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The sauce stays hot

Worcester overcame Gloucester 67-53. Members from our Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair teams came together for the first time ever. The win helped us to a 12-5 victory across all sports. Ensuring Varsity 2025 belonged to University of Worcester. Winning Varsity for the 3rd year in a row

Malaki Cunningham-Pitterson was co-captain with Carol Marques. We managed to catch them when the buzzer sounded, amidst the post game celebrations.

Malaki said “Being the varsity captain was an amazing experience. As a 3rd year student, being able to play and put on a show in front of my peers was satisfying moment. It was huge to win and carry on the streak against Gloucester! shout out everyone, players, coaches especially the ladies who really put on a show

Malaki

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Co-Captain Carolina Marques also enjoyed her time at Varsity. “Varsity was so much fun, it was such a great experience! Being able to play in front of all my friends really made the experience even better.”

The sauce reigns supreme for another year.

#ratherbeasauce

Alumni Catch up with Matt Williamson

Matthew Williamson is a former student athlete here at University of Worcester. Sport Business Management student who played for the Worcester Wolves. Upon graduating from Worcester in 2020 Matthew played for Cheshire Phoenix, Regnitzal Baskets (Regionalliga, Germany) and Sambendettesse (San Benedetto, Serie C Gold). This season he played a few games for Manchester Magic in NBL2, but stepped away due to personal reasons. Matthew is exploring how he can utilise his degree in Sport Business Management to stay involved in the game of Basketball. We caught up with Matt to reflect on his time at UW

You came to Worcester in 2017, how did you here about the University?

MW Before attending UW, I was a student at the Franconia International School in Germany. I completed my International Baccalaureate, whilst playing Basketball. I’d been asking about basketball programmes over there. I was told that Worcester was the best University for Basketball in the UK. So I started researching it. I wanted to study Sport Business Management. I found out that Worcester offered the course. So I thought, it will be really good, if I can combine the two. So my academic qualifications and basketball. Also, getting a new experience moving outside of Germany. I thought that would be cool.

“You obviously have to put the work in. Actually, one of the biggest takeaways I got out of it. If I put that work in, the opportunity will come my way and you kind of just have to forge it for yourself. I enjoyed my time. I have very fond memories of everything that happened there.“

So once you got to UW, what was your experience like being a student?

MW – I think it was honestly the best time I’ve ever had. I made, so many friends, that I still speak to today. Just having that opportunity to get better, with being able to practice everyday. It was crazy for me because I was actually put on the third team when I arrived. So obviously I wasn’t too happy about that to begin with. I slowly worked my way up to the first team, then got the Pro team. You obviously have to put the work in. Actually, one of the biggest takeaways I got out of it. If I put that work in, the opportunity will come my way and you kind of just have to forge it for yourself. I enjoyed my time. I have very fond memories of everything that happened there.

BUCS Conference Champions 2019

You got the opportunity to play and train with the pros. What was that like?
MW – Yeah. So my first year when it happened, it was absolutely surreal to me. Prior to being selected I was going to the games on Friday as a spectator. So to be in a practise with them, was crazy to me. Absolutely surreal experience. Being able to go up against them and compete. Unreal! I realised by my second year that I needed to come out with a different mindset again. I was like, OK. I’ve got here now, but I need to actually maintain it. So I think I came out with a better mindset in the second year. Always trying to level up. I took that with me into third year and fourth year as well. Just continually trying to level up and just learn as much as you could from these pro guys. Obviously this is what they did for a living and that’s what I was aspiring to get to.

“having that persistence and resilience just to continually come back and working towards something..”

This wasn’t going to be easy, this was going to be a tough process. As a young guy, practise doesn’t go your way, a lot of the time. Being able to have that mental resilience and persistence to come in every day and compete, was really important. Just to try and get on court, because obviously you don’t get much game time as a young guy. So like I said, just having that persistence and resilience just to continually come back and working towards something that’s in the future. That you’re still aspiring towards.  

“I think I was very spoilt in my opportunities at Worcester, everything was there for me. I had the weight room I had, court access whenever I wanted. I was training with professionals everyday.“

BBL Cup Trophy Winners 2020
BBL Cup Trophy Winners 2020


You’ve mentioned working towards something in the future. Do you think your experience as a student athlete at University of Worcester set you up for the things you went to on to achieve later on?
MW – Yeah. Yeah, 100%, I mean. I think I was very spoilt in my opportunities at Worcester, everything was there for me. I had the weight room, I had court access whenever I wanted. I was training with professionals everyday.

What was a typical day like for you at University?
MW – A typical day. I’d wake up at 5:45am. I’d practise with the BUCS team from 7:00am till 9:00am. We’d have individuals with wolves from 9:00 till 10. Lift with wolves from 10am till 11am. I’d go home, get a quick bit of food and take a quick nap. Go to my lecture, then back at it from 4:00pm till 6:00pm with the Pro team. I’d get home around 7:00-ish, have my dinner. Get some studying done and go to bed. That was my schedule for 3-4 days a week. Unless it was gameday. But it was all there for you. If you’re willing to put the work in and make those sacrifices.


You mentioned that word ‘sacrifices. What sacrifices do you feel you made to achieve your goals
MW – To be honest, I wish I hadn’t said sacrifices. To me it wasn’t really a sacrifice. I just did what I felt was necessary. Lots of people go out and stuff. Obviously still doing that every now and then, but you can’t go overboard with it. Stuff like prioritising sleep as opposed to hanging out with friends. Prioritising practise and recovery as opposed to going out to the club. As I said, to me it’s really a not a sacrifice. You’re working towards something bigger. For me that was playing professionally. I had to do, what I needed to do, to get myself there.

When I left the BBL and went over to Germany to play Regionalliga. It was kind of like a step down to a semi pro type of level. So I felt like I was very spoiled in Worcester and the opportunities there. In Italy I didn’t have the same access to like weight rooms or courts etc. It definitely set me up just in terms of preparing me mentally for what was to come.

You left Worcester after the Covid season. Once the University decided Wolves wouldn’t compete in the BBL.
MW – Yeah, so when Worcester left the BBL (now known as SLB), I didn’t want to play in NBL 3. So I went on to play Cheshire Phoenix in the BBL for a season, won BBL (SLB trophy). I then went on to play in Germany in the Regional league for Bamberg. Really cool experience because they were affiliated with Bros Bamberg in the Bundesliga. So I got the opportunity to practise with the Bundesliga team every now and then, which was really cool. I had my best season statistically, average 14 points a game and I took a losing team when I joined. We won seven out of the first nine games that I played in, so we were on a 7 game win streak after I joined, so really cool experience.

I then went on to play in Italy in series C the next season. Again, crazy experience. That was a very different experience, as no one on my team spoke English, so I was kind of by myself for a lot of it. It was a challenge, but I think all the lessons that I’d learned leading up to that point, helped a lot. In terms of persistence, keeping in mind why I’m there and what I’m there to do.

I was looking to play again this season, but unfortunately didn’t find anything. So I kind of just worked for my own business that I’d set up in terms of WWS worldwide sports. And that actually led me to work for Thomas Politi at the player agency now, so working as a basketball agent.

What advice would you give to someone coming to University of Worcester?
MW – Be a sponge! Be completely open to anything. All the information you can get, take it all! The training you can get, take it! Make use of the time that you have there because you won’t get it back. I think I used to be a victim of, “Oh, I’m still only 19, 20 years old. I’m going to play basketball forever.”
I’m 26 now and I realised that’s not the case. So really if you have that goal of playing professional, grab it and take it. You don’t get that time back and like you’ll regret more if you dont. But you won’t regret trying and failing. But you’ll regret if you didn’t try because you’ll never know if you could have done it or not. Make use of that time to the best of your ability. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. At least you can be proud of yourself for giving it all you’ve got.



Women Capture League Title

Women’s 1st team are Midlands Tier 2 Champions (10-0). They secured the league with 2 win’s in the same night. Wednesday 19th March saw UW Women play 2 games. At 6pm they faced University of Wolverhampton 1st team. Followed by Birmingham City University at 8pm.

This unprecedented event took place due to not having any availability for the fixtures to be played at any other point during the season. With it being the final week of BUCS fixtures, there was no alternative other than to play both games on the same night.

UW Women won both games by comfortable margin. Putting over 100 points on the board in both fixtures. Coach Alexis said “I’m really happy with the performances. I want to give a huge shout out to both BCU and University of Wolverhampton. They both only won one game all season. So to turn up and still compete in the way they did was great!

“Having being relegated to 2A at the end of last season. It’s the first time we have competed in 2A since the 2011-2012 season. So to win it and get back to 1A straight away is great for the team” added Coach Alexis.

In his first season as Coach of this team, Coach Alexis is looking forward to competing in Midlands 1A. “I’ve enjoyed my first season in BUCS and I look forward to competing in 1A next season. The team have worked hard this season, to win the cup and the league is amazing. I’m really happy for them, as they have worked so hard. They really deserve this!”

Midlands Conference Cup Champions

Our women are Midlands Conference Cup Champions. A convincing win secured the victory over finalists Cambridge University 80-59.

Worcester started the game strong. Closing the first quarter 22-12. We continued to dominate the second quarter. Defensive stops allowed us to control the flow and tempo of the game. Cambridge were unable to develop any rhythm. We closed the first half leading 43-22.

The half time break worked in Cambridge’s favour who were keen to show the contest was well from over. Cambridge came out with an energy and an urgency. Going toe to toe with us, Cambridge edged the quarter 21-20 (60-43). However they were unable to break the hold we had on the game to this point.

Cambridge continued to compete in the 4th, but they weren’t able to eat into the lead that we had created. We were able to do enough to keep them at bay with time defensive stops and converting baskets on offense

check out pictures from the victory here

Overtime loss for our Men’s 2nd team 79-90 Nottingham 2’s


Last game of the season for our Men’s 2nd team. Travelling across to the east midlands to take on University of Nottingham Men’s 2nd. To decide who gets second place in the league.
A slow start from our men allowed Nottingham to get an 8-0 start. Coach Radu called for an early time-out to settle our guys down. The timeout worked and our men rallied and finished the first quarter 21-18.

Second quarter belonged to the home team. Scoring 25pts and taking back the lead to go into half time 43-32.
The half time break is exactly what our guys needed! A strong performance in the 3rd quarter, a flurry of 3’s and some great defence, we regained the lead. Going into the 4th quarter 63-56.

The home team managed to reduce this deficit and to even get back in front 74-72 in the last 5 seconds of the game. Captain Malaki Pitterson Cunningham scored after a strong drive to the basket sending the game into overtime: 74-74.

Malaki said “it was great getting to over time after a hard fought game, but the foul trouble hurt us in the fourth.”
Having 3 players fouled out in the overtime, we scored 5 points to Nottingham’s 16(12 points from free throw line!!!!) – final score 90-79 for home team.
We may have lost the battle, but we won the war. Our men succeeded in maintaining their hold on 2nd place, by having the split over Nottingham.

Coach Alex said “What a great game to finish the season. Everyone came in the game and contributed. Just a shame we didn’t get the win, but we remain in second place so we can be at peace a little bit “

Finals Bound!

They’re headed to the FINALS! Our Women’s 1st team beat Derby University to book their place in this years Midlands Conference Cup Finals. Another solid team performance saw them secure the win in front of a supportive crowd. This week it was the turn of Steph Oliver to lead the team in scoring. Shooting her way to a game high, 19pts (6 of 9 from 3pt).

We caught up with Player of the game Steph Oliver, who lead the team in scoring with 19pts. “As a team we performed very well. Our defence created a lot of fast break lay-ups for us.” When asked about her own performance, she said “I think i performed well, I was shooting when open. Making 3s at the end of the plays or shot clock and also creating opportunities for my teammates.”

We asked Steph how the team was feeling after Wednesdays win. “As a team we are so excited to make it to the Finals, it is such a great feeling and we have been working hard and stayed consistent in games to be able to reach this moment.”

Our team take on Cambridge Women’s 1st team in the Midlands Conference Cup Final on Wednesday 5th March at University of Birmingham at 11am tip. Cambridge are currently 2nd in Midlands 2B. 3pts behind league leaders Nottingham Women’s 2. We managed to speak with Coach Alexis to hear this thoughts on reaching the finals in his first season

Looking to advance!

Our women’s team take on Derby University for the second week running. This time with the hope of advancing to the Final of Midlands Conference Cup. After winning both games in Tier 2 this season, we’re expecting our women to be in the final on March 5th.

Coach Alexis said “It will be a difficult game, regardless of the two previous results. This team (Derby) are not travelling all this way to come and lose a game. So I expect it to be a competitive game tomorrow, against a team who have nothing to lose. Therefore, we need to focus on the offensive and defensive end of the court. Being consistent for the whole forty minutes.”

Last week 7 of the team scored in double figures, with Megan Lovatt leading the way. Will, Coach Alexis be expecting the same tomorrow? “Yes! If we’re serious about winning the game then everyone on the team has to be ready to perform. So everyone has to be ready. Tomorrow we need 8 players in double figures.”

Our women tip off at 8pm at University of Worcester Arena!!

#LetsGoWorcester

Megan leads they way

The University of Worcester Women’s Basketball team continued their undefeated streak in Midlands 2A. Winning their latest league game against Derby Women’s 1st team 99-42.

Megan Lovatt could not be stopped beyond the arc. Hitting five 3 pointers and top scoring with 21 points!

A great team performance, saw 7 player score in double figures. Plenty of steals and assists being dished out by Nina Wallace and Danie Wallis. Strong finishes around the rim by Preccila Ocrah, Lottie Cretegny and Emma Wickham. Kacey Cox and Steph Oliver further contributed to this success by hitting 3s and completing fast breaks attacks. Caitlin Hughes confidently returned to the court injury for the last 10 weeks. Now healthy, Caitlin contributed 11 points on her return!

The win, sets the team up nicely for next week’s Conference Cup Semi-Finals. The semi-final fixture will see them play Derby for the 3rd time this season. Captain Emma Wickham said “I’m very proud of the whole team’s performance today. Getting the win shows all the hard work we’ve been putting in is paying off. We’re very excited for next weeks cup game. We’ll be working hard to prepare as we want to get to the finals!!”

Top scorers:
Megan Lovatt – 21 points
Nina Wallace – 13 points
Kacey Cox/Preccilla Ocrah/Steph Oliver – 12 points

Can the streak continue?

Our Women will look to strengthen their hold on BUCS Midlands 2A.  A confident University of Worcester team will be going into todays game looking for their 7th win.  Missing key players our women will be looking to get the job done. Coach Alexis said “we’re extremely fortunate to have a deep squad. the players know that with a couple players missing, others will have to step up.”

When asked about preparation for the game, Coach said “Derby are not to be taken lightly, so I’ve demanded a lot of from our team in practice and to be fair to them, they’ve practiced really well this week. So let’s hope that carries over to the game.” He added “their in 2nd place, so this is an important game against a tough team. We’ve got to focus on our defence, our intensity, ball movement and playing as a team.

The second place team are hot on the heels of our women.  3pts currently seperates both teams in the table. Our women will be working to ensure they extend that lead to 6pts by the end of tonight.

Can we be the 1?

Our Men’s 2nd team will be looking to 3 wins in a row this week. As they take on Midlands 2A league winners Loughborough 4’s. Coach Alex Radu and the team know that it won’t be an easy task. The table toppers are yet to lose a game. Storming to eight wins and zero losses to date. Is our team ready to hand Loughborough their first loss of the season?

Coach Alex, had this to say when we caught up with him this morning. “Practice last week and this week has been good. All players responded well in training to my requirements as a coach and despite the fact that we had a few players who were ill or had some minor injuries, overall I believe we are ready for this game against top of the league team (Loughborough) so that we can consolidate our second place by the end of the season!”

Be sure to support our teams this week at University of Worcester Arena.

Men’s 2 tip is 6pm and our Men’s 3’s play Leicester 2’s at 8pm

Winning Start

Our Men’s 2nd team started 2025 in winning fashion. A great team performance saw them see of league rivals University of Birmingham Men’s 2nd team. Coach Alex Radu said “overall it was a great team effort. I was really impressed with our defensive effort and intensity.” The team put in a great shooting performance to compliment their prowess on the defensive end. Connecting on 9 shots from behind the 3pt arc.
Ridas Rudminas lead all scorers with 26 points (5×3 pts) and was awarded Player of the Game


Gavin Simpson 16pts, Malaki Pitterson 12 pts (1x3pts), and Panos Kalavas 12 pts (2x3pts) rounded out our top 3 scorers.

Our Men will look to make it 2 wins from 2 games when they take on 3rd place Nottingham University. Nottingham are the only team our 2nd team haven’t played this season. Whilst Loughborough have already won the league, second place is still up for grabs.

Normal Service Resumed for our Wheelchair team!

After four convincing wins in the first 2 rounds of games. With our next games not until February. How does Coach Lucas keep the players engaged and motivated.

“We spend a large portion of our time on skill development. It’s also great to have our WBPL Worcester Wolves team here also. Our team will practice with them also. Our players also play for teams competing BWB Premier League.”

What are your thoughts on the team and our performance after the 2 rounds of games?

The team have not only picked up where we left off at the end of last season, but so far have elevated our performances further this year. We are playing confident, team focussed basketball, with each round so far having a really balanced scoring spread. 

Who impressed you from the team?

Imogen has really impressed me so far. Her work in the off season to get herself into a competetive place for minutes has really shown, and she’s gone from a limited role last year to playing a huge part in our success so far, especially scoring around the basket.

Have the new players integrated well?

So far it feels like our new players have fit in really well with the squad. Players are looking to buy in to the way we play and our identity and are working hard to improve. They’re working hard and are looking to improve. They know they need to earn their minutes and are doing what they can to improve and earn their spot in the rotation.

Roll on February where we take on Cardiff Met and East London in Round 3.

On to the next one, for our 1st teams

Both our Men’s and Women’s 1st teams booked their place in the next round of their respective cup competitions. Our women cruised through with an emphatic victory over Aston University in the Midlands Conference Cup. Whilst our men topped a challenging Cambridge team to secure the win in the National Trophy.

Both teams will now face a Loughborough team in the next round, after Christmas. Women will play Loughborough 3rd team. Our men will take on their league rivals Loughborough 2’s.

Wheelchair Basketball is back

This coming Sunday see’s the beginning of the season for our Wheelchair team. Our Men and Women will return to action this time competing in the Southern Tier. In previous seasons our team competed in the Midlands Tier, against Nottingham and Loughborough who fielded two teams.

With the teams now realigned. Our team will now compete against University of East London and Cardiff Met. Our team will be looking to make it to the Finals for the 3rd year in a row.

with some new recruits coach Lucas is looking forward to the start of the season. “we have some new players coming in who have some experience to go with our seasoned group. Should be an exciting season. Everyone is looking forward to it”

First fixtures see our team take on Cardiff Met Open 1 and East London Open 1. The following week we host both teams at St John’s Sport Centre. With the final round of games taking place in February in East London.

Our wheelchair team has been our most successful team over the last few years. We hope they can build on that success this season.

Seven stars get the win!

Our Men’s 1st team travelled to Cambridge for their week 3 fixture. Cambridge got off to a strong start with their captain Ramsay connecting on a couple 3’s. Early contributions from James Davis, Akil Simpson kept our seven man roster close. In addition to a 3 from Jacob Dearman. Emmanuel Yeboah got himself on the scoreboard, reeling off 11 straight points to extend our lead. Some good defensive plays allowed our Men’s team to close the quarter with a 10pt lead (25-15). the second quarter saw some fight back from Cambridge with some good defensive and offensive plays. They tied the game 32-32. Our Men’s then closed out the quarter with a 6-2 point run, to take them in to the 2nd half (40-34). Our 7 man roster needed the break it seems as they started the 3rd with a stronger focus. With Coach Dean rotating the bench to keep players fresh, the team took control of the game ending the 3rd quarter with a 17pt cushion (61-44). The 4th quarter became a 3pt frenzy. Our men scored 21 of their 27 fourth quarter points from 3. The final basketball of the game being a 3 from Finn to seal 88-60 win.

Results round up of week 3

Our Men’s 2nd team travelled away in the second round of the National Cup. Taking on University of Birmingham Men’s 1st team, in the Wednesday evening fixture. After a strong start our men eventually lost the tie 73-47. Disappointed that our men got knocked out of the cup. But we know our men will bounce back.

Week 4 of BUCS action

Our Men’s 1st take on BCU 8pm tip at University of Worcester Arena. Our women travel up the M5 to take on University of Wolverhampton 5:30pm. Our Men’s 2nd team get the opportunity to bounce back against Aston University. Whilst our Men’s 3rd team travel down south to Bedford to take on University of Bedfordshire’s 1st team.

Carole Marques pulls up in the lane for 2 of her 38pts

Back to Back Wins for our Women

Our women made it two wins from two with a convincing victory over Derby University (91-51). Women seemed to be in control of the game from the opening tip. Leading the first quarter 24-8. After the break Derby were much more aggressive in getting to the basket. A stronger quarter from Derby saw our women edge the quarter 18-16 (42-24 overall). Whilst Derby were much more aggressive, they were unable to stop the fire power from Carol Marques, who was on fire from 3. Finishing the game with 38pts, connecting on eight from behind the arc. The rest of the team weren’t shy in getting on the scoreboard, with 4 of the team finishing in double figures. Danie Walsh 19pts, Nina Wallace 13pts and Preccila Ocrah 11pts.

Our women currently sit at the top of their conference. With no games next week, they’re back in league action against University of Wolverhampton on Wednesday 30th October.

Results round up of Week 2

Men’s 1 got their first victory over NTU Men’s 2nd team 91-68

Men’s 3 lost their first fixture of the season 68-50 against Coventry.

This weeks games see our Men’s 1st take on University of Cambridge on Wednesday 23rd October 8:20pm tip. Whilst our Men’s 2nd team are taking on Birmingham University in the 2nd Round of the Midlands Conference Cup

Winning Start

With 3 of our teams in action last night, 2 of the 3 got their BUCS campaigns off to winning starts.

After a slow start , our Men’s 2nd team found their rhythm. Some good defensive plays built momentum for their offense. Malaki Pitterson led all scorers with 21 points, followed by Panos Kalavas and Gavin Simpsons with 13 points each
Player of the Game was Noah Edward’s with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 9 steals – one steal away from a triple double!!

Our women started off their season with a convincing 87-36 win vs Loughborough Women’s 4th team. Player of the game Zaza Bamigboye. Zaza lead the team in scoring with 21 points and dominated the key defensively with 2 blocks and dominating the defensive rebounds

UW Basketball x Ball Hog

UW Basketball are proud to announce a new partnership with upcoming compression wear brand Ball Hog. The company is founded by current University of Worcester student Elliot Langfield Elliot is a third year student here at UW and is studying Bio Medical Science. He also finds time to play Basketball for our Men’s 2nd team.

Elliot, had this to say when we caught up with him “I always wanted to see our products being worn by friends and teammates here at University of Worcester, but I wanted it to be the right time. I think now is the right time for us as a company and I cant wait to see the guys wearing Ball Hog gear.

Basketball Development Officer Dean Blake said “As soon as I found out that Ball Hog was founded by Elliot, we had to make this happen. Compression gear is important in todays game, all players wear something to protect themselves. So to have this opportunity to work with Ball Hog, and support one of our own at the same time is a no brainer.

The partnership will see UW Basketball players wearing BallHog protection wear, for games and practices. UW Basketball players will in turn provide feedback on the products to allow BallHog to ensure they are continuing to develop top quality products for athletes as they strive to be trusted name in Basketball protection

Week 2 Game Reports – Oct 18th

University of Worcester 74 – Northumbria 78

Eben Effah started things off for UW Men with a put back from Emanuel Yeboah missed 3. Emanuel hit 2 consecutive threes. Giving the home team an early lead (8-7). That lead would be short lived. With Northumbria coming back with some inside play from number 15 Kanwei. #5 Riley came next with a thunderous dunk. Poor defensive transition from our Men, saw Northumbria capitalise and close out the 1st quarter 18-15.

The second quarter began in the same way the first quarter ended. Worcester, struggling to find cohesion on the defensive end. #9 Kande (9pts) and #15 Kanwei (8pts) combining for 17pts in the second period, for the away team.

Eben again got things going in the 3rd, scoring on a Humberto Ferriera assist, from close range. Jacob Dearman was then fouled going drive to the basket and sank 1 of 2 from the line. #9 Sande and #15 Kanwei carried the load for the visitors scoring the teams first 16pts. Worcester found their own dynamic duo in Dearman and Yeboah. Who poured in a combined 18pts, to reduce the deficit to 11 going into the fourth.

Top Performers Jacob and Emanuel

Worcester continued to build momentum with Dearman and Yeboah carrying in the scoring load. Some good defense allowed us to take the lead. However we were unable to find the basket in the last 2 minutes and Nortumbria we able to take the lead and secure the victory.

Week 1 Game Reports – Oct 11th

UW Men’s 1st vs NTU 1st 91-63

A welcome back to BUCS Premier was the message delivered by NTU, to our Men’s 1st team. Five 3pt shots in the opening quarter, saw the home team take a commanding 27-18 lead. Some good defensive possessions kept our guys in the hunt with Humberto Ferriera getting out on the break to finish in transition. In addition to Zak Riabi coming off the bench hitting a couple 3’s. Our men weren’t able to close the gap ending the first half 50-34. A strong 3rd quarter saw our guys put up 21pts to NTU’s 20. New comer Eben Effah meeting numerous NTU players at the rim, ignited our men’s defense and offense. Zak Riabi, again coming off the bench to hit 11 straight points, with contributions from 3rd year guard Jacob Dearman and first year small forward Emanuel Yeboah.

Our guys had nothing to give, come the 4th quarter, only putting 8pts on the board, to NTU’s 21.

UW Women 1st vs

UW Men 2nd vs BCU Men 2nd 75-58

Early 3 points shooting from Panos, Zach and Malakai allowed Uni Men 2nd basketball team to establish an early comfortable lead in the first 4-5 minutes of their first game of the season (at home vs BCU Men 2nd team), lead which they never give away. It was 21-10 after 10 minutes of play and the lead increased to 28 points at half time (50-22). The dominance on the defensive end, continued in the 3rd quarter. With the game sown up to start the 4th, our men’s team took their foot off the gas, allowing the visitors to have a little run of their own reducing the lead to close the game.

UW Men 3rd vs UCB Men 1st 46-68

The first quarter UCB came out dominant on the glass, gaining second and third chance opportunities. Our Men’s team struggled to find a rhythm, finishing the quarter down 13-24. A better second quarter from our guys, saw them working to match UCB’s intensity closing the half 16-18 (29-42 UCB.

Foul trouble forced Coach Shanice to shrink her bench rotations. UCB utilised this opportunity to run and run some more. The relentless attitude from UCB, coupled with a reduced bench for our men, saw UCB dominate the 3rd to the tune of 20pt to our three. Some stern words from Coach Shanice saw our men bounce back in the 4th with more intensity on the defensive end, keeping UCB to just 6pts. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to bring it back causing them to lose at the final buzzer.

What the scholars think

We got the opportunity to catch up with some of our scholarship students within the Basketball programme and talk with them about life at the University of Worcester as Scholarship athletes. Within the group of student athletes we spoke to there are Performance Potential Athletes, Dual Career Athletes and Worcester Wolves Scholarship Athletes. All of them are at various stages of their University of Worcester journey.

Isaiah Walker
Thomas Grayling
Charlotte Finn
Matei Balteanu
Wilfrid Santhe
Ian Vivero Rodriguez
George Gray
Jack Long
Caitlin Collier
Malaki Cunningham-Pitterson
Liam Langridge-Barker
Abderahim Tagrest
Jacob Dearman

Below you’ll read excerpts from conversations with our Men’s 1st team players, Matei Balteanu (MB), Thomas Grayling (TG), Wilfrid Santhe (WS), Malaki Cunningham-Pitterson, Jacob Dearman (JD), Liam Langridge-Barker (LLB), Ian Vivero Rodriguez (IVR) and Isaiah Walker (IW). Some of our wheel chair Basketball team Abderrahim Tagrest (AT), George Gray (GG) and Jack Long (JL) and our Women’s first team players Caitlin Collier (CF), Charlotte Finn (CF)

What attracted you to the university of Worcester?

CC – I was recruited by Ryan (former womens coach Ryan Emery), who came to one of my games at college.  He spoke to a couple of us about the programme. When I had my individual visit I saw the facilities and I really liked the set up.  I like how the University is heavily linked with Worcester Wolves.  Practice’s are regular and scheduled around lectures.  Other programmes didn’t seem to work that way.

WS – The basketball program and history attracted me to Worcester. They have a proven track record of developing and make players better. It’s was a program I wanted to be a part of.

JL – What attracted me initially was the facilities that we have access to such as the S&C suite.  All the courts we have here and they’re an amazing standard for Basketball in the UK.  Our coach is one of the best in the country. It was easy for it to be a first choice of mine

IVR – The basketball program in specific was the main aspect that attracted me to Worcester University but also the city. I wanted a city where almost everything is relatively close by bike or walking. A city with university environment to enjoy the university lifestyle and meet new people.

GG – What the University could provide me.  Not just academically but the support it was willing to provide me for my wheelchair basketball career.  The ease of everything, is a huge factor.

LLB – I’d been around Worcester previously during my stints in the BBL.  I always loved coming to play at the arena.  Getting to practice here daily and it being our home court for BUCS and NBL is great.  It’s easily one of the best facilities at this level in the country.

TG – The basketball programme as a whole and the course I wanted to do was here.  Once I graduate, I’d like to complete my PGCE, or an MSc and I can do that here.  At the time of my application Wolves were in the BBL and there was already a plan of having an NBL side, like a wolves second team.  So, I figured I’d either get to train with the BBL side and or play in the NBL in addition to playing for the University team in BUCS.  Now the team has left the BBL, it has kind of elevated the team that competes in the NBL.  We now get to play in from of 500 fans at home games which is always great.

CF – The basketball programme and the benefits you get from being a scholarship athlete. I also liked the feel of Worcester when I visited.

MB – The opportunity to have a dual career as an athlete and student attracted me the most to come to Worcester. Back in Romania I have seen how a lot of athletes struggle to continue studying at higher education level whilst performing in their sports.

MCP – What attracted me to worcester was the basketball program with its past history and facilities they have to offer. Also as people around me said it was a smaller uni which I liked as it will allow me to focus on my studies

IW – I was attracted to Worcester as it was recommended by a coach of mine. On top of this I already had knowledge of Worcester with their link to the Wolves basketball team and the great facilities.

You’re part of the university of Worcester/ Wolves scholarship programme. How does it benefit you as a student and student life?

AT – The demands as an elite athlete are high, with camps, training and games. The scholarship programme provides support in various ways.  So I’ve received support to ensure my education isn’t effected due to my sporting commitments

MB – As a student, being part of the UW/ Wolves scholarship helps me financially, to pay for my tuition fees and any sports related costs (supplements, shoes, bucs membership, training equipment etc.). Secondly, across the year there are free workshops you can attend that are aimed at providing advice on time management, wellbeing, and any type of support if needed.

CF – It gives me loads of different benefits like free access to the gym, being able to get a S&C programme made for me, ice baths and more. This is good for me as a student as it is saving me money and can help me improve my basketball. 

JL – It’s great, it comes with a lot of benefits and support.  You receive a kit bundle, the extra money is a bonus also.  The facilities, massage, free physio and psychiatrist are all available to help us as athletes

LLB – It gives me a bit more freedom,it helps me out with my studies.  It allows me to enjoy my time here, rather than stressing about things.

What do you enjoy about the basketball programme?

MCP – I enjoy the professionalism of the programme and the resources that are given to us to become better players 

IVR – As a basketball player being able to train and play in one of the best facilities in the country is great, having personal training creating strength and condition program specific for your body is awesome and being able to represent the university and the wolves organisation and get the recognition of the fans in an amazing feeling.

CC – I like how the University team and the wolves teams are the same.  I really like the connection between the University team and Wolves.  It’s the same coach and players playing for both  The training sessions are the same and it’s all connected

IW – It’s great the amount of on court time we have access to, along with having team strength and conditioning. I also enjoy the fact that the team is so close knit, everyone is a good person and being part of the team feels like being part of a family.

WS – I enjoy the constant practices and the accessibility of facilities as it provides chances to improve at any moment

JL – Just the fact that I get to train every day.  My friends are here and I’ve known them before attending UW, due to the nature of wheelchair basketball, it’s a small community

CF – My team as we all to stick by each other through the tougher games and make sure we hold each other accountable but also making sure we pick each other up. The facilities are very good as we have access to the court every day of the week, we also have an S&C suite which is only for performance athletes, as well as the campus gym. We also get the use of ice baths after practice or games to help with our recovery.

LLB – I love being around the guys all the time.  Creating those relationships on and off the court is one of the biggest things for me.

MB – The chance of having an all-around and integrated programme that fits my academic schedule, and helps me achieve my potential. 

How is your season going so far? (Personally)

IVR – My season personally is being good but really busy because as a third year student in sport therapy I don’t have too much time to spend in training my skills and have some social life due to exams, assessments, placement and dissertation but this is something to expect from a good university. On the other side here in the university if you ask for help there is always people happy to help and sort any problem.

CF – Personally, I’ve seen a lot of improvement in my game this season, I feel this is because I’m being given the opportunity from my coach (Kieran Howell) to show what I can really do. I’ve also become a lot more focused on basketball and I’m in the gym 3/4 times a week trying to get myself fitter and stronger, which is being shown when I play.

IW – I feel as though my season has had many ups and downs so far. However I’ve always had my teammates, coach and club staff there to support me through the difficult times. I currently feel that my season is heading in a positive direction and I am able to contribute to making the team better when I’m on the court.

AT – We’re currently unbeaten and want it to remain that way and win the trophy at the end of the season.

MB – For me, the season hasn’t started the way I expected, as I had to deal with ongoing injuries for a couple of months. Although, since coming back from the Christmas break, I haven’t been bothered by any injuries so far and I’ve managed to be more consistent with participating in practices. I’m feeling positive for the rest of the season.

What’s it like playing for and being coached by your team coach?

JL – Being coached by Simon at worcester has helped me as a player since I got to this uni. He is always available to have a 1 on 1 and organises as many training sessions as possible for the team.

MB – Being coached by Dean Blake for the last couple of years has been a continuous learning cycle. He created a very competitive environment that puts a positive pressure on me, in a way that makes me push harder and helps me achieve my potential. Moreover, I feel that my opinions are fully valued in my team, thus creating a culture of openness and mutual trust.

CF – I really enjoy being coached by Kieran because he is very enthusiastic and has helped our team grow. He’s really given me a chance to play his confidence in me has helped me a lot.

TG – Dean is a demanding coach on and off the court and wants to see the human/and player develop. He also gives players freedom of speech and will never shut someone down because he disagrees with you. His honesty keeps player’s grounded and heading in the right direction.  

AB – Simon’s a great coach, he’s always pushing us to perform and to train at our best

If you’re interested in attending University of Worcester and would like more information on our Sport Scholarships please click here

Week 6: Game Reports

University of Worcester 47 – 85 Coventry Men’s 1

At a raucous University of Worcester Arena, our men’s 2nd team came out ‘hot’, playing some spell binding basketball in a 1st quarter that was fantastic to watch. UW were spearheaded by Bedgood & Garcia scoring from the perimeter, then Dunphy ignited the crowd with scores in transition. UW led 30-17. However in the 2nd quarter, injuries hampered the UW team, ruling out Garcia, Bastos and Langfield.

The team continued to fight hard, playing with a passion & energy, however the strength and size of the league leaders, Coventry University, proved a insurmountable challenge.

The final score at times doesn’t reflect the intensity of the game through the first 30 mins, said Coach Simon Fisher.

MVP: Keon Dunphy, 12pts & 11 rebs

In the second round of games in the Midlands Tier 1 of the Wheechair Basketball conference, our team secured two emphatic victories over Loughborough and Nottingham University. The win’s mean that our team have guaranteed themselves top spot in the conference before the 3rd round of games in the new year.

University of Worcester 97 – 42 Loughborough

University of Worcester 53 – 17 Nottingham University

Week 5: Game Reports

University of Worcester Men’s 1st 88-76 Anglia Ruskin University Men’s 1st

Worcester started the game in style with a drive from Wifrid Santhe who dished it off to the cutting Thomas Grayling for the two handed flush. From that point on the team didn’t look back.

A strong effort from Anglia’s Ruskin’s guard Sam Horvath (35pts), wasn’t enough to stop an undermanned Worcester team. Another good performance from Evan Longman off the bench earned him Game Night MVP honours for his double double.

Coach Dean was happy with the win. “it’s always good to get a win, when you’re not at full strength. It show’s the depth in our squad. Which is important when we’re competing in two leagues.”

Matei Balteanu 21pts

Evan Longman 16pts

Wilfrid Santhe 14pts, Thomas Grayling 14pts

University of Worcester Women 68-41 Oxford Women’s 1st

After a long anticipated return, University of Worcester Womens basketball is back!

The Womens 1st team began there campaign with a strong performance over a valiant Oxford side. Strong scoring performance from , and allowed Worcester to to see out the entire game never trailing behind.

A BUCS debut for June Bolinaga however would steal the show, as she announced herself onto the main stage contributing 11pts and working tirelessly on defence.

Coach Kieran added

“I’m extremely happy with the girls today! Being low on numbers the ladies proved that it’s not about the size of the dog, but the fight in the dog that counts. We will take this win and look forward to next week to do it all over again.”

Carolina Marquez 16pts

Kacey Cox 14 pts

Charlotte Finn 12pts

University Worcester Men’s 2 76 vs 73 Nottingham Trent Men’s 2

Worcester Men’s 2nd team progressed in the Midlands Conference Cup after a pulsating game at the University of Worcester Arena.

Ben Bedgood ignited the game with back to back 3s that provided the fast start Coach Fisher had focused on after the initial series of games. This start meant Worcester had a 10+ pt lead for most of the game, with Thiago Bastos scoring inside showing we’ll on his season debut,  Bruno Garcia and Keon Dunphy produced energetic displays that allowed Worcester to stretch the lead to 16 as the game entered the final quarter.

Nottingham Trent continued to fight and there desire rattled the 2nds as they searched for their opening win of the season, however Ben Curran marshalled the team home in a frenetic final few minutes to leave the home crowd jubilant as the clock expired to welcome a home win.

Coach Fisher says “the game flow showed the strengths and development areas for the team. The control and team basketball we showed for large periods was excellent. We made good decisions, extra passes which enabled us to compete. The final quarter will provide learning, but also confidence that we learn how to win. The team spirit was excellent, the bench tremendous, but overall the desire to compete provided the winning effort.

Thiago Bastos – 20pts

Keen Dunphy – 16pts

Ben Bedgood – 15pts

Bruno Garcia – 10pts

University of Worcester Men’s 3 53-86 University of Wolverhampton Men’s 1

Going into the game the 3rds got of to a slow start leaving it to be 15-25 at the end of the 1st. Wolverhampton were a very tough team, and throughout the whole game continued to run and dominate in the paint.

Coach Shanice adjusted her defence but sadly Wolverhampton came back with 3 back to back 3s. As the game went on the lead got greater. The guys fought and continued to compete, holding Wolverhampton to 12 in the 4th. Unfortunately it was too little too late. Coach Shanice said ” Wolverhampton are a strong team and so they should be. I’m happy that we competed for all four quarters and didn’t give up. If we have that attitude, competitiveness and fight in the league then we will do well.”

Karvanni Spooner 12pts

Harvey Young 7pts

Men’s 1st lose on the road to Oxford

Oxford University 77 vs 66 University of Worcester

After a lack luster 1st quarter (11-25) from our men’s 1st team, the team struggled to find any rhythm on offense or defense to mount a comeback. Our guys played much better in the 2nd quarter, but it wasn’t enough to make a dent into Oxford’s lead of 13pts at the end of 20 minutes of play.

After the half time break, Oxford came out fighting with a flurry of baskets to cause an early time out by Coach Dean. We started to see more urgency from the team, as Coach Dean started to utilise the bench more to see if someone could ignite a spark.

The fourth quarter saw a team on a mission. Our Men’s 1st team started to play more like the team. Creating havoc on the defensive end, causing turnovers and creating fast break opportunities. However time wasn’t on our side and Oxford were strategic in slowing the game down to limit our chances of mounting a successful comback.

Top Scorers: Isaiah Walker 27, Humberto Ferreira 11, Jacob Dearman 10.

Coach Dean said, “due to the way we started the game, we gave ourselves too much work to do. The guys are naturally disappointed, however there’s no time to sulk and feel sorry for ourselves. So we have to prepare for our next game, taking the learnings from this evening.”

University of Worcester Men 2 80 vs 89 University of Wolverhampton

Wolves endured a slow start, as Wolverhampton found their shooting touch in the 1st quarter, ultimately the 16-32 score at the end of the 1st was to big a hill to climb.

However the 2nds showed immense heart and tenacity to battle and win the other quarters to end on the wrong end of a 80-89 score.

Wolves managed to close the game to 13 at the half, and made a real run in the 2nd half to provide the watching crowd belief the comeback was possible, closing the game to 4, with 5 mins to play.

Scorers: Bedgood-17, Garcia-14, Brine-13, Langfield-10, Curran-9

Coach Simon Fisher said “I am extremely proud of the effort, the desire to compete, especially facing a slow start, however the team collectively responded, playing some lovely team basketball. We need to find a way to avoid playing catch up in games, that is my responsibility, we will continue to learn and grow as a unit.”

Nuri ‘The Vet’

We caught up with Nuri just before the start of pre-season. It’s been a long summer for the women’s programme. With the departure of former coach Ryan Emery. There was a considerable amount of time before his replacement was appointed. This put a huge strain upon the University programme and the Worcester Wolves.

After a long wait, we finally have a coach for the women’s team. Like many other players you were waiting for an appointment to be made before deciding on whether to stay and study a Masters, here in Worcester. What was the off season like for you?

Summer is always about building upon your last season, from an individual perspective. So getting ready for the new season was my main focus. I’m excited that I get to to stay in Worcester for one more year and study for my MSc. Although the wait for a new coach was definitely challenging it was also exciting to see what the change would bring to the team and to my personal development.

What Masters course are you studying and what’s the motivation for you to study a Masters?

My family has always been my biggest motivator to do anything, specially now that I’m starting my applied sport science MSc, but also the passion I have for science and sport, I am excited to see what I can do after I finish.

Now we have Coach Kieran, what are you looking forward to for the new season?

Nuri with some of her teammates at the Worcester Wolves media day

Coach Kieran was my assistant coach during my first season with the Wolves so it will be fun to be back working with him again as the head coach now. I’m also excited to see what the difference in coaching style will do to my game as so far I feel very motivated and prepared for the new season and I’m excited to be better alongside all my teammates that have been putting the work in through summer.

You’ll now be one of the senior players within the squad. How will you look to support incoming players?

I’m excited to be able to offer as much support off and on the court for all the new and current players, after having done my undergrad here at Worcester, I definitely have some tips on how to manage all the workload we have.

Grace Brownell and Jess Santo are planning to play with the Worcester Wolves. What will it be like to be back on the court with them?

Knowing that I get to play with my old teammates and some of my closest friends is definitely a very exciting part of this new season and I can’t wait for the first game together.

This summer you were part of the coaching staff for the Worcester Valencia Basketball Camp, what was it like coaching on the camp for the first time?

At the start I wasn’t sure what to expect from the camp, but it was definitely the best coaching experience I’ve had, it was a challenging week where I was out outsdie my comfort zone and it really helped my coaching and personal development.

Nuri and the rest of the Wolves women in their first win of the season in Cardiff.

Competing in WNBL1 with the Worcester Wolves what are you goals for the season?

My main focus this season is to leave everything I’ve been working on through summer on court from game 1 and keep building on it through out the season.

With the WNBL season underway, our Worcester Wolves women are currently 1-2. Their win was a strong road victory over Cardiff Archers. With their first BUCS fixture cancelled and their second game looking like that will be cancelled. It will be a few weeks before we see Nuri in a UW Basketball uniform. However fortunately Nuri and the team can stay sharp and ready with the competition provided in the WNBL

Matei – The Best is Yet To Come!

Attending University of Worcester in September 2019, Matei’s time in Worcester was interrupted with the pandemic. After a successful first season in BUCS Prem, his second season post pandemic didn’t go as planned. With unfinished business Matei is back for a fourth year to see if he can help the team bounce back.

You’ve opted to return to Worcester and will hopefully be here for 2 more seasons. What was behind your decision to stay on?

You’ve been here since September 2019. How does Basketball in England compare to Basketball at home in Romania?

There are a few reasons why I am staying on. Firstly, I believe that we managed to accomplish quite a lot throughout the past season, we started from scratch with quite a few new players and built our way up to the promotion for Division 2. However we have unfinished business in BUCS. Im proud of the progress we have made though and I feel confident that we have a lot more to show in the upcoming season. Secondly, combining my studies and basketball whilst being successful in both of them has been possible in Worcester. I’ve managed to enjoy both my life as an athlete, and as a student as well. Therefore I’ve decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Business & HR whilst competing at a high level in my sport.

Basketball in Romania is way different from England. I feel as though Romanian basketball has a different tendency to coaching styles and the game itself is more structured and more dependent on the efficiency of the plays, rather than individual performances. Although I would argue that basketball in England is more competitive, which makes it more enjoyable. In my opinion, the system in England makes it more attainable for young players to develop through more opportunities to play, supported by the 3 NBL divisions and BUCS, not including BBL. In comparison, there are only 2 basketball leagues in Romania and you don’t get much exposure as a player in the second league.

As a member of the University of Worcester men’s 1st team and Worcester Wolves you practice everyday. With 2 games per week. What’s It been like managing a busy training schedule in addition to your studies?

At the start it was stressful as it takes time for the body to adapt, but following a structured timetable helped me the most. Even just writing down a weekly planner with training times and lectures/seminars made me realise that I actually have a fair amount of spare time. For me, setting a clear goal and prioritising my tasks has been helpful at times when I felt overwhelmed with uni assignments.

Matei going up against Daniel Johnson Thompson in a home loss to Northumbria University

How was your BUCS season?

We struggled in BUCS the past season as I feel that our focus was mainly on the promotion to Division 2. We lost a couple of easy games that we should’ve won and facing a strong Nottingham team in the last game pushed us to compete in a lower division this year. Still, I feel that we deserve to play in BUCS Premier Division. It was a wake up call that has shown us the consequences of not treating every game with the same intensity.

You were untouchable in the NBL last season but went without a win throughout the whole of the bucs season. What was that like for you mentally?

Mentally, it has been frustrating more than anything as I know we did not deserve to be relegated. Our switched focus and a couple of bad basketball moments cost us the games which put ourselves in this position. BUCS Premier is tough, teams punish you for mistakes and we were’nt able turn any games around at times when we lost momentum.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming BUCS season?

We are going to treat BUCS games similar to how we bring the energy to all our NBL games so we can win back the promotion. I’m enthusiastic to compete next season and I think we will show some quality basketball, worthy of the Premier Division.

As part of the Worcester wolves you won promotion. How do you think the team will cope with the transition to D2?

I think the team will cope well with the transition, as long as we stay consistent throughout the quarters. Last season, we had some inconsistencies in our game that could have cost us the win, but fortunately enough, we managed to push ourselves and pull through. This season, I believe we won’t have second chances as we’re up against more experienced teams and players. If we are more aware of our in-game slip ups, we could mitigate a comeback from the opposing team.

There are only a few teams throughout the whole of the NBL that’s fortunate to have a consistent crowd at their games every week. What was it like playing in front of 500 fans on a weekly basis?

Matei with the strong finish in front of a packed crowd at the University of Worcester Arena

It’s been amazing! The energy our fans bring weekly in the arena has a huge positive impact on our performance. The chants from the crowd encourages us to play better defence, run faster, be more aggressive and bring down our opponent’s morale. I couldn’t ask for anything more! The Wolfpack are truly are the Sixth Man!

On and off the court what goals do you have for the upcoming year and season?

Regarding basketball, I want to help the team win promotion to Division 1 in NBL and back to Premier Division in BUCS. Personally, I have been working on my game outside the paint to become a more flexible player in terms of skills. Off the court, I want to finish my Master’s with a distinction as I enjoyed my undergraduate course. It’s my 4th year living in the UK but I want to visit more cities. Although I have travelled a lot with basketball, I dont always get the chance to look around and appreciate the sights.

We’re looking forward to seeing Matei work towards his individual goals and the teams goals over the upcoming season. Keep an eye out for University of Worcester Basketball Fixtures and Worcester Wolves fixtures for the 2022-2023 season.

#PartWolf – Sergi Estany Sanchez

My time in Worcester

Before coming to Worcester Sergi was a second year business student at La Salle Barcelona. Whilst studying Sergi played in the Spanish national EBA league for “UE Sant Cugat”.

Sergi came to the University of Worcester as an exchange student thanks to an international partnership with La Salle Barcelona which allowed him complete his third year abroad. Sergi wanted to keep improving his English, whilst embracing a different cultural experience and Worcester felt like a perfect fit because of the business course and basketball program.

Now at the end of the season, Sergi has returned back home to Spain. So we caught up with him to find out what he thought about his time in Worcester

Once you got to Worcester in September did it live up to your expectations.

Completely, the city was great, its people was really nice to me since day one and the University provided all the necessary things for me to succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

The guys celebrating one of their wins as members of the Worcester Wolves.(from left to right Sergi, Ian and Bruno)

What was it like playing with fellow country men, Bruno and Ian?

It was great! As a newcomer they introduced me to everyone and they soon became two of my best friends in the city. Inside of the court, it was great to play alongside Ian, one of the best scorers in the league and also with Bruno, who shares the same “fast-break” mentality as myself.

You also got the opportunity to be coached by Andreas Farakos. What was that like.

I believe I speak on behalf of the team when I say that it was a gift this year to have Coach Andreas in the team. His knowledge about the game and his professional experience with Valencia Basket enhanced the team to a new level.

Sergi on the wing for our Men’s 1st team

In your only year with us you got the opportunity to play with our Mens 1st team as well as the Worcester Wolves?

It has been great to be part of both teams this season. Being able to play twice a week in different leagues and against different people really has been a great experience. Personally, I believe that playing in the challenging BUCS Premier league on Wednesdays helped the team to be better prepared for our NBL Wolves games on the weekends.

Sergi finishes the lay-up for the Worcester Wolves

What have you enjoyed most about your time in England?

The University of Worcester is a really international place with students from many different countries and cultures. So, I would say that being able to meet and learn from a diverse student body was the best thing about my time here.

Coach Dean said ” Sergi has been great for us this season on both ends of the floor. When he comes on, you know he’s going to give you a spark of energy. He makes things happen on both ends of the floor. It’s a shame he’s only here for one season, we’ve definitely enjoyed having him here with us. I know he’s had a great time here as a student athlete. I wish him all the best in the future”

What’s are some of your favourites memories from the season?

I believe that went I look back to this season I will remember, among other things, the great atmosphere that was breathen in home games. The Arena was always filled with many local families and kids, which was really felt as our 6th man. From those times played at the Arena, the moment on the Semi-final playoff game when London Thunder miss the three that let us advance to the Playoff Final is my favourite moment. The excitement and the adrenaline from that moment is unforgettable.

Being from Spain, there’s a different culture to the UK, weathers different, food is different. What was your favourite food that you wish you had in Spain.

My favourite English food by far is an English breakfast wrap. Without beans though. I do not know why you guys put beans with everything lol

At the start of the season did you think you’d be part of a team that would win the league and get to the playoff final?

To be honest, I always believed we had a team that could compete in the NBL. We did not only have great players in different positions but I also think that the group really got along with each other, which chemistry helped the team be more efficient on the court while achieving the objectives set at the beginning of the season.

Finally, what are your plans when you return home?

I’ll be spending May at home with my family, whilst volunteering for a local organization to help a 12 year old Ukrainian boy to establish himself in the city and learn some Spanish. During May I will also be attending the Basketball Champions League Final 4 in Bilbao, Spain. I am really excited about that because the city in Spain where I am from (Manresa) will be competing in it. Apart from that, I am now in the process of getting a Visa to go get another experience away from home during the whole summer in Sydney, Australia where the plan is to be working and sightseeing with a friend.  As the summer ends my plan is to end my Business degree in La Salle Barcelona while I keep playing basketball.

Sounds like a great time ahead for Sergi. We wish him all the best in the future. He’s promised he’ll come back and visit, so hopefully we see him back in Worcester soon. If you’d like to know more about study abroad opportunities here at UW, please click here

Sports Scholars

The deadline for Sports Scholarships applications is Monday 25th April. If you’re a student looking to apply to study at the University of Worcester and wondering how we support our performance athletes then keep reading.

We decided to catch up with some of our sports scholars to find our how the sports scholarship they received at the start of the season has helped them. As performance athlete’s their schedule of study, practices and games is quite hectic. The University offers support in various ways to help ease the load on our athletes, so they can hopefully apply more focus to their studies and athletic performance.

Nathan playing for Worcester Wolves during the 2020-21 season

Nathan’s in his final of a Sports and Exercise Science degree. Nathan competes for our men’s 1st team and plays for City of Birmingham Rockets in NBL2

“The scholarship programme has helped me throughout my time at Worcester tremendously. Having access to strength and conditioning suite, psychological support, nutritional advice and the list goes on, The support you receive for your support, doesn’t come close to the academic support that is offered to Scholarship athletes. the ability to workout around timetables and assignments really does go along way to be successful in both areas of your sport and studies.”

Grace Roberts is just completing her first year of her undergrad in Sports Therapy. Since joining us from up north, Grace has been a member of our Women’s 1st team and the Worcester Wolves

“Being part of the sports scholarship program at the university is a massive privilege that highlights everyone’s hard work and dedication to their sports. The facilities at the university are outstanding as well as the sports therapy and S&C support alongside, so we are able to perform to the best of our ability.”

Matei Balteanu – 3rd year undergraduate student, studying Business and Human Resource Management. Matei plays for our Men’s 1st team and Worcester Wolves.

“Having a scholarship at University of Worcester has enabled me to compete at a high level in my sport, and maintain focus on my studies at the same time. Benefits of being part of the scholarship programme included a personalised strength and conditioning programme, alongside injury clinics which were very helpful throughout the whole season. Especially considering the amount of games and trainings we have. On top of this, the 1 on 1 meetings gave me the possibility to discuss any issues I had regarding sports or academics. I also got to talk with my Scholarship mentor about time management strategies and how to successfully manage both my studies and my sports career.”

Nuri – 3rd year student, studying Sports Exercise and Science. nuri plays for our Women’s 1st team and Worcester Wolves

I have been a sports scholar for 3 years and it has made my experience of playing sports whilst studying smoother, happier and less stressful.

“As a sports scholar at the university I have been able to meet with my scholar tutor and talk about any concerns I’ve had in relation to anything I needed to talk about which really helped alleviating the stress I’ve experienced through out university. It has also been really good for me as I was able to discuss my future steps and what is best for me within what I want. In addition to the personal support from tutors, I have also been able to talk to nutritionist, use the sports therapy team for any injuries I’ve had and the additional funds given by the university have allowed me to get any equipment I needed for the season or university.”

Wil shooting

Wilfrid is a 1st year student, completing a course in Sport Business Management. Wilfrid plays for our Men’s 1st team, while also competing for Worcester Wolves

“The sports scholarship helped me as a student as it’s allowed to purchase things that have benefited me, both on and off the court. Also I have been given nutritional advice which I think has improved my performance.”

I really appreciate being awarded the sports scholarship as it meant I was able to have individual sessions along with team sessions in the gym to work on my performance. Additional along with this we all benefited from having physio sessions each week which helped keep us all fit for game. Overall I think the scholarship program helped me improve both on and off court and I would highly recommend that other students apply.

For information on how to apply for a Sports Scholarhip please click here.

#PartWolf – Estella Maloney-Danvers

Back in April 2021 we caught up with UW Alumni and Worcester Wolves guard Estella to discuss her time as a UW student and the amazing time she had when she signed up for a study abroad scheme. At the time of the interview Estella was waiting to start her MSc here. However due to low numbers of enrolment at Universities across the UK, since the start of the pandemic, some courses were dropped. Unfortunately for Estella and our University women’s Basketball team MSc International Sports Management, was one of them here at UW.

Estella knocking down shots in our inaugural Alumni Summer Slam, where she won our NBA 2Ball competition with Wale Oladipupo

Before attending Worcester, you grew up playing Basketball in your home city of Bristol. Upon graduating from college, what influenced your decision to attend University of Worcester?

I chose UW mainly for the basketball programme, I knew I wanted to continue playing basketball and actually attend a programme where I could develop. I felt I could come here and get minutes. Playing with people that were better than me, such as Grace Brownell, Wura Ijelu and Shanice Turner would push me to develop. By attending University of Worcester, I knew that I’d be challenged daily due to the level of competition.

Also my course wasn’t offered in many places (Estella studied Sports and Exercise Psychology as an Undergraduate), so it made my choice a lot easier. The Basketball being so good and the fact that they offered my course was a win-win. Additionally I was intrigued by the study abroad programme. I wasn’t certain that I wanted to study abroad, however I liked that if I came to UW there would be an option for me to do so.

What was it about the study abroad programme that attracted you?

The reasoning behind it, actually stems from quite a while back. Growing up in the UK playing Basketball, there is almost an expectation that if you’re of a certain calibre, you go the the US. So it’s something that crossed my mind, but going to the US wasn’t for me. However I knew I wanted to go abroad. So I figured, if Basketball wont take me there, then maybe my studies will. Once I’m abroad studying, I’ll then find opportunities to play. In my first year I started to explore and ask questions in regards to how I could make it happen and had conversations with study board advisor at First Point. In my second year I started to take it more seriously, so arranged a meeting with my Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) to discuss options.

I was motivated by the fact that not a lot of sports students access this opportunity and not a lot of people that look like me (Estella is of mixed heritage). Typically, people from my background get places through sport and music, after that we’re not typically exposed to other ways we can see the world, meet new people and learn new cultures. I want to be an example of someone that did it through education.

When I started to attend meetings with other people that wanted to study abroad as well, none of them looked like me and in talking to them, it quickly became apparent we’re from different worlds. I’m from the inner city, I’d have conversations with some and they’d be talk about how they’re parents owned a farm, or that one time when they went on a family holiday to Bali for the whole summer. So I did it for my own satisfaction really and to inspire others – to help others realise there are opportunities out there, it doesn’t have to be sport that takes you there. There’s other ways to see the world and it is worth seeing, regardless of what your background is, or any cultural expectations of what you should achieve.

As we were still in the EU at the time, there are programmes facilitating this opportunity, so I had to act quick to take advantage of that.

So you settled on Amsterdam, what was your reasoning for choosing the world famous city.

Honestly, it wasn’t my first option. My number one criteria was to go somewhere warm. If it’s warm, I’m good. Next was to go somewhere where I could play basketball at a decent level. However that all changed when Amsterdam came up! I actually wanted to the University of Leon, Spain, but they didn’t offer a course in English that I was interested in. Amsterdam is so international as a city, a lot of people were pushing me to go and have a look at what they offered. I was really resisting initially.

You know when you hear Amsterdam, you hear everything that it’s associated with and I didn’t want to be involved in any of that. However I kept an open mind and looked into it. I got in contact with someone from University of Worcester that studied there and they sold it to me. Everything started to fall in to place. Everyone speaks English in Amsterdam and unfortunately I’m not multi-lingual. Another bonus was that Amsterdam is very diverse, which is important to me..

Was it all plain sailing, in regards to preparing to leave for Amsterdam?

There’s a lot to do before you go. University of Worcester were so helpful and supportive throughout the whole process. I’ve always understood the importance building good relationships, this was a time where I needed to utilise those skills. I’m very willing to ask for help if needed. So with the staff I was like, “help me with everything as I don’t know what I’m doing.” I was so stressed waiting to see if I got accepted on to the course in Amsterdam, I thought that when I got accepted the stress would be over … how wrong was I?

Once I got accepted on to the course, it was now time to find a place to live whilst I’m there. As Amsterdam is such a desirable place for tourists, accommodation is scarce. When looking for places to live, student’s don’t get any preferential treatment. You’re in the same queue as regular citizens. So that was really stressful time and you had to just wait and see if you got allocated accommodation. Luckily I did.

My parents came out with me when I moved. A whole induction was set up for us upon our arrival. When I arrived it was quite overwhelming. There’s a lot to do on that first day. You get taken to your accommodation, fill in forms, for insurance, citizenship, bank account etc. There was so much stuff! When I finally got taken to my accommodation, that’s when it felt real for me, like THIS IS IT. My parents stayed with me for a week, then I was on my own!!!

The first few weeks were amazing! They put on a lot of events for the international students, which helps you to settle in. As you realise you’re not alone. There were around 2000 international students. We got split into groups of 10-12 for our activities, for the week. I’m smiling cause it brings back so much good memories!! Each day we’d do something different for our induction. On day one we went to the zoo, the next day we had Dutch lessons and a tour of central Amsterdam.

Estella with her friends
Friends For Life

It was amazing because you’ve got people from all over the world together in these groups, sharing this experience. We’re all here alone, but having this opportunity to connect with people instantly took the pressure off. Luckily for me I found two people that were doing the same course as me. The odds for that are so slim. Out of 2000 people, 2 other internationals were in my class. We were pretty much inseparable from that point and we’re still great friends to this day.

So playing Basketball here in the UK, I know it’s been a big part of your life. One of the drivers in your decision to study here at Worcester. How did you get involved in Basketball in Amsterdam?

I didn’t realise how unpopular Basketball was in Netherlands. I knew they have done well at international level, especially 3×3. In terms of leagues, competitions at amateur level there didn’t appear to be a lot of exposure. Information wasn’t easily accessible or easily sought. It was quite tough to begin with, as I didn’t understand the leagues. Finding a team took a long time. Information was so scarce. I actually gave up trying to understand it online and was hoping I’d figure it out once I got there. Luckily I found one through University and signed up. They suggested I attend a trial.

The trial went well. You could see they had their first team set already, but I managed to get on to the first team court, which was good. They seemed to like me, I played well that day. A French girl, who I’d met that day, we formed like this dynamic duo, we just clicked. In regards to Basketball, I didn’t have an expectation of where I was going to fit in, I just wanted to play. Before I left for Amsterdam, I’d had a rough time with Basketball, I didn’t feel I was reaching my potential. So going out to Amsterdam was good for me, so making it onto the first team court was good for me and my confidence. However I didn’t make the final selection for the first team. I made the second team, which was full of really nice people, who were all so welcoming. We just had a great time together, on and off the court

Estella with her team in Amsterdam

Me being selected to the second team, put me in a better position to enjoy my time in Amsterdam. The league was the equivalent of, say local league or WNBL 2. I seemed to play more freely and more creative there. The whole experience made me fall back in love with basketball. There was no expectation, our league was competitive but not as serious. One of my teammates, similar to myself in the way she played. We played really well together and seem to compliment each other. I found out that in the Netherlands their sporting experiences exist outside of education. So if you want to play sport you have to join clubs – so that’s what we did. When I told them about what it was like in English Universities and BUCS they found it fascinating.

It made me appreciate all we have available to us here, as students. At University level we have BUCS and obviously here (University of Worcester) we have so many opportunities. It made me very reflective of how privileged we are to be in a programme like this. People come to University of Worcester and think it’s the norm and it’s really not.

Estella driving to the basket
Estella driving to the basket, during Alumni Summer Slam 2021

Tell us more about the experience of studying abroad and how has the experience impacted you?

I studied hard whilst there and completed my studies in two semesters as I wanted to complete an internship. In all honesty I felt like to get to where I want to get to in life, I need more. Whilst the studying is great, I wanted to experience something more hands-on. Going out there, I also wanted to study something completely random. Something I’ve always wanted to do but maybe never exposed to. I chose International Sports management as my course at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Estella graduated in BSc Sports and Exercise Psychology from University of Worcester), which completely opened my eyes to see other dimensions of sport from an organisational level. This shifted the direction of my intended career path.

I’ve always been the player, but having this experience has made me realise 1) I’m more than just an athlete and 2) there so many transferrable skills from basketball to the working life. I knew these skills would help me professionally too. There’s also a lot of different roles within the sporting industry that I just wasn’t aware of, which isn’t really explained while your at University. As an example, I was studying Sports & Exercise Psychology, the goal or the only thing anyone talks about is becoming a Psychologist in sport. However by having this experience, I’ve realised I can apply, what I’ve learnt in Psychology modules in other areas, within sport. For me its the best thing I could have done, I’m so grateful that I switched to International Sports Management.

Coupled with that, the way studying is designed made a huge difference too. Here, whilst we have placements, there is less emphasis on placements/experience whilst your studying in some cases. The people I had met were also 3rd year students, however they were already on their 5th/6th internship as it’s a part of their study. To top it off, they’re encouraged to go abroad to complete their placements. For example, one person I met had an internship in Indonesia and another in Australia. So it really reinforced for me, that for where I want to get to, I need to do more. Being around people that are doing those things and making those connections, pushed me towards progressing my own experiences rather than relying on an educational system that seems so rigid at times. But yes, the studying is really cool. Whilst I was there, we went on a field trip to Alba Berlin ( German Pro team who compete in Bundersliga), we went to the Olympic stadium, visited Papendal (Olympic training centre/boarding school for school-age elite athletes across all sports), had a guest tlk with a cutting edge sports-tech expert who was trialling new technology with pro-football teams throughout Europe and did a couple other cool educational/touristy things. It was sick.

I spent the first two semesters studying really hard. Doing my best to complete my assignments within those first 2 semesters. I had my sights on using semester 3 for my internship. I was advised against this, but I had my heart set on it. So I went for it!

I actually found the way course was structured a lot easier so it allowed me to focus more. One of my lecturers was a former basketball player who was well connected. He would invite different guest speakers in each week. One week we had an NBA scout for South America speaking to us, the next week we had Netherlands Head Coach of the Women’s Basketball team. When I saw the Netherlands Head Coach, I took the opportunity to speak with him. I was asking him about the possibility of completing my internship with their organisation. I was extremely nervous in approaching him, as he’s the National team Head Coach. We exchanged contact details and emailed him the next day. When I received my reply, I was offered an interview at the Dutch federation.

When I attended the interview they thought I wanted to get experience from a coaching perspective, but I let them know it was more about the business and organisational experience. I spent the next few months making connections with UK universities working to provide players with opportunities to study abroad, other than the US. I wasn’t able to complete my time there as the pandemic hit and I had to come home ,so my internship was completed remotely

Stella posing in her graduation gown

Now Estella is back in the UK, she’s eager to put all she has learnt to good use. Estella is playing with the Worcester Wolves whilst completing an MSc in Sports Management. By her own admission this is not something she would have done, had she not have gone to Amsterdam. “With everything I’ve learnt, I’m so excited to study, I cant want to get started. The experience has put me in a position where I can go in to my masters feeling more confident, than I would have. I want to work with Student Athletes in a University setting, I’ve gained a lot of transferrable skills that I feel I can develop.

For information on Study Abroad opportunities available at University of Worcester, please click here

1pt victories for our Wolves

Guard Caroline Marques made one of two FT’s to seal the victory for our Wolves women against Barking Abbey Lions. Lions lead by Fatmata Janneh’s double double of 31pts 10rebs were doing their best to make a comeback. Actually outscored our Wolves in the 4th, 12-10. Would have been 12-9 and possibly earning an extra period of play, had Caroline not have nailed the second of her two free throws.

Nunez missed the midrange jump shot, from a well executed out of bounds play. The long rebound was claimed by Marques, who was fouled on the drive to the basket.

Our Wolves are now in 6th position in WNBL 1 and face Nottingham Trent University who at this stage of the season are still looking for their first league victory. For full game report please click here

Worcester Wolves 70-69 Stourport Spartans

On to Sunday where our Men’s team escaped from the LQ Arena with the victory. A couple 3pt shots from Wilfrid Santhe were enough to see our Men maintain their unbeaten record (4-0)

Our guys started off strong, winning the first quarter 19-13, with Austin hitting 3 3pt shots in the opening period. The resiliant Spartans fought back winning the second quarter by 1 (19-18). Wolves still had a decent lead, closing the first half 36-28. Wolves were unable to shake off their local rivals, who pressed for most of the contest. Big second half by Wilfird Santhe who scored 14 of his 18 in the final 2 quarters helped keep Spartans at bay and giving Wolves the victory. Game report can be read here

The men’s team now sit a top of NBL 3 (Midlands region) with a 4-0 record tied with another set of Wolves who reside north of the M5.

#LetsGoWorcester

Wolves 91-58 Nottingham Hoods

Our Wolves Men finished their game with a convincing 4th quarter. Closing the game out with a 34pt haul. Lead by Wilfrid Santhe who poured in 14 of his 19pts in the final period. Third year student Matei Balteanu had another strong performance, leading all Wolves players in scoring with 21pts. Tom Grayling returned from injury and contributed 17pts off the bench, with some tough interior plays no his debut.

For full game report click here

Our Men’s 3rd make it two win’s in a row!

Our Men’s 3rd team were again victorious. This week they beat Coventry Men’s 2nd team 57-48 in a 3pm fixture. Meanwhile our Men’s 2nd were undermanned in their Midlands 2B game against Coventry Men’s 1st team. With the final score of 72-66, our Men’s 2nd are still searching for their first victory in the conference. Our Men’s 1st team travelled back up the M1 this week, to take on Newcastle University. A much better performance saw our guys, get within 5pts of the league leaders but were unable to get any closer. Click on the links below to see quarter scores on game reports

Coventry University 1 72-66 University of Worcester Men’s 2nd

Coventry University Men’s 2 48-57 University of Worcester Men’s 3rd

Newcastle University Men’s 1st 71-63 University of Worcster Men’s 1st

Our 3rd team are first to victory

After last weeks close defeat against Aston 1sts, the University of Worcester men’s Bucs 3rd’s were hungry for retribution as they welcomed a travelling Warwick 2nd’s team into the Arena.

Warwick started the game upbeat after winning the tip-off and getting right to the basket for and easy 2pt’s. Worcester responded through a basketball of their own via Alex Brine who would go on to make further impacts throughout the game. Warwick however, also coming off a defeat, showed their desire from the start punishing Worcester from miss placed passes and miscommunication on defence giving them a 1pt lead going into the half.  

Coming out of the half saw a “deja vu” moment as both teams traded baskets to start the second half. Similarly to the first half, Warwick took advantage of their opportunities leading 45-43 going into the 4th.  

Nevertheless, the Worcester team that ended the 3rd qtr, were not the same team who started the 4th. Worcester pressed on in the 4th boasting a more physical and energetic demeanour. Clutch plays on defence easy fast break lay-ups Alex Brine, Nathan Gallagher and Keon Dunphy. Down the stretch, unanswered 12pts from Worcester helped them close the game out nicely.

Coach Kieran had this to say

“WOW, What a game of basketball! All kinds of emotions were seen through the game from angry, sad and finally happy. All in all am I happy about the win, yes without a doubt but for sure it made clear what we need to work on and we shall do just that. Big credit to Warwick who were relentless throughout the game and never gave us a chance to get going. Like last week, this game is done with and we push on to learn from our mistakes and prepare for Coventry the next time around.”

Coach Kieran also hailed Alex Brine for his outstanding scoring through the game and his infectious confidence throughout.

The 67-56 victory over Warwick University, places them in 3rd position in Midlands 3A. As they’re only one of two teams to have played 2 games yet.

Also on Wednesday our women’s team fell to a dominant Nottingham Trent University team 75-58. Whilst our Men’s 1st lost their away fixture to Northumbria 67-52.

DJT ‘The Professional’

Ahead of our Men’s 1st team game this evening vs Northumbria University. Kieran Howell caught up with University of Worcester Alumni Daniel Johnson-Thompson, to find out how life is after Worcester.

KH “How’s life and what’s It like up North?

DJT “Yeah I’m doing great. Life up north is good, the city is beautiful. Obviously, Newcastle is bigger then what I’m used to. Having two universities in close contact with each other and the abundance of young people/students around is nice.”

KH “From all the memories of being at Worcester, which one sticks out the most?“

DJT “The biggest memory for me would probably be when the BUCS 1st team won the Division 1 Cup and got promoted back up to BUCS Prem. I remember that season being intense and at times down to the wire…..but in the end we got it done.”

KH “What’s the one thing you miss about being in Worcester?”

DJT “My friends for sure. I made so many friends both on and off the court. Even down to the guys who worked around the arena or in the cafeteria. These guys were really nice people. They didn’t have to be nice to me but they showed me love and for that I am grateful.”

“Daniel is a perfect ambassador for what we’re trying to create here at Northumbria. He’s a model student athlete and great young man! He’s developing well at the Eagles and Coach Macleod sees him as a future piece that they are investing in. We’re looking to mould him to carry on the torch from Darius Defoe a few years down the line” says Northumbria Coach and former Newcastle Eagles player Drew Lasker

KH “You’ve spent a good chunk of time at the University including training and competing with the Worcester Wolves, If you could go back and do it all again what one piece of advice would you give yourself?“

DJT “I’d probably tell myself to do A LOT more rehabilitation work, especially had I known how much I would be playing up North. One more piece of advice would be to be more fearless on the court and really put myself out there especially within the BBL. Fearless not in a bad way of course but when you receive the ball have the confidence to read and react to the situation in front of you and take advantages when they appear.”

KH “You were required to put a lot of work in both on and off the court. When off the court, what do you like to do to wind down and relax?”

DJT “I’m a big gamer, as most kids who grew up in my generation are. I play all kinds of games from FIFA, Call of Duty and Fortnite….not trying to boast but am pretty nasty on the sticks. I remember vividly finishing my lectures, practise and S+C training in a day, and with that little bit of energy I had left, just going to game with the boys. I wouldn’t say I was addicted but once all my jobs are ticked off for the day are done, theirs only one thing on my mind.”

KH “Unfortunately in tonight’s game you’ll be on the opposing side but how are you looking forward to coming back to Worcester?”

DJT “I’m actually really looking forward to coming back to Worcester to play and see all my friends  and Coach Blake even if it means I have to drop a few buckets on everyone….No but for real Tonight should be a great game full of energy and excitement. For sure I’ll be smiling throughout but ultimately I’m looking for the win so all hands of deck when tip off comes around.”

KH “I think now its safe to call yourself a full-time professional basketball player. You had good minutes last year under Coach Newby with the Wolves and now with the Newcastle Eagles. What is one thing that is everything you thought it would be about the business of Basketball and one thing that sort of brings you back to reality, a harsh truth even?

DJT “I always have the mentality of not being an underdog per say but more of being a realist. I am under no illusion that right now I’m closer to being a professional then I was yesterday, but my journey is still a long one and I’m taking it one step at a time. At the minute I understand my minutes are coming from injuries and covid related issues but I’m trying to take full advantage of them. I look forward to the day when I can earn my own minutes without them being related to injuries or other barriers.”

I think for me the fans and support you receive as a professional is everything I dreamed of. People asking for signatures/pictures or just people saying great game on the weekend. The harsh reality for me is the unpredictability of of the sport and business. For example I played little minutes at the beginning of the season and now I’m practically playing 35+ minutes which is a quick turn around and if your not ready for that then you learn very quickly that you’re playing with the best of the best within this country which can be intimidating for some.

I’m full aware that there are a limited amount of roster spots on a limited amount of teams within the league so competing and working hard enough this year is directly going to effect what happens next year. The harsh reality is that not everyone is going to make it but I believe am putting myself in the brightest of lights to do so.”

Tonights game tips off at 8pm Sport Central. Daniel returns to Worcester for the first time with his new teammates on Wednesday 1st December

Worcester Wolves 60-72 Anglia Ruskin

Our Worcester Wolves women suffer their second loss in a row. Losing at home on Saturday to Anglia Ruskin University. The result leaves the team in 6th place in WNBL 1, with 2 win’s and 2 losses. Our women started the game well and finished the 1st quarter neck and neck with ARU 19-19. Closing the 1st half down by 5. A big 3rd quarter from ARU, coupled with Wolves lack a of focus saw the game open up and ARU taking a 54-39 lead going into the 4th. A late surge from our women saw them gain some momentum, but it was a little too late as ARU were able to hold on to their lead winning the fixture by 12. Full game report can be found here

The team get to bounce back next week when they face Thames Valley Cavaliers. The game tips off at 4pm at the University of Worcester Arena. Followed at 7pm when our men return to NBL 3 action when they take on Nottingham Hoods ll. To purchase tickets for the double header, click here

Wednesday Woes for our teams

Another night of losses in BUCS competitions as our 3 Men’s teams lost their games. Our Men’s 1st team travelled to Manchester for a 5pm tip off. A strong start saw them end the 1st quarter 23-16. However a resilient Mets team who boasted current Manchester Giant and former Wolves favourite Jordan Whelan, lead at half time 37-36.

we won the 3rd quarter by 3. But not giving up, Manchester closed the 4th 17-15 in the final minute, earning overtime. With Lucas McGregor (8pts) out due to an ankle injury and Matei Balteanu (12pts) fouled out, we failed to capitalise losing the extra period 2-8. Sealing the victory for the home team.

Bucs’s 3 Men went up against a strong Aston University side. Who boasted an abundance of height and a full bench. Regardless, our Men’s 3rd team started the game strong with some nice ball movement leading to an open 3pt shot. This momentum ensued as UW lead the game from start till mid-way in the 4th. The loss of 2 keys players in James-Lee and Keon Dunphy however proved to be decisive, allowing for Aston to pull away at the very end.

Coach Kieran had this to say

“All in all I am happy with the performance we showed for our first game. I explained to my players before the game that this will tell me a lot about this team and everyone individually….it did not disappoint. Regardless of the loss, we stayed true to ourselves and showed signs of pure class on the court. This game however is over with now and we go again next week so all eyes are set on that. Congrats to Aston for a great game but we’ll be back.”

Coach Kieran hailed the performances of all his players but pointed out Dylan Drew for his outstanding contributions on the court despite not originally being selected in the squad. Looks like the rematch at Aston shall be a real spectacle.

Next week our Men’s 1st team take an up north trip to Northumbria, still in search of their first win of the season. The game will see us take on UW Basketball Alumni Daniel Johnson-Thompson, for the first time since he transferred in the summer.

Whilst our Women face off against Nottingham Trent University in the first of the evenings home games at 6pm. Followed by an 8pm tip off, for our Men’s 3rd team who play Warwick University 2nd’s.

Wolves Women, week of preparation

In last weeks action our women competed for Worcester Wolves in WNBL1 action. Their Sunday road game trip saw them come away with their first away victory of the season against Reading Rockets

For full game report click here

This week see’s perennial title contenders Anglia Ruskin University visit University of Worcester Arena for the weekend fixture. With a 2-1 record in the early stages of the league after Sundays victory under their belt, we briefly caught up with Coach Ryan to get his thoughts on the week’s preparations.

What have you taken from the Reading victory

We’ve made considerable strides in our team defense. We still need to work on limiting our turnovers, if we really want to compete with the upper tier of the league in BUCS and WNBL 1.

How’s team preparation been this week?

It’s been productive, with high levels of energy and effort within all our sessions this week. We’re in a good place, ready to compete at the weekend. Working on the thing’s I mentioned earlier, the team understand where we need to be better. They’ve pushed each other in the right way to improve in those areas.

How do the team feel not having to play back to back due to Derbyshire Diamonds forfeiting their cup fixture?

The game was another opportunity to get better and play basketball. However, not having the fixture really allowed us to give more attention to ARU, as well as giving the players more opportunity to rest, recover physically and mentally. The week ahead will be challenging with a game against Nottingham Trent on Wednesday 27th October and then Thames Valley Cavaliers on Saturday 30th October.

Is there an update on when guard Anna Trett will return to action?

She’s under the concussion protocol and will return when that process has taken it’s course and she’s cleared by our teams medical staff.

As always we wish Ryan and the Worcester Wolves Women all the best in their game. The WNBL1 game vs Anglia Ruskin University tips off 4pm at University of Worcester Arena, Saturday 23rd October

For tickets for Worcester Wolves games, please click here

Wolves douse the flames

Our Worcester Wolves, claimed their second victory in NBL Division 3, beating Coventry Flames, 58-64. Leading from the start of the game, our Wolves men, would at times extend the lead into double digits. However, like a blazing fire, Coventry wouldn’t go away. Their relentlessness kept them in the game. Whether it was offensive rebounds, or a flurry of 3 pointers, the flames kept threatening to singe the tails of our Wolves.

Austin Payne again lead our scoring with 22pts, McGregor followed up with 11 and guard Santhe had 9pts.

For a full game report click here

Or if you’d like to watch the game again you can always click the link below as the game was live streamed on Coventry Flames YouTube Channel.

BUCS BASKETBALL IS BACK

Wow!! What an 18 months we’ve all endured!!! But we’re here and so is BUCS Basketball. As I sit here writing this, we’re are 4 days away from tip off! Our four teams all tip off on Wednesday 13th October. I’m excited and so are all our staff and players!

Our Women have the first game of the day with a 5pm tip-off at Nottingham University. Coach Ryan and the women can’t wait to get on the court donning the University Blue and white, it’s been a while!

Our Men’s 3rd team were due to play their first home game this week but that game has now been rescheduled. Their first home game is now Wednesday 20th October when they take on Aston University. Our new Men’s 3rd team Coach Kieran Howell, is as excited as everyone to get back to competitive play.

Our Men’s 1st team are now the only home game of the evening, when they face Loughborough University! Big man Shaun Parren-Rackley said “We’ve been practicing and preparing. Loughborough lost their first game of the season, so I’m certain they will want to bounce back straight away and get back to winning ways. So we have to be ready!!”

The final game of the evening see our Men’s 2nd team travel up the M5 to take on University of Wolverhampton.