07/05/2001
What the papers say

The Leicester Mercury - The Mercury has a picture of Billy Singleton holding aloft Billy Mims on the front page under the headline 'Hail Riders'. The backpage read 'Just Champion' under a picture of the Riders and the Championship trophy. There is also a double page spread inside with pictures and stories.

The Independent - Richard Taylor captures the moment fantastically with a great piece. Eighteen months ago they were winless, last summer they were homeless. Now Leicester Riders are the kings of English basketball after their 84-75 demolition of Sheffield Sharks...The fans who followed them to Loughborough played a huge role in Saturday's win....Riders opened with a 21-7 onslaught which mirrored the third quarter bursts which had destroyed Chester and Towers in the earlier rounds.

The Times - Rick Broadbent begins a very nice piece with It was fitting that a story that has lent credence to every romantic cliché in the book, should end with Karl Brown sitting in a wheelchair at courtside....his team-mates did not forget him and, when this remarkable victory was confirmed, hoisted him high so that he could cut down the baskets as souvenirs.

The Telegraph - Picks up on the Chris Finch quotes slamming the referees and Championship format. The finale to the best season in the history of Britain oldest club was marred by poor officiating and complaints about the competition's format...Finch said "I thought the refereeing was atrocious...and it shouldn't be the case that the entire season, a whole championship, comes down to a couple of games." But Sheffield were also to blame for missing out on a first championship. They hit only 25 per cent from three-point range as they wasted a 45-36 half-time lead.

The Express - Goes with the line that Riders are unlikely to compete in Europe next season after their win. Leicester Riders are unlikely to be playing European competition next season, despite their improbable rise to the top. Written off as no-hopers at the start of the season, they pulled off a huge upset when they beat Sheffield.

The Guardian - Highlights Riders becoming the first team below .500 to win the Championship. The Riders, who won only 17 of their 36 league games this season, are the first team to take the championship after posting a losing record.

Daily Mail - Goes with Chris Finch's line on the officials. "It was atrocious and not worthy of a Final" he said.

06/05/2001
Kevin Routledge relives the Final

What a truly memorable game to cap a truly memorable season. I cannot say I was totally confident and watching that first quarter and the injury to Karl, negative thoughts of maybe 'one game too many' started to creep in. But when we held the Sharks in the second quarter and were within single figures at half-time everything seemed possible and positive again.

Surely though the Sharks and Chris Finch knew we would try and up the tempo in the third quarter; surely the Sharks would try and take the air out of the ball and focus on stifling any run by taking it inside on the Riders; surely they would learn the lesson which was on the tapes of the Riders play-off games.

But these Riders are tough to resist and the 'Bomb Squad' looked remarkably ordinary under Riders relentless pressure and we saw out the third quarter with a deserved and motivating lead. As ever we were made to endure the nervy last few minutes and as ever even an eight point lead with a minute left seemed scarcely enough and then - RELEASE. We had done it !!! What can you say about these players. Much criticised and always the underdogs they kept all their play-off opponents to below average percentage shooting and somehow managed to keep the opposition down on total points by nearly 20 points a game compared with the regular season. Unbelievable !!

All the players made a huge contribution but what a delight to see L J pick up the MVP award, which Ralph Blalock pushed him very hard for it. But what a team and oh how they stepped up after Christmas.

If the season 1999/2000 marked the low point for the Club (and it did far beyond the obvious signs you fans will have all seen) the arrival of Billy M has taken us to unknown highs. You all see the passion and commitment and the way Billy deals so positively with everyone he comes into contact with, but what most of you do not know is the exceptional work Billy does off the court. He really is a remarkable ambassador for the Club - and it is not just me saying so, but every person I come into contact with, from politicians to the media to sponsors, and the rest. We are so fortunate that Billy became available when he did and the rest is as they say - history.

We shall all be going around with a smile on our face for a long while yet - and both the trophies will be savoured. What Billy and the guys have done will be of tremendous long term value for the Club - because we can use this success to strengthen our position into the future.

Can I also thank all the fans that supported us this season, and especially through the play-offs and down to Wembley. Supporting a winning team can become an expensive hobby but I know exactly how important your support was in helping the team to overcome the hurdles put before them. Throughout the run Leicester established themselves as the number one team for travelling support (it wasn't even close); which is fantastic when you think of the other diversions going on in Leicester sport (like Tigers record-breaking run). Again my heartfelt thanks. And to Kate Crane and Karen Ellis for their hard work in making it a little easier for you to provide that support.

We will be working very hard through the off-season to build on this success and to bring you even better basketball in season 2001/02. Did I really write that ? - right now it just feels like things can NOT get better than this !!

Kevin Routledge

06/05/2001
Come celebrate with the Riders

After the greatest day in the franchise's 34-year history, the Leicester Riders are looking to celebrate with their fans. Riders' BBL Championship Final success over Sheffield Sharks makes them the unofficial 'Team of the Year' and a reception for the only side in the BBL to win two trophies has been planned.

The reception takes place at Leicester Tigers' Welford Road ground at 7.30pm Tuesday and is open to all Rider fans.

"This a chance for the players and fans to celebrate an amazing season," said Riders Chairman Kevin Routledge.

02/05/2001
Mims looking to heal scars

Billy Mims is looking to banish the bad memories he has of Wembley Arena with a win over Westfield Sharks Sheffield in Saturday’s BBL Championship Final.

Mims reached the Final with Leopards back in 1997, but finished up on the losing side that day, as London Towers recorded the equal closest win ever, with a 89-88 scoreline.

Mims recalls, “Yes, I have been there and I remember what it was like. Ironically, when I was there, I was four seconds away from claiming that title – we led that game for 39 minutes and 56 seconds and I can remember what that was like. For most of the game, we dominated and with four seconds to go my good friend Eric Burks went after a steal and fouled Danny Lewis and Danny went to the line, calmly sank two free throws and we lost by a point.

“Having been there and lost, I can say it is a devastating feeling that is hard to go away. Many people say it’s great just to get there, but once you are actually out there, battling like a gladiator in front of all those fans, if you don’t succeed that’s a feeling that lingers forever. Unless you succeed on the day, you will have a nasty taste in your mouth for some time.”

Karl Brown was on the Towers’ playing roster in that 1997 Final, but he has since returned to his hometown of Leicester and Mims and Brown are now looking to claim the Riders’ first ever Championship success together.

“Karl is a veteran, a gladiator, a warrior and a winner,” added Mims. “He’s also a Leicester lad and no one wants to bring that trophy back to Leicester more than Karl Brown.”

Like his coach, Karl Brown also knows what it’s like to lose in a Championship Final He suffered that fate in 1994, when with Guildford.

01/05/2001
Sharks looking to complete set

For five of the Westfield Sharks Sheffield squad, a win over Nurishment Leicester Riders in Saturday's BBL Championship Final would complete their collections of domestic honours.

Head Coach Chris Finch, as well as Sharks' playing quartet of Peter Scantlebury, Terrell Myers, Iain McKinney and Richard Windle, have won every honour going in British basketball, except for the biggest prize of all, the Championship Final.

Sharks' Head Coach, Chris Finch, explained: "When I took over coaching one of my goals was to win all four championships, none of which we had at the time and it still remains one of my goals, so to do it would be a great accomplishment. I can speak for the other guys too, because I know that they all want to win it as well, but that goes without saying."

Certainly Finch and his players are determined and focussed for Saturday's Final. Should they achieve their goal, it will put Sharks into an elite class. Only London Towers - and if you go further back into the history book, Kingston - have won all the domestic honours in the history of the BBL.

Coach Finch could also write himself into the history books as well. Finch will become only the second coach in the BBL history to win all four honours if the Sharks are successful on Saturday. Kevin Cadle, former Towers' boss and now Sky Sports' presenter, is the only other coach to have won all the titles going. He is the BBL's most decorated coach with 21 titles, including five championship titles, five league titles, five trophy successes and six cup triumphs.

In terms of players, there is a small but elite group who can boast all the BBL honours, of which Sharks' England international, Mike Payne, is one. He won the league, trophy and cup with Sheffield and picked up the Championship title with Birmingham Bullets in 1996.

Scantlebury, Myers, McKinney and Windle will join Payne with the full set with a win on Saturday and for Scantlebury in particular, it would complete what has already been a record-breaking season.

England's most capped player became British basketball's highest scoring player ever earlier this season, beating Russ Saunder's career tally of 8,945 points - he later broke the 9,000-point mark.

Finch commented on the prospect of Scantlebury adding to his C.V. "I think it would be a nice feather in Pete's cap," he said. "But I don't think for one second that if he didn't win that people would think he had any less of an established career."

01/05/2001
Final goes live to world

BBC Radio Leicester will again make history, as they broadcast the BBL Championship Final live on the internet for the first time ever.

Radio Leicester broadcast the first ever live British Basketball game on the internet with their coverage of the Riders v Towers semi-final. Now the team will broadcast full commentary from Wembley to the world via their website.

"Once again BBC Radio Leicester are showing their commitment to both basketball and the Riders," said Coach Billy Mims. "Friends and family of mine were listening to the semi-final in America and now they can't wait for the Final!"

The broadcast requires Real Player which can be obtained for free via the Radio Leicester website. A link from the home page of ridersbasketball.com will also broadcast Radio Leicester's commentary.

01/05/2001
Cinderella gets ready for the ball

Billy Mims has already dubbed the Nurishment Leicester Riders the "Cinderella" of British basketball, but his analogy is probably more accurate than some people might truly appreciate.

If ever there was a rags-to-riches tale, the fairytale 2000/01 season of the Riders must surely be it.

Prior to the arrival of Coach Mims, Riders were the perrennial under-achievers, a team that only made the play-offs once in five years and even then fell at the first hurdle.

When the charismatic American joined midway through the 1999/2000 season the club had hit "rock bottom" as Mims puts it. Indeed, the club had not won a single BBL Championship game and were rooted to the bottom of the table. It was a tall order to turn things around, and that first season inevitably proved too much.

Mims confesses that the task ahead was initially a tough one. "When I took over this team, they hadn't won a single BBL game and were 0-14 against BBL opposition and you can't get any lower than that. The franchise, although the oldest in the BBL with a really proud history, has for whatever reason had a lot of bad luck down the years and haven't been able to get over the hump in championship play."

As a result, the way this season has panned out has been somewhat unexpected even to the optimistic Coach Mims.

"I didn't expect it," he admits. "But only because of where we were a year ago. Last year, when Kevin Routledge asked me to come in, for all practical purposes, the club had hit rock bottom. But I felt confident that with the support that Kevin was going to give me and the great support that we always get from what are the best fans in British basketball, the pieces were in place that were needed to climb up out of that hole.

"I knew we would climb up out of that hole and I knew we would be a better basketball team this year than we were a year ago - those were givens. How good you are going to be is very difficult to ever tell."

Not that Riders' rise has been easy. Indeed, despite a good run of results in pre-season, Riders initial 2000/01 campaign in the BBL Championship went far from smoothly. Personnel problems were one major cause of this, as Malcolm Leak left the club to pursue an opportunity in Cyprus. A shoulder injury to Larry Johnson in the early weeks was another headache for Mims.

These difficulties contributed to a 4-11 BBL Championship record in the first half of the season, which put Riders fifth in the Northern Conference, out of the play-off places.

With many of the teams in the North running too far away from the Riders, Mims and company turned their attention to the ntl National Cup. A first round win over Teesside Mohawks was followed by an overtime success over Pertemps Bullets Birmingham in the quarter-finals and then a ten-point success over Thames Valley Tigers in the semi-finals.

Once in the Final at Sheffield Arena on Sunday 7th January, a tough game ensued against London Leopards, but Riders won through on the day to collect the first ever piece of silverware for the BBL's oldest franchise.

Immediately after the Cup success Mims stated his hope that the silverware would prove the turning point in Riders' fortunes. In fact, at the end of January and the beginning of February, Riders slipped to four straight defeats, but this time they were able to halt the slide and fight back.

In reality, 2001 has been the best period for the Riders in recent history. In 2001 Riders' record reads 17 wins and only 8 defeats and a win in Saturday's Final would rank them equal top with the Towers in terms of form teams.

"Since after Christmas, our team has not been the 8th best team in the BBL," admitted Mims. "In fact, in 2001 we are one of the hottest teams in the BBL and this is when Championships are won!

"There is a quite simple reason for why we were the 8th seed - we were a different team before Christmas with no Malcolm Leak or Ralph Blalock - but play-offs and championships are not about that. Championships are never won in October, November and December, they are won in March, April and May. You have got to be good down the stretch and we have been good down the stretch.

"We had to climb a tough mountain to get to Wembley, but I think we did it because we play with a lot of passion and a lot of pride and confidence. When you look back to the turning of the clock to midnight 2001, Cinderella became a real princess and all of a sudden she is one of the hottest princesses in Britain!"

Mims is rightly proud of his team's achievements, but he also feels pleased for the fans, who he thinks the clubs owe a lot to.

"The very first game that we played at Loughborough University at the start of the season, we had a standing room only crowd. Plus, look at what our fans went through last summer. They were hoping that it was going to be a good season, after hearing Billy Mims had committed to stay, but then they were thrust into a pit of rock bottom feeling because of the decision to demolish Granby Halls. How many teams can leave a city and move to another town in the county and still draw throngs to their games? Our fans followed us and they have been superb all season.

"Now I think it's paramount that we win at Wembley. I think people are looking at 2001 as being the turning point in the Riders history. The very first trophy on offer was the National Cup and against all odds Cinderella went to Sheffield and danced off the floor as princess. Now, it's the biggest stage in British basketball at Wembley Arena and to finish our 2001 run with the Wembley Championship, to my mind, would give all of those fans the confidence that the future is going to be bright and the satifaction that all of their fighting for the Riders last summer was not in vain."

01/05/2001
Riders raise £2000 for charity

The Riders charity game against Loughborough University raised £2000 for the Cruse Bereavement Care fund. The game, planned long before Riders play-off exploits, also served as a warm up ahead of this Saturday's Championship Final against Sheffield Sharks.

After a tentative start Riders showed their quality against the students and some fast break dunks from Malcolm Leak, Ralph Blalock and Larry Johnson soon had Riders in control leading 36-11 after the first quarter.

Coach Billy Mims turned to his second five in the second quarter and they more than held their own stretching the Riders lead to 40 points, 66-26. In the second half Riders opened up a 50 point lead before Loughborough fought back to reduce the arrears.

Riders, though, cantered home in the fourth quarter and ran out 126-68 victors. Malcolm Leak and Darren Mills led the Riders scoring with 20 points whilst Todd Stone had 19.