback that fell just short of the win. Despite the result, an outstanding performance by U17 player and GB U18 hopeful, Seb Emanalo (game-high 25 points), kept spirits high. Oscar Striuga and Odaine Beckford also impressed with 14 points each.

Game 3 was a particularly exciting prospect as our boys squared up against the Romanian National Champions, Dinamo Bucharest.  The Team was buoyed by the late arrival of ‘The Twins’, Tyler and John Fairbrain, who had remained in London due to exam commitments.  They didn’t disappoint, with Tyler adding 12 points and 9 rebounds, and John contributing 15 points. The Team executed an extremely well-rounded performance, with Anthony Wilson and Oscar Striuga adding 20 points each, and Odaine Beckford contributing 13 points.

A fantastic way for London Elite to end the Tournament – beating the Romanian Champions and finishing the EYBL season in 8th place (64 Clubs competed, representing some of the most established and respected basketball programmes in Europe). Special mention goes to Oskar Striuga, our young Lithuanian Guard who was named Team MVP for the tournament after a series of inspirational performances.

Head Coach Daniel Szatkowski said: ‘It is unbelievably exciting to see how well our Club has competed against the top basketball programs at EYBL U20. We left Slovakia with our heads held high, and full of excitement for the season ahead.  This is an extremely talented squad, and all the boys are thankfully eligible for next season. As always, we will re-evaluate, learn lessons, and seek to improve as we prepare for 2023/24. In the meantime, we take a moment to reflect – overall 8th in such a prestigious competition is another huge achievement in a monumental season for London Elite Basketball Club.

A huge thank you to the EYBL for managing the league so professionally, it plays an important role in showcasing European programmes and produces highly entertaining basketball!’

Look out on our social media channels for more U20 plans – big things to come!

Get to know Josh White

We had a chance to sit down and talk to our Men’s team player who recently moved to UK and will represent London Elite during season 20/21. See what Josh White had to say:

1) How did you start playing basketball?

I started playing basketball when I was in year 5, I must have been 10 years old. I was a pretty chubby kid and I had no idea what I was doing but my parents really wanted me to play a few different sports at a young age. They were really encouraging as well, in fact my dad and my stepmom volunteered as assistant basketball coaches that season.

2) What is your best moment in your career?

I’ve got a few good memories from playing basketball over the years. I think the one that stands out to me most was hitting the game winning shot and winning a championship while playing professionally in Argentina. It was a really close game, I hit a few big shots down the stretch including back to back three’s that sent the game in over time and a three from deep that ended up being the game winner! It was really special celebrating with my team and all our fans. I’ll never forget that feeling.

Check highlights from that game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx-0t0ig2U4&feature=youtu.be

3) What is your philosophy in basketball?

My philosophy in basketball is pretty simple, “just keep showing up.” As a basketball player, just like anyone else, you’re going to have good days and bad days. The key is consistency, don’t get to high on the good days and don’t get too low on the bad days. Also, be disciplined in your training, even on the days you don’t want to be there, “keep showing up”.

4) What is your favourite NBA player?

My favorite NBA player is the GOAT, the best basketball player to ever play the game, Lebron James. However, I don’t play like Lebron, most of us don’t, so I always tried to watch other players who I thought I could play like or who had similar style games. A few of my favorites, who I tried to model my game after were guys like Gilbert Arenas, Stephen Jackson, JR Smith, JJ Redick and Rajon Rondo. I think it’s really important to watch film of player who you have a realistic chance to model your game after.

5) What do you expect from playing in UK?

Thats a good question, I don’t have many expectations from playing in the UK, I’m pretty open minded. I’ve always said, my favorite part about playing professional basketball overseas has been the relationships and opportunities to experience new cultures. If I’m being honest, I just hope to build some lasting relationships and have a positive impact on the community and the club.

We truly look forward seeing Josh White wearing London Elite uniforms in season 20/21 and having big impact on our local community!

Elite family welcomes Alex!

London Elite basketball club is very happy to welcome to its family Alex O’Neill. He  will be responsible for coaching our 2nd U18’s National league squad. Alex started his coaching pathway when he was 17 and  he took up assistance coach role at Oakland Wolves U16 and U14 boys team alongside Head coach of u14 development squad. He continued his coaching journey at Plymouth University, where he studied Strength and conditioning. Alex was responsible for men and women University teams . He is currently holding level 2 basketball coach certificate alongside foundation degree in S&C.

Our Director Daniel Szatkowski said:” Alex is a great, promising  young coach. He stands perfectly for London Elite philosophy of developing coaches in UK. Alex  has great attitude in place, and what is most important willing to learn. His degree directly applies into modern basketball so we see Alex as one of  brightest coaches coming up in UK basketball.”

Coach Alex O’Neill will be given big task as he will take Head Coach position of our 2nd U18 team which competes in National league and CBL.  Due to high interest in our program we had to open 2nd team to provide enough competition for boys representing London Elite in 19/20.

This is what Alex had to say: “As a young coach, one of the hardest things is finding a club that give you a great opportunity to grow and learn. Here with London Elite, I’ve come across an opportunity to put my degree in strength and conditioning sports coaching into practice. It also allows me a chance to gain more experience and develop myself further in coaching, as I have been placed into a club surrounded by high-quality coaching from all age groups”

We are happy to see Alex as part of our growing family and we will update you regularly about  Alex and  his team progress!

You can always contact us on [email protected] for more info.

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!

EYBL ANNOUNCEMENT

London Elite Basketball has been accepted to play in European Youth Basketball League (EYBL) in season 2019/20 in 2 age groups, under 20’s and under 17’s.

EYBL is most prestigious youth basketball competitions with teams from 33 different countries competing against each other.

Head Coach Daniel Szatkowski said: “It is vital for us to provide the best possible experience in Youth European basketball. The boys are playing against the toughest teams in their age group from the whole continent. It is a unbelievable experience which is going to be extremely beneficial for Elite players“

Our U20’s are currently in Riga, LAtvia preparing for first stage of competition. Our boys will start the tournament tomorrow with first game against TalTech followed by evening match up against Keila BC. Both teams come from Estonia and have proven in previous years that their are fierce competitors.

Friday competition will see our team facing Helsinki rocks (Finland) and Tallin Kalev (Estonia). Sunday’s game against host team BS DSN Riga will see our boys finish first stage.

Captain Kevin Kolesnikovas said: “I feel blessed for the whole team to have this opportunity to fly abroad and play basketball at such a high level. Not everyone gets an experience like this, but for me to be so lucky to go through this multiple times is truly something i will always be grateful for. Opportunities like this only make players better and smarter, this is why London Elite is great at developing talent and exposing great players on greater platforms.

All games will be livestreamed on Youtube. We will put links on our social media prior to our games so stay tuned!