The Men’s 1st Team delivered a uncharacteristic performance to defeat Southampton University 69–51. From the opening tip, UW were clearly the better team. Setting the tone defensively, controlling the paint and forcing Southampton into difficult shots. Coach Dean, decided to rotate players in quite quickly, so starters Wilfrid and Earl featureed very little. A balanced offensive effort kept the hosts in front throughout.
Seidina lead scoring for the second week with 14pts. Followed by KJ Steadman, who came off the bench for 12pts.
With the result, UW now advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face Bournemouth University in February in what promises to be a high-intensity matchup.
The University of Worcester’s Basketball programme is gearing up for a thrilling run of fixtures. All five university teams set to take to the court in key league and cup matchups. From crucial home games to important cup ties. The closing months of 2025 will be full of action for fans of Worcester basketball.
Men’s 2nd Team – Midlands Conference Cup Showdown (Wednesday 12th November)
The action begins on Wednesday 12th November. Our Men’s 2nd team host Loughborough University Men’s 4th team in the Midlands Conference Cup. Still looking for their first victory, our Men will be looking to get some momentum going.
Men’s 1st Team – Return to Action vs Birmingham City University (Wednesday 19th November)
The Men’s 1st team make their return to BUCS league action on Wednesday 19th November against Birmingham City University. With weeks of preparation under their belt, Worcester will be eager to showcase their trademark intensity and teamwork. This matchup is expected to be a high-energy encounter, and the home crowd’s support could prove vital as the 1st team looks to continue their winning form.
Men’s 2nd Team – Home Battle with Aston University (Wednesday 19th November)
Also on Wednesday 19th November, the Men’s 2nd team take to the court at home to face Aston University Men’s 1st team. The 2nd have been making progress in practice. A win here would mark a key step forward for the team as they aim to finish the term strongly in league play.
Women’s 1st Team – Clash with Oxford University (Wednesday 3rd December)
The Women’s 1st team return to the court with a challenging fixture against Oxford University Women’s 1st team on Wednesday 3rd December. This matchup will test Worcester’s defensive resilience and fast-paced offence, as they face one of the top academic and athletic institutions in the country. Expect a competitive game with plenty of tactical battles on both ends of the court.
Women’s 2nd Team – Home Game vs Aston University (Wednesday 10th December)
Rounding out the term’s action, the Women’s 2nd team will face Aston University Women’s 1st team on Wednesday 10th December. The 2nds have built strong chemistry this season and will be eager to finish 2025 on a high note. Playing at home, they’ll look to use their energy and teamwork to secure a win.
Men’s 3rd Team – take on Aston University Men’s 2nd (Wednesday 10th December)
It’s been a tough start for our 3rd team. But they will be looking to close semester 1 with a win under their belt.
Come down and help push the teams to victory! #TogetherOn3 #LetsGoWorcester
A commanding performance from our Men’s 1st team saw them advance to Round 3 of the National Trophy. Controlling the game from the tip, our team dominated every quarter to get the decisive result.
Our Men established their dominance and intensity, jumping out to an early 22-9 lead. more of the same in teh second quarter as the pressure continued and we extended the margin. By winning the second quarter 17-14 and carrying a strong advantage into half time.
Worcester tightened things up defensively in the 3rd quarter. Allowing Loughborough to score 11 points, whilst putting 24points on the board themselves.
Loughborough attempted to rally in the fourth by scoring 23 points. The most of any of the 4 periods. Not to be outdone, our guys put up 26 points to seal the deal.
Final Score 89-57
Round 3 will be played on Wednesday 26th November as we take on Southampton University.
Huge week for UW Basketball as two of our teams tip of their tournament campaigns. With pride and silverware on the line. Expect high energy and intensity as both teams look to advance.
Men’s 1st vs Loughborough 3’s – National Trophy Round 1 – 6pm at University of Worcester Arena
Men’s 1st open their National Trophy campaign with a thrilling matchup. Whilst this is Loughborough’s 3rd team, they are stacked full of talent. All of whom, will be eager to make their mark and capture their first win of the season.
Our Men will be looking to continue a good early start to the season. 2-0 in league competition a win in the first round will keep that early momentum going.
Men’s 2 vs Loughborough 4 – National Cup Round 2 – 8pm at University of Worcester Arena
Our Men’s 2nd team are still searching for their first win of the season. In this win or go home tournament, our side will be coming to battle.
Loughborough 4’s currently reside in Midlands 2A. Our Men who compete in 3A will be looking to giant killers in this fixture. So all the pressure is on the away team. Whilst our Men will be throwing everything at them to advance.
The University of Worcester (UW) Women’s Basketball team has been named UWSport Team of the Week. The honour comes, following their impressive first-round victory in the National Trophy, where they triumphed over Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
The matchup was a highly anticipated one. With both sides looking to make a strong start to their cup campaigns. UW came out determined and disciplined. Displaying excellent teamwork and defensive effort to secure the win. Allowing them to advance to the next round.
First-year guard Ciani Montgomery reflected on the achievement and the recognition that came with it, saying,
“It’s an honour to be selected for team of the week and advance to the next round of the cup. We’re working hard each day. So we’re grateful for the recognition. There’s still more to do and improve. So, we’re staying locked in every step of the way.”
The team’s efforts during practice was showcased on Wednesday. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, UW maintained composure and executed their game plan with precision.
Forward Heather Maxwell also expressed her pride in the team’s progress. Heather, noted the effort that has gone into their preparation:
“We’re very thankful, as it was a tough game! To be able to get the result we did, just shows all our hard work in practice is paying off.”
The win marks an encouraging start to UW’s National Trophy journey. As they prepare for the next round, the squad remains focused on building momentum and continuing to represent the University of Worcester with pride and determination.
With strong performances across the roster and a clear sense of unity. UW Basketball’s latest accolade is a testament to their dedication—both on and off the court.
The University of Worcester Women’s 1st Team made a strong start to their National Trophy campaign, defeating Nottingham Trent University Women’s 1st Team with an impressive 65–43 victory in the first-round fixture.
In a game marked by composure, teamwork, and intensity. UW took control early and never looked back. Despite Head Coach Alexis being sidelined due to illness. The team didn’t miss a beat being lead by Catarina Seixas. Guiding them to a confident and commanding performance.
A powerful first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, as Worcester’s defensive pressure and fast-paced offense created early separation on the scoreboard. The team’s togetherness on both ends of the floor was evident, with every player contributing to sustained energy and focus throughout all four quarters.
UW maintained their lead from start to finish, combining sharp execution on offense with disciplined team defense. The result reflected the squad’s depth, chemistry, and commitment to their shared goals.
After the game, Coach Catarina Seixas praised the team’s resilience and unity:
“The players showed incredible character today. They stayed connected, focused and stuck to our game plan from start to finish. It was a complete team effort.”
With this convincing win, the University of Worcester Women’s 1st Team move confidently into the next round of the National Trophy.
After a five-year absence from competition, our Women’s 2nd Basketball Team made a winning return yesterday. securing 57-42 victory in their opening game of the 2025 season. The game marked a proud moment for the club, as the team took to the court for the first time since the 2019/20 campaign. Third year student Poppy Golderled the way with an impressive 21 points, showcasing her skill and leadership. In the teams first outing of the season.
Coach Liliana Comments – “Whilst we have a lot to improve on, I’m happy with the win. Happy that we were able to bring back a women’s 2nd team to the basketball programme and start the season on a high,” said Coach Liliana. “The team are working hard, they’re having fun, which are keys for a successful season.”
Birmingham City University 79 – 87 University of Worcester – Doug Ellis Sports Centre
Our Men’s 1st team got their season off to a winning start. The home team started the game off in typical fashion. High pressure defence, causing turnovers. Creating fast paced offense. Lead by Sam Toluwase they dominated the first two periods of play. Winning the first quarter 24-20. Closed the half leading by 17 (50-33).
A strong first quarter from our Men, saw them eat into the deficit and take the lead. 62-59 to start the fourth quarter. BCU were not going to be denied and fought back. However our Men edged the fourth and final period by 5pts. Leaving Birmingham with an 8pt victory.
Earl Burgess lead the team with 24pt 8rebs. Taking home Player of the Game for Week 1.
University of Worcester Women’s 1 77 – 58 Loughborough Women’s 2
Our women dominated from the tip to the buzzer. With an all round strong performance. Stand out performance from Anya Easton, earner her Player of the Game honours for week 1
Our Men’s second team travelled away to Aston University, losing 59-47. Whilst our Men’s 3rd team took on BCU 2 at home who stormed to victory (117-47)
After another strong statistical season. Wilfrid was voted to the British Team of the Year for NBL2 North, announced by Basketball England announced Wednesday 23rd April. Wilfrid is the first Wolves player (post COVID) to earn a team of the year nod. Having won Defensive Player of the Year for the 22-23 season. Making it the second time Santhe has been voted by opposing coaches in the NBL.
“I’m grateful to be chosen by the other coaches in the league. It’s a testament to the hard work and time invested by Coach Lucio over the past summers during workouts and Coach Dean for all the help over the past season,” Wilfrid said upon seeing the post on instagram.
With team leading 5.7 apg (2nd in the league) 2.4stpg (4th in the north conference) and scoring averages of 15.2ppg. Coach Dean was pleased for Wilfrid “We’ve always believed we have one of the best guards in the league. Knowing Wilfrid’s aspirations, it’s great that other coaches recognise his abilities also. I know how hard he works and the sacrifices he makes. I’m sure he’ll be pleased, but he wont be satisfied.”
We spoke with Coach Lucio on the phone, who was beaming with praise, for the London based guard.
It’s fantastic to see Wilfrid Santhe recognised with this well deserved nomination. Having coached Wilfrid as a junior and now during the offseason I’ve witnessed his growth. His commitment, resilience and his relentless work ethic to master the details and fundamentals have been essential. Wilfrid is not only a standout player. He is also one of the most humble and empathetic individuals I’ve had the privilege to coach. This nomination feels completely right! It reflects both the player and the person he continues to grow into. I’m incredibly proud of him.
The 4th year PG leads Worcester Wolves in games played (65) career points (666) and career assists (255). In addition to leading in steals (109) and rebounds (235). “Wilfrid has worked hard from the moment he got here as a first year student. So in some ways, him leading in all these categories is no surprise.” said Coach Dean.
Wilfrid winning the award means that a Wolves player has been recognised for an award each of the four seasons the team has competed in the NBL. In the 2023-24 season Humberto Ferrier won Defensive Player of the Year. The 2022-23 season saw Wilfrid win DPOY honours. Our first year returning to the NBL saw Coach Dean win Coach of the Year and Lucas McGregor win Player of the Year.
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.”
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.
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
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’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!”
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
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 “
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
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!!
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
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.
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
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 LeagueFinal 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, pleaseclick here
