25/09/2005
Riders 65 - Rocks 95

The curse of opening day struck again for the DMU Leicester Riders as they failed to win their first game of the season for the 11th year in a row. Riders went down 95-65 to Scottish Rocks at John Sandford Sports Centre.

Riders to their only lead of the game at 4-2 when Tony Holley and Robert Reed both got their opening baskets for the club on the inside. But from then on Riders offence spluttered through the first quarter.

Leicester couldn’t get a shot to drop and this allowed the visitors to post a 15-2 burst thanks to some good work from Jean Francois and Frank Bennett to take a 17-6 advantage.

Trailing 19-8 when the second quarter got underway, Riders finally got their offence on track with six quick fire points to close back to 21-14. Reed was continuing to do some good work on the inside and ironically it was the England centre who hit Riders first three-pointer of the game.

But with Frank Bennett in top form at the other end Riders could draw no closer than six and the gap remained eleven (28-39) at half time.

The decisive run came early in the third quarter when Julius Joseph – who announced himself on the BBL scene to Riders cost on the opening day of the 2001/02 season – reminded the league of his abilities on his return from the continent.

The England man netted nine of Rocks points in a 21-5 burst as they stretched their lead to 63-39.

Robert Reed was Riders star performer with 19 points and 12 rebounds, whilst Tony Holley added 12 and 8. The Riders poor shooting from the outside (3-for-23) left none of the backcourt in double-figures.

Anthony McHenry picked up three fouls in the first quarter – more than the entire Rocks team managed in the first half – so missed the entire second quarter and posted 9 points 7 rebounds and two spectacular blocks.

Steve Bucknall chipped in with 8 points, 5 boards and 6 assists, whilst Ryan Huntley added 6 points, 7 rebounds and 4 dishes. Darren Mills hit 4 points, Cameron Wright 3, with Marlon Jules and Daniel Sandell both adding 2.

Joseph was the game’s top scorer with 23 points, closely followed by Frank Bennett who had 22 and 11 rebounds. Germayne Forbes (14), Charles Smith (14) and Jean Francois (11) also added double-figure points.

21/09/2005
New Branding, New Colours

Welcome to the all new Leicster Riders website. Amongst the changes you'll have noticed a new logo and new colours for the club. CEO Mike Steptoe explains the thinking behind the new look Riders.

Why change?

The new ‘aggressive horse’ logo has been designed to show that DMU Riders intend to be more competitive from here on in! As a board of Directors we are committed to providing a team to make the Leicestershire public proud. We have also redesigned our website in an effort to keep everyone better informed of what the Riders are doing and where we are going.

Why change our colours?

There was an attempt a few years ago to brand Leicester as the ‘Sporting Capital of England’ following the success of Leicester Tigers, Leicester City and Leicestershire County Cricket Club in their domestic championship and cup competitions. Unfortunately the campaign was short lived as the Tigers were the only club able to sustain their success. Therefore, our boast became laughable both inside and outside of the County.

Whilst it is great for morale for the people of Leicestershire that our teams are successful, there is more to sport than just winning. Sport is all about ‘being competitive’ and Leicestershire sports clubs have a reputation of competing at the highest levels within the UK.

No other county in England has the identity and history with sport that Leicestershire enjoys. We are unique as the only county in England with one professional football club, one professional rugby club, a professional county cricket club and a professional basketball club. All the clubs are named after the county town and there are no conflicts with other competing professional clubs within the county. We also have extremely successful hockey and netball clubs, Leicester Racecourse, Donnington Park and Mallory Park.

The Directors of Leicester Riders have approached a number of the clubs mentioned above with a view to adopting the same colour schemes throughout Leicestershire’s major sports teams, ultimately branding Leicestershire in a unique way. They have all embraced the proposal with enthusiasm.

The obvious choice of colours are green, red and white with the Tigers, arguably our most successful club. Their famous green, red and white, are instantly recognisable to all sports enthusiasts throughout the country. Green is also the colour of Leicestershire used by the County Council and Leicestershire County Cricket club.

DMU Leicester Riders used to play in red and have therefore chosen to play in red with green and white trim at home and white with green and red away strip.

We are proud of our city and county’s sporting heritage and wish to promote it throughout the country and within the youth of Leicestershire through our Schools and Community Development programmes. In an effort to do this we will also be promoting Leicestershire as thesportingshire and Leicester as thesportingcity. Both logos will be carried on our ‘shooting shirts’ available to fans through our website and at the DMU Students Union shop.

DMU Leicester Riders are a professional basketball club and intend to make the Leicestershire public proud of their achievements. However, we also want to put something worthwhile into the community of Leicestershire and to raise performance standards within the sport through the provision of quality coaching, competition and ultimately new ‘state of the art’ facilities. Watch this space!

20/09/2005
Mills and Wright return to Riders

Karl Brown, DMU Leicester Riders Head Coach, has re-signed Darren Mills and Cameron Wright from last season's squad.

The pair both came to prominence as the season drew on and each forced their way into the starting five at some stage.

Mills, who is heading into his fourth season with the club, even caught the eye of England coach Peter Scantlebury last season and was on the fringes of the squad.

"I think both guys really improved for us last season and I'm hoping for more of the same this time around," said Brown. "I think Darren can make another step up and become more of an impact player this season. He's been doing well for us in the pre-season.

"Cameron is a great shooter as we saw last season and I think he can still get better. We've got good competition for positions in the team now which is something I'm very happy about and I think our younger guys will learn a lot from our more experienced players."

6'5" forward Mills averaged 4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game for the club last season. 5'10" guard Wright netted 2.5 points per game, whilst shooting 34% from three-point land.

Riders begin their new campaign on Saturday night when they play host to last season's Cup Finalists, Scottish Phoenix Honda Record Rocks, at the John Sandford Sports Centre. Tickets will be available on the night with the game tipping-off at 7.30pm.

19/09/2005
Jules and Sandell boost backcourt for Riders

DMU Leicester Riders Head Coach Karl Brown has added depth to his backcourt with the addition of two young guards.

Londoner Daniel Sandell joins the Riders straight from university in America, whilst Frenchman Marlon Jules is just starting out in his basketball career.

"Daniel is a young guard from Brixton who is keen to play in the BBL," said Brown. "He had a try-out with us and I like the look of him. He plays the off-guard position, but he will also be a back-up point guard for us. He's a great defender and quick as well so I think he'll be a good addition to the squad."

6'2" Sandell has spent the last three years at American International College and last season he averaged 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game for them.

"Marlon is an exceptional athlete," Brown added. "I worked him out for a week over the summer and I think he's got good potential. He's a young kid who is willing to work hard and I think playing alongside some of our more experienced players will help him develop his game. He should be a good fit for the team we have."

Brown has already confirmed the signings of Steve Bucknall, Tony Holley, Ryan Huntley, Robert Reed and Anthony McHenry to his team and will be finalising the roster in the next day or two.

The season's tip-off takes place this weekend as the Riders face a difficult start at home to last season's Cup Finalist Scottish Rocks. The games begins at 7.30pm at the John Sandford Sports Centre.

16/09/2005
Reed reunion for Brown

DMU Leicester Riders Head Coach Karl Brown confirmed a second England international to his roster for the new season with the signing of Robert Reed.

Reed, a 6'11" forward/centre, was a junior player at Leopards when Brown was in the team's starting five.

"I've known Robert since he was about 14 or 15 at the Leopards and I've been impressed with how he has progressed from then to being part of the England set-up now," said Brown. "He's got a great work ethic and despite his young age is a good leader on the floor as well.

"It's important for me to give young English talent a chance to flourish in the BBL and I think he'll be great for us. He's an excellent rebounder, a good defender and he can score in the low post too."

After the Leopards, Reed headed to America to further his skills, ironically playing at Rider University in New Jersey. He averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds per game in final season there, before coming back to play professionally in Europe.

A brief stint in Greece was followed by a season in Finland where he averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds a game for Lappeenranta.

Last season he was in Hungary playing for Falco KC-Szombathely, where his 11 rebounds per game average was the best in the league and he also chipped in 11 points per outing.

Brown will be announcing the finishing touches to his squad early next week ahead of the season opener against Scottish Rocks on Saturday 24th September at John Sandford Sports Centre.

14/09/2005
England legend joins the Riders

DMU Leicester Riders Head Coach Karl Brown has secured the services of one of England's finest ever players with the capture of Steve Bucknall.

Bucknall is England's top scorer of all-time having posted 1390 points for his country at an average of over 15 points per game. He's also the third highest capped player in England history with 91 appearances.

"Steve is probably the most successful English player of all-time," said Brown. "His career speaks for itself and in many ways he paved the way for English players in the States with his performances at high school, college and in the NBA.

"He's played all over Europe and is a proven winner, I think he's one of the best signings this club has ever made. Steve will be a player/assistant coach for us this year, which will be a great help for Jon James and myself. His leadership on and off the court will be immense for us and he'll be a huge asset for the club."

The Londoner first came to the notice of the basketball world in America when he was a standout guard at Michael Jordan's old college, the University of North Carolina.

That earned him a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers where he played alongside the likes of Magic Johnson, AC Green and James Worthy, becoming the first Englishman in the modern era to play in the NBA.

After returning home to England, Bucknall has played all across Europe including spells in Germany, France, Italy and Greece. Last season he was in France playing for Antibes.

His spells in the BBL with Sunderland, London, Thames Valley and Birmingham have seen him claim every major honour in the domestic game. The highlight of his success in this country came in 1996 when he led London Towers to League, Cup and Trophy glory and finished runner-up in the Player of the Year voting.

With a BBL career average of 18.5 points per game, Bucknall has been named amongst the top ten players in the league on five separate occasions.

Further player announcements are expected shortly for the Riders, with the season's tip-off taking place at John Sandford Sports Centre on Saturday 24th September.

08/09/2005
Back to school for Brown as McHenry signs

DMU Leicester Riders Head Coach Karl Brown has gone back to his alma mater as he continues his team-building for the 2005/06 season.

Brown has signed Anthony McHenry, a 21-year-old 6'7" guard/forward who has just left Georgia Tech University in Atlanta.

"Anthony has a great work ethic and is a fantastic defender," said Brown. "He's played on a quality team, with four guys who were drafted to the NBA and learnt the game from a great coach.

"He's a hungry young guy who is looking to make a name for himself in basketball and I'm really happy to have him here at the Riders. It's also nice for me to go back to my old school, because it's a quality basketball programme and I know exactly what I'm getting."

The highlight of McHenry's four years at Georgia Tech came in April 2004 when he was in the 'Yellow Jackets' starting five for the NCAA Championship Final.

Tech's surprise run to the final marked the first time since 1990 that the university had reached the Final Four. Back then Brown was in their backcourt and became the first Englishman to play in College basketball's showpiece event.

Described by the coaching staff at Georgia Tech as their "best defender", McHenry started all but nine of their 70 games in the last two seasons. A versatile player, he began his career at Georgia Tech as a point guard but ended up playing in all five positions in the line-up, before eventually finishing as a forward.

Further announcements on Brown's team-building are expected shortly ahead of the season's tip off on Saturday 24th September.

01/09/2005
Holley to bring veteran experience to Riders

DMU Leicester Riders have secured the services of experienced forward Tony Holley for the 2005/06 season.

The 37-year-old has been a dominant force in the British game for almost 15 years and has also played in Ireland, Israel and Switzerland.

"Tony is a veteran guy who has been around the league and knows everything there is to know about the BBL," said Coach Karl Brown. "He'll bring some stability to us inside and I'm delighted to have him on board.

"He's a proven player in this league, but more importantly he's a proven winner and that is the sort of mentality I'm after."

Holley's name is littered throughout the all-time league leaders statistics in British basketball and this season should see him become the greatest rebounder in the history of the game in this country.

Currently ranked second all-time in offensive and total rebounds and third in defensive rebounds, he should move top of all three categories during the forthcoming campaign. His rebounds have come at a career average of over 10 per game, which ranks him eighth all-time and he is also the sixth highest scorer ever with 6356 league points to his name.

During a career which included spells with Bury, Doncaster, Thames Valley, Manchester and Brighton, Holley has won all four major titles in British basketball, including netting 14 points in Brighton Bears Cup Final victory last season.

Nicknamed 'The Glove' for his defensive strengths, Holley posted 10 points and 8 rebounds a game last season for the Bears.

Further announcements on Brown's team-building are expected shortly ahead of the season's tip off on Saturday 24th September.