30/03/2001
Tigers turn to Mims

Zurich Premiership Champions Leicester Tigers have turned to Nurishment Leicester Riders Coach Billy Mims for help as they bid to add the Heineken European Cup and Zurich Championship to their trophy cabinet.

The Riders coach will put the Tigers through their paces on a basketball court to help improve the ball-handling skills of England's top Rugby Union side. The training session takes place at Leicester University's Manor Road Sports Ground on Monday afternoon.

"Dean Richards and I got together about a month ago," explained Mims. "We talked about how some cross-training would be beneficial to both sides. Dean realised that basketball is one of the key games around the world where players must do everything with their hands. To be successful in basketball, hand-eye co-ordination is paramount and to some extent it's the same in rugby."

Tigers cruised to their third successive league title earlier this month and now turn their attentions to the European Cup semi-final against Gloucester in April and the play-offs after that.

"What Dean is concerned with is, sure they can catch the ball and pick it up from the ground, but they want to make sure they can do it better while on the move and that is where the basketball training comes in because everything we do is on the move," said Mims. "I am going to take the Tigers through a basketball ball-handling session.

"We are going to be doing lots of drills keyed at improving their hand-eye co-ordination, their passing, their receiving, but mainly passing and receiving while on the move. A lot of our game plan is transition and we are a 'run-and-gun' team, so everything we do is on the move."

Riders face-paced transition style of game has made them the top scoring side in the BBL, with an average of 96 points per game. The ntl National Cup champions are set to benefit from the arrangement, which will see their players put through their paces as well.

"We're also going to take our players down to the Tigers and go through some of the fitness testing that they do," explained Mims. "We're looking towards them to help us in some fitness aspects and they are looking towards us to help them in ball-handling."

30/03/2001
Mims eyes 150th win

Nurishment Leicester Riders Head Coach Billy Mims is one win away from collecting the 150th Championship win of his BBL career. Mims collected his 149th success last weekend and has two games left this season to reach the landmark.

"When we do get that 150th win, it is something that I'll be quite proud of," admitted Mims. "To achive it in seven years means I have to have averaged about 21 wins per season and to do that in a league as tough as the BBL, with as many good coaches and players that there are - certainly I'll cherish that feat."

Mims has been successful in 149 of his 244 BBL Championship games during his seven-year BBL career with the Riders and London Leopards. He has the most wins of any active BBL coach.

"I have to give a lot of credit to the players I coached," continued the 41-year-old playcaller. "I've been very fortunate, both in London and in Leicester, to have had some great players. I couldn't have been at this point without players like Eric Burks, John White, Billy Singleton, Purnell Perry or Ralph Blalock.

"It's a nice individual achievement, but it's an individual achievement that stresses the fact that Billy Mims has had some pretty good basketball teams and those player who made up those teams have helped me to reach this milestone."

Mims also guided Riders to the ntl National Cup earlier this season - the first piece of silverware in the club's 34-year history. If he can get his 150th win Riders last two games it will guarentee Leicester a play-off berth for the first time since 1997.

"The most important thing about getting win number 150 now though, is that when we get it, it will be the one that puts the Leicester Riders in the play-offs," Mims noted. "That combines that individual achievement with a great milestone for this club."

Mims gets his chance to claim the 150th victory, and book Riders play-off berth, this Sunday with their final home game of the season against arch-rivals Derby Storm. Tip-off at Loughborough University is at 6.00pm. Failing that, Riders travel to Edinburgh on Wednesday for their final game of the regular season.

29/03/2001
Weekend Preview

The race for the play-offs could be over this weekend. By Sunday night everyone could know who they are facing and when.

Two teams who already know they have Easter weekend off meet on Friday night, as the Conference Champions, Sharks and Towers, go head-to-head.

Towers have had six days off prior to this game, which might not seem much, but a break of that length is a rare occurrence in London's fixture-laden season. That should give them a vital edge in this game and there are two other factors that point to a Towers success.

Number one, they always get up for the big games and want to prove themselves against the league's top sides and number two, they have lost their last four road games which has blemished their record somewhat.

Sheffield have done fantastically to win the Northern Conference this year and certainly you cannot underestimate the coaching job done by Chris Finch. But Towers, with fresh legs and a wounded pride, will probably have enough to win.

Towers are in action the following day as they look to put paid to any aspirations the Bullets might have of a top three finish. Whilst a Bullets defeat wouldn't end their chances of finishing above Milton Keynes, it would certainly make it hard.

Ordinarily you'd have to like the Towers, but playing on the road two days on the bounce is hard on any team and Birmingham are in their best form of the season (or at least that's what you thought until Thames Valley beat them on Wednesday). Much depends on how much Friday's game takes its toll on London, but the fact the TV cameras are there might help - they always put on a good show for TV. Towers should edge it, but Birmingham will push them close.

Edinburgh Rocks still have hopes of catching Derby in fifth spot but they need at least two wins to do so. They'll fancy their chances against a Giants side they have already beaten in Scotland this season. One defeat for the Giants would end their season and give the Riders the play-off berth so you would have to believe that will see them through. A Rocks upset is possible, but Giants should make Riders have to win one more.

London Leopards need two wins to make second place safe in the Southern Conference and they'll be looking to get them this weekend. A trip to Brighton could be thought of as tricky given their recent form, but chances are they will be without Brian Reese and Wilbur Johnson. Leopards will cruise it if those two are missing and should have enough even if they are not.

Derby end their home campaign on Saturday with a visit from Newcastle. Not quite as much riding on the game as there was when they met on Tyneside 12-months ago at the end of the season, but Derby will be looking to end the season on a high.

Newcastle, though, with Donnie Johnson, Tony Windless and Ian Whyte should have too much inside for the Storm.

On Sunday the Storm bring the curtain down of their season with the short trip to Loughborough. Form books usually count for nothing when the two East Midland rivals meet, but with Riders looking to book a play-off berth and give coach Billy Mims his 150th win, you would expect Riders to edge it.

Milton Keynes play host to Birmingham in a crucial game in the Southern Conference. A win for the Lions should guarantee them third spot (and a potential date with the Riders in the play-offs), whereas Birmingham will still have some work to do even if they win. Bullets need a ten points or better success to gain the upper hand, but even that might not stop them finishing fourth.

Leopards take on Thames Valley on Sunday who seem to be ending their season on a high. Assuming they were successful on Saturday, victory here will cement second for them home side, but it is far from assured.

Tigers have Saturday off and if they approach the game like they have against Towers and Birmingham recently could pull off the win.

Finally Chester take on Edinburgh. A hard season draws near to a close for the Rocks, but you can't see them beating the uni-ball trophy champions. This should be a home banker.

26/03/2001
Baby joy for Leaks

Maria Leak, wife of Riders' star Malcolm, gave birth to the couple's first child on Saturday morning. The couple have named the baby girl Chanel.

Chanel was born at about 2.20am on Saturday morning and weighed 8lbs 13ozs. Malcolm, besotted by the birth of his daughter, handed in a fine performance on Sunday for the Riders as they beat Newcastle to put them on the verge of play-off qualification.

"He is a very proud poppa with his first baby girl," said coach Billy Mims. "He did play yesterday though, and he played pretty well too. Malcolm says he is going to the tattoo shop today to have her name tattooed on his arm"

Malcolm's close friend and team-mate Purnell Perry will be Chanel's godfather.

22/03/2001
Storm win boosts Riders chances

It's not often that Riders' fans celebrate a Derby win, but the Storm gave the Riders play-off aspirations a massive boost on Thursday night.

Derby beat Riders play-off rivals Manchester Giants 99-85 at Manchester Veledrome in a result that helped Leicester more than it did Derby.

Derby blitzed the Giants 37-21 in the final quarter to come-from-behind and claim their sixth win of the campaign. But the victory also handed the Giants a 19th defeat of the season, thus aiding their arch-rivals. Barry Bowman led the charge with 26 points.

Riders remain six points clear of the Giants in the final play-off berth available in either BBL Conference and the Giants now only have two games in hand.

Manchester play another of their games in hand on Saturday afternoon when they host Southern Conference Champions London Towers. Derby enhanced their chances of finishing sixth in the Northern Conference with the victory.

22/03/2001
Weekend Preview

Welcome to silly season. Anything that can usually does happen in basketball at this time of year. The NCAA are going through March madness themselves, but the BBL has certainly matched it this year.

What exactly is going on? Take Towers for example. They go two-thirds of the year with only one loss and then bang - three come along in four games! And to cap it off they actually win the Conference during their worst run of the season!

Chester beat Sheffield five times in a row, then lose to them twice and virtually hand them the Conference title. And of course Riders lose 25 times in a row at Thames Valley before finally coming up with a 'W'.

Yes indeed its all going on. So what's next? Your guess is as good as ours, but ridersbasketball.com is still going to try and predict this weekend's games.

On Friday, Towers play almost certainly their last European game of the year. Short of a 28-point miracle, the Towers tremendous run in the NEBL will end at the first play-off hurdle to Latvian side Ventspils. After such a great year on the continent it is a sad way for Nick Nurse's men to take their bow. Hopefully a good home win can at least see them on their way on a happy note.

On Saturday they have to travel to the Northwest for their re-arranged fixture with Manchester Giants. A couple of weeks ago you'd have thought this was an 'away-banker' given Towers were unbeaten on their travels.

But they now go into this game on the back of three away defeats in a row (four if you count Ventspils) and given the Towers are assured of their semi-final berth and Giants are fighting for their play-off lives, this could be close. Towers, you would think, would be reeling from their recent defeats, but March madness does funny things.

The big game on Saturday is, of course, the uni-ball trophy Final as the Chester Jets and Newcastle Eagles look to claim the title for the first time in their history.

This is an amazingly hard game to call. If you look at league positions you'd say Chester ought to do it. But head-to-head records point to Newcastle. The Eagles have beaten the Jets three times and pretty convincingly too, whilst the Jets have only won once and that was both side's first game of the season.

Chester seem to struggle to contain the Eagles whilst Newcastle have had less problems with Loren Meyer than most. I believe the final will be won and lost in one match-up - Meyer v Whyte.

If Meyer does what John Ameachi did for Sheffield a couple of years ago, then the Jets will claim the first piece of silverware in the club's history. But if Ian Whyte can contain him and stay out of foul trouble then the Eagles strengths elsewhere will come to the fore.

Meyer is the best player in the league - period. If he shows that he will rip any team apart, but in Whyte, Newcastle have genuine big man which is vital. Whoever wins it promises to be a great game.

Manchester and Leicester face the Jets and Eagles respectively on Sunday and both will fancy their chances of taking advantage of any hangovers. The Giants, though, have to go on the road which might cause them problems, but with the Jets title chances all but gone this game is not that important to the home team.

Also on Sunday, Sheffield look set to claim the Northern Conference crown with victory over Derby. Although the Storm have come closer to collecting a win of late, with the finishing line in sight it's hard to see the Sharks not claiming a well-deserved prize.

15/03/2001
Weekend Preview

This weekend there are nine games taking place in BBL and not a single dead rubber between them - you know the play-offs are nearing!

On Saturday there are so many crunch games it's hard to choose where to start, so let's start at the bottom and work our way up.

Edinburgh play host to Derby and this is really 'last chance saloon' for the Rocks if they are to avoid getting the wooden spoon for the first time in their history. Defeat to Derby would mean Rocks would need to win at least four of their last five games if they want to avoid being the Northern Conference's cellar-dwellers.

Derby, despite their lack of height, have been a tough proposition of late with the scoring exploits of Jermaine Brown and will probably have enough to consign the Rocks to finishing behind them. But Edinburgh's three wins this season have all come at home against Northern opposition - including one against the Storm - so it is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Following their good recent run of form, the Brighton Bears harboured ambitions of getting off the bottom of the Southern Conference as well, but short of an unblemished run to the end of the season they seem destined to finish last. It is also a big ask for them to overturn Milton Keynes.

The way the Lions keep the scoring low usually means an opponent has a good chance of a late run, but this win is way too important for the Lions to let slip. Milton Keynes may have let Leopards get too far away in second place, but they are not yet assured of third after Birmingham's good run. The Lions have to win and should do.

Manchester's play-off ambitions received a timely boost last weekend with a surprise win on Tyneside. Now they host their trans-Pennine rivals Sheffield Sharks in round three of the 'Rose Bowl'.

Sheffield's bid for the Northern Conference was enhanced on Wednesday with an OT win over Chester, they won't throw it away now at Manchester.

For Thames Valley it is more of a question of when rather than if their play-off dreams become mathematically out of reach. It could be this weekend if they suffer double defeat. They host the Riders who have not won at Bracknell in 15 years and 25 games - what price a victory now? This game is vital for Riders play-off hopes, but could still go either way.

Having all but seen off the threat of Milton Keynes to their second placed spot, the London Leopards can now do the Lions a favour by beating Birmingham. The Leopards still need four or five wins to be certain of second mathematically, but in reality it is as good as theirs. Birmingham shouldn't be caught by the Tigers in fourth but a strong finish to the season could see the Brummies sneak third. Birmingham's good run of form of late coincided with their foray into Europe, but it might be a hindrance this weekend - they host the next round of the NEBL Challenge Cup this week and could have one eye on that. At home Leopards should have enough for the Bullets.

And finally on Saturday the live Sky game between the Towers and the Jets. Towers are desperate to wrap up the South (one win for them or a loss for Leopards will be enough), but Chester can't afford to lose again after their loss at Sheffield.

Towers will also be reeling from Wednesday's disappointing 27-point loss in the NEBL play-off first leg at Ventspils. It should be close but Towers will be favourites.

Just three games on Sunday, including Riders game at home to London Towers. By this time it could be Riders who need the win more, or perhaps the Towers will still be looking for that elusive win to claim the South.

Chester's run of three tough games in five days ends on Sunday with the uni-ball trophy final dress rehearsal against Newcastle. The Eagles are the only side (unless Towers beat them on Saturday) to have beaten the Jets twice this season, but have really started to look vulnerable in the last few weeks.

Since they made it into the final they have only beaten Derby and Brighton and that form makes this game really hard to call. On their day they are more than capable of downing the Jets, but you have to fancy Chester at home.

And finally on Sunday will it be the final nail in the coffin for Thames Valley's season? Nothing short of a win will do, but they've yet to beat Milton Keynes in three league meetings.

If they can hand in the sort of performance they did in the fourth quarter of the trophy quarter-final then they can beat the Lions, but if the Tigers lose the night before you sense the game might already be up. Lions need it more and will probably get it.

13/03/2001
Hurrell on his feet

James Hurrell was up and walking on Tuesday as he began his recovery from the bleeding on the brain he has been suffering for the last ten days. The Riders forward had to undergo an operation on Sunday after he took a turn for the worse at the weekend.

But Doctors were absolutely delighted with the way the surgery went and are very optimistic of a 100% recovery.

"He's been up and walking around today and his speech has improved 110%," said Riders Coach Billy Mims. "And perhaps most importantly of all he actually feels better in himself."

After undergoing a CAT scan and MRI at Glenfield General Hospital he was moved Queens Medical Centre, one of Britain's top neurological hospitals, where he underwent a Cerebral Angiogam.

After appearing to do well last week, he took a turn for the worse over the weekend and Doctors decided that it was best to operate. Immediately after the operation his surgeons were delighted with how it had went and his progress since then has been good.

Hurrell, 22, has regained much of his motor skills and speech, both of which have been severely impaired over the last week. Doctors believe he could be discharged as early as Thursday or Friday of this week, where he will continue the recovery process.

11/03/2001
Hurrell undergoes operation

James Hurrell's condition took a turn for the worse on Saturday and he had to undergo an operation on Saturday night. Hurrell was hospitalised last weekend after suffering bleeding on the brain.

Hurrell, currently at Queens Medical Centre one of Britain foremost neurological centres, has undergone a CAT scan, MRI and Cerebral Angiogram in the last week.

"The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club is with James at the moment," said Riders Chairman Kevin Routledge. "We are waiting to see the outcome of the operation, but hopefully everything has gone well."

leicesterriders.net will update this story as soon as the result of the operation is known.

08/03/2001
Weekend Preview

With less than a month of the regular season left, battles for places are starting to hot up in the two Conferences

In the Southern Conference, London Towers could claim the title on Sunday with two wins this weekend. They face arch-rivals London Leopards at home on Saturday before travelling to Milton Keynes the following day.

There is no doubt the title is Towers', but if they were to wrap it up this weekend - against the second and third placed teams in their conference - it would be doing it in style.

Towers v Leopards games are always tough to call and this year has been no different. Towers needed overtime in the first game and came from behind in their other two to win by two and lose by two.

Towers have also had lots of problems with the Lions this year as well. They've won three times, but only just, and the Lions also took them to overtime on one occasion. London could conceivable lose both games, but having only lost one game all season and with the prize within their grasp, they should do enough in both games to win.

Midland rivalry also comes to the fore on Saturday, with Riders trip to Birmingham in a battle between the two fourth placed teams. Bullets also have their eyes on third placed Milton Keynes so neither side can afford to slip.

Chester travel to Derby looking for their fifth win of the year against the Storm and it will take something major to prevent it from happening. The Storm were unlucky not to edge Bullets last weekend, but without any real big men how can they cope with James Hamilton and Loren Meyer?

In the last month the Brighton Bears have beaten Sheffield, Leicester, Manchester and Edinburgh and on Saturday they look to add Newcastle to their list of Northern Conference scalps.

The Bears were brought back down to earth last weekend though, with a 20-point drubbing at Chester and despite home advantage it is hard to see them overturning the Eagles. Newcastle, reeling from their midweek nightmare against the Bullets, should be able to bounce back on the South Coast.

Thames Valley play host to Sheffield in the other game on Saturday, but Paul James' men are effectively going through the motions now. They are eight points behind fourth placed Birmingham and even though they still have to play the Bullets twice, it is a massive ask to make up four games in only eight outings. An unbeaten run to the end of the season by the Tigers would probably still not be enough to get them in, unless Birmingham slip up big time.

Sheffield have apparently recovered from their recent wobbles and, given Chester will almost certainly collect a 'W' at Derby, a win is mandatory for Chris Finch's team.

Sunday sees the roles reversed for the North's top two as Sheffield have a 'gimmie' whilst Chester have a slightly trickier task.

The Edinburgh Rocks travel to Sheffield but despite having the day off on Saturday whilst Sheffield were in action, it would still take the most ardent Rocks fan to believe they can come away with the win.

Chester face Leicester looking for revenge for their defeat at Loughborough a couple of weeks ago. Robbie Peers said on BBC Radio Leicester this week that Riders "were in the play-offs" but his team could make that position a little less likely with a win.

Riders' fourth-placed rivals travel to Newcastle on Sunday looking to close the gap to Leicester. The Giants have been hammered a couple of times by the Eagles, but have also beaten them so will fancy their chances. The Eagles suffered only their third home defeat of the season on Wednesday and will be looking to get back to winning ways in front of their own fans.

As well as Towers potentially title-winning trip to Milton Keynes, the Leopards and Brighton are in action in the Southern Conference. Brighton may be in some form of late, but it is hard to see them containing the three-guard front of the Leopards.

08/03/2001
Hurrell on road to recovery

Doctors have said James Hurrell is on the road to recovery following the results of a cerebral angiogram he underwent on Wednesday at Queens Medical Centre. Hurrell has been hospitalised since the weekend after suffering bleeding on the brain.

Hurrell will now not have to undergo an operation on his brain, which carries an inevitable risk and substantially lengthens the recovery time, and his injuries will be allowed to heal naturally.

The cerebral angiogram involves a special dye being injected into the blood stream via the neck. This dye shows up on an x-ray of the blood vessels in the brain and is used to highlight blockages, deformities or displacement and can also show up cysts and abscesses in areas without blood vessels.

"James is steadily getting better," said Coach Billy Mims. "The angiogram has shown that the bleeding is still there but they found nothing else, which is good. They still don't know exactly why this has happened, but he's on the way to a full recovery now."

Hurrell will remain at QMC for a few more days but could be released to go home as early as the weekend. He will then be ordered to rest for a couple of months whilst he regains his full health.

"James' season is over," continued Mims. "But he is smiling again and looking forward to next season!"

The forward first felt ill on Saturday prior to Riders game against Edinburgh. He was taken to Glenfield General Hospital stroke unit on Sunday afternoon and underwent a CAT scan and an MRI. Because of its renowned expertise in this area he was then transferred to Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham on Monday.

06/03/2001
Hurrell to undergo operation

James Hurrell will undergo an exploratory operation on Wednesday at Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham to discover the exact cause of his illness. Hurrell has suffered bleeding on the brain and has been hospitalised since Sunday afternoon.

Doctors at Queens, some of the finest neurologists in Britain, have been pleased with his progress since his was transferred there from Glenfield General Hospital.

Hurrell first felt ill on Saturday just prior to Riders game against Edinburgh and chose not to play as his condition worsened. The forward continued to feel bad on Sunday and was taken to Glenfield General Hospital's stroke unit. After undergoing a CAT scan and MRI, it was discovered he had suffered bleeding on the brain. Given the QMC's expertise in the area, he was transferred to Nottingham.

The exact cause of the bleeding is still unknown although it is believed he did not received a blow to the head. The operation on Wednesday is hoped to discover the exact cause of the bleeding and therefore the best course of action.

05/03/2001
Hurrell taken to hospital

James Hurrell, Riders back-up forward, was taken to hospital on Sunday after falling ill over the weekend.

Hurrell first started to feel ill on Saturday just prior to Riders game against Edinburgh. Although originally suited for the game, he decided not to play as he started to feel worse.

"After the pre-game warm up he started feeling very poorly," said Coach Billy Mims. "We went to the walk-in clinic in Loughborugh and they sent him to Glenfield General Hospital. He has had a CAT scan, which has shown some problems, and they have done an MRI, so that may mean he has to be moved to Queens Hospital in Nottingham."

James' family are currently at his bedside where he is conscious but poorly. Hurrell, 22, describe by Mims as "one of our best English prospects" is awaiting the results of some more tests on Monday afternoon.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with James and his family right now," said Mims. "I would ask that all Riders fans think of him in their prayers."

01/03/2001
Weekend Preview

Welcome to the business end of the season. It's the time of year when those who can do and those who can't are booked on the first flight out of Heathrow on Monday 9th April.

At the moment only Sheffield can safely (and mathematically) say they are going to the post-season, but Chester could confirm their place this weekend and London Towers are virtually guaranteed a semi-final berth in the play-offs when they pick up the Conference title in the next week or two.

After the leaders, Newcastle Eagles would need something absolutely unfathomable to happen to deny them a place and Leopards, too, look a safe bet. A couple of slips lately has brought Milton Keynes back within touching distance of Birmingham, but it is unlikely that they will miss out.

There are several battles going on in the Conferences - it's a testament to the system, as in league play the title would be virtually won, the top four virtually known and the battle for the last play-off place less dramatic than it is at the moment.

Those battles will take some more twists and turns this weekend.

On Friday, Newcastle play host to London Towers. Can 'Fortress Newcastle' bring to an end Towers undefeated run on the road and against Northern Conference opposition, or will Towers become the second side to leave Tyneside with the spoils as they march relentlessly to the Southern Conference title?

Whilst Newcastle are virtually unstoppable at home, Towers are virtually unstoppable. You've got to fancy a rare away win on Tyneside, especially as Towers seem to raise their game for what they deem to be the 'big boys', whilst the rest of the league is allowed hope until the final quarter onslaught.

An example of this can be found in recent results - Towers blitzed the top three teams in the Northern Conference in the space of seven days, yet Leicester and Birmingham were both within a couple of minutes of victory before the Towers pulled it out.

They've been accused of just doing enough to win, but when, on the first day of March, you've already played more games than Manchester (who reached every major final) did last year, it seems fair enough that you don't go at full pelt all the time - and anyway they are 20-1!

Towers are in action again on Saturday - their third in four days - when they play host to Manchester. The Giants are a funny team - capable of beating Chester yet losing to Edinburgh - but it would be a major surprise if they were to get a win at Crystal Palace. Towers will do Riders the favour they need.

Meanwhile Riders play host to Edinburgh Rocks and after last week's disappointing slip to the Southern Conference's cellar-dweller, Billy Mims' team can not repeat the feat against the North's bottom side. Nothing short of a win will do.

The midland derby takes place at Aston Villa as