30/092004
Old faces and new join Riders

Karl Brown is putting the finishing touches to his roster for the 2004/05 season by confirming Joel Burns, Michael New and Darren Mills to the side.

For New and Mills it's a return to Leicester having both played for the Riders in recent season, whilst Burns joins from Milton Keynes.

New played for the Riders in 2001/02 and is an experienced BBL veteran having spent eight seasons in the league with Thames Valley, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Newcastle and Scottish Rocks. He has a career average of around 14 points per game and is just 88 points short of becoming the 22nd player in history to rack up 2000 league points.

Burns also has plenty of experience of the British game, having enjoyed spells at Milton Keynes, Derby, Birmingham, Brighton and Scottish Rocks since first coming to the league in 1997. A prolific shooter, Burns ranks as the fourth best free throw shooter (86.5%) and the 11th best three-point shooter (41.8%) in the history of the English game.

Mills played for the Riders between 1999 and 2001, including being part of their double winning squad in the 2000/01 season. At the time he was student at De Montfort University, so will be well used to their new home venue at the John Sandford Sports Centre. Mills has also played in the BBL for Scottish Rocks.

"It's important to have some experience in the team and Joel and Mike are two of the most experienced players in the BBL," said Brown. "Joel is a dangerous shooter whilst Mike can do a job both inside and out, so they will be good weapons for us. Darren is a young, athletic player and I'm looking for good things from him this season."

Riders will take on Birmingham Bullets on Saturday night as they return to Leicester for the first time since 2000. Tip-off will be at 7.30pm.

The game will take place at their new home of the John Sandford Sports Centre in the De Montfort University campus on the edge of Leicester City Centre, next to the junction of Western Boulevard and Braunstone Gate. Tickets will be available on the door priced £8 (adults) and £6.50 (concessions).

29/09/2004
Riders go for big English frontline

Karl Brown, head coach of the Leicester Riders, has confirmed three big English inside players to his roster for the 2004/05 season.

Brown has signed Mark Considine, Dave Keeley and Amir Ali, who all stand at least 6'10" tall and will bolster Riders inside presence.

For Leicester-born Considine it's a return to where his basketball career began in 1988 for the Riders after coming through the club's junior sides. Considine last played for the Riders in the early 90s and has since spent his career playing across Europe.

As well as playing in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, Considine also had a brief spell with their first visitors of the season Birmingham Bullets in 1998.

Rotherham-born Dave Keeley joins the Riders after two years with last season's Play-off and Cup champions, Westfield Sharks Sheffield. The 22-year-old also won a league title medal with the Sharks in 2003/04.

Amir Ali, from Birmingham, joins the Riders fresh from a US college career at Saint Peter's College. Last season he started 20 of the team's 29 games and will make his Riders debut against the Bullets, where he learnt his trade as a junior player.

"We've got some genuine height in the team with the addition of Amir, Mark and Dave," said Brown. "It's a nice mix of experience and youth for us too. I've known Mark for years and he'll play hard for us, plus he's a good shooter as well. Amir and Dave are two hungry young English players and I think they are both going to do a great job for us."

Riders' game against the Bullets takes place on Saturday 2nd October (7.30pm) and marks the return home to Leicester for the club.

The game will take place at their new home of the John Sandford Sports Centre in the De Montfort University campus on the edge of Leicester City Centre, next to the junction of Western Boulevard and Braunstone Gate. Tickets will be available on the door priced £8.50 (adults) and £6 (concessions).

27/09/2004
Brown snaps up American duo

Leicester Riders Head Coach Karl Brown has signed American newcomers Nathan Anderson and Eric Williams to his squad for the forthcoming season.

Anderson, 27, is a 5'7" point guard, whilst 24-year old Williams stands at 6'4" and can play either the off-guard or small forward spots.

"I'm excited about Nathan and Eric joining the team," said Brown. "They both have a hunger to play here, I think they'll be good additions to the team and they can make an impact in the BBL.

"Nathan's a very good playmaker and he can score as well. He should run the team well for us. Eric will be the swingman for us, he can shoot the three but he's also a good rebounder."

Anderson played five seasons at Saint Mary's University in Canada where he averaged almost 14 points and four assists a game. In his final season he averaged 17 points, 4.7 steals and 5.1 assists per game.

In 2001/02, Anderson averaged 19 points in a season where he was named to his Conference's All-Star 1st Team. At the end of last season he was signed by Ensa Union Neuchatel Region to help keep the team in the Swiss first division. His 30-point, 6 assists display in the relegation play-off ensured that happened.

Williams left Guildford College in America this summer having averaged eight points and four rebounds per game. Prior to that he played at Abraham Baldwin College where in 2002 he averaged 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game before moving to Guildford.

Riders take on Birmingham Bullets in the opening game of the season on Saturday 2nd October with a 7.30pm tip-off. The game will be the first at Riders new home of the John Sandford Sports Centre, part of the De Montfort University campus near Leicester City Centre.

02/09/2004
Brown back to take charge of Riders

Leicester Riders have reappointed Karl Brown as Head Coach of the team for the forthcoming 2004/05 BBL season.

Brown, 37, took over as coach of the Riders in November last season and immediately ended their longest-ever losing run.

"With the move back to Leicester it was important for us to have some consistency and Karl provides that for us," said Chairman Jim Saker. "Karl is hugely experienced in BBL basketball and, of course, he is a Leicester lad, so he's very passionate about the Riders. We know it will not be an easy season for us, but we have every faith in Karl."

Brown came through the Riders junior programme and made his professional playing debut with the club in 1990. After a glittering playing career during which he won five major titles and over 50 caps for England, Brown also began his coaching career with the Riders last season.

"I'm delighted to be taking charge of the team once again," said Brown. "It's an exciting season with the team moving back home to the city, but I know it will be difficult for us. I'm already working on recruitment of the team and hope to have some announcements soon."

The Riders are returning to Leicester for the first time since Granby Halls was demolished in 2000, after agreeing a deal to play at the John Sanford Sports Centre at De Montfort University.

Building work is currently underway at John Sanford to make some necessary adjustments to host BBL basketball ahead of the season's start on October 2nd. Riders' fixtures will be announced shortly.

01/09/2004
Riders return home to Leicester!

The Leicester Riders are coming home for the 2004/05 BBL season after agreeing a deal to play at De Montfort University's John Sandford Sports Centre, near Leicester City Centre.

Since the closure of their former home Granby Halls, the Riders had been playing at Loughborough University, but struggled to draw on their traditional fan base in the city. Poor results on court coupled with deepening financial concerns had made a return to Leicester the only potential way forward for the club.

The club came close to closure this summer, after numerous attempts to find a venue large enough for professional basketball within the city ended in failure. Indeed in July it appeared the club's only option would be to suspend the franchise.

DMU offered to look at the feasibility of the club playing at its John Sandford Sports Centre on Western Boulevard and is now preparing for the first Riders match which takes place on Saturday 2 October.

Riders' Board member Mike Steptoe said, "Since that day De Montfort have bent over backwards to make this project happen, we would not have got this far without the enthusiasm of Steve Robinson and his staff at the Centre.'

Chairman Jim Saker said, "This has been a real roller coaster ride over the last 6 months, we had run out of options. We have benefited greatly from the help of from the Leicester City Council who have supported the move back to Leicester from day one."

Saker reflected that it has been the academic institutions of the city and county that have aided Britain's oldest professional basketball club. When Granby closed, Loughborough University stepped in to assist the Riders and now on its return De Montfort has agreed to help.

Building work is underway at the John Sandford Centre to house 700 spectators and ensure it is capable of staging the home games, and the Riders are grateful to the BBL for their help and support in ensuring the venue can be used for BBL games in the short term.

The venue is planned as a temporary measure and the club is hoping that a deal can be struck between Leicester City Council and DMU which would see the current John Sandford Sports Centre replaced with a new swimming pool and sports complex.

Stephen Robinson, Head of Recreation at DMU, said: "We welcome the team to De Montfort University and believe the move will enhance the student experience through spectator opportunities and links between the Riders and our own student basketball teams, providing demonstration matches and coaching opportunities."

There are still a number of issues to be resolved but this announcement probably represents the best news that Leicester basketball fans have had for some years. Saker however commented that the club's financial position is still poor and it will need the support of Leicester's business community and a growing fan base if the club's long-term future is to be guaranteed.