The Northants Basketball Club, the competitive arm of the Northamptonshire Schools Basketball Association has been given a grant of £500 from the Royal Air Force Development Fund.
The cash will be used to fund the club’s under 15 boys team, the "Cyclones" in the newly established National (Area) Cadet Men’s League. This is an under 16 league but the club has decided it will provide the team with more competitive opportunities than the tournament based Under 15 Passerelle League. The "Cyclones" will be coached by Brian Johnson who was enthusiastic about the prospects, "Last season our Cadet Men’s team struggled in the National League because they were unable to make the step up from the Passerelle League. This season will be a huge leaning experience for the "Cyclones" but excellent preparation for the following year."
The "Cyclones’s" home matches will be played at the refurbished court at Moulton College and will act as warm up games to the newly formed Northants Moulton a team comprising students from the Moulton Centre of Basketball, the county’s basketball academy. That team will be will be competing in the Southern Conference of the National Under 20 League.
Earlier this year the Northants Club announced they would be entering a team in the National Cadette (under 16 girls league). This means that the club will be represented in every National League Division from under 13’s to under 20’s; the only club in the country to do so.
Coaching co-ordinator, John Collins commented, "I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve achieved a ‘full house’ in the National League. We are indebted to the RAF for their support at a time when staging basketball is becoming more and more expensive."
Elsewhere in the club the Junior Men’s (under 18) coach, Barry Powell is faced with the pleasant problem of having too many players. The "Knights’s" success last year has led to numerous requests from players for try-outs and Powell is faced with the task of ‘cutting’ half the thirty players who want to play for the team. The "Knights" have been invited to play in the prestigious City of Manchester pre season tournament which will be staged in the £3.8 million pound John Amechi Basketball Centre. The team will also travel to Gloucester for another pre season tournament with Powell using the tournaments to check out the qualities of his new players.
Karen Goodrich (Administrator)
01604 238950
07702 263813John Collins (Coaching Co-ordinator)
01604 238950
07801 533151