20/12/2000
Routledge hits out at story

Leicester Riders Chairman Kevin Routledge has branded a story "inaccurate and unfactual" after it alleged his role in the John Potter case was part of "basketball's grubby underworld."

The report was an editorial column by Mark Woods and quoting Basketball Players' Association Chief Executive Mark Robinson on Britball.com, a website on British and Irish basketball.

It was claimed by Robinson that Leicester had turned down a £5,000 settlement of the case and that they had withdrawn from the standard Abritration process which settles such matters. Neither were true and in fact it was Potter who withdrew from arbitration and Riders had gone to court to try and force him back into the process.

Riders lost a case last week in the Leicester County Court filed by Potter after his contract was terminated early last season. The club had terminated his contract after he suffered a re-occurance of a back injury, which he had failed to disclose when signing. The court found the wording of the standard BBL/EBBA contract did not cover what Riders, and the BBL, believed it had.

"We lost the case on a technicallity," said Routledge. "But to claim I, or the club, have been anything other than totally professional in dealing with this matter is unacceptable."

The report also claimed that the loss of the case would cost Riders up to £65,000, which was dismissed by Routledge who said it would "only be a small fraction of that."

The Riders' supremo complained to Woods Wednesday afternoon claiming that the story was totally inaccurate and that Woods had not checked any of the facts Robinson had claimed. The Britball editor conceeded Routledge was right and responded by removing the offending article.

"I'm sure the article would have caused concern to any of our fans who may have read it," continued Routledge. "But I wish to asure them that much of it was untrue and I appreciate Mark Woods accepting that fact when it was made clear to him."

17/12/2000
Riders face Leopards in Final

Billy Mims will face his old club in the NTL National Cup Final, and Bob Donewald will do likewise as the Leopards joined the Riders in January's Final.

Leopards blew open a close game in the third quarter and led 70-52 with just over ten minutes to go.

But history looked set to repeat itself as Towers rallied just as they had in the Championship one week earlier.

Irate at the foul count, Leopards fans were eventually pleased that the officials didn't call a foul on the Towers in the fourth quarter until 12s from the end.

It meant that Towers had to waste 6s to force Leopards to the line, but when they finally managed it Rico Alderson could only make 1-of-2.

Towers raced down court, but Randy Duck's prayer was not answered and Leopards hung on to win by two.

17/12/2000
Mims' Call to Arms

Head Coach Billy Mims is calling on Riders fans to turn the Skydome Arena, Coventry into a sea of blue on Sunday, as they prepare for the biggest game of the season.

Riders face the Thames Valley Tigers in the NTL National Cup Semi Finals at 12.30pm.

"I want every single Riders' fan to be there," said Mims. "We want the Skydome to be awash with the blue and white of the Riders."

Tigers are the Riders bogey team, having won the last 16 meetings between the sides including the 1998 Cup Final.

Riders have not beaten the Tigers in an competition since 1996.

But Riders do have some history on their side. In 1991 Riders defeated the Tigers in one of the most dramatic semi-finals in National Cup history.

Jerry Jenkins netted a three-pointer on the buzzer to force overtime and then Karl Brown did likewise as time expired in overtime to send Riders into the final courtesy of a 94-91 success.

That was a rare Riders win over the Tigers, one of only five they have enjoyed in 52 meetings since the BBL was formed in 1987.

Leicester have lost twice to the Tigers already this season, but can consider themselves unfortunate in the second game and they have since added Ralph Blalock to their backcourt.

Any fans wishing to go to the semi-final who have yet to purchase a ticket, will be able to do so on the day. Doors open at 11.30am.

Travelling directions from Leicester to the Arena are:

M69 to Coventry. A4600 towards the City Centre. As you approach the City Centre you will reach the Coventry ring road (A4053). The Skydome Arena is at Junction 7 of the ring road.

14/12/2000
Riders trophy hopes still alive

Leicester Riders uni-ball trophy campaign is not over. Derby's victory over Birmingham Wednesday night has prevented them from qualifying as one of the top two, but they could still go through as the third placed team with the best record.

If Riders win at Birmingham on December 23rd they will finish third in the group with a 3-3 record. That could be enough to see them through.

Also in the hunt for the quarter-final match-up with holders London Towers are Manchester, Sheffield, Chester, Leopards and Birmingham.

Leopards look almost certain to go through with a 3-0 record, just one win will see them finish in the top two. Birmingham would need to beat Leicester and Thames Valley to have any shot.

It is Sheffield, Chester and Manchester that pose the biggest threat to Riders trophy qualification. The Giants are 2-3 in Group C and host Milton Keynes in their last game.

Sheffield and Chester both have two games left, against each other and the Leopards, if one of them were to lose both, they would finish 2-4.

That could mean Riders, if they beat the Bullets, would be the only side on a 3-3 record in third place and they'd go through. If one of the other teams managed to finish 3-3, basket difference in trophy games would come into effect.

13/12/2000
Riders out as Bullets fire blanks

Leicester Riders are out of the uni-ball trophy, after Derby Storm eased to a 106-90 victory over the Birmingham Bullets.

The victory, which saw Derby qualify for the quarter finals, was made all the sweeter for the Storm by the fact that Antonio Garcia, who walked out on Derby last, made his debut for the Bullets.

The Storm put the game away early leading 19-8 on their way to a 53-31 lead late in the second quarter.

Barry Bowman and Michael New combined for 64 points, whilst Brant Bailey provided the most resistance with 31 for the Bullets. Garcia netted 19 on his Bullets debut.

Derby are now the only side assured of qualification from Group B. Birmingham would need to beat the Riders, hope Derby win at Thames Valley and beat the Tigers by more than five at Bracknell, to prevent the Tigers from claiming the other berth.

Riders could draw level with either Thames Valley or Derby on a 3-3 record should they beat Birmingham in their last game, but miss out on head-to-head records. Leicester lost twice to Thames Valley, and would finish behind Derby on basket difference in their two meetings.

12/12/2000
Come On You Bullets

Leicester Riders hopes of progression to the quarter-finals of the uni-ball trophy are in the hands of the Birmingham Bullets.

The Bullets travel to Derby on Wednesday where a Storm victory could put Derby through, but will definitely mean the elimination of the Riders.

If Derby win by three or more, they would definitely qualify as they could only be caught - not passed - by their two midland rivals and would have beaten both by more than they lost.

Riders beat the Storm by six but lost by 11 in the return leg and would miss out if they finished level with the Storm. Birmingham came from the dead to snatch a two point win over Derby in their first meeting.

If the Bullets win at Derby, then the whole race would be blown open again, with any of the four teams in the pool still capable of qualifying.

Birmingham, who beat Brighton in the championship on Saturday, have not won back-to-back games since the opening week of the season, but could give a debut to Panamanian centre Antonio Garcia.

Garcia left the Storm last week and is set to join the Bullets as soon as he receives a work permit and clearance from England Basketball regarding the transfer of his playing license.

Derby, meanwhile, have won only one of their last five outings, including defeat at Loughborough on Sunday, but crucially that one win was in the trophy against Thames Valley.

08/12/2000
Smoking and Basketball Don't Mix!

Leicester Riders - Schools Anti-Smoking Project

Smoking make you smell - FACT
Smoking rots your teeth - FACT
Smoking gives you bad breath - FACT
Smoking ages your skin - FACT
Smoking kills 120,000 people every year - FACT

Yet despite all of this, by the age of 15, nearly a quarter of all teenagers will be regular smokers. FACT.

It is this worrying statistic that has prompted the Leicester Riders to involve themselves pro-actively with a high profile anti-smoking project, commissioned by the Department of Health, entitled 'Smoking and Basketball Don't Mix!' Leicester has been chosen to pilot the programme and if successful, it will be rolled out nationally during 2001.

The project will involve 12-13 year old boys and girls in five Leicestershire schools and takes on an innovative approach by getting teenagers themselves to develop an effective anti-smoking message. Riders' players will work in groups within the schools, building a rapport with the students and helping them to produce effective ideas to be presented to one another at a later date.

The link with basketball is an ideal fit as the sport already has a street-cred image. It is hoped that this will enable the teenagers to relate to the players who will, at the same time, stress the damaging effects smoking can have on their ability to play basketball.

The project gets underway later this month. Please support us wherever you can by using basketball to create an anti-smoking message that our teenagers will respond to.

08/12/2000
News Round-up

Thames Valley Tigers forward John McCord defeated Leicester Riders star Billy Singleton amongst other to the Nurishment Player of the Month for November award.

McCord collected 33% of the fans vote to defeat Singleton, Tarik Wallace, Pero Cameron and Jason Siemon. Robbie Peers of the Jets took the Coach's award for the second month in a row.

Confusion surrounds the future of Derby Storm's league leading rebounder Antonio Garcia. It is believed the Panamanian will not be playing for the Storm when they come to Loughborough on Sunday.

Garcia missed Derby's midweek victory with a wrist injury, but reports from Birmingham on Thursday claim he has signed with the Bullets.

A report on the Bullets website said they had claimed his signature and the Birmingham Evening Mail also ran the story on Thursday. Derby have yet to comment.

Many believe he has played his last game for the Storm but is unlikely to play this weekend for Birmingham. Assuming the reports are true, he would need a new work permit, which should be a formality, and clearance from Derby, who still hold his playing licence, before he could don a Bullets shirt.

All this could happen in days, and he could debut for Birmingham as early as next Wednesday when they travel to.....Derby!

05/12/2000
King Ralph joins the Riders

Leicester Riders have added former Newcastle guard Ralph Blalock to their squad. In a related move they have released Freddie Cole from their roster.

The 6'2" Blalock, 26, played three seasons on Tyneside and was twice selected for the prestigious BBL All Star team - as one of the top ten players in the country during the season.

"We are delighted to bring a former BBL All Star to the Riders," said Head Coach Billy Mims. "Ralph is an outstanding player but the key thing is that he's a proven entity. At this stage in the season, I don't think we could gamble on bringing in a rookie or unproven player."

Blalock - dubbed 'King' Ralph by the fans during his time on Tyneside - represented the North in the All Star Game on three occasions and last season was the tenth highest scorer in the league with an average of over 20 points per game. He was amongst the league's top 20 players in free throw shooting, steals, assists and floor shooting

"The start of the season has been disappointing and for whatever reason we have struggled especially in close games. We feel that one of the things that has been a major disappointment is our backcourt. We are last in league in three-point shooting and 12th in assist and we don't get enough steals which we need to feed our fast break offence.

"Ralph has proven he can help us in those areas. Over the course of his career, he has shot over 40% from the three point line and last season he finished fifth in the BBL in steals and was in the top 20 for assists."

Blalock comes into replace Freddie Cole on the Riders roster. The 22-year-old guard played 18 games for the Riders after joining them in the summer.

"Part of our early season success was due to Freddie. He was the MVP in our pre-season tournament win at Belfast and he had 31 points in our opening game of the season. But unfortunately he's been like a roller coaster with a good game being followed by a poor game.

"I still think he has the energy, enthusiasm and shooting ability to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball and I wish him well for the future."

Blalock is set to make his debut for the Riders in their BBL Championship match with Manchester Giants at Loughborough University Wednesday night (7.30).

04/12/2000
Vote Billy!

Riders' big man Billy Singleton has been shotlisted for the Nurishment Player of the Month for November award.

He is joined by John McCord (Thames Valley), Jason Siemon (Milton Keynes), Pero Cameron and Tarik Wallace (both Chester) in the shortlist based on their statistical performances for the month.

Billy averaged a double-double during the months whilst making half of his shots to secure his place in the final five.

In the coaches category, Chester's Robbie Peers, last month's winner, Derby's Kevin Wall and Nick Nurse of the Towers are up for this month's award.

Votes can be cast at the Nurishment section of the BBL website before Thursday afternoon.

01/12/2000
Riders Face Big Weekend

Leicester Riders head in to this weekend's double-header knowing two victories could put them on the brink of uni-ball trophy quarter-final qualification and possibly in a play-off berth for the first time this year.

Saturday Riders face Group B leaders, Thames Valley Tigers, in the uni-ball trophy. Victory would give Riders a third win in the competition and put them top of the pool, although the Tigers would still have two games in hand. Defeat would leave Riders needing to beat Birmingham away to have any chance of qualification.

Tigers, however, are Riders bogey team and they haven't enjoyed success over Paul James team since October 1996 - a run of 15 consecutive defeats, including a 111-84 loss at Bracknell in November.

On Sunday, Riders travel to Milton Keynes looking for some revenge after the Lions snatched victory from the Riders in their first game at Loughborough this season. Riders had led for much of the game before Lions netted the last 13 points to win 86-79.

The Lions have won four of the last five meetings between the sides, but Riders win during that streak was their last visit to Bletchley at the end of last season.

Milton Keynes also face a double-header weekend, they travel to player/coach Nigel Lloyd's old club, Birmingham Bullets, on Saturday for the live Sky Sports clash.