30.12

OFFICIAL GAME DAY PROGRAMME 20/21 SEASON
vs WORCESTER WOLVES
WEDNESDAY | 30TH DECEMBER 2020 | TIP OFF: 7:30PM
#FOLLOWTHEFOX
PROGRAMME
DESIGNED BY

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LET’S GO RAIDERS!
CONTENTS
02 FROM THE DIRECTOR
PAUL JAMES
COACH
PHIL HUGHES
GENERAL MANAGER
DAMIAN PUDNER
PHOTOGRAPHY
STUDIOVINE
DESIGN
05
COACH
07 WAY BACK WHEN
09 RAIDERS ACADEMY
11 FIXTURES & RESULTS
14 BBL FIRST TEAM
23 LADIES
24 TODAY’S VISITORS
26 MATCH REPORT
31 VIEW FROM HOME
33 DEVELOPMENT
#FOLLOWTHEFOX

ROSS MACKENZIE
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS DIRECTOR
So that’s it, 2020 is a wrap.
Normally at this time of the year, it’s a period
of reflection, we think about those we’ve lost
along the way and good Lord, we’ve lost some
good ones. 2020 has been emotional, it has
been the ultimate annus horrilibis to end them
all, to coin the latin phrase, famously used in
December 1992 by The Queen.
In a parallel 2020 universe we’d have been
celebrating our Olympians for an outstanding
Tokyo Games display, our football fans for
being eternal optimists while probably crashing
out prematurely in Euro 2020 while the nation
sang “It’s Coming Home” and the 50th Anniversary
of Glastonbury would’ve been played out
in soaring temperatures (for a change).
But this year has been remarkable in that it’s
been both forgettable and unforgettable in
equal measure.
So the year that united us in lockdown, also
managed to keep us apart. In an omen of
things to come in late January, the death of
Kobe Bryant didn’t just shake the sport to its
foundations, it touched people far beyond
the game.
A year of natural disasters, train wreck
television – The Tiger King, Fake News, BLM,
Impeachments, Barnard Castle day trips, it
took a global pandemic for us to forget Brexit
was even happening.
Our world today looks very differently 9 months
later. Sports without fans, working while
staying at home and shopping without shops
and Boris without Dominic. New normals.
2021 really can’t come soon enough.
02

So, let’s adjust our focus, *don’t jump in the car,
drive north and test your eyesight – perhaps
watch from the comfort of your own home as
we ready ourselves for the final game of 2020
against Worcester Wolves.
Wolves currently sit 10th after 4 games W1/L3
against Raiders’ W2/L3 record in 7th. Make
no mistake, this is a crucial game for both
teams, either to close the gap for Wolves on the
remaining pack, or Raiders can make amends
for a recent dip in form to join Bristol and
Manchester on 6 points.
While Worcester’s imports have yet to arrive on
these shores, we have added Rickey McGill to
our backcourt after the recent announcement
that Andrew Lawrence will stay sidelined until
the Spring.
deliver the knock out Q4. As Rob Paternostro
cast as the villain of the piece and a famous
love/hate relationship with our fans, I expect
even with a much reduced number to give
him a friendly “welcome” to Plymouth. It is
Panto season after all.
Please continue to look after those close to you,
stay safe, Happy New Year and....
Go Raiders!!
ROSS MACKENZIE
DIRECTOR
Both Raiders and Wolves have become well
acquainted in recent weeks with the closely
fought 59/57 win for the green machine on the
road in the Cup campaign. We’ll all be hoping
for Lion’esque performances that took London
to the brink in dramatic fashion. When Raiders
leave everything on the floor, we can beat any
team in the division. That is our hope for 2021 –
our New Normal.
Looking ahead to next week and the imminent
fan return to the Pavilions, yes, it could still end
in Tiers. I’m excited but also cautious for any
last minute Matt Hancock news conferences.
With or without fans, we owe Riders a loss.
The only team in the past 5 seasons we’ve
failed to beat, home or away despite some
real humdingers, we’ve not been able to
03

#FOLLOWTHEFOX

PAUL JAMES
PLYMOUTH RAIDERS COACH
Good evening and welcome to the Pavilions
Plymouth for this BBL championship match
against Worcester Wolves.
They are very well coached by Matt Newby,
play hard and compete every second of the
game.
I Hope that every on had a great Christmas,
well as best you could given the circumstances
and looking forward to what
hopefully will be a better 2021.
This will be another tough game for us, but a
game we really need to win if we are to stay
in touch with the likes of London, Newcastle
and Leicester come the end of the season.
We are certainly looking forward to being
able to accommodate some spectators from
the 8th of January no matter how small.
These are little shoots, but a sign that things
are getting back to some sort of normality
even if ever so slightly.
Your support at home games has been
sorely missed, but I am hopeful and looking
forward to having some of you join us in the
New Year here at the Pavilions supporting
the team on.
Enjoy the game and have a very
Happy New Year!
GO Raiders!!!
PAUL JAMES
COACH
I extend a warm welcome to Worcester
Wolves coaching staff and players for this
BBL championship game.
Both teams know each other well now as this
is our fourth meeting of the season already.
05

WAY BACK WHEN...
The games between Christmas and New
Year come as a relief to some and not so
much to others. If you want to escape the
family after spending several noisy days with
them you can, others just want to see a game
of basketball whilst some are still working so
it’s a normal day for them. Of course today’s
game will be different, there’ll be no getting
up and going out, but instead staying in following
the game from a computer or TV.
It’s different for players and coaching staff
though, they like others still have their job to
do. Players will have a couple of days off over
Christmas, but sometimes that is not enough
time. This year there won’t be as many trips
back home to see friends and family because
of the restrictions in place across the country
despite a ten day break between today’s
game and the last.
Raiders Christmas / New Year games
regularly began when they joined the BBL in
2004/05, excluding a couple of early seasons
where they had an extended break, however
you can find the earliest game taking place
back in the 1984/85 season when the team
faced Stoke at home on the 29th December.
In total there have been 17 games played
and Raiders have won ten of those. Venue
availability must be a key factor in these
games, either that or Raiders have been
fortunate. On 14 occasions the games have
been held at home, with all except the Stoke
game being at the Pavilions. On their travels,
Raiders have had to make their longest trip
of the season to face the Scottish Rocks (now
Glasgow Rocks) once and to today’s visitors
Worcester twice.
Excluding visits from Mancherster in 2013
and 2016, Raiders have faced the three ‘local’
teams, Bristol, Worcester and Surrey over the
past nine years including today. Other than
teams already mentioned, only Brighton,
Everton / Mersey (on three occasions) and
Guildford, all teams no longer around under
that franchise, have played Raiders over the
Christmas / New Year period.
On average, Raiders have won games in this
period by five points, 90 - 85, however if you
take away the losses, that margin increases
to 14 with the average score being 98 - 84.
That’s some fairly high scoring games to
have an average that high and to achieve
this, Raiders have hit the 100 point mark five
times. To give a comparison, it is something
that has taken them 43 games to do over
the past couple of seasons. Given that this is
the fourth time we are facing the Wolves this
season, and on the three previous occasions
today’s visitors have been held to 60 points or
less whilst Raiders have averaged 75, albeit
in one game 96 points was scored and the
other two below 70, we may not see a 170
point game today.
Finally, without trying to jinx things, three of
the 17 previous fixtures have taken place on
the 30th December like today, all resulting in
a victory for the Raiders, 83 - 65 v Everton in
2009, 87 - 84 @ Worcester in 2016 and 86 -
74 v Bristol in 2018, so hopefully that run will
continue today.
07

BRITISH BASKETBALL CUP FINALS 2018

Even in this testing time Plymouth Raiders
Academy has been in full flow with plenty
of new faces to the program and lots of
positive steps for this ever growing program.
Based at City College the Academy
program helps provide a professional
basketball experience mixed with full time
education to post 16 students looking to
progress in the game, find a new career or
push on to university.
As part of the Academy program you will
receive the following .
• Minimum of 7 hours court time per week
• Weekly games in respective college
league
• Weekly strength & conditioning
• Video Analysis and game breakdown
• Work experience opportunities
The goal is simple, provide the best platform
possible and ensure every member of the
team gains valuable experience, skills and
knowledge leaving prepared and ready for
the next stage of their journey whatever
that may be.
If you have interest in any of the following
• Basketball
• Personal training
• Sports rehab
• Media studdies
• Coaching
• Photography
and are looking at post 16 studies they
please don’t hesitate to get in touch for
more information on next term and how
we can help you.
PAUL NICHOLSON
COACH
09

FIXTURES & RESULTS
2020/2021
DATE
FRI 13 NOVEMBER
A
OPPONENT
BRISTOL FLYERS
BBL CUP
TIP-OFF
7:30PM
RESULT
W 69 - 54
SUN
15 NOVEMBER
H
WORCESTER WOLVES
BBL CUP
3:00PM
W 96 - 60
WED
18 NOVEMBER
H
BRISTOL FLYERS
BBL CUP
7:30PM
L 65 - 78
FRI
20 NOVEMBER
A
SURREY SCORCHERS
BBL CUP
6:00PM
W 84 - 73
SUN
22 NOVEMBER
H
SURREY SCORCHERS
BBL CUP
3:00PM
W 98 - 62
FRI
27 NOVEMBER
A
WORCESTER WOLVES
BBL CUP
7:00PM
W 59 - 57
FRI
4 DECEMBER
A
WORCESTER WOLVES
BBL
7:00PM
W 69 - 60
SUN
6 DECEMBER
H
NEWCASTLE EAGLES
BBL
3:00PM
W 77 - 76
FRI
11 DECEMBER
A
LONDON LIONS
BBL
7:00PM
L 96 - 101
SUN
13 DECEMBER
H
GLASGOW ROCKS
BBL
3:00PM
L 61 - 63
WED
16 DECEMBER
H
LONDON LIONS
BBL CUP QF
7:00PM
L 95 - 101
SUN
20 DECEMBER
A
MANCHESTER GIANTS
BBL
5:00PM
L 79 - 88
WED
30 DECEMBER
H
WORCESTER WOLVES
BBL
7:30PM
2021
SUN
3 JANUARY
A
SHEFFIELD SHARKS
BBL
3:00PM
FRI
8 JANUARY
H
LEICESTER RIDERS
BBL
7:30PM
SUN
10 JANUARY
A
SURREY SCORCHERS
BBL
2:00PM
FRI
15 JANUARY
H
LEICESTER RIDERS
BBL
7:30PM
WED
20 JANUARY
H
CHESHIRE PHOENIX
BBL
7:30PM
FRI
29 JANUARY
H
MANCHESTER GIANTS
BBL
7:30PM
SUN
31 JANUARY
A
GLASGOW ROCKS
BBL
5:00PM
FRI
5 FEBRUARY
H
BRISTOL FLYERS
BBL
7:30PM
FRI
12 FEBRUARY
A
WORCESTER WOLVES
BBL
7:00PM
SUN
14 FEBRUARY
H
LONDON LIONS
BBL
3:00PM
FRI
26 FEBRUARY
H
GLASGOW ROCKS
BBL
7:30PM
FRI
5 MARCH
A
NEWCASTLE EAGLES
BBL
7:30PM
WED
10 MARCH
H
BRISTOL FLYERS
BBL
3:00PM
FRI
12 MARCH
H
SURREY SCORCHERS
BBL
7:30PM
FRI
26 MARCH
H
SHEFFIELD SHARKS
BBL
7:30PM
SUN
28 MARCH
A
MANCHESTER GIANTS
BBL
5:00PM
FRI
2 APRIL
A
SURREY SCORCHERS
BBL
6:00PM
SAT
3 APRIL
H
CHESHIRE PHOENIX
BBL
3:00PM
SAT
10 APRIL
A
LEICESTER RIDERS
BBL
8:00PM
SUN
18 APRIL
A
CHESHIRE PHOENIX
BBL
5:00PM
FRI
23 APRIL
A
BRISTOL FLYERS
BBL
7:30PM
SUN
25 APRIL
H
SHEFFIELD SHARKS
BBL
3:00PM
11

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THE RAIDERS
FIRST TEAM
#2 #3 #5
ASHLEY HAMILTON
FORWARD
ANDREW LAWRENCE
POINT GUARD
ISAIAH WALKER
FORWARD
AVAILABLE FOR SPONSOR
#9 #10 #11
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14
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THE RAIDERS
FIRST TEAM
#12 #13 #15
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POINT GUARD
RYAN BEISTY
FORWARD
WILL NEIGHBOUR
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#24 #25
PRINCE IBEH
CENTER
MICHAEL OCHEREOBIA
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Would you like to sponsor this Player? If you would like further details or to explore other options,
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15

SAME DAY
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

PLYMOUTH MARJON BASKETBALL PROGRAMME
in Partnership with Plymouth Raiders
Welcome, to the fans, partners, and
colleagues of Plymouth Raiders
Basketball Club.
as Denzel Ubiaro, Isaiah Walker and Liam
Langridge Barker named to the professional
team in the recent seasons and more to expect.
We are the Plymouth Marjon University
Basketball Programme, a programme
dedicated to developing the U23 Basketball
Player alongside their Undergraduate or
Postgraduate degree at Plymouth Marjon
University, existing in the pathway
partnership with the Plymouth Raiders
Basketball Club.
In the last 2 years, we have had positive
success, from the students graduating,
undefeated league and cup records,
winning finals, introducing a second programme
team, players stepping up into the professional
team roster and in 2020 having a winning
league season, with our competitive ambition,
to be in the top-flight BUCS Premier! However,
the completition of competition was disrupted
by COVID, in March.
We worked hard during the summer with our
student recruitment and are pleased with
the compliment of new student athletes we
attracted to the University to compete under
the Plymouth Marjon University and Plymouth
Raiders Brand. As part of this new season
Plymouth Raiders announced a second men’s
team to the franchise, Plymouth Raiders II
comprised of student athletes that have the
opportunities to progress in the game and
would play in Basketball England’s NBL.
It is fair to write, we have had to embrace
challenges similarly to many others with
the fluctuation of access to training,
competition with the barriers of COVID,
but we have remained safe, trained successfully
and hope to continue in the pursuit of
our ambitions. We have a programme mantra
‘Be where your feet are’, referring to being
present, control the controllable, take value
for the moment. We will continue striving with
our students to achieve this, academically and
sporting and supporting the well-being of our
athletes in the climate of this pandemic.
Whilst the games, are not yet to commence,
we are preparing on and off the court, we are
working in this moment and for the moment
we wish to create ahead, for players nationally,
for the players in the south west, it’s clubs,
academy’s and community. We are encouraging
sponsors, partners and independent businesses
to join, contribute and aspire to inspire the
fantastic environment, student and operations
of our programme, we have young ambassadors
across social media, events and competition,
who have positive contributions to make.
DANNY MAGEE
Plymouth Marjon University
Basketball Programme Lead
We are pleased that we have demonstrated a
consistent approach to the development of our
young domestic players, with such players
Plymouth Raiders Lead Assistant Coach
Plymouth Raiders Performance
Pathway Manager
Email: dannymagee@plymouthraiders.com
20

BOOK AN
ONLINE
OPEN
DAY
Get your snacks.
Put your feet up.
It’s time to plan
your future.
Dec 3rd - 5th
Jan 28th - 30th
MARJON.AC.UK

LADIES
I am 24 and currently play for Plymouth
Raiders Women’s basketball team. I was born
in Blackpool and have lived in Plymouth now for
over a year. I gained an interest in Basketball
at the age of 13 when I was in high school.
I would train with the boys basketball team
each week as my high school did not have an
official women’s team. I seemed to pick up the
basics rather quickly, having scrim sessions
2-3 times a day during break times and before
school hours started.
Towards the end of high school, as I continued
to train, I was invited to attend my colleges
basketball trials to join and be part of a
basketball academy at Blackpool Sixth Form.
Being part of an academy and learning from
some experienced coaches was the start of my
basketball career. During my time at college
I attended NBC camps and after 3 years as a
student I returned to become a coach for the
younger students. Being part of the basketball
community opened doors where I was able to
trial and play for Lancashire Spinners Women’s
team for 2 seasons where I was coached by
Julie Page. Throughout college, in connection
with NBC camps, we would host young
basketball players from all over America and
Canada to come stay with us for a few days as
we would play arranged games and compete
in organised tournaments.
Towards the end of college I was asked to come
and assist in the coaching of a Fleetwood mens
basketball team where we made it to the semi
finals 2 seasons in a row. I have completed my
England Basketball Coaching qualification
in level 1 and table officiating and refereeing
course to level 2. Coaching has been really
important part of basketball to me, as I am
able to support the younger age bracket to
developing their skills.
Since moving to Plymouth I joined the Plymouth
Raiders Women’s team and completed half a
season with this amazing team. Unfortunately,
Covid has taken away a near whole season of
basketball but, when possible we have been
keeping our skills up through training and
continuing to prepare for when we are given the
green light to continue games.
I look forward to many more seasons ahead.
CHLOE WRIGHT
RAIDERS LADIES
23

TODAY’S VISITORS
WORCESTER WOLVES
FIRST TEAM
EST
2000
ARENA
UNIVERSITY OF
WORCESTER ARENA
2
3
6
9
10
11
12
22
25
77
MAARTEN BOUWKNECHT
JOSHUA MCSWIGGIN
JORDAN WILLIAMS
LUCAS MCGREGOR
MICAH ELAN
MATTHEW BRYAN- AMANING
NATHAN RAMSDALE OWEN
TOLA OKIKI
MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
HENRY WILKINS
HEAD COACH
MATT NEWBY
24

MATCH REPORT
AWAY VS MANCHESTER GIANTS - 20TH DEC 2020
MANCHESTER GIANTS 88
VS PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 79
Plymouth Raiders succumbed to another
loss in the BBL Championship, after huge
performances from Lyle Hexom and Jordan
Whelan pushed the Manchester giants to a
nine-point win at 88-79.
The pair combined for 54-points and were
unrelenting from three-point-range, whilst
Raiders struggled with their offensive play in
the closing quarters. Raiders only travelled to
the National Basketball Performance Centre
with three substitutes, which took a toll on
the players as they looked tired in the final
quarter and allowed Manchester to stretch
their advantage.
Ryan Beisty made his first start for Raiders
replacing American guard, Chris Porter-
Bunton who was unavailable as he travelled
back to the US for the birth of his daughter.
Everyone in the Raiders family would like to
congratulate and send their love to Chris and
his family at this momentous occasion.
Prince Ibeh won the tip, but Breaon Brady got
the better of the American down-low with
an early rejection before Ashley Hamilton
scored the up-and-under lay-in. Lyle Hexom
opened the Giants’ scoring with a buzzerbeating
three as the shot clock wound down,
with Brady adding another two points the
following possession.
Ibeh got himself to the line after finding
a mismatch in the post with Jack Hudson
and made both shots and Will Neighbour
restored Plymouth’s lead of two points with a
three from-the-angle. Hudson then banked
his second attempt from deep to also beat
the shot-clock and Neighbour tied the game
at 11-all from the charity stripe.
Donovan Marshall-Johnson made a fastbreak
lay-up after picking off Hamilton’s
attempted pass before opting for the
double-pump finish. It was a scrappy affair
between the sides as neither looked to be
able to control the ball. Brady got a smooth
post-hook to drop, which Hamilton responded
to with his only three of the game.
Jordan Whelan drove in for the strong lay-up
to put the hosts up by a point with the clock
running down in the first, but Dusha’s missed
shot was tipped in by Mike Ochereobia which
put Raiders up going into the first interval at
18-17.
26

Whelan opened the scoring in the second
with two free-throws and a converted
fast-break lay-up, and Raiders offence was
slightly sloppy. Whelan then stretched his
individual scoring run to seven-consecutive
points as he knocked down the triple before
Denzel Ubiaro added points from two
successful foul-shots.
Whelan had the hot-hand with his scoring
and got another three to-go, which Ubiaro
responded to with a tough lay-up that
bounced up-and-in off the rim. Raiders’
offence had started slowly in the quarter
as they struggled to find the bottom of the
basket on their attempts. Hexom was able
to tip in Alex Ouandie’s missed three before
Whelan took his individual points total to 12
with just shy of half of the second quarter
remaining.
Hexom and Ubiaro traded buckets with the
Manchester forward hitting the three over
Neighbour before the young Raiders guard
made the mid-range jump-shot. Brady then
picked up his fourth personal foul and took
a seat on the home bench. Ryan Beisty cut
the deficit to three-points with a shot from
behind the arc, which Hexom immediately
cancelled out with his third make from deep.
Beisty made another shot from three, but on
defence Raiders weren’t able to contain the
hosts’ scoring off the turnover. Manchester
had 13-points off the turnover which was
seven more than Raiders’ total in the half.
Hexom got another three to drop to finish
the quarter; Manchester with a lead of eight
points at 48-40.
Beisty hit his third three to get the scoring
going in the third period and Neighbour got
the turnaround jumper from free-throwrange
to drop. Sam Cassell was able to get
a three of his own and draw the foul but was
unable to make the free-throw. Neighbour
showed his defensive prowess as he had
another mismatch with Hudson, recording
two blocks in the same possession on the
Giants guard.
Raiders took the lead through Neighbour
as he beat the shot clock with another deep
three, forcing Manchester into a timeout
after the 12-3 run in favour of the away side.
Cassell dropped a mid-range jumper in the
lane and Hamilton backed down in the low
block and scored the sky hook over Marshall-Johnson,
but Raiders failed to box out
in defence as Hexom grabbed the offensive
board and put the ball back in before adding
the ‘and-one’.
Manchester restored their eight-point
advantage through Whelan and Marshall-Johnson
as the home side continued
to show textbook offensive rebounding
ability. Elliott Sentance caught Hexom offguard
with the pump fake before driving in
and finishing with the floater, then turning
provider for big Mike who laid the ball in
from the paint. The clock ran down and the
Giants missed the final shot but went into
the fourth quarter with a six-point lead at
64-58.
continued...

MATCH REPORT
AWAY VS MANCHESTER GIANTS - 20TH DEC 2020
The teams traded blocks at the start of the
fourth with Ubiaro spiking Whelan’s stepback
three, before Marshall-Johnson got
the chase-down block on Sentance. Hamilton
pulled down the offensive board, laid
the put-back in the basket and scored his
extra attempt having been fouled; Hexom
however counteracted this with his fifth and
sixth three-pointers of the game.
Raiders couldn’t get it going on offence in
the first few minutes of the final quarter as
the Giants widened the margin. They struggled
with their passing without Dusha on the
floor and gave up too many turnovers.
Cassell scored the step-back jumper over
Sentance, and Hamilton mirrored the play
with one of his own in the Manchester key.
Ubiaro drove up the middle of the lane and
finished with the athletic lay-up, but Manchester’s
players were on fire from deep; this
time Cassell making one from the corner.
The tale of the game was told through the
turnover points from both sides. Manchester
finished with 24 points off the turnover,
whereas Raiders only came up with six; all
of which came in the first half. This coupled
with the effective shooting of Hexom and
Whelan in the second and third quarters was
the driving factor in the result as Plymouth
found it hard to keep up and build upon the
lead when they had it.
Raiders’ next outing sees them face Worcester
Wolves for their fourth matchup of the
season where they will be looking to keep
their 100 percent win record when they meet
at Pavilions on December 30th, also hoping
to end their losing streak and finish 2020
with a bang.
BY JACK GUTHRIE
Whelan kept finding his way to the Plymouth
basket with a couple of tough lay-ups and
looked as if he couldn’t miss. His tally went
up to 20 on the night, before Raiders came
back with Neighbour scoring the turnaround
jumper and Hamilton scoring the reverse
lay-up on the baseline.
The game drew to a close with Ubiaro making
the three and both teams adding points
from the free-throw lines before Manchester
let the clock run to take the win 88-79.

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YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE
It’s been a long period since we have had
any YBL action. I know all the coaches have
missed having the players on the sports
hall and having fun playing basketball and
developing new skills. We were lucky one day
during lockdown to have a zoom call with
Andrew Lawrence where players were
allowed to ask questions to Andrew and
hear his story and some encouraging words.
The girl’s session also got a very special call
with GB women’s royalty Rachel Vanderwel
who very kindly answered the girl’s question
and updated them all on how her knee
rehab is going!
Having had the chance to sit back and think
about that what the YBL has achieved over
the last few years, it makes me even more
excited for what’s to come. With lots of new
faces signed up and with sessions growing in
numbers, there’s never been a better time to
get involved with basketball! Hopefully we
will be able to all get together in Tor Bridge
one Saturday again and allow the new
players and their families to experience a
true YBL game day!
To all players I hope you and your families
have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year! Stay safe and we cant wait to see
you all again soon!
Ben Fox
YBL manager

VIEW FROM HOME
Hello and Merry Christmas to all Raiders
friends and family. Here we all are, hopefully
you have made the most of the festive
season despite everything! We see our
4th game of the season against Worcester
Wolves this evening. Raiders have won
the 2 Cup games and the opening
championship game. If you will remember,
the home game was a blowout win by a
massive 36 points, we really went to town
on the Wolves defence that evening.
I would like to add my congratulations to
CPB and his partner Sydney on the birth
of their daughter. What an absolutely
amazing thing to happen in their lives and
right before Xmas!
At the time of writing, Plymouth remains in
Tier 2 of restrictions, meaning we are just 9
days from a few lucky supporters who will be
watching our next home game against the
Leicester Riders.
Our pre Xmas game was away at Manchester
Giants. They have had a rocky road the last
few seasons under Plymouth born Danny
Byrne. However, the start of this season
has been very positive and like Raiders they
have been playing some great basketball.
I’m sure we all hoped Raiders would be able
to play the type of game we saw during the
cup run. It was a tight affair for the 1st half
but Giants continued throughout the game
to hit 3s and this allowed them to win the
game by 9. Hopefully with the Xmas break
and a few days off, Raiders will return to the
Pavilions tonight full of energy to be at their
very best.
Have a great time watching this evening
and LET’S GO RAIDERS!!
PETE WAUMSLEY
RAIDERS SUPPORTER
31

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DEVELOPMENT
This week Ben Roper Head of Coaching and Player
Development gives an overview of the work being
done by Coaches within the club.
Over the last two years the development coaches
have made a concerted effort to improve their
coaching. The purpose of this is to develop their
abilities to work with the individuals and teams
under the development umbrella. In the summer
significant work has gone into the development
of three documents specific philosophies and
styles of play that we wanted the development
to embody. The first, a ‘game model’, focused on
the four phases of the game (transition defence,
defence, transition offence and offence) and how
we want to play in each of these. The second, was
an ‘age and stage’ curriculum to provide coaches
with what we want to deliver (technically, tactically,
physically) at each of the age groups. The final
document was an advantage-based offence which
all teams will play focusing on creating and maintaining
advantages and playing at speed.
Our coaches, as volunteers, already put in a significant
amount of time to deliver the programmes
and are now further committing to developing
their coaching craft. There have been three main
focuses of development by the club for the coaches,
important to coach and talent development.
These activities are designed to have coaches
think about and challenge their existing practice.
These are;
1. Shared and wider experiences of coaching
practice
2. Review of player progress
3. Reflection on coaching practice
During the first lockdown period the coaches
undertook weekly calls with coaches from around
the world to hear different philosophies and
methods to develop junior players. This allowed
coaches to ask questions and consider where this
would fit with their existing practices. It also
allowed for shared experiences together as a
group where coaches were able to reflect on their
progress on the ‘rocky road’ of development.
Coaches have also participated in
Review of player progress
The coaches have also undertaken their first
season reviews focused on the players they are
coaching. This includes the current strengths and
areas for improvements for all players and where
they see the players future progress. These reviews
also allow coaches to understand the thinking
behind where a player’s current development is,
which provides more detailed opportunities to
check and challenge coaching actions, planning
and behaviours to develop and improve their
players. Within these reviews the players were
asked for their feedback on how they have felt
the start of the season has progressed. These are
to be undertaken 3 times a season.
Reflection on coaching practice
Finally, the coaches are constantly reviewing their
own practice. This is achieved through videoing
of practices and reflecting on their planning. At
the end of last summer each coach set their own
goals for improvement and these will be reviewed
in January.
Shared and wider experiences of coaching
practice
The coaches within the development have a variety
of different experiences from club to regional
level and a variety of different camps. It has been
important to bring these experiences together.
Ben Roper
Head of Coaching and Player Development
33

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RESET
REPORTING A FOUL
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This year, with the help of Studiovine, we decided to choose the traditional
green kit for when we play at home and a white kit for when we are playing away.
To purchase our home and away replica kits, you can head to our online store now.
Please be aware that stock is limited and the delivery of our Jerseys will be in
December, which is perfect timing for Christmas!
Our adult jerseys are £38 and start from a size small to 3 XL.
Our Children’s jerseys are £30 and are in ages 6, 10 and 14.
WWW.PLYMOUTHRAIDERS.COM/STORE