Winchester Warriors Basketball Team

After a successful 2008/09 season when the Warriors gained promotion to solent league division 1 finishing 3rd in division 2 with a 15-3 record. The team where unable to take their place in division 1 (see message from the Chairman below).

 Winchester Warriors

 23^rd October 2009

Dear All,

There has been a lot of speculation regarding the situation with the Warriors this season, which I have tried to keep you all updated with information, and apologise if not. Please allow me to fill you in on what the situation is, and how we propose to move forward from this point.

I am very sorry to say, that after the great success of the Warriors, the team that started the whole club, has had to withdraw from the Division 1 place they earned last season with promotion, for this coming 2009-2010 season.

The reason for this is a mixture of bad timing and what is best for the club development moving forward. Believe me when I say, this was not a decision we came to lightly, and did everything in our power to prevent, from myself, to Rich to the teams coach Kev Chase.

As soon as the team were promoted, we set about building on the great team we had, using talent from within the club, and holding trials for new players. Unfortunately, over the summer, many of the original team left due to personal reasons, ranging from relocating across the country, or going to university to starting a family – which left only two of the original team remaining. So, we began trying to rebuild a squad to fulfil our promotion place, and get the best out of the season at the highest level of competition in the Solent Area.

However, as the summer training progressed, it became apparent that we were running into problems getting a consistent attendance for the team to gel cohesively enough, and  running out of time for Kev to work with them, to realistically compete in Div. 1. Despite great effort by many of you, and all of your dedication and commitment, it was felt there would be nothing to gain from throwing you all together and expecting you to compete with teams that have been together for years, so in the interest of club development, decided to pull the team from Div. 1.

Please be assured, this decision was in no way based on, or reflects any opinions of the skill level of the players themselves, but on factors listed above, as well as that ever impending fight we have regarding distribution of our funding.

Where do we go from here? We have no intention of losing the Warriors altogether, and so aim to turn this into a development team, and start rebuilding them with our newest players, giving them the environment to develop their skills, and game experience.

We may be entering the Warriors into Solent Division 3 this season, but I am currently awaiting a decision from the SABA Committee on that matter at the present time.

Either way, starting from 26^th October there will be a Warriors training session on Wednesday evenings at Princes Mead from 8pm to 10pm, and they will also be part of the joint club fitness and scrimmage session on Sundays between 11am and 1pm at Kings School.

The plan will then be that you will be training regularly, and we will be organizing regular friendly games with teams all around the league that we can, so you will still get to play games – either in a league, or not, this season. Then of course, at the end of March 2010, we will again be running our very own WBL league, which will be bigger and better than ever before.

If you choose to be part of this new team, you will still have to pay a registration fee, except it will be the lesser fee of £20, to cover us registering you with English Basketball so that you and the club are insured correctly for the year. Your monthly subs will be £15 per month, and any games you play, will be strictly a ‘pay as you play’ basis, on the day of the games themselves.

If you are interested in being part of this new team, please let me know ASAP, and as always don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have regarding any of the above.

See you all soon, and thank you for your ongoing support and commitment.

Regards,

Dean Carey

Chairman

Tel: 07772 884985

E-Mail: deanc35@live.co.uk

Warriors Scoring Stats 2008/09

Former Warriors

Kev Chase – Head Coach – Kev reads the game of basketball very well, which make him a great player, but also a very interesting choice as coach. His first season in charge, the team are very excited to see what Kev can do with his wealth of basketball knowledge and experience coupled with the talent he has at his disposal.

Grant Smith – F – Grant is an exceptional basketball player, who has played at all levels of competition over many years. He joined us from the Trailblazers National League team last season, as he has many friends within the club. Grant is very clever with the basketball, a very good shooter, he plays the game with a lot of patience, and searches for the right shots to take – either for himself or his team mates. He reads teams and players well, making him a smart defender who forces a lot of turnovers. Was named MVP of Warriors last season, as well as the WBL’s MVP during the 2006/07 season. A popular guy amongst the team, Grant is one of the leaders of this team, in it’s drive to success this season.

Rob Economopoulos – G – Rob joined the team over the summer, and has quickly taken on a leadership role, working closely with Kev on the structure and direction of the team. Rob is a basketball enthusiast, who looks to always improve on his impressive understanding of all aspects of the game, and is proving a great help. As a player, he is a great on court general who knows when to run offences with patience, and when to push the ball at the other team. Extremely quick up and down the court, he can take offences apart, cause turnovers and create quick points with ease. Has an amazing eye for the pass, and is always aware of what the players in front of him are doing. Is very strong, and despite his size, can drive to the basket with ease, no matter who is in his way. We welcome a player of Robs experience and skill to the team, and have no doubt he will help push the Warriors to that next level.

Ben Cox – G – Ben was captain of the Warriors in their first and second season. A player with great skill, he is always ready to give it his all. Ben is so smooth and quick dribbling the ball, that you’d think the ball was attached to his hand. Comfortable at the point guard position, with his ball handling and passing skills, he is also a prolific scorer with the ability to take guys to the hole with no problem and can finish from anywhere on the court he shoots from. A great guy, a great talent, Ben should be a big factor in the Warriors campaign this year.

Mark Bernhardt – G – What’s not to say about ‘The German’? Mark has been with the club since the beginning. He was named MVP of the Warriors Div 3 Championship season, as well as taking on head coaching responsibilities last season. Mark is devoted to health and fitness, and is a very positive and encouraging influence on his team mates (he even wrote Basketball Fitness & Nutrition guides, available within the site). As a player, Mark is outstanding, he knows all of the fundamentals inside out, which make him a very intense defender, he is adept dribbling and finishing with either his left or right hand, and can shoot from anywhere on the court to a high percentage. Hopefully, he will get to really enjoy this season as just a player, which is richly deserved from all the extra effort he has put into the club over the years.

Paul Marsland – F/C – ‘Big Paul’ will be joining us for his second season, however is currently getting over a leg injury. Tall, strong, experienced player, he dominates the inside on offence and defence, but is also very good at creating opportunities for the players around him, setting picks, or dropping the right passes to the guards and forwards alike. A very nice bloke, we look forward to seeing Paul back on the court soon.

Grant Mauluka – G/F – Just beginning his first season, Grant is a young guy with a lot of promise. Very quick around the court, he is great on the break, and driving around any man he comes across to the basket. Add to this an extraordinary leaping ability, making him a great rebounder, especially on offence, scoring tip-ins with ease and you have a superb all-around player. Grant has fit very well into the Warriors from the beginning, and will only get better, which is quite a scary prospect considering how good he already is.

Pete Leonard – G/F – Another young player trained by Mark Bernhardt, Pete joins us this year, and has already made an impact. Pete is a very versatile player, who can fill many roles on the court. He has great ball skills that allow him to handle the ball comfortably, and move it well. He has a strong drive, and very quick spins that help him find easy paths to the basket, and on top of that he is a high percentage shooter, even at 3-point range. Like Toby, has huge potential and talent to become a truly remarkable player, and he is already better than most his age.

Toby White – G – Coming into his second season with the Warriors, Toby is a young player, who is very disciplined in his game, a discipline he learnt from years under the tutelage of Mark Bernhardt, as one of his college players. Toby plays with the wisdom of a player beyond his years, which, coupled with his great talent and attitude make him a great player to watch, whose potential is limitless and frankly, scary! A very quick player, who can handle the ball, pass the ball, drive hard to the basket, hit the 3 point shot when needed, as well as being a really smothering defender for anyone who dares take him on.