Tag: Sport

Wilfrid makes the squad

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.

Wide Open

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#Togetheron3 #LetsGoWorcester

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

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