Tag: #Londonelite #elitehoops #

EYBL Superfinal Places Confirmed!

London Elite is thrilled to announce that our U13 and U20 squads have been invited to the prestigious European Youth Basketball League Superfinal – a fantastic achievement for our young Club! Shortly after attending our first ever Junior NBL Final Four event, and as we prepared to settle down for the off-season, we find ourselves focusing on the European campaign again!

The European Youth Basketball League (EYBL) is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, providing a unique opportunity for our players to showcase their talents against the best players in Europe. Watched by scouts from across the globe, the EYBL often provides a springboard for talented young players to enter high-profile basketball programmes.

Our U20 Team return to the historic Town of Levice in Slovakia on 18th May, facing established basketball clubs including Slovakia Select, Dinamo Bucharest, and USK Prague. The Team will hope to build on their EYBL performances here earlier in the year, finishing with a 2-2 record. Led by Coach Daniel Szatkowski, the Team has been working hard, undertaking additional intensive preparation to ensure they maximise their potential in Slovakia. Coach Daniel said:  

β€˜This is a truly remarkable achievement for London Elite. The EYBL campaign has been extremely valuable for all of our teams, and to reach the Superfinal stage demonstrates how our Club is growing from strength to strength. Top 8 in an U20 league is a big achievement in itself, but I truly believe that with the players we are adding for this stage, we can make a big impact in the Superfinal.’

Our U13 squad return to the Hungarian Capital of Budapest on 19th June. The U13s represent one of the most exciting projects in the club, finishing the previous EYBL stage with 3 wins. Led by Quentin McKelvey (26.8 points per game), and Aleksandar Milovidov (11 rebounds per game), they will be full of confidence as they face the likes of Pamukspor SK, Budapest Select, and Alpha Basketball Sibiu.

Alongside this great news, we are delighted to announce that Coach Miguel McKelvey will take over the reins of our U14 Prem squad next season, replacing Coach Alek who has made the decision to step-down. Coach Miguel is a NCAA D1 Oregon Graduate and brings a real depth of knowledge to our talented side.  Coach Miguel said:

β€˜I am truly honoured by the opportunity to coach London Elite’s U14 team. We have a great group of young players with both exceptional talent and outstanding character. All of the players and coaches are excited about going to Budapest for the 3rd time this season – the EYBL has been a great opportunity to learn and grow as a team, and the Superfinal will be a springboard for our rising U13s as they prepare for U14 Prem next season.’

Look out on our social media channels for regular updates on each Team’s progress in the Superfinals.

Higher Purpose

At London Elite you know we are all about basketball, championship titles, international trips and obtaining scholarships for the most talented, but there is more to us than just hoops, we have plenty of heart! We have a passion for making a deeper impact, not just using catchy wording and social media posts, but real action aimed at trying to make a genuine lasting difference in the world and particularly the community we are truly blessed to be in.

Time and time again we see how it is not a lack of ability that holds young people back from success, but a lack of opportunity. So, with that in mind, we have some wonderful news to share. Ladies and gentlemen, we are very excited to announce that the London Elite are teaming up with The Felix Project for the next two years! πŸ‘πŸ½πŸ€πŸ€πŸ’š

The Felix Project is a truly dynamic charity, it’s the biggest food redistribution organisation in London, fighting food waste and hunger across the capital. We know this is quickly becoming one of biggest issues across our society right now. Access to fresh and healthy food is becoming increasingly difficult for people because of the unprecedented levels of inflation and rising of living costs we are all facing.

This is where The Felix Project steps in. The charity works with thousands of organisations, schools and community groups, helping disadvantaged adults and children get access to high-quality food. They provided food for 30 million meals in 2021, and their operation is growing rapidly to try to keep up with the increasing demand. The latest figures found 2 million Londoners live in poverty and the capital has the highest rate of child poverty in the country with 700,000 children living in families struggling with poverty. Meanwhile, our food industry generates 2 million tonnes of good surplus food each year. The Felix Project is here to tackle both issues.

Our GM Daniel Szatkowski said:” Since β€˜Day 1’ of London Elite we have been motivated to be more than just basketball mad. With difficult times upon us, we knew it was time to step up and prove this desire to our neighbours and the local community. But we needed the right support and guidance to achieve this. Having The Felix Project was a God send, a blessing in strengthening our potential. I am so excited about our future cooperation.

β€œOver the coming months London Elite players will be undertaking various activities to support The Felix Project, so make sure you watch our social media channels. The first is having a team participate in THE BIG HALF on Sunday 4th September.”

β€œOther fundraising activities will include our Men’s team playing in a Felix-inspired alternative kit and some our ticket sales going towards Felix’s work. What is more, our club will design a unique T-shirt for our partnership, these will be sold and all the profits will support The Felix Project.”

β€œWe strongly believe this opportunity can have a significant impact on young people’s minds, personal development and future life chances, so I hope you can all show your support.”

Finally please read what The Felix Project CEO, Charlotte Hill has to say about the new partnership with them:

β€œWe are so grateful to London Elite and look forward to showing them what The Felix Project does. This kind of support helps us enormously, not only with fundraising but also with raising awareness of our work. We are delighted to have so many members running in this year’s Big Half for us and we look forward to the next two years of working together. I am sure their hard work will demonstrate to their local community just how much the team want to make a difference.”