Year: 2016

Manchester Mystics

Manchester Mystics U14 win at Stockport Lapwings and at home to Tameside Royals

Mystics U14s’ 2 games over last week-end, although both against ‘local rivals,’ were always going to be as different as ballroom dancing and rugby league. On Saturday we faced Stockport’s young, inexperienced side who never gave up and did all they could to be competitive but found things as challenging as a fridge participating in the Olympic high jump. With no less than 8 Mystics hitting double figures, including 20 from our youngest player, Olivia Forster who still has 2 more seasons in this age group, the 119-14 ‘pressless’ scoreline reflects the fact that our girls weren’t really stretched. (This is a pity because we are in genuine need of more height!)

Such an outing was far from ideal preparation for Sunday’s top of the table clash versus Tameside. They, like us, had gone down only to Nottingham but they had subsequently beaten Nottingham, to leave the 3 teams, plus Sheffield, who we had defeated, all with a single loss following very close outcomes in every contest. This fixture, too, was expected to be as tight as wearing shoes which are 2 sizes too small.

We had a game plan but theory and practice don’t always go hand in hand. After all, the England footballers had a game plan against Iceland and look how badly they slipped up! We suffered a pre-game setback when we learned that the influential Charli Wroe had added a couple more dates to extend her North American tour by a couple of days and so would be missing from our line-up for a third consecutive game. Our starting 5, the ever-improving quintet of of Courtney Kenyon-Betts, Holly Bryan, Lucy Bryan, Beth McLoughlin and Ellie Atherton were like poets in that they were well-versed as to which individual they would be responsible for. These match-ups appeared to be working as smoothly as an expensive Swiss watch early on as we raced into a 12-4 lead with all 5 scoring for us.

From a position as strong as the long-haired Samson, we then faltered just as he did following his schoolboy error visit to the hairdressers because we inexplicably moved away from doing the simplest thing to get the job done to the most complicated. We opted to look for killer passes and forced shots for the closing 2 minutes of the first quarter and paid the price. The watch was now tocking when it should have been ticking which set off alarm bells (which, appropriately is designed to wake you up!) It was now 12-10 (the score, not the time!). Was the timepiece broken or did it merely need rewinding?

I asked the players to slow down and get back to playing no-risk basketball. They did precisely that and this enabled us to totally nullify Tameside’s press which brings them so much success. Offensively, Holly, who was magnificent from minute 1 to minute 37 (when she finally got a well-deserved rest) and Ellie who was almost back to her best following injury, proved as hard to stop as molten volcanic lava while Courtney again showed why I consider her to be as good an on-the-ball defender as anyone I have seen at this level in 43 years of coaching. (I began coaching when I was only six!) At various times in this second period, Lilja Toland, Ellie Hatton and young Olivia also played a big part defensively to limit the normally free-scoring Tamesiders to just 4 points over the entire 10 minutes. This, combined with a willingness to share the ball more permitted us to dominate the quarter to the tune of 18-4 ans go into half-time 30-14 to the good even though, if I’m being critical, and I am being critical, we squandered more opportunities to add to our tally than most women have pairs of shoes that they never wear!

After the break, Lauren Addy and Lucy Bryan did very well to help maintain our defensive intensity throughout the third period during which we created enough situations to be like burglars and run away with the booty but some of our finishing was wayward as a broken sat-nav. Nevertheless, we still managed to increase the margin by 5 by playing with great determination and concentration, particularly on defence. The attitude of the whole team was akin to that of most cyclists at traffic lights – nothing was going to stop us from getting to where we wanted to get to.

The fourth quarter saw more of the same and was notable for the commitment and fighting spirit shown, in particular, by Beth and Ellie H, as well as an appearance by Kadeja who wasted no time in showing what a good passer she has become. The 53-27 victory ultimately turned out to be as comfortable as fur-lined slippers and was achieved largely due to outstanding team defence. This limited powerful opponents, who came into the game averaging a staggering 102 points per game over their previous 7 outings, to a mere quarter of that with no opponent managing to score more than 4 points- an amazing achievement which contained as much energy as a giant-sized packet of Duracell batteries in a display that was as dominant as a giraffe in a ‘which animal has the longest neck’ contest. Next up is Derby away. Stay focused girls!

Many thanks to James and Sammy for the terrific jobs they do as assistant coach and team manager plus all parents for their wonderful support.

Jim Carnegie

Jones and Allen GB squad

GB Women miss out on place at EuroBasket

GB Women suffered a 71 -52 defeat against Italy in Lucca on Saturday night ending their hopes of a place at this summer’s EuroBasket. Mystics’ Georgia Jones played 20 minutes had 5 points, 3 assists and a steal.

GB finished their schedule of qualifiers with a 55 – 97 victory over Albania in Tirana on Wednesday night to finish 3rd in Group C with 3 wins and 3 losses. Georgia Jones played 17 minutes had 2 points and 2 assists while Dominique Allen played 10 minutes and had 2 points and 2 rebounds.

Manchester Mystics

Mystics U14 narrowly beaten by Nottingham

Following on from yet another game as untaxing as the havens of Jersey and the Isle of Man against the very young Tameside Royals back up squad which our U14s sauntered gently through 100-19, Mystics were suddenly required to step about 5 levels to compete with championship rivals, Nottingham Wildcats. We almost managed it but ended up losing a very tough, even contest by a slender 4 points.

We missed two key elements, not hydrogen or argon but leading scorer, Charli Wroe plus too many high percentage shots which proved as costly as letting my wife loose with my credit card, against highly disciplined, much bigger and often uncompromising opponents who used their size advantage to good effect. As we tend to do against the better sides, we started poorly to trail by 6 at 5-11 five minutes in. In such a close game, this ultimately proved crucial. Our first four offenses proved as fruitless as a dead apple tree due to sloppy passing. An early substitution put an end to this and improved our team defence but did nothing to assist our offensive efficiency which struggled to find a way through a packed key. We remained as potent as watered down shandy until I re-introduced Beth McLoughlin. She responded with a 3 and a 2 while the outstanding Holly Bryant hit her seventh point of the quarter to complete our mini-revival which saw us shade the quarter 12-11.

Having settled down, we had given glimpses of some effective ball and player movement with the two Ronnies, sorry Ellies, prominent. This continued to be the case for the opening 5 minutes of the second period with a second 3 from Beth and two 2s from Lucy Bryant who came into the game like someone caught in the rain without an umbrella- under the weather- and one each from Holly and the unshakeable Courtney Kenyon-Betts. With these two also doing a wonderful job containing the opposition’s star performers, DJ Cassanova and Laetitia Willis, things were looking as rosey as Noddy’s cheeks and Fergie’s nose combined at 23-13.

Nottingham’s response was to sink even deeper in the key to make it as congested as the M6 at rush hour. Our response to this was to over-dribble and then try to force a pass through a space as tight as Pavarotti’s neck in a size 10 collar. Unsurprisingly, our scoring suddenly took on the look of a plum turning into a prune. It dried up. A brain freeze then resulted in an unnecessary foul which saw Nottingham convert 2 free throws prior to a 3 pointer to close the gap to 23-20 at half-time.

Despite the under-par beginning and end to the half, we remained confident of maintaining our unbeaten record provided that we had movement on offense and played smart defence. We managed both for most of the third period with Holly and Courtney showing great composure but, with just one minute of the 10 to go, we gave up our 4 point lead due to more silly fouls, presenting our opponents with a string of free-throws which enabled them to draw level at 32-32.

An unexpected twist to events at the outset of the fourth quarter then caught us on the hop via a totally unforeseen scoring spree from Nottingham’s biggest player, Natalie Skathaki. Lauren Addy had done a terrific job in limiting her influence but her 11 points in  only 5 minutes swung the game in the visitor’s favour. Trailing 39-43, we had sufficient opportunities to regain the lead but poor finishing, missing 7 free throws in a row, a disinclination to share the ball and a touch of bad luck with 3 shots rouletting round the ring and spinning out rather than in, denied us in spite of a generally excellent all-round defensive display

To the girls credit, we did cut the deficit from 7 to 3 by playing with real intensity in the final stages but ran out of time to finish 43-47. The disappointment displayed after the final whistle may be upsetting but it does mean that the girls don’t like losing. We should be able to use this positively to spur everyone on to work harder in training and learn from our mistakes so that we can raise our level over the rest of the season. We will be put to the test next Sunday at home to Tameside who. like us, Nottingham and Sheffield, have lost just once so far.

Thanks to James, Sammy, Phil and Chloe for their assistance and to all parents for their much-valued support and co-operation.

Jim Carnegie

Jones and Allen GB squad

Mystics invited to GB Women’s training camp for EuroBasket Qualifiers in November

Mystics’ Dominique Allen and Georgia Jones selected in the final 16 players invited to the GB Women’s training camp for the upcoming EuroBasket Qualifiers in November. The squad also includes former Mystic Mollie Campbell. GB face two away ties against Italy (at Palatagliate, Lucca, Italy on Saturday 19th November) and Albania (at Tirana, Asllan Rusi, Albania, on Wednesday 23rd November), both games are away, needing victory in Italy to keep their hopes alive of making it to EuroBasket in Czech Republic

Full squad here

Duane Morgan

Magic add American Duane Morgan

The Manchester Magic have added 6′ 7″ American big man Duane Morgan to their roster for the 2016-17 season. Duane is available to play this weekend at Lancashire Spinners on Saturday at 5:45pm and at Team Northumbria on Sunday at 4:00pm.

Morgan, from New Jersey, attended Adelphi University, a Division 2 College of NE-10 conference (the same conference as Ellis Cooper) on the East Coast, where he averaged 9.9 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game across his 4-year career between 2011-2015. Last season he was playing professionally in Argentina before getting injured.

Manchester Mystics

Mystics U14 edge out the Hatters in Sheffield

After five straight wins, Manchester Mystics Under-14s faced their first real test in the North division when they took on the previously unbeaten Sheffield Hatters on Saturday.

Unfortunately, we were not at full strength as one of our starters and main scorers, Ellie Atherton, had turned her ankle and could only hop rather than run. This elevated Charli Wroe into a merited first five spot but it did put us at a physical disadvantage compared to our considerably taller opponents.

Up against bigger starters, we struggled from the outset to secure any rebounds. This, and the re-occurence of the over-dribbling disease which plagued us last season, resulted in a poor beginning. We managed a paltry one point during the opening five minutes and things were looking more black than rosy.

Fortunately, determined team defence meant we only trailed by three. A couple of substitutions, most notably the introduction of Lilja Toland, gave us the offensive boost we required and we now found ways to counter Sheffield’s tightly packed defensive barrier. We seemed, for the time being, to have also discovered suitable defensive match-ups to limit the power of the opposition’s three principle offensive threats. Holly Bryant was now boxing out to minimise the danger of Charlotte Timms, Lucy Bryan found ways to contain the high-scoring Abbey Whitehouse, while Courtney Kenyon-Betts was putting on a defensive master class up against the hugely influential Zoe Katteregea. 

Consequently, we responded to our below par opening to shade the first quarter 11-10.

As expected, this head-to-head contest was such a different scenario to anything else either side had experienced thus far. Instead of scoring at will, every basket had to be earned. This was going to be a battle which would suit the likes of Elli Hatton, who was in her element up against aggressive opponents who were as quick as we were up and down the floor. This meant fast-break opportunities were at a premium, so we had to find other ways to score. We were lifted by the introduction of the energetic, all-action, fearless Olivia Forster and we cashed in on a perceived mis-match for Holly. Following a deep two from Beth McLoughlin, we found ourselves up by four.

This prompted me to give Courtney a breather. When will I ever learn! Eight points in the blink of an eye was a huge swing to the Hatters in a low-scoring affair and could have seen off many an opponent. Not this Mystics team. Up stepped Charli, now recovered from a fierce blow to the ribs, to swish a pair of free throws and score with a blistering drive soon after replacing Olivia, who had received a nasty bump on the head. This ensured halftime parity at 26-26.

In hindsight, I selected the wrong five going in to the third period. We turned the ball over far too often and remained scoreless for the opening four minutes. A time out plus a change of personnel then helped us regain our poise and self-belief. An extended run of court time for the much-improved Lauren Addy proved crucial. Her power enabled her to obtain much-needed rebounds and secure several loose balls to help our cause. Showing unbelievable toughness for such a young group, the girls hit back from a 0-10 dip, to transform 26-36 into 34-36. Once again, like a pack of hounds, we were back in the hunt.

On the back of three incredibly close quarters, it boiled down to whoever made the least mistakes over the final 10 minutes to decide the outcome of this enthralling contest. All things, however, were not equal. Our leading scorer on the day, Holly, was feeling too unwell to continue. I was worried that it would now be even more difficult to score. Her twin sister, Lucy, not Ivy, made certain it wasn’t. Worryingly for us, Sheffield had plans of their own. We were left very much on the back foot when Zoe fed Abbey, who posted up her smaller marker in the key twice in quick succession for two scores and a free throw.

The game could easily have slipped away from us but for Holly’s fortitude. Despite feeling far from well, she agreed to go back on. She helped secure our defence to such an extent that all of Sheffield’s considerable firepower could only manage one more basket in the remaining seven minutes. Ten points across the quarter from Lucy and four from Charli produced a 14-7 scoreline over this climatic period to stamp a pulsating 48-43 victory for team harmony over most worthy opponents.

Many thanks to my assistant coach James for his invaluable, insightful input and to our highly efficient team manager Sammy for all he did, as well as to all parents for your fantastic support. You were brilliant!

Jim Carnegie

Mystics logo

Mystics strengthen with addition of Schwellenbach

Manchester Mystics head coach Jeff Jones is thrilled to have increased his offensive options with the shooting talents of Sierra Schwellenbach.

The American has wasted no time in making an impression after she poured in 19 points against Cardiff, and having scored 16 points at Oaklands in her second appearance after making her debut against Caledonia in the Cup, Jones has been impressed with her performances so far.

“Sierra came to my attention when Rheanne Bailey’s Manchester Metropolitan University team scrimmaged with the University of Manchester,” explained the play-caller.

“She came back and said they had an American who was a really good shooter and so we invited her down and have been really pleased how Sierra has slotted in.

“She gives us another scoring threat, but also another high basketball IQ or our roster.

“It was a bonus to also learn that despite her American accent, she was British! This is something which was a bonus from the perspective of getting her registered quickly.

“Obviously, she has her academic studies which come first, but I am pretty sure she will be an asset to what we are trying to do in Manchester with women’s basketball.”

As for Schwellenbach herself, she is delighted to be showcasing her skills and letting people know about her background.

“I grew up in Los Osos, California with my parents, brother and sister, starting to play basketball when I was four years old and I haven’t stopped since,” she revealed.

“I played varsity basketball for four years for Morro Bay High School and in my senior year, I was captain of the team and defensive MVP of the league while also averaging 16.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.1 steals, and 3.7 assists per game.

“In 2014, I started at the University of California, Santa Barbara studying computer science and now in my third year, I’m studying abroad for a year at the University of Manchester.”

Georgia Jones 150 WBBL assists

Jones becomes first to pass historic WBBL milestone

Manchester Mystics’ captain Georgia Jones has become the first player to dish out 150 assists in the WBBL.

Jones, 26, has recently returned to her hometown team after playing the first two seasons of her WBBL career at Leicester Riders.

The Great Britain point guard averages 4.43 assists per game over her 42-match career in WBBL competitions.

She is currently averaging 6.33 assists since her return to the team she began her senior career with at the age of 14.

After finishing bottom of the WBBL last season, the Mystics have started this season promisingly, with two wins from their opening three league games. They are also through to the last eight of the WBBL Cup.

Magic and Mystics Great Britain

Mystics trio selected in GB squad

Manchester Mystics trio Dominique Allen, Rheanne Bailey and Georgia Jones have been selected in GB’s initial squad for November’s EuroBasket qualifiers against Italy and Albania. Both games are away, with GB needing victory in Italy to keep their hopes alive of making it to the finals in Czech Republic

More information here

Manchester Mystics

Mystics U14s see off Stockport Lapwings and Hatfield Fliers

Mystics U14 team’s start to the new season has so far been as comfortable as anything comfortable. (I couldn’t think of an amusing example!) Our second game at home to Stockport turned out to be so similar to the first one at Bury that I doubt if anyone has seen those 2 teams in the same room at the same time! We proved to be too powerful and too quick for the younger, smaller Stockport side and found as many ways to score as there are types of coffee despite not pressing and concentrating on our outside game in the second half. Our girls showed great discipline and maturity for an under 14 side while our opponents, who will be a force to be reckoned with next season, left feeling as though they had contributed to a game played in excellent spirit. We left with a 129-16 win achieved by first-class team work but knowing that we would face tougher tasks in future. 

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Our third fixture saw us travel abroad to Yorkshire which they believe to be God’s country. This is only partially true. God did create Yorkshire but then realised he could do better so he made Lancashire! Our opponents were Hatfield who I knew would as be well coached and well organised as they always are. They were. Both teams went into the game unbeaten but it soon became obvious that we had the upper hand due to some breathtaking pin-point passing which was so impressive that it almost made my pacemaker blow a fuse! Hatfield wisely tried to slow the game down and it would seem that time goes more slowly in Rotherham because the 24-second shot clock seems to last twice as long! Even so, we still managed to rack up 33 points in the first 10 minutes but did find ourselves in foul trouble due to a liking for reaching in when going for steals. (We wouldn’t make good pick-pockets!)

We were less productive across the second and third quarters, partly due to more determined defence from spirited opponents but mainly because we opted to over-dribble rather than give the ball up early. We nevertheless maintained our supremacy by playing impressive team defence, with less unnecessary fouling, which nullified most of what Hatfield threw at us. (We also ducked very well!) The fourth quarter saw us back to our best, showing variety in our scoring thanks to improved ball and player movement and some excellent outside shooting. The 72-28 victory was again achieved without a hint of a press and bodes well for the rest of the season for a deep squad of talented youngsters who all seem keen to buy into our 2 main objectives- improvement and enjoyment which will be achieved if everyone continues to put in maximum effort and listen and learn. 

Thanks to all for their support, especially James and Sammy. Next up is Leeds at home on Saturday 1:00pm. All support welcome.

Jim Carnegie