Conquering women’s basketball team capture league title

CHAMPIONS: The women’s team who had a dominating year, winning the title and making their mark

THE Teesside Women’s team have capped off a dominating season, by securing promotion and losing just once in a historic season for the players.

The University team won the BUCS Basketball Northern 3B Division in March, wrapping up the season by beating the Newcastle University Womens 2nd team 49-37.

The team’s league win also earned them promotion to Division 2 for the new season.

Captain Karen Daley praised the team’s efforts after a hugely successful season for the side.

“It feels really good to have won the league.

“If you had said to me when we started playing last year that we would have won the league this year, I wouldn’t have believed you!”

“We’ve developed a lot from last year but this year we played very well and it’s gone pretty well for us.

Karen says the team have become a lot closer both on-and-off the court, contributing to their success.

Karen said: “I think we’re a lot closer as a team as it’s not just about basketball.

“We got out together and we’ve become a lot closer and better friends.

“We all push each other and support each other which helped up improve.”

The team won all but one of their games this season, with the only loss of the season coming against York St. John University.

Despite losing the chance to end the season unbeaten, Karen is still proud of the accomplishments of the team.

Karen said: “We would have liked to go through the season winning all the matches but at the end of the day, we got the job done and won the league.

“We just have to take that on board and try to improve on that next season!”

“The men’s team have always had a great team and this is the first year that the women have won anything.

“That motivated us and a lot of us come from quite good teams and that motivated us to do well for Teesside too.”

The league win also earned them promotion to Division 2.

Karen is relishing the chance to go up against stronger competition.

“It’s gonna be good and going to be a challenge.

“We’re looking forward to going up against better teams and hopefully that’ll push us and make us better as well.”

Three is the magic number for cup winners

THIRD YEAR IN A ROW: The team celebrate winning the Northern Conference Cup once again

THE Teesside University mens’ basketball are celebrating bringing home silverware once more.

The team won the BUSC Northern Conference Cup beat Chester University 77-74 in a thrilling final at Maiden Castle Sports Hall inDurham.

This is the third year in a row that the side have won the coveted competition.

Club chairman Thompson Charuma was ecstatic after retaining the cup.

Thompson said: “Considering we had lost a lot of senior players, it has really been a great team effort with everyone paying their role.

“All of our hard work this season has paid off in both the league and the cup.

“In the league, we’ve done really well.

“However, after three years undefeated in the cup, I’m quite speechless!”

It was a case of deja vu for the basketball side, having won the Northern Conference Cup last year in Leeds.

The side won last year’s final after beating Salford University 100-96 in double overtime.

Just like last year, the 2015 final was an incredibly close encounter with just three points in it between the two finalists.

However, it was Teesside that would win the cup for the third season running.

The side has been a force reckoned both in the cup and the league, looking to win league after coming up short last year.

But with a third cup in a row, the Teesside Univeristy Men’s basketball team have left a huge impact on the BUCS.

It’s been a hugely successful year in sports for the university.

Along with the success of the basketball side, the Teesside women’s hockey team won their league in convincing fashion going through the entire season unbeaten.

Teesside University have had quite the season in the world of sports.

Teesside basketball stars’ quest for gold

LAST season proved to be a very successful one for the Teesside University Basketball team.

Despite being runners up in their league, the club won their second Northern Conference Cup in a row after a thrilling cup final in Leeds.

And the club are looking for even more gold as the club returned to action in October.

The team started off the new campaign with a 67-62 win over Huddersfield last month but coach Tony Hanson says there’s still work to do.

Hanson said: “It was a tough game and I think giving that we hadn’t played in a while, we did very good.

“We had a couple of the new players in and we had the chance to start those players and we need to work on getting the team flowing.

“The fact that we’re back in action will give us a good idea about what to work on for the season ahead.

“We feel confident in our abillities but we know that the players have to be up to the challenge.”

The side hadn’t been in action on the court since March.

But they returned to competition at the Olympia Building in style with the win over Huddersfield.

Now the players are back, they players are looking to make an emphatic statement in both the league and the cup.

The team will be battling the likes of the Universities of Huddersifled, Sheffield and Leeds in the Northern 2B division while also looking to defend their Conference Cup.

The club won an intense cup final after beating Salford University 100-96 in double overtime.

Salford had established a 100% record in their league leading up to the cup final clash with Teesside.

However, Salford were stopped in their tracks as Teesside’s Romonn Nelson got 12 crucial points in a row to win the game in second double overtime.

This was the second Conference Cup in a row for the team who has become a formidable force in the university basketball division.

Tony is optimistic about what Teesside will be able to do this season in both the league and the cup.

“The aim is to compete every week and to be one of the top teams in the Conference league.

“We’d like to try and bring home the title after coming so close last season and if our team can take shape fast, there may be a chance for us get a lot of success.”

“And if things go our way, we can also win the Conference Cup again for a third year!”

The university team is part of the Hoop Dreams project which continues to be the flagship education and sports project for basketball in the Tees Valley and Northeast region.

It is part of the unique partnership between the Tees Valley Mohawks Basketball Club, Teesside University and Middlesbrough College.

It also works closely with local schools, colleges, Local Authorities Sports Development teams, the BME Network and partners as well as the Teesside Basketball League and the Durham Basketball League

For more information contact 07947532504 or you can get in touch with Tony via e-mail at t.hanson25@yahoo.co.uk.

 

Courtside Teesside Blog Intro

Teesside University End Salford’s Unbeaten Run To Win Back-To-Back Cups

CHAMPIONS: The team celebrate their second cup victory in a row

TEESSIDE University are celebrating winning silverware after winning a thrilling cup final at Leeds.

The university basketball team beat the previously unbeaten Salford University 100-96 in double overtime last week to achieve back-to-back Northern Conference Cup victories.

The cup victory comes after the team just missed out on winning their league.

However, coach Tony Hanson was delighted with the team’s cup success and believed the support from the university was just added touch they needed to help them bring the cup back home.

Hanson said: “The crowd were so amazing and I was so impressed when we had some of the other university clubs, like netball, supporting us.

“The girls are really loud so I thought that was our sixth man on the court and they supported us throughout the entire game.

“We’re very proud to represent Teesside University and bring the Northern Conference Cup back home and it was a truly an all-university event to help us win this championship”.

Salford had established a run of ten wins out of ten in their league and made it to the final of the cup.

However, Teesside were able to end Salford’s unbeaten run as Romonn Nelson was able to secure 12 crucial points in a row for Teesside in the second double overtime.

 

Teesside took a 22-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Salford had closed the gap to 40-34 by half time.

The lead had closed a little bit more by the end of the quarter as Teesside still led by 54-50.

A dramatic fourth quarter saw Teesside almost clinch the cup, but a mistake with the free-throw led to the game ending up all-tied after the fourth quarter.

While the first overtime couldn’t separate the teams, the second overtime did as Teesside were able to clinch the game and the Northern Conference Cup for a second year in a row.

SUPPORT: Coach Tony Hanson celebrates with fans.

Club chairman Thompson Charuma was impressed with the team spirit of the team, especially when going into overtime.

Charuma said: “Winning this final has been a great relief especially knowing we played so well for the majority of the game.

“Having to go into overtime took a lot out of us, but we found the strength as a team to overcome the shock of it all.

“Defending the cup shows just how strong the team bond is and next year should be interesting.”

MATCH REPORT: Teesside University Start Off The Year With Huge Victory Over Durham

TEAM TALK: Players regroup

Teesside University started of 2014 in style with a huge 93-51 victory over Durham.

The team returned to the court after a month out of action because of the holidays to beat the winless Durham at the Olympia Building on Wednesday.

Despite the lay-off, the team showed no signs of court-rust opening up a strong lead in the first quarter.

That stong lead improved greatly by half time, with Teesside walking into the break with a 47-23 victory.

Tony was relativley pleased with the lead at half time.

Tony said: “We’ve been practicing really hard”

“I think that was evident with this win and the 23 point lead at half time”.

“Good signs of things to come”.

This was a great defensive display from the home team, who actually obtained a 66-32 lead by the third quarter.

We were even witness to some amazing slam dunks, especially number 6 for Teesside 5 minutes from the end which nearly brought the hoop down with him!

Despite Durham clawing some point back, Teesside finished the job and recorded a 93-51 victory.

The victory pushed Teesside up to the second in the table while Durham remain 0-7 for the season.

MATCH REPORT: Teesside University End The Unbeaten Start To The Season For Sunderland

TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL TEAM: Pre-Match Photo Before Their Match With Sunderland

TEESSIDE bounced back from a disappointing loss to Sheffield last week by knocking off the league leaders Sunderland.

In their first home game in over a month, Teesside were able to put a 82-80 defeat to Sheffield University behind them by handing the unbeaten Sunderland their first loss of the season.

The match started off with Alex Moore, Craig Mathema and Romonn Nelson being among the points in the first quarter, giving Teesside the 16-13 lead.

However, Sunderland would turn it around quickly in the second quarter and at the half way point had assembled a 25-21 lead.

But at the end of the 2nd, Ronald Donaldson grabbed a crucial point for Teesside to secure the 30-29 lead as the game reached half time.

TEAM TALK: The Team Talk Tactics During One Of The Quarterly Breaks

Teesside began racking up the points in the start of the third quarter, with Nelson, Donaldson and Jonathan Foulds picking up the points to achieve a 9 point lead of 47-38 at one points.

The third quarter finished 54-48 with Sunderland having a 6 points deficit to overturn.

And things weren’t helped in the slightest when Donaldson and Nelson got Teesside 4 points in the first 30 seconds of the last quarter.

However, Sunderland pulled things around and the game was really heating up with things reaching 69-67 with 20 seconds left on the clock.

But Teesside managed to hold on long enough, as the match ended with Teesside picking up a 70-67 victory over the league leaders.

The league stands with Teesside, as well as Sheffield, only 3 points behind the leaders Sunderland with 9 points.

However, Teesside and Sheffield both have games in hand on Sunderland… games that could have a huge impact on the title chase in the league.

LEAGUE TABLE: As of November 24th 2013

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Teesside University vs Sunderland University – November 20th 2013

TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL TEAM: Pre-Match Photo Before Their Match With Sunderland

EVENING Sports fans, my name is Tom Robinson.  What I have for you up here is my first attempt at a basketball match highlight video. Due to various reasons, I wasn’t able to get the equipment I wanted and it didn’t come out as I had planned. But hopefully the editing and epic music makes up for that.

Anyway, these are highlights of Teesside University Basketball Team beating Sunderland University’s team 70-67 in an incredibly close and exciting encounter on Wednesday November 21st 2013. This ended Sunderland’s unbeaten start to the season and gives Teesside a much needed boost after losing to Sheffield last week.

Full match report will be up in the next couple of days of the game. Hope you fans enjoy the video and stay tuned.

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Basketball Coach Tony Hanson Scores Big With Hoop Dreams Project

ADVICE: Tony talks tactics with his players.

BASKETBALL‘S popularity in the UK and the US are substantially different.

While it is one of the most beloved and publicized sports in the United States of America, in England its coverage pales in comparison to the likes of Football, Cricket and Rugby.

But hasn’t stopped Coach Tony Hanson from working his hardest to get kids from all across Tees Valley into the sport.

Born in Connecticut, Tony Hanson, 58, had a passion for basketball ever since the age of 10 and quickly began a career in the sport.

He started college basketball with the Connecticut Huskies and after 4 years found himself drafted in the 1977 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Jazz.

He ended up pursuing a career in Europe which led him to England, where he has been ever since.

Tony said: “I have been fortunate to have many years of playing and coaching experience in the USA, Europe and the UK.”

“I like being able to share this experience with the players while they are chasing their dreams in this sport.”

“Basketball is a huge sport in America and many young people will play the game just to have fun and keep fit.”

Tony first got involved with basketball in the North East when he joined the Tees Valley Mohawks as a player.

This would lead him to coaching the team and other teams in Teesside including the Teesside University Men’s Basketball team.

However, Tony realizes that basketball is nowhere near as popular in the UK as in the US.

Tony said: “Basketball in the US is comparable to football here in the UK.”

“It is a national passion and past time not only where I grew up in Waterbury Connecticut but throughout the entire country.”

“It’s also one of the biggest grassroots participation based sport in the world.”

However, Tony is still adamant that the sport is growing a great deal in the UK.

Tony said: “Here in the UK, basketball is a niche sport but with a huge school and community following.”

“This is despite the big corporate sponsorship and media world leaning towards the other more traditional sports.”

“Basketball is growing steadily here in the UK, but without the major media outlets and big corporate sponsorship it’s up to the local and national leagues like England Basketball to keep this steady growth going.”

In the UK, Tony has a great deal of success when he created the Hoop Dreams project designed to get young people into basketball

Tony’s services in basketball with his Hoop Dreams project led him to being awarded a MBE in 2007, an honour he is extremely proud of.

Tony said: “Being nominated for an MBE is a very humbling experience because it came as huge surprise.”

“I do what I do because I enjoy working with young people who love sports and it’s a way for me a give something back by doing this through community sports and education projects like Hoop Dreams which is the name of the Mohawks community development work.”

“I didn’t realise how this was being noticed by others until the work was recognised by my teaching and coaching peers until it was nominated for the Queens MBE award. ”

The Hoop Dreams project continues to be the flagship education and sports project for basketball in the Tees Valley and Northeast region.

Its part of the unique partnership between the Tees Valley Mohawks Basketball Club, Teesside University and Middlesbrough College.

It also works closely with local schools, colleges, Local Authorities Sports Development teams, the BME Network and partners, the Teesside Basketball League, the Durham Basketball League, just to name a few partners.

For more information contact: 07947532504 or t.hanson25@yahoo.co.uk

MATCH PREVIEW: Teesside University Men’s vs Sheffield University Men’s – Wednesday 13th 2013

GROUP HUDDLE: Players talk tactics during training.

TEESSIDE University’s basketball team are back on the road this week after two games in a row being called off.

The Teesside University Men’s basketball team will be at the Goodwin Sports Centre in Sheffield this Wednesday to play the Sheffield University basketball team in a league encounter.

However, this will be their first match in 2 weeks after their latest game, Wednesday’s Northern Conference Cup first round match between Teesside and the Leeds University 2nd team, was cancelled after Leeds were unable to field a team, giving Teesside a bye to the next round.

SHOOTING HOOPS: Players working on their shooting techniques

Despite moving onto the next round, the basketball team coach Tony Hanson is still disappointed with the game cancellations.

Tony said: “We couldn’t believe that another game was cancelled, especially a cup competition.”

“We were looking forward to these games because we have been training hard during our practice sessions and the players look forward to the next scheduled game.”

“Two weeks without a match isn’t the best situation for us but I know that this Teesside Uni team will work hard every training session and will carry that work ethic into each league match.”

OLYMPIA BUILDING: The sports hall that the team train at.

While Teesside have not played a game since the 23rd of October, Sheffield are coming off a huge 111-16 victory over Leeds Metropolitan University Mens 4th in the cup last Wednesday.

The last time Teesside and Sheffield locked horns was February 20th 2013, which saw Teesside narrowly beat Sheffield 107-103.

Teesside will be hoping history repeats itself on Saturday as they attempt to keep their winning streak in the league rolling.

Tony believes a 3rd win in a row won’t be easy but would be a big boost to extend their unbeaten run.

“A 3rd win at Sheffield would be an excellent start to our league schedule, but we know that their team is a strong squad of experienced national league level players so it will be a tough match.”

“The spirit within this year’s team is so strong, so we will keep working hard with a view to improve our skills and get better each week.”

“We also know that we will have to perform well on the game day to give us a shot at a victory.”