Leicester Riders Basketball Club

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 86 (25,49,75)
(Obazuaye 25, Otten 17, Myers 16)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 71 (15,29,45)
(Vear 14, McKnight 12, White 11)

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets are the last team through to the BBL Trophy semi-finals after a 86-71 home win against Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.

The Jets have set up a meeting against Newcastle Eagles at Ponds Forge ISC in Sheffield next weekend for the right to meet either Worcester Wolves or Guildford Heat in the final.

An 8-0 start to the match against Riders was the catalyst for the Jets victory. From there they led by 10 (25-15) at the end of the first and by 20 (49-29) at half time.

There was no let up after the break as the advantage went out to 30-points at the end of the third quarter (75-45). The Jets eased up in the final stanza as Riders outscored them 11-26 to make the final scoreline slightly more respectable.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 84 (23,43,59)
(White 21, Woodyard 19, Burns/McKnight 13)
Marshall MK Lions 79 (32,38,60)
(New 21, Brown 18, Windless 16)

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders picked up their first victory of the 2007/8 BBL Trophy campaign, and as a result, sent the Marshall MK Lions out of the competition after a hard-fought 84-79 victory over the Lions at the John Sanford Centre on Saturday evening.

This result means that if the BiG Storage Cheshire Jets defeat the Riders tomorrow evening, they will qualify for the semi-finals. If not, then the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders will collect a place in the Final Four of the competition.

Both sides traded baskets from the outset, but it was the Lions who gained the first advantage with a 7-0 tear to lead 13-24 midway through the opening period.

The second period saw the home side step up their play at both ends, and outscored their opponents 20-6 in the second period to lead 43-38 going in at the half.

An 11-4 start to the second half for the Lions saw them trim the deficit to two points at 51-49, and they continued to chip away at the Riders lead and went into the final stanza leading by a single point at 59-60.

In the final period, the Riders broke the game open with a 8-0 burst to take the score out to 67-63. The visitors tried desperately to overturn the deficit, and got themselves to within a point at 77-76 with less than ninety seconds remaining, but the Riders held on for the all-important victory.

Carlos White was the star man for the Riders, leading their scoring with 21 points personal, while Michael New led the Lions scorers, also with 21 points.

The new Teethwhite Clinic on Loseby Lane in Leicester opened its doors on Friday 16th November and people were queuing up to get their very own Hollywood smile. The first of it’s kind in Leicester, the new clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, so that you can get a pure white smile in just one hour.

VIP guests at the opening party included Chad McKnight, Kyle Greathouse, Terence Woodyard, Russell Jordan and Mindaugas Janiska from the Leicester Riders Basketball team - all soon to receive the Teethwhite treatment.

Leicester Sound DJ Hannah Patterson, and Gemma and Georgina from the Leicester Sound Thunder Crew also enjoyed a special champagne reception and had the chance to preview the new clinic before it opened to the public on November 17.

Steve Metcalfe, Director of the Teethwhite Clinic said, “Thanks to everybody who attended the launch and we are looking forward to brightening up the smiles of Leicestershire.”

Treatments start from just £199. For more information call 0845 123 3735.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 91 (18,35,57)
(Woodyard 29, Vear/Mills/Wellington 10)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 96 (26,51,80)
(Myers 28, Obazuaye 23, Otten 13)

BiG Storage Cheshire Jets kept alive their hopes of reaching the last four of the BBL Trophy with a 91-96 victory at Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.

The victory was achieved at a cost though as Jets finished the match with just four men following the fouling out of Matt Otten and James Hamilton and an injury to Marc Pratt. Richard Murphy didn’t travel due to illness and player/coach TJ Walker is still recovering from injury.

Jets had to rely for the last four minutes of action on Gianni Costantiello, Shawn Myers, Alan Duppa and Jayson Obazuaye to see them through. Fortunately they led 72-90 at the time and were able to hold off a determined fightback by Leicester.

Shawn Myers’ 28-points paced the Jets as they led 18-26, 35-51 and 57-80 at the end of the first three quarters. And they looked to be clear late in the match until the dramatic conclusion.

Marshall MK Lions 95 (28,50,63)
(Brown 22, Heizer 18, Windless 18)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 63 (10,36,52)
(White 20, Vear 14, McKnight 10)

The Marshall MK Lions have set up a crunch tie with the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders in BBL Trophy Group 1 tomorrow after tonight's 95-63 defeat of the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.

The Lions paraded the BBL Cup prior to tip-off and began the game in fine style as they restricted the Riders to just 10 first quarter points. Riders' new signing Carlo White made an instant impact as he scored his team's first six points on the way to an early 6-6 tie. Back-to-back three-pointers from Terrell Brown sparked a 13-0 surge for the home team that made the score 19-6 before they went on to lead 28-10 at the end of the first.

Tony Windless hit the first six points of the second stanza and after five minutes the Lions led 41-19. Big man Carlo White was then the inspiration in Leicester’s 12-0 push that narrowed the gap to 50-36, which became 63-52 at the end of the third period.

Terrell Brown opened the fourth quarter with a barrage of three-pointers to settle the game as he hit four treys in the first six minutes to give the Lions an 85-59 lead, after a 22-7 run, and there was no way back for the Riders.

After such success from long-range, it was Brown who led the scorers with 22 points, with Peter Heizer and Tony Windless netting 18 each in support. Debutant White netted 20 in response.

The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders have completed the signing of the big man that they have been searching for in the shape of 6’8” American forward Carlos White. He will make his debut this Friday against the Marshall MK Lions in the BBL Trophy.

The 27-year-old Appalachian State graduate is suited to the power forward or centre spots, and is renowned for his long arms, athletic build, and ability to play inside with intensity.

White started the season with Vagos in Portugal, where he averaged 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Last season he played for Portuguese side Sampaense, where he posted an impressive 18.5 points and 10 rebounds each outing.

Riders’ Coach Martin Ford commented, “I have known for some time now that the team needed another ‘big man’ and so I have recruited Carlos White to the Leicester Riders, Carlos is from the USA but comes to us from Portugal where he was playing for Vagos, this addition should not only make us more competitive on the boards but will also allow Chad [McKnight] to drop back into his preferred ‘4’ position”.

General Manager Russell Levenston added, “Coach Martin Ford finally got his man, Carlos looks like a very athletic big man and I am very excited about seeing him play this weekend. For all Riders fans that can’t see him in action on Friday at Milton Keynes, you will be able to see him this Saturday at the John Sanford when the Riders take on the Cheshire Jets”.

The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders players and coaching staff will be at the Health on Hand Chiropractic Clinic on Saturday 19th January for the Seasonal Celebration Open Day, from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Chiropractor Dr Thomas Jeppesen, who has a special interest in sports related chiropractic care, is working on keeping the team injury free.

Further than regular Chiropractic Care, the clinic offers treatment techniques unique in Leicester:

The Graston Technique, using stainless steel tools to break down scar tissue thus promoting better function of the soft tissues, is currently only practised by around 20 practitioners in England.

Also Kinesio Taping is a special tape promoting better performance of injured muscles and helping disperse swelling and inflammation and are among the specialised treatments offered.

The Riders are happy to meet with their fans at the clinic; they will also share with patients and the public about how chiropractic care is helping them. This open day will be a great opportunity for anyone to find out what Chiropractic and Sports/Remedial Massage are. There will also be a buffet of seasonal specialities for everyone attending. For more information please call the Health on Hand Chiropractic Clinic on 0116 210 1619 or visit their website at www.healthonhand.co.uk

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 67 (16,35,48)
(Burns 15, Woodyard 12, Janiska 11)
SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks 101 (27,53,72)
(Hampton 26, Joseph 19, Yanders 18)

SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks kept up their challenge for the title with a comfortable 67-101 road win at Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders. In an even first quarter, which was tied at 16-16 in the last minute, the Rocks suddenly exploded into life with an 11-0 burst during the final 60 seconds to lead 16-27.

It was an advantage that they would build on with a three-pointer to open the second quarter and consolidate to half time as the teams went in at the interval 35-53. An 8-0 start to the third further emphasised the Rocks superiority as they went 35-61 in front. There was no way back for Leicester from there as the teams traded baskets to give the Rocks a valuable away win.

Newcastle Eagles 87 (9,39,64)
(Smith 20, Defares/Babalola 15)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 57 (8,17,32)
(McKnight 10, Lamble/Janiska 9)

Newcastle Eagles got the perfect result in their last game before the BBL Cup Final on Sunday with an 87-57 victory over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders at the Metro Radio Arena on Friday evening. The result keeps them at the summit of the BBL Championship table.

After a tight opening period, the home side enjoyed a 14-2 start to the second quarter to take the score out to 23-10. They continued their onslaught, and another 6-0 tear took the lead out to twenty points at 35-15.

The second half saw the Eagles continue to open out their lead, and enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at thirty-seven points with the score at 75-38 midway through the third period. The Riders tried to get themselves back into the game in the final quarter, but the Eagles were able to hold on for the comfortable victory.

Charles Smith led all scorers in the game with 20 points for the Eagles, while Chad McKnight led the Riders scoring with 10 points personal.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders Basketball Club can confirm that the club and Kyle Greathouse have parted ways by mutual consent. Both Martin Ford and Kyle Greathouse agreed things were not working out as they had hoped, and the best course of action for both player and club was to part company with immediate effect.

The 6’0” American guard had been averaging 8.87 points and 3 assists per game in BBL Championship action so far this season.

Coach Martin Ford commented, “This has been a very difficult decision for me as I know how much the team have bonded and the effect losing Kyle could bring.

“Ultimately team success is my driving force and I believe the team will become better. I have known for some time now that the team needed another ‘big man’ and we will be recruiting an American big man. This addition should not only make us more competitive on the boards but will also allow Chad McKnight to drop back into his preferred ‘4’ position.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders Play Scottish Rocks at the John Sanford this Saturday at 7pm. Get your tickets in advance and buy online here.

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 92 (31,52,74)
(Beasley 20, Knowle 18, Durham 11)
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 54 (7,16,35)
(Wellington 15, Woodyard 13, McKnight 7)

A massive first quarter performance formed the backbone of Kularoos Plymouth Raiders thumping 92-54 home win against Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders.

Needing a victory to give the Trophy holders a realistic chance of retaining their crown the Raiders came out fast against a shell-shocked Riders side. A 16-0 start to the match ensured they held a healthy 31-7 first quarter lead.

The advantage was rammed home in the second quarter as Riders were once again held to single digits for a 52-16 half time score. Although Leicester almost matched Plymouth after the interval it was too little too late.

Raiders’ DeAntoine Beasley led all-scorers with 20. Rod Wellington’s 15 was the highlight for Leicester.

Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders are happy to announce the signing of guard Steve Vear. Steve will make his debut this Saturday against the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders in the BBL Trophy.

The 5'11" English point guard has previously played in EBL Division 1 for Reading Rockets, Worthing Thunder, and London United. He was an EBL Division 1 champion in both 2005/06 and 2006/07 with the Thunder and also played in the World University Games in Turkey in 2005.

Coach Martin Ford commented, "I rate Steve as one of the top 5 guards in the country, I have worked with him and coached Steve for the last 3 years when I coached the English university team. He was MVP the last 2 years and he showed great vision and leadership both on and off the court".

General Manager Russell Levenston added, "We believe Steve is going to be a great signing for the club and are really excited about having him. He is a great English talent and we look forward to seeing him in a Riders shirt".