28/06/2001
Mims checks out USBL talent

Riders' Head Coach Billy Mims has jetted back out to the USA on another scouting mission, as he continues to assemble his squad for the forthcoming 2001/02 season.

Mims is attending the USBL - a top American summer league which provides a fruitful hunting ground for coaches and scouts from the NBA and Europe - Championship Finals this weekend.

The quarter-finals take place this Friday with the semi-finals on Saturday and the Championship Game on Sunday.

Amongst the players on show will be three former BBL stars - Brian Reese who spent last season at Manchester, HL Coleman who won a Championship with Birmingham and former Derby forward Cypheus Bunton - and 2nd ranked Maryland are coached by USBL Coach of the Year and former Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish.

Mims will be also hooking up with his two signees so far, Billy Singleton and Ralph Blalock, as well as having further discussions with Championship Final MVP Larry Johnson about a return to the double-winners.

The event takes place at the home of the 5th seed Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs in Lehigh, Pennslyvania, north of Philadelphia.

16/06/2001
King Ralph Returns to Riders

ridersbasketball.com spoke to Billy Mims about the re-signing of Ralph Blalock, here's what he had to say:

"Ralph Blalock was an IMPACT player to this organisation a year ago, and when I say impact, I say it with capital letters. After Ralph's arrival, the Riders put together the best record in BBL. We were as good as anybody once he arrived, he was the last piece of the puzzle that made us a Championship basketball team.

"He played in the National Cup semi-final and helped us break a long string of defeats to Thames Valley to put us in a position to win the Cup. He was voted the Most Valuable Player in the National Cup Final - the Riders first piece of silverware ever - and he was the game's top scorer in the Championship Final at Wembley for us to capture the BBL Championship.

"So in both of the pieces of silverware that we won - the first two domestic pieces of silverware in club history - you cannot emphasise Ralph's mark on those two trophies enough, because he was the MVP in one and the top scorer in the other.

"Ralph is also very important to us because he is probably our best defensive player. In the Championship Final Ralph was assigned to make Terrell Myers. Ralph scored 26 points whilst holding Terrell to 14.

"It is a tremendous, tremendous achievement when you can take an All Star player - Ralph is a four time BBL All Star, he's been in the All Star Game every year that he's been in the UK - like that and ask him to produce like that on both ends of the floor. There are a lot of guys that are great defenders, there are a lot of guys that are great scorers, but aren't a lot of guys that do both extremely well. Ralph is one of those few guys that does both extremely well.

"And the final thing is our team, from the coach right on down, is an emotional team. We play a lot on emotions, but Ralph Blalock is sort of the steadying, calming influence on the Riders. When Ralph is on the court you can't tell if we are 15 up or 15 down, because he always plays with the same demeanour. He doesn't let the guys around him get too disappointed when we are down deep and he doesn't let them get too excited when we are up a lot. He is certainly a real calming influence on the Riders in our games.

"So am I happy Ralph Blalock is returning to the Riders? No I'm not happy, I'm ecstatic!"

14/06/2001
Singleton Goes Fourth

Having become the first Riders captain in the franchise's 34-year history to lift some silverware, Billy Singleton is returning for a fourth season with the club.

Singleton, 33, was an influential part of the Riders most successful season ever. When they won the ntl National Cup in January, he came up with a crucial assist to Larry Johnson to tie the game with a minute to go. And then he was heroic in Riders' Wembley performance (who'll forget that 1-on-3 fast-ish break?) which saw them being crowned BBL Champions May. The 6'7" New Yorker was second in the country in defensive rebounds, as well as being one of only six player in the BBL to average a double-double (12.8 pts, 10 rebs) per game.

"'Big Bill' was one of the BBL's best rebounders," said Coach Billy Mims. "Everyone knows that we like to run, and Billy's defensive rebounding and outlet passing are big keys to igniting our transition game. His decision to remain a Rider for the 2001-2002 campaign is the first step this season in trying to defend both of our 2001 titles."

A four-time All Star, Singleton first joined the Riders in 1997 after spells with Birmingham and Chester, as well as stays in Cyprus, Israel and Ireland. His first British club was the Bullets where his performances earned him his first appearance in the All Star Game.

After playing in Cyprus and Israel - where he won the Newcomer of the Year award - he returned mid-season to Chester and turned around the fortunes of Mike Burton's struggling side. He returned the following season and was the central figure in the Jets spectacular 1996-97 season. He helped them to the trophy final and the Championship semi-final, as well as a fifth placed finish in the league.

He was then signed by Bob Donewald in the summer of 1997 and helped the Riders to the play-offs in his first season and to the National Cup Final in 1998. He moved to Thames Valley the following year, but returned to the Riders last season.

He was a standout in High School in New York where he won the Iron Horse Award as the best player in New York City. He then went to the city's St John's University, where as captain he helped his team to the Elite Eight stage of the NCAA Championship in 1991.

"Bringing Billy back to Leicester last season was one of the first steps to making the Riders Championship contenders," continued Mims. "His experience, durability, and leadership qualities certainly played a big part in our winning the double in 2001."

Singleton was vastly influential in Riders play-off run which took them all the way to the Championship Final where they beat Sheffield 84-75 to become the only BBL side to lift two trophies during the 2000/01 campaign.

Mims has now returned from a scouting mission in America and further announcements regarding playing personnel for the further coming season are expected shortly.