25/11/2000
Johnson in TV Race....Again

Larry Johnson could miss Riders match at Edinburgh on Saturday - meaning he's been sidelined from both Riders Sky TV games.

The guard, who missed the season-opener at Manchester on Sky Sports through a shoulder injury, is still recovering from the gashed forehead he suffered on Wednesday night at Thames Valley.

Johnson's wound was not stitched in the end, meaning the cut - from the bridge of his nose up to his forehead - could easily re-open on impact.

Coach Billy Mims said, "Larry's chances of playing are 50/50. He didn't practice Thursday, I don't expect him to practice Friday and as to whether he plays or not, I'll let him make that decision on Saturday.

"As the doctors decided not to stitch the cut, it is more likely to bleed if hit, but it's Larry's call."

Edinburgh Rocks are expected to part company with Coach Greg Lockridge today. The Scottish side play Milton Keynes Friday and are thought to be doing so under the guidance of veteran Scottish forward Iain Maclean and star guard Ted Berry.

The Edinburgh Evening News reported on Thursday that "Rocks director Ian Reid was today staying tight-lipped about the hearing [he had with Lockridge about his future] but it is understood he has become increasingly frustrated at Lockridge’s “boot-camp” attitude to players. Ross Szifris and Jerrell Bowman walked out this season, citing “intimidation, oppression and abuse” by the ex-Marine."

The paper, on it's website www.edinburghnews.com, also quoted Lockridge's last employer Bill Schutter, the former owner of the now defunct Rochester Skeeters who said: "I’m kind of surprised he got another job.”

An announcement is expected Friday.

22/11/2000
Riders Aim To End Miserable Run

Leicester Riders travel to Bracknell on Wednesday looking to end a miserable run of form against the Thames Valley Tigers.

The last time the Riders were successful at Bracknell, Tigers' coach Paul James was part of the Leicester backcourt.

Riders have not beaten the Tigers anywhere in any competition since October 1996 - a run of 14 consecutive losses including an overtime defeat in this competition last season in which Riders have several chances to win.

But to find a Riders victory at Bracknell you would have to go back to 9th November 1985 when they snatched an overtime thriller 138-137. That's a run of 25 defeats.

Paul James, younger brother of Riders' assistant Jon, has always faired well in the Riders-Tigers match-up, his move South came about the same time as the shift in power in the rivalry between the sides.

Whilst a Rider, Paul was successful nine times and as a Tiger he's won 44 meetings, giving him an overall record of 53-8 in games between the sides.

18/11/2000
Riders Await Leopards Return

After a weekend of trophy action, Riders return to BBL Championship duty this weekend with the visit of the London Leopards.

Riders will be the first domestic side in three weeks to face the Brentwood-based tean following their tour of the USA.

Leopards played the last of their nine games in eleven days on Monday night, going down to Penn State University 88-80.

That left Leopards 2-7 during their trip which saw them play some of NCAA Division One's top schools.

London began their tour with victory over Bucknell on November 2nd, but were swept aside 110-77 by the mighty University of Maryland the following day.

A buzzer-beating three by Jason Kimbrough gave them a one point win over Virgina, but that was followed by losses at Florida - last season's NCAA runners-up - Temple, Delaware, Southwest Missouri State and Arkansas.

The Leopards return this week and face a double-header weekend with Sheffield travelling to Brentwood on Sunday.

Riders will be hoping that Billy Singleton makes a full recovery from the flu bug which limited his minutes in the win over Birmingham last weekend.

The game poses plenty of interesting rivallries. Rico Alderson and Mo Robinson began their careers against Riders' arch-rivals Derby and of course Bob Donewald began his at Leicester, whilst Billy Mims and Larry Johnson also go up against their old club.

17/11/2000
Malcolm's Back!!!

Leicester Riders have re-signed 6'8" forward Malcolm Leak. The Connecticut-born player left the club in the summer to go to Cyprus, but now returns and ridersbasketball.com has learnt that the English Basketball Association have received the necessary clearance for him and he is registered to play against the Leopards on Saturday night.

Leak, 29, first joined the Riders in December of last season and played with the Riders in pre-season before his move abroad.

"Malcolm is the guy we wanted back from last season," explained Coach Billy Mims. "The first two guys we tried to sign were our All Star duo of Malcolm and Purnell Perry. They're great friends off the court and have a tremendous chemistry on it.

"The big plus with Malcolm is he already has chemistry with this team. He's a versatile player because he can score inside and outside and we have struggled since his departure from behind the arc, but he gives us some extra firepower."

With Leak, Riders won the Newtownabbey Invitational Tournament in pre-season beating Newcastle and Birmingham along the way.

"Pre-season with Malcolm Leak in the team was probably the best basketball we've played," said Mims. "Since his departure we've been trying to fill his spot, but the guys we brought in to fill his shoes were never quite the same. We've struggled in that position and I'm really excited that he's returned.

Leak's return to the Riders sees him replace Steve McGlothin on Riders roster.

"It's a very difficult decision to let Steve go because he's been a coach's dream since he joined us," Mims admitted. "He's represented the club well both on and off the court and brought leadership and maturity. He's given us a surplus inside, with Purnell Perry and Billy Singleton being strong interior players, but we've struggled from the perimeter.

"Steve knows the decision was not made as negative against him, but just getting back to the team we wanted in the summer."

Leak averaged 17.48 points and 6.68 rebounds per game for the Riders in his 25 Championship games last season.

07/11/2000
Riders Ready for Triple Threat

Leicester Riders go into their busiest spell of the season so far buoyed by three consecutive wins.

Two of the sides Riders have beaten in their current streak - arch-rivals Derby and Birmingham - stand in their way again as Riders face three games in five days.

First up though is a Manchester side reeling with injuries. Julius Joseph, who picked Riders apart in their first meeting on Sky Sports on opening Saturday and Brian Earl having been playing through injury of late, whilst Teva Johnson and Martin Gottfried have both been sidelined.

Gottfried is not expected back for another couple of weeks but Johnson could be fit to play the Riders. Coach Andre Alleyne's bench has been so thin recently, that last week he started youngster Tony Jones.

On Friday Riders travel to Derby looking to keep their three game winning streak alive against the Storm after last Sunday's success, and then on Sunday they host Birmingham - a side still reeling from their Cup exit at Riders hands.

02/11/2000
Get Ready for the Fireworks!

Loughborough University gets ready for the fireworks as British basketball's oldest rivalry takes place on Bonfire Night.

Sunday's game will be the 60th between the sides in all major competitions since the BBL was formed in 1987, with Riders leading 36-23. They also met twice before the BBL was formed in 1986/87 - Derby's first season in the top flight - splitting two games.

Formbook can usually be thrown out of the window when these sides meet, Riders 106-102 success in the final meeting of last season, was the biggest winning margin either side had enjoyed over the other since the first leg of the trophy semi-final in 1999 - a run of seven games decided in the final seconds.

The recent additions of Barry Bowman, who helped London Towers to the Southern Conference and uni-ball trophy titles last season, and Antonio Garcia, a former NCAA Division II Player of the Year and who led France's Pro A in rebounding last season, makes Derby a tougher prospect than their BBL Championship record might suggest.

Garcia is similar in style of player to Billy Singleton, whilst Bowman adds some extra punch to the backcourt, which already boasts Joel Burns, Bryan Balser and Stedroy Baker.

Alongside Garcia inside is journeyman Michael New whilst Carl Miller fills the swing position.

But it's a player coming off Derby's bench that will gain the most attention from Riders' fans as, for the first time in seven years, Hilroy Thomas finds himself on the Storm side of an East Midlands derby.

A product of the Riders Junior programme and a Leicester-native, Thomas will surely find this game strange.

Riders start as six point favourites according to bookmakers Stan James, but then this is the same bookies that rated Riders chances of beating Birmingham so slim that they were 20/1 outsiders to win the NTL National Cup before last week's quarter-finals.

01/11/2000
Riders duo in All Star Running

Leicester Riders stars Purnell Perry and Larry Johnson are in the top ten for the first All Star Ratings of the season.

Places in the All Star Game at the Telewest Arena, Newcastle on Saturday 20 January 2000 are decided by the ratings, which are based on statistical performance and star qualities.

The top ten rated players in the Northern and Southern Conferences automatically qualify for the game, with the Coaches of the two All Star teams adding a further two wildcard selections.

Perry ranks in fifth place in the Northern Conference in the ratings, with Johnson just behind in seventh.

Billy Singleton currently occupies 16th spot and Freddie Cole also makes the top 20.