Young Bull Looks Ahead

Luol Deng at South London's Ballers Eve at Crystal Palace


I have arrived back safely from my vacation and avoided the smouldering bushfires in Halkidiki, Greece. It’s time to settle back into my weekly regime - clocking hoops!!

Before I left I spent quite a few days and hours with our London boy Luol Deng. I must say it is great to see a millionaire who hasn’t forgotten his roots. Luol is definitely one guy who has his feet firmly on the ground. Not only did he make himself available to every kid that wanted to speak with him; he visited or played at all his old stomping grounds including Brixton, Midnight Madness and Thursday night’s Ballers Evening at Crystal Palace.

I caught up with him in South London to crack a couple of jokes about last season’s All-Star Game and generally yank his chain about anything I could. This is a guy that loves to share a joke and is thoroughly humble about his talents and the opportunity he has with the Bulls. Luol also held his own Deng Basketball Camp at the Sevenoaks School in Kent for 250 kids; here’s the deal – he coached his own camp!! He had a team and coached the kids and at one point he stretched with them before the game in the hallway!! The reason I bring this up is the fact that not many, if any, players actually take an active role in their camp. This young man was definitely hands on!

Naturally I asked him about the upcoming season, especially as Chicago has made significant changes to their roster thru the off-season. He is optimistic but cautious, saying that the team “must perform every night” as they try to live up to expectations. I’m sure they will make the Eastern Conference interesting; this season will open with the Bulls playing the NBA Champions Miami Heat in Miami, on the 31st October.

"K" Could Be The Answer?

As Team USA prepare for the FIBA World Championships, it looks like they are getting back to the glory years. Coach Mike Krzyzewski seems to have gone back to basics, with a truly fundamental approach and TEAM ethos. Yes the roster is packed with stars, but more importantly it has roll players to compliment the egos. With convincing wins over Lithuania, China, Puerto Rico and a 4-point win over Brazil; confidence is riding high before the FIBA tournament begins on August 19th.

Team USA’s Group D, features China, Slovenia, Puerto Rico, Senegal and Italy. On current form they should make it through this group with the least amount of fuss. However, should egos creep in and become a factor then it may be a repeat performance of the last Olympics in Greece (Bronze Medal)!

No doubt our man from Duke, Coach K, will make the guys feel that they are indeed back on campus and must follow the basketball laws of Krzyzewskiville! Failure to comply may result in a one-way ticket back to the crib!

North Dump South!

After taking a much needed summer break I found myself busier than ever. Last weekend not only was I helping my close friend Richard Scantlebury coach the HSC team to the Summer League final, but last Saturday night I received a phone call asking me to coach the Women’s North team as they took on the South in the warm-up game at Crystal Palace.

Looking at our team sheet before the game began I had my reservations, as the team looked light compared to our Southern opponents. Names from the South included the likes of Commonwealth Bronze Medallist Rosalee Mason and previous MVP Michelle Brown.

The North had a little family feel to it, as there were three sets of siblings on our team. The Leedhams Jen and Jo, the Naylor sisters Helen and Sarah; plus the Sterling twins Naomi and Crystal, who's names I had trouble getting correct even though they don't look at all similar!! The Northern Girls didn’t let the other team phase them – my girls came out strong, throwing in some deep 3’s and running our opposition to death. We did squander the big lead but we managed to overturn a 10-point deficit going into the 4th quarter and we came out eventual winners by a margin of 7-points. On top of that it was the first time the North had won in a while!

Coaching the girls game is a fundamental pleasure; missing are egos and the concentration level was that much higher, as they seem to be able to run plays without deviating from the X’s and O’s. Maybe if the men’s game were the same I’d still have a coaching job? Well maybe not!