Month: July 2019

Cantwell Academy Coach 2019-20

Magic appoint Cantwell as Academy coach

Paul Cantwell has joined Manchester Magic Academy’s coaching team for the 2019/20 season.

The 28-year-old is already the lead coach for the club’s U12 community and development programme.

The former Manchester Magic and Manchester Giants player, who has also head coached in France and the United States, will begin his new role in September.

He will have specific responsibility for the Academy’s second team, which plays as Loreto 2 in AoC (Association of Colleges) competitions.

“I grew up playing in this elite programme so I’m looking forward to passing on my experience and knowledge,” said Cantwell.  “It’s important that this club continues to grow.”

Club chief executive Phil Gordos added: “It’s a great appointment for us as we continue to build the Manchester Magic and Manchester Mystics into a formidable force on and off the floor.”

Basketball England

Magic and Mystics U15s take centre stage

North West will feature a hefty number of Manchester Magic and Manchester Mystics players when the inaugural U15 Aspire Tournament takes place at the National Basketball Performance Centre in Belle Vue this weekend.

Toby Akinlade, Ben Brown, Thomas Kelly, Sam Lolenga, Bradley May, Thomas Mayor, Emanuel Oyebadejo and Lucas Ricketts are joined in the boys’ squad by recent Magic recruits Ben Prince, Joe Buchanan and Josh Kubacki.

The Mystics make up 10 of the 12 players on duty in the girls’ event. They are Daisy Bryan, Caitlin Doohan, Saffron Erving-Murphy, Olivia Forster, Esha Nayar, Kizzy Spence, Emily Taylor, Eleni Vourliotis, Jo Vourliotis and Charli Wroe.

The boys have been drawn in Pool A with London, East, Yorkshire and South West.

The girls are in Pool Y with East, South West, South East and West Midlands.

The pool games run on Saturday from 9am, with the classification games on Sunday.

The Aspire Tournaments will bring together 480 players, 120 coaches and 90 officials from across the country.

U15 Aspire Tournament Schedule/Results:

Saturday

9:00am North West Boys 46-38 Yorkshire

10:00am North West Girls 37-18 South West

1:00pm South West 27-35 North West Boys

2:00pm West Midlands 17-42 North West Girls

3:00pm London 34-46 North West Boys

4:00pm South East 25-23 North West Girls

5:00pm East 41-36 North West Boys

6:00pm East 20-33 North West Girls

Sunday

10:00am South 47-60 North West Boys

11:30am North West Girls 48-42 South

1:00-1:30pm Shooting Test Finals (Boys and Girls)

1:30pm Boys Final East 50-72 North West 

3:00pm Girls Final London 32-55 North West

North West Boys and Girls Crowned Aspire U15 Champions 2019

North West U15 2019
Pete Paraskeva Manchester Magic Head Coach 2019-20

Paraskeva to coach Magic’s senior men in 2019/20

Pete Paraskeva will coach Manchester Magic’s senior men’s team in 2019/20.

The 32-year-old steps into the job as Magic prepare for life in NBL Division 2 North following their relegation last season.

A former junior player with the Magic who knows the club inside and out, Pete will combine his new post with his role as head coach with Magic’s EABL and U18 NBL teams.

‘We have a fantastic group of talented young players and I am really looking forward to seeing them compete in Division 2 this season,” said Paraskeva.

“The older heads we have brought in will provide a maturity and experience to guide our juniors as they transition to the senior level.”

“It’s a new era for Magic’s senior team with Pete at the helm and I’m very excited about what lies ahead,” said club chief executive Phil Gordos.

Simon Fisher took charge of Magic midway through their D1 campaign.

Despite his best efforts, the team finished bottom of the table following a challenging season that began with Aurimas Verbukas at the helm.

“I want to place on record my huge thanks to Simon for the work he did last season,” added Gordos.

“He faced a number of challenges and met them head on like I knew he would.

“His professionalism and enthusiasm rubbed off on others and I’m sure we will continue to feel his impact over the coming years.

“I would also like to thank the players, coaches, physiotherapy team and volunteers who all gave their best during the 2018/19 season.”

Basketball England

Magic and Mystics players line up for North West

Manchester Magic and Manchester Mystics will be well represented this weekend when the inaugural U13 Aspire Tournament takes place at the National Basketball Performance Centre in Belle Vue.

Five Magic players – Luca Lara-Sanchez, Robbie Wild, Dom Goodwin, Nathan Brown and Daniel Laycock – have all been selected by North West for the boys’ event.

They have been drawn in Pool A with London, Yorkshire, East Midlands and North East.

Nine Mystics players – Maria Bianco, Carina Costa, Elizandra Costa, Dominique Feurtado, Alex Escriva Gay, Molly Finn, Maisie Keyes, Holly Stones and Isobel Thompson – have been called up by North West for the girls’ campaign.

They are in Pool B with South West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and West Midlands.

The pool games run on Saturday from 10am, with the classification games on Sunday.

The U15s will take centre stage the following weekend.

The Aspire Tournaments will bring together 480 players, 120 coaches and 90 officials from across the country.

U13 Aspire Tournament Schedule/Results:

Saturday

10:00am North West Boys vs East Midlands – NW Win

11:00am North West Girls vs South West – NW Win

1:00pm West Midlands vs North West Girls – NW Win

2:00pm North East vs North West Boys – NW Win

3:00pm Yorkshire vs North West Girls – Yorkshire Win

4:00pm London vs North West Boys – London Win

5:00pm North West Girls vs East Midlands – East Midlands Win

6:00pm Yorkshire vs North West Boys -NW Win

Sunday

10:00am South West vs North West Boys Semi Final – South West Win

10:00am North East vs North West Girls – NW Win

12:00noon South vs North West Girls – South Win

1:00-1:30pm Shooting Test Finals (Boys and Girls)

1:30pm 3rd/4th Place South vs North West Boys – NW Win

2:30pm South East vs North West Girls – NW Win

North West Boys finished 3rd, Girls 5th.

North West U13 2019
Magic and Mystics Great Britain

Magic Alum Cleary selected in Great Britain U20 final 12 for Europeans

Congratulations to Manchester Magic Alum Kaiyem Cleary, who has been selected in the Great Britain U20 Men’s final 12 for the FIBA European Division A Championships in Tel Aviv.

Schedule

Great Britain U20 Men 13-21 July – Group A

13 July Turkey vs GB U20 Men at 2:30pm

14 July GB U20 Men vs France at 4:15pm

15 July Montenegro vs GB U20 Men at 11:45am

17 July Round of 16

18 July Quarter-Finals / 9-16 Classification Games

20 July Semi-Finals / 5-16 Classification Games

21 July Final / 3-16 Classification Games

Summer Commuity Camp 2019

Magic and Mystics announce first wave of Summer Camps for 2019

The Manchester Magic and Mystics have announced their first wave of summer camps for 2019.

They will cost £15 each day and will run at the Manchester Basketball Centre, from 10am to 3pm, Years 1-9.

Contact Phil at phil.gordos@manchestermagicandmystics.co.uk to book or for more info.

Camp dates:

Thursday 25th July

Friday 26th July

Monday 29th July

Tuesday 30th July

Tuesday 6th August

Thursday 8th August

Friday 9th August

Magic U12 Champion of Champions Champions 2019

Magic U12s Champion of Champions Tournament Champions

Manchester Magic’s junior programme has claimed another piece of silverware thanks to another stunning set of performances.

The U12s came out on top at the Champion of Champions tournament in Leeds last weekend.

They opened with a 63-8 win over Teeside Lions before completing victories over City of Leeds 1 (42-2), Oaklands Wolves 1 (38-15) and Brentwood Fire (36-16).

On day two, they recorded further wins over Oakland Wolves 1 (44-16), Manchester Giants (42-18), Spire Ballers (73-6) and Brentwood Fire (35-21) to seal the title in style.

In seven games, Magic scored 373 points and conceded just 102.

Magic’s Ollie Land was named MVP, while Ronnie Ani was voted MPP (Most Promising Player).

Samy Sidi-Boumedine, Jack Odongo and Alex McKeever also made it into the All Star team.

Congratulations to all the players, coaches and parents!

Photo courtesy of Karen Laycock Photography www.karlenelaycockphotography.co.uk