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ENGLAND BASKETBALL ONLINE NEWSLETTER
2007/08 EBL SENIOR
PLAYERS & COACHES
OF THE YEAR
ISSUE 45 MAY 2008
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
PAGE 3
RAF UPDATES
RAF Club Development
Fund - Case Studies
from 07/08!
PAGE 4
COACHING UPDATES
Coaching Course
Updates and a Report
from Saudi Arabia!
PAGE 5
FOUNDERS CUP
Get Your Entry in for
the 2008/09 Season!

Mike Arnfield
Loui Hall
07/08 EBL AWARDS
Div 1 Men - Duncan Ogilvie
Manchester Magic
Div 1 Women - Ellen ‘Loui’ Hall
Team Northumbria
Div 2 Men - Mike Gregory
Cardiff Celts
Div 2 Women (N) - Milly Watkins
City of Sheffield Hatters II
Div 2 Women (S) - Cristal Turner
Sevenoaks Suns II
Div 2 Women (M/SW) - Crystal Sterling
Black Country Bears Ladies
Div 3 Men (N) - Daniel McSweeney
Leeds Carnegie
Div 3 Men (S) - Joe Matthews
Colchester Hornets
Div 4 Men (N) - Jan-Michael Nation
Sefton Stars
Div 4 Men (M/S) - Bode Adeluola
Richmond College London United
Div 4 Men (SW) - Ryan Payne
Portsmouth City Smugglers
ZONE PRESS ED 45
The Best Of 07/08
We are pleased to announce the 2007/08 Players and Coaches of the Year
for all senior England Basketball Leagues.
Leading the way in the top divisions are Duncan Ogilvie and Ellen ‘Loui’ Hall, who have been voted as
Players of the Year for Division One men and women.
Ogilvie was a key component to the most successful men’s team of the 2007/08 season, helping
Manchester to three major EBL trophies in his first season with the club. His 26 point, 17 rebound
effort in the Men’s National Cup final earned him the Most Valuable Player award in January and
during the Sportscover Final Fours, he recorded two more ‘double-doubles’ with 27 and 10 in the semi
and 11 and 14 in the final.
American forward Loui Hall was simply a dominant inside force in 07/08 averaging nearly 30 points
per game helping her team to a third place finish with a 12 win, 6 loss record – Team Northumbria’s
best finish since promotion. Together with compatriot Jaye Colbert and former British player Zoe
Vickers, Hall helped put Team Northumbria amongst the league’s most dangerous teams with their
most notable victory of the season coming at home against eventual playoff winners, Rhondda Rebels.
On the coaching side, the Division One winners for 07/08 come from Greater Manchester Community
Basketball Club with Jeff Jones repeating as Coach of the Year for Division 1 Men and Sergio Lara-
Bercial earning his first award for Division 1 Women.
Please see below for the full list of Senior Players and Coaches of the Year for the 2007/08 season.
2007/08 Players of the Year 2007/08 Coaches of the Year
Div 1 Men - Jeff Jones
Manchester Magic
Div 1 Women - Sergio Lara-Bercial
Manchester Mystics
Div 2 Men - Chris Horrocks
Cardiff Celts
Div 2 Women (N) - Aldo Cervi
Stockport Lapwings
Div 2 Women (S) - Len Busch
Sevenoaks Suns
Div 2 Women (M/SW) - Carys Caulwell
Black Country Bears Ladies
Div 3 Men (N) - Matthew Newby
Leeds Carnegie
Div 3 Men (S) - Solomon Ayinla
London Met University
Div 4 Men (N) - David Atkinson
Stockport Falcons
Div 4 Men (M/S) - Junior Williams
Westminster Warriors
Div 4 Men (SW) - Mick Byrne
Portsmouth City Smugglers

RAF CLUB DEVELOPMENT FUND ZONE PRESS ED 45
RAF Club
Development Fund
Helps Clubs Reach Their Target
The Royal Air Force is a big supporter of youth sports,
especially basketball. It is important to the RAF that
basketball is developed at a grass roots level, and it is keen
to do as much as it can for you guys, the players. The RAF
Club Development Fund is available to help clubs across
England pay for things such as new kits or for facilities.
In the 2007/2008 season £40,000 was allocated to clubs
across England. Here, we take a look at some of the teams
who were awarded Club Development Funding and how
they’ve benefited …
London based Hackney White Heat was
just one of 80 clubs who received an
award from the Club Development fund
this season.
Ben Smart, Head Coach for Hackney
White Heat said of their £250 award,
“The RAF Club Development Funding has
helped keep the team training and we’ve
had a great season. It has helped us make it to the Final Fours, and
that’s a real achievement - despite not winning I’m still really pleased
with our performance.”
TeamSpirit Sheffield Junior Sharks received an award of £500 to help
them out during the season, and they went on to win the Under 15 and
Under 16 Boys RAF Final Fours.
The team’s Head Coach, Duco van Oostrum said, “The Junior Sharks
believe in the development of fundamentals for young basketball players
as individuals as well as in team play, and it’s been tremendously
satisfying to see that this philosophy has led to such high achievements.
The RAF funding has really helped, and enabled us to develop our
players even further.”
“The money that the RAF gives us
is absolutely invaluable, it goes
towards court hire, which is one of
the club’s biggest expenses.”
The Royal Air Force is keen to develop all players in the junior
basketball leagues. By offering support through the Club
Development Programme, opportunities to receive expert
coaching at RAF Basketball and Development Camps, and
teaching new skills and drills through No Limits, the official
basketball magazine of the RAF, the Royal Air Force aims to
ensure young people develop their talent both on and off the
court.
For more pictures of the RAF Final Fours, visit
www.rafcareers.com/altitude
“The RAF Club
Development Funding
has helped keep the
team training and
we’ve had a great
season.”
The Southend Swifts
received an award of £250
from the Club Development
Fund this year. The team
went on to win the Under
16 Girls RAF Final Fours, as
well as finishing second in
the Under 14 league and third in the Under 18 competition.
Paul May, a coach for the Southend Swifts said, “The money that the
RAF gives us is absolutely invaluable, it goes towards court hire, which is
one of the club’s biggest expenses. It’s a big help to allow us to continue
training and now we have expanded to have six teams.”
Pauline Prior, the Head Coach for Nottingham Wildcats, winners of
the Under 14 Girls RAF Final Fours, said of their £500 award, “The RAF
money helps us to cover the subs for some of the players, to enable
them to continue playing. This is the first year we’ve added an Under 14
age group into the club structure and here we are today at the RAF Final
Fours!”

NEWS IN BRIEF
Coaching Corner
UKCC Level One – Reminder
of Funding Opportunity
We are currently offering an incentive
to deliver the UKCC Level One Course.
Recognised Centres can receive financial
assistance to cover the reasonable costs for
the tutoring of the course. The offer will only
be available for a limited number of courses
per region and will be dealt with on a first
come first served basis.
For further information contact Ben
Rush at England Basketball, while more
information on the UKCC is available at
www.ukcoachingcertificate.org.
For 11 days in May, I was the guest coach of
the Saudi Arabian Federation taking 26 of their
coaches for a workshop in Riyadh, the capital
city.
The Federation was only founded in 1975 and
has a low ranking in world basketball, which they
are trying to improve. The national teams play in
the Asian Championships where China are the
dominating force – soccer is the major sport in
the country. This was my first experience of the
culture in this part of the world.
The venue for the course was the new Saudi
Olympic training centre which houses the
offices for the basketball, soccer, volleyball and
swimming federations and facilities for each of
these sports. There was also a stadium for track
and field athletes to train.
The coaches attending were a complete mixture
of experience in the game, ranging from teachers
who were complete beginners to senior national
team players. The Saudis do not currently have a
structure for their coaches and consequently the
The New Foundation Course
in Coaching Award
The Foundation Course in Coaching Award
was created as an ideal entry for parents and
young people wanting an introduction into
coaching basketball. The course is delivered
over nine hours of contact time with the
Tutor, with three hours of reading outside the
course.
The cost is £20 per participant.
Further details of the course are available
from our website, visit the link below and
click on the Foundation Course in Coaching:
http://www.englandbasketball.com/articles/
article.aspx?aid=19&pid=39
The application form to run all courses is on
this page also. Scroll down to the section
‘Organising a Course’ and click on ‘Course
Application Form’, complete the form and
then send to England Basketball.
Coaching Report From Saudi Arabia
Former England coach, Rick Wooldridge, recently spent 11 days in Saudi Arabia as
a guest coach of their national basketball federation when they held a workshop
earlier this month.
Below is Mr Wooldridge’s report on the workshop in the Middle East.
course material was left to me, but was mainly
focused on the teaching of fundamentals and
their place within the game.
Although the court used was modern, there were
no side baskets. With an outside temperature
consistently at 42C, constant rehydration was
essential. I was taken aback on the first morning
to discover only 4 ‘smooth’ leather balls and
no training tops or cones! This was remedied
quickly but, apparently, is fairly typical.
The enthusiasm for the course was tremendous
and, with 3 of the coaches translating for me, the
progress made was rewarding for both recipients
and the tutor! Each day started with a lecture
room session of around 45 minutes followed by
practical work on the court.
The standard of the coaching assignments
allocated to the coaches was excellent with
sound group management using progressive
and realistic drills. The results of the written
examination (the multiple choice questions from
an EB Coach Level 2 paper!), however, were
disappointing but this was attributed to the
inadequate translation into Saudi.
At the culmination of the course I attended
a presentation organised in the federation
offices boardroom attended by all their officers
including the International Olympic Committee
representative. They have expressed a desire
for further workshops to develop their coaching
structure and improve their standing at
international level.
ZONE PRESS ED 45
Hay Fever Season
Dos and Don’ts
Hay fever is a particularly troublesome
condition for young players, especially in the
summer months.
The levels of pollen vary from day to day
depending on the general weather conditions.
The increase in various grasses, tree and other
pollens present in the air can cause severe
irritations. There is sometimes an association
with other so-called atopic conditions such as
allergic asthma and eczema.
There are numerous pills and sprays that help
to control hay fever, however there are some
other simple measures worth taking to reduce
the exposure to pollen. For instance, wearing
glasses or sunglasses will help to some extent
in reducing the amount of pollen causing eye
irritation. Also wearing a hat sometimes helps,
reducing the amount of pollen that gets stuck in
your hair.
For players competing in FIBA Europe Age Group
competitions it is important that nothing in
the treatment is in breach of the anti-doping
regulations. The following are examples of
currently permitted items:
Clarityn tablets (one per day)
as an anti-histamine
Opticrom eye drops.
As with all medications, if you have any doubts or
concerns about what you may be taking, please
consult the excellent Drug Information Database
run by UK Sport.
It can be found at www.didglobal.com or you can
call the free-phone helpline on 0800 528 0004
during normal office hours. Alternatively, you
may email the UK Sport at drug-free@uksport.
gov.uk with any specific queries.
Kornel Tober
1929-2008
From Greater Manchester Community
Basketball Club:
It is with great sadness that we have to
announce the death of Kornel Tober. Kornel
died on May 3, 2008 at the age of 78.
He was a founder member of our club and our
most fervent supporter. Kornel has been an
ever present on the Manchester basketball
scene for over 55 years from the very
beginning of basketball at the Y.M.C.A. in the
early 1950’s, until the present day.
Kornel was still to be seen, in very recent
days, to be on the floor at ABC helping our
players to improve their game.
His wisdom, both in life and in basketball, was
a great support to many club members who
approached him for advice and counsel.
We shall all miss him.
Page 04

08/09 FOUNDERS CUP ZONE PRESS ED 45
Men’s National
Founders
Cup
2008/09 Season
We are now registering teams to compete in The
National Founders Cup, one of the oldest events
in the English basketball calendar dating back
to 1951.
This is a senior men’s competition for non-National League
teams and players giving them an opportunity to show how
they can perform on a national level.
Last season (2007/08) we had a great response for the
competition with 20 entries in total. For 2008/09, we
hope to increase this number and raise the profile of the
competition even higher.
Entries are split to play in regionalised pools before going
on to quarter and semi final ties against other regional pool
winners with the final being played alongside a National
League event.
In 2008, Lithuanians Basketball Club edged Kingston
Wildcats 83-82 in the Founders Cup final held at Derby’s
Moorways Leisure Centre. The Founders final was the first
of four national events held at Derby during the day, with
the EBL Division 3 and 4 Men and Division 2 Women having
their playoff finals later in the day.
You can enter your existing team or alternatively you can
build a team using players from any number of other local
league clubs. For example, a central venue league could
compile a representative squad from any of the players that
compete in their league.
If teams or clubs are aspiring to join the ranks of National
League, a good showing in the National Founders Cup could
assist in their application to enter in future seasons.
Please click here for an entry form and send it to the address shown with a cheque for £60.00.
Closing date for applications is 31st July 2008. If you have any queries relating to the competition
please contact Simon Turton on simon.turton@englandbasketball.co.uk.
Page 05

NEWS IN BRIEF ZONE PRESS ED 45
UNC Tar Heels in London
A UK/European women’s team, comprised mainly of EBL
Division 1 London Heathrow Acers players, were defeated
by the University of North Carolina on Saturday evening at
Brooklands College.
The following report was submitted by London Heathrow
Acers as well as photos from the game.
London Heathrow Acers Basketball Club, Ashford’s premier women’s
basketball club, played host to America’s University of North Carolina Tar
Heels on Saturday night at Brooklands College.
Acers Coach, Terry Webb, was contacted by the University back in February
to arrange a friendly game. “When a team such as North Carolina asks to
play a fixture against your team, it is an opportunity not to be missed,” he
said.
North Carolina Tar Heels have a formidable record in the NCAA Division One,
and last season were seeded number one in the USA. The quality of their
programme was highlighted by the fact that two of their players were unable
to attend their tour of Europe, as they had been signed by the WNBA.
The Tar Heels arrived at Brookland College with a 60 strong party of players,
coaches, and supporters. Due to it being the end of the season, Acers had
recruited some past players, along with some of the current Great Britain
players to join their squad for the game.
The game started at a hectic pace, as the Tar Heels demonstrated their
exceptional speed hitting Acers on the break, taking an 11-1 lead inside the
first three minutes. As the nerves started to settle Acers came back at Tar
Heels with some impressive shooting from behind the arc.
By the fifth minute the lead was pegged back to 6 points. Acers then traded
basket for basket with the Tar Heels, but strong inside play forced errors
that meant the American side went into the first break 24-16 up.
The second quarter saw the game’s top scorer, Cetera De Graffenreid, step
up her game scoring 13 points of her game high 27. The 5’6” point guard
showed explosive speed, skill, and power, splitting the Acers defence to
score some impressive lay ups, as well as finishing the quarter showing
that she can also hit from beyond the three point line! Acers kept in touch
with the American side again with shots from the outside, hitting 4 three
pointers.
By half time the Tar Heels had extended their lead to 52-36. The third
quarter saw Acers compete well with the opposition but fail to execute some
open shooting opportunities, allowing the UNC to further increase their
lead. By the last quarter, the game was out of Acers’ reach, but they were
determined not to give up and prove that they could compete with the top
American side.
Tough defence caused turnovers by the Tar Heels and Acers capitalised
on these mistakes, playing a similar style to that of the visitors in the first
quarter, hitting them on the break and giving the crowd something to cheer
about. Acers only lost the final quarter by three, which was irrelevant to the
overall score, but showed great determination and work ethic by the home
side.
The evening was completed with a pizza party, organised by the North
Carolina Team which allowed all the players, supporter and coaches to
socialize.
London Heathrow Acers / UK
Cristal Turner (Sevenoaks Suns)
Claire Maytham (Former Acer)
Rebecca Lear (Acers)
Joanna Clayden (Manchester Mystics)
Stacey Thompson (Acers)
Helen Naylor (Sheffield Hatters)
Ruth Murphy (Acers Captian)
Aintzane Marquez (Acers)
Caroline Turner (Solent Suns)
Lucimara Da Silva (Acers)
Stephanie Erin (Acers)
Patricia Da Silva (Acers)
University of North Carolina Tar Heels
Trinity Bursey
Laura Barry
Heather Claytor
Iman McFarland
Cetera DeGraffenreid
Meghan Austin
Rashanda McCants
Martina Wood
Italee Lucas
Jessica Breland
London Heathrow Acers: 68 (16,36,52)
University of North Carolina 94 (24,52,75)
Boxscore
News Report from UNC website
Photo Gallery from UNC website
Marfan Syndrome
Become Aware
Haris Charalambous, a 6’10’’
Centre, died during a light training
session at Toledo University on 9
October 2006. He was 21 years
of age.
He began his basketball career at
Manchester Magic at age 13 and
left the club at 18 to take up his
scholarship at Toledo.
He was later diagnosed with Marfan
Syndrome, which is a genetic
disease associated with abnormally
tall people. At the time, neither
the club nor Toledo knew of this
situation.
We now advise the parents of all
tall players to visit their GP to be
checked for Marfan Syndrome.
Other clubs may like to consider
doing the same, to safeguard the
interests and health of their players.
Salient features of Marfan
Syndrome are a tall thin physique,
disproportionately long limbs,
fingers and toes, flat feet, spinal
curvature and abnormally shaped
narrow chest.
Helpful contacts and more
information can be found by
following these links:
http://www.marfan.org/nmf/files/
FactSheet_MarfanSyndromeFacts.
pdf
http://www.marfan-association.
org.uk/sitebuildercontent/
sitebuilderfiles/fact_sheet_2008.
pdf
Page 06

Page 07

LATEST COURSES
D. Wearn
Get Qualified
Have you ever thought of becoming a coach or an official? Coaching and
officiating courses are held regularly around the country from the beginner level
up to the most advanced stages.
Listed below are the courses being held across the country for both coaching and officiating in the next
few weeks. All courses are led by fully qualified England Basketball tutors, come with manuals (some
with logbooks) and upon successful completion, students are awarded a certificate.
Information is updated regularly on the England Basketball website, so to find a course in your area,
please log onto:
www.englandbasketball.co.uk
Coaching Courses
Date Award Location
7/8 June Level 1 Birmingham
Contact: Rob Palmer, 0121 4646048, robert_palmer@birmingham.gov.uk
7, 8, 21/22 June Level 2 Guildford
Contact: Guildford Heat, 01483 454005, ruth.fettes@guildfordheat.com
8, 15, 22, 29 June & 6 July Level 2 Watford
Contact: Tony Marmo, 07966 166480, westherts.warriors@ntlworld.com
8 & 15 June Level 1 Brighton
Contact: Matt Mead, 07854 660850, matt.mead@studysupport.org
14/15 June Level 1 Liverpool
Contact: Natalie Wray, 0151 722 1561, nwray@childwallsc.co.uk
14/15, 28/29 June Level 2 Congleton
Contact: W E Baxter, 01477 535315, billbaxter@tiscali.co.uk
14-22 June Level 2 Ipswich
Contact: Kathryn James, 07748 320802, kathryn.james@btconnect.com
21 & 28 June UKCC Level 1 Reading
Contact: CFC Hotline, 0118 9015158, cfc@reading.gov.uk
21 & 29 June Level 2 Coach Liverpool
Contact: Sheelyn Carroll, 07917 638584, gsbc@live.com
Officiating Courses
Date Award Location
6/7 June Level 2 Referee Plymouth
Contact: David Hatray, 07736 283642, 01278 732616, hatreys@micehouse.fsnet.co.uk
14 June Level 2 Table Official Stroud
Contact: Geoff Steer, 01452 533820, geoffsteer@blueyonder.co.uk
14 June Level 1 Table Official Stockport
Contact: John Brady, 0161 480 2223, info@ballhallsports.com
21 June Level 1 Table Official Isle of Man
Contact: Tony Marmo, 07966 166480, westherts.warriors@ntlworld.com
28 June & 12 July Level 2 Referee Bradford
Contact: Stuart Culliford, 01274 590409, info@bradforddragons.co.uk
5/6 July Level 2 Referee Birmingham
Contact: Rob Palmer, 0121 4646048, robert_palmer@birmingham.gov.uk
5 July Level 1 Referee Liverpool
Contact: Natalie Wray, 0151 7221561, nwray@childwallsc.co.uk
Page 08