Category: Mystics

Manchester Mystics

Manchester Magic and Mystics Appoint new Operations and Finance Manager

Manchester Magic and Mystics appoint new Operations and Finance Manager

The Manchester Magic and Mystics Basketball Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Sam Longley as the new Operations and Finance Manager. Sam brings to the club a wealth of experience in sports development, management, and governance, as well as substantial expertise in financial management and compliance. Sam has held similar positions both in sport and industry and will no doubt make a significant contribution to the continuous growth of the club on and off the court.

Club Trustee Will Brown expressed his excitement at the appointment: “Sam is a perfect fit for our family. She will be a great asset to the club as we embark on a series of brand-new development initiatives across both the community and national league programmes”

Sam is also excited at the prospect of taking the helm at the Manchester Basketball Centre

“I’m really pleased to be appointed the Operations and Finance Manager for the club. I’m keen to work with the Trustees to develop and grow the club to its full potential whilst supporting the growth of the sport alongside the Director of Basketball. The passion of the athletes and the drive of the club volunteers is something I look forward to embracing and developing further. Success requires hard work, determination, a team approach and setting realistic yet ambitious goals. These are things I look to embrace during my journey.”

For anything related to the club’s operations and finances, and to discuss potential partnerships please contact Sam at sam@manchestermagicandmystics.co.uk

Manchester Magic and Mystics Vacancies

Vacancies: Court Supervisors

Court Supervisors

We are recruiting Court Supervisors.

We are looking for individuals with a can-do attitude and a commitment to great customer service to welcome and support our players and visitors to the Manchester Basketball Centre.

You will be the first point of contact for parents and children in our community programme as well as visitors and players on game day.

You will ensure that the Manchester Basketball Centre is a safe, clean and comfortable environment for all spectators, players, volunteers and employees. This includes monitoring spectator behaviour to ensure that it is maintained in line with the Club’s Code of conduct, health and safety, and safeguarding procedures.

You will be able to provide First Aid to players on court or to visitors to the Centre, if so required.

You will act as the event manager in the presentation of Senior Men and Women’s games (or support the event manager).

You will be passionate about working in an environment that supports the development of young people through sports.

For information on how to apply see our Vacancies page here

Manchester Magic and Mystics lead the way for England U14s at the Tri-Nations in Dundee 2023

Manchester Magic and Mystics lead the way for England U14s at the Tri-Nations in Dundee

Manchester Magic and Mystics lead the way for England U14s at the Tri-Nations in Dundee, as Magic’s David Akhidime (pictured directly below second from right) and Mystics’ Mojan Malek (pictured below second from right) earn All-Star 5 honours.

Magic’s David Akhidime Tri-Nations All-Star 5
Mystics’ Mojan Malek Tri-Nations All-Star 5

In the girls’ standings England 2 finished first, with England 1 as runners up and in the boys’ England 2 remained undefeated to win their crown and Wales took second. 

On hand to present the medals was Scottish and British basketball legend Kieron Achara. 

Manchester Magic players selected were, David Akhidime, Luca Boothe, Ege Cakmakkaya and Camran Hanson. Manchester Mystics players selected were, Mojan Malek, Tiana Walker and Anya Williams. 

Results:

Saturday 27 June

Girls – Court 1
9:00: England 1 113-20 Wales
11:00: Scotland White 29-110 England 2
13:15: Scotland Blue 54-78 England 1
15:15: England 2 103-17 Wales
17:00: Scotland White 23-104 England 1 – Tiana Walker top scored with 22 

Boys – Court 2
9:00: England 1 50-53 Wales
11:00: Scotland White 19-70 England 2 – Camran Hanson scored 34
13:15: Scotland Blue 71-85 England 1
15:15: England 2 83-60 Wales – David Akhidime scored 24
17:00: Scotland White 44-96 England 1

Sunday 28 May

Girls
9:00: Scotland Blue 54-73 England 2 – Mojan Malek scored 26, including 10 field goals
13:00: England 1 39-44 England 2

Boys
9:00: Scotland Blue 61-96 England 2
13:00: England 1 50-56 England 2

Manchester Magic and Mystics England U14 Tri-Nations Tournament 2023

Magic and Mystics selected in England U14 squads for the Tri-Nations tournament this month

Boys and girls teams will travel to Dundee to take on the other home countries – Scotland and Wales – from 26-28 May.  

Dan Petts and Ruth Eytle will lead the boys and girls respectively, as the players continue their England Talent Programme development following their recent trip to Spain for the Globasket tournament. U14 and 15s teams will also travel to Serbia this summer.

Schedule:

Manchester Magic and Mystics players selected:

U14 Boys 
David Akhidime, Luca Boothe, Ege Cakmakkaya and Camran Hanson.
U14 Girls 
Mojan Malek, Tiana Walker and Anya Williams. 

The Weekend Wrap

The Weekend Wrap 2022-23 Week 30

Junior Final Fours Special

Saturday 29th April – Semi-Finals

Manchester Magic U18 78-59 Haringey Hawks at 4:00pm

Manchester Magic U18 advanced to the play-off final after a semi-final win against Haringey Hawks on Saturday afternoon at the National Basketball Performance Centre, they faced London Elite in the Final on Sunday afternoon, find out how they got on below.

The Magic were led by Joe Buchanan 28 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals, Shaquille Furlonge 16 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal and Ben Brown 12 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.

Manchester Mystics U18 80-88 Ipswich at 2:00pm

Manchester Mystics U18 advanced to the 3rd/4th place game after a semi-final loss against Ipswich on Saturday afternoon at the National Basketball Performance Centre, they faced City of Birmingham Rockets in the 3rd/4th place game on Sunday afternoon, find out how they got on below.

The Mystics were led by Josephine Vourliotis 26 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block, Irene Oboavwoduo 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and Favour Elabour 9 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Manchester Mystics U16 53-33 CoLA Southwark Pride at 10:00am

Manchester Mystics U16 advanced to the play-off final after a semi-final win against CoLA Southwark Pride on Saturday morning at the National Basketball Performance Centre, they faced Richmond Knights in the Final on Sunday morning, find out how they got on below.

The Mystics were led by Maisie Keyes 22 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals and 2 blocks. Elizandra Costa 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and Irene Oboavwoduo 10 points, 17 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks.

Manchester Magic U14 80-76 London Elite at 10:00am

Manchester Magic U14 advanced to the play-off final after a semi-final win against London Elite on Saturday morning at the National Basketball Performance Centre, they faced London Warriors in the Final on Sunday afternoon, find out how they got on below.

The Magic were led by David Akhidime 27 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals, Camran Hanson 17 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal and Ege Cakmakkaya 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block.

Manchester Mystics U14 87-58 Sheffield Hatters at 12:00noon

Manchester Mystics U14 advanced to the play-off final after a semi-final win against Sheffield Hatters on Saturday afternoon at the National Basketball Performance Centre, they faced Milton Keynes Breakers/Richmond Knights in the Final on Sunday afternoon, find out how they got on below.

The Mystics were led by Mojan Malek 27 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 7 steals, Anya Williams 14 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals and Tiana Walker 10 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals.

Sunday 30th April – Finals / 3rd/4th Place

Manchester Magic U18 98-86 London Elite at 4:45pm – Video

Manchester Magic U18 National Champions 2022-23
Manchester Magic U18 National Champions 2022-23

Manchester Magic U18 were crowned National Champions after beating London Elite in the Final on Sunday afternoon.

The Magic were led by Matthew Goodwin (MVP) 34 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, Joe Buchanan 19 points and 10 rebounds, Shaquille Furlonge 17 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal and Luca Lara-Sanchez 7 points, a rebound, 6 assists and 5 steals.

Manchester Mystics U18 69-43 City of Birmingham Rockets at 2:30pm

Manchester Mystics U18 finished 3rd taking home the bronze medal, after beating City of Birmingham Rockets in the 3rd/4th place game on Sunday afternoon.

The Mystics were led by Saffron Erving-Murphy 15 points and 4 rebounds, Alejandra Escriva Gay 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and a block, Daisy Bryan 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and a block and Favour Elabour 8 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 5 blocks.

Manchester Mystics U16 59-54 Richmond Knights at 10:00am – Video

Manchester Mystics U16 National Champions 2023
Manchester Mystics U16 National Champions 2023

Manchester Mystics U16 were crowned National Champions after beating Richmond Knights in the Final on Sunday afternoon.

The Mystics were led by Irene Oboavwoduo (MVP) 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, Sara Blake-Smith 12 points and 15 points, Elizandra Costa 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal, Maisie Keyes 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block and Alexandra Hernandez 5 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals and a block.

Manchester Magic U14 72-69 London Warriors at 2:30pm – Video

Manchester Magic U14 National Champions 2022-23
Manchester Magic U14 National Champions 2022-23

Manchester Magic U14 were crowned National Champions after beating London Warriorsin the Final on Sunday afternoon.

The Magic were led by David Akhidime (MVP) 20 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks, Ege Cakmakkaya 18 points, 6 rebounds, an assist and a steal, Luca Boothe 11 points, 6 rebounds, an assist and a block and Dylan Panton 5 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal.

Manchester Mystics U14 61-96 Richmond Knights at 4:45pm – Video

Manchester Mystics U14 finished 2nd, taking home the silver medal, after losing to Richmond Knights in the Final on Sunday afternoon.

The Mystics were led by Mojan Malek 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block, Anya Williams 15 points and a rebound and Tiana Walker 8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.

That concludes the 2022-23 National Basketball League season, on top of the three National titles won this weekend, the Manchester Magic U16 and Manchester Mystics U16 won the National Cups in January, taking the season title total to five and the club’s historic total to 101 National Titles since 2000.

We would like to take this moment to thank all the players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and parents for your dedication to our collective success this season, we hope to see you all again next season. And to those who are moving on to pastures new, we wish you all the best, stay in touch, once a Magic and Mystic, always a Magic and Mystic!

Manchester Magic and Mystics Stock News graphic

Manchester Magic & Mystics National League trials

Saturday 13th May 2023

Venue: Manchester Basketball Centre, Wilbraham Road, M16 8GW

School year as of September 2023

Girls (years 4-12) 12:00-1:00pm

Boys (years 6, 7, 8 & 9) 1:15-2:15pm

Boys (years 10 & 11) 2:30-3:30pm

Boys (years 12 & 13) 3:45-4:45pm

Cost = FREE

Come and try out for one of the most successful junior programmes in the country over the last 25 years, sending over 65 players to the US.

Could you be next?

Please complete the form below to book your place now!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeodsrIEYIcw0rCLG3lmsfNCt-WYclSnK2AKDpg9yzxaktHyQ/viewform

The Weekend Wrap

The Weekend Wrap 2022-23 Week 29

Saturday 22nd April

Manchester Met Mystics 40–98 London Lions

The Manchester Met Mystics moved to 1-21 in the WBBL championship after a home loss against London Lions on Saturday afternoon, finishing 12th in the WBBL and miss out on a play-off spot.

Your team performance of the week last week Manchester Mystics U14 with 27.7% of the vote.

Junior Final Fours – at the National Basketball Performance Centre

Tickets for the Junior Final Fours can be purchased here (Adults £5, Concessions £2 – per day)

Schedule

Saturday 29th April – Play-off Semi-Finals

Manchester Magic U18 vs Haringey Hawks at 4:00pm

Manchester Mystics U18 vs Ipswich at 2:00pm

Manchester Mystics U16 vs CoLA Southwark Pride at 10:00am

Manchester Magic U14 vs London Elite at 10:00am

Manchester Mystics U14 vs Sheffield Hatters at 12:00noon

Sunday 30th April – Play-off Finals/ 3rd/4th Place Games

Manchester Magic U18 vs CoLA Southwark Pride/London Elite at 4:45pm

Manchester Mystics U18 vs CoLa Southwark Pride/City of Birmingham Rockets at 2:30pm

Manchester Mystics U16 vs Ipswich/Richmond Knights at 10:00am

Manchester Magic U14 vs Baltic Stars/London Warriors at 2:30pm/10:00am

Manchester Mystics U14 vs Milton Keynes Breakers/Richmond Knights at 4:45pm/12:15pm

Coach Jim's Report

Mystics U14 2 couldn’t catch the Breakers

MILTON KEYNES BREAKERS  86  MANCHESTER MYSTICS II  62

An away quarter-final tie requiring a 300+ mile round trip to darkest Buckinghamshire to play the country’s number 2 seed sounds daunting for any U14 1st team. That was the latest challenge facing Mystics U14 II and a mere 4 minutes in, with the scoreboard reading 0-11 it appeared to be on a par with someone falling off a cliff – one step too far.

A time-out to insist that nerves needed to disappear plus a suggestion that attempting to beat the land speed record on every possession was not the way to go, was made and heeded. All 5 Mystics showed the obedience displayed by champion sheep dogs to turn things round.

Despite sounding more like an urban street dance crew, Milton Keynes Breakers are a well-drilled, lightning quick side. Nevertheless, by moving the basketball with speed and precision instead of opting to over-dribble which had proved to be as fruitless as a dead apple tree, we went on a stunning 21-12 run to bring the score to 21-23. With the momentum heavily in our favour, foul trouble (which dogged us throughout) forced me to take a key player off (not Chubb or Yale!).

Now unable to use the defensive match-ups which were causing problems for the opposition, the deficit swelled to 15 by half-time as confidence began to sag in some of our players. My half-time cosy little chat focused on self-belief and simple strategies for combatting a 5 out offense with clear outs for one on one drives to basket.

At least one of them must have listened because we totally bossed the third quarter even with having to endure more foul trouble – in this case not a troublesome chicken! We won this 10 minute period 23-18, in no small part thanks to an incredible 16 points from our inspired captain in the quarter. 

In the ascendancy once more, this time our momentum was hampered by 2 loud spurious claims. The first, which appeared to come either from an adult on Milton Keynes’ bench, or someone hiding under it, felt it worthwhile to inform everyone that ‘combination defences are not permitted at this level.’ ?????? Possibly as baffled by this as everyone else was, a home supporter seemed to disagree. ‘It’s a zone,’ he shouted. I can only assume that this was code for ‘That can be the only reason why they are catching up.’

He could have been a VIP because without evidence or consideration, the referees suddenly (and immediately) came over to tell me we were playing a zone! My assistant, James and I both explained simply and factually why this was not the case. Both team’s defences were similar and remained as they had been throughout. One referee listened intently and seemed to waver. The other one didn’t. Ten seconds later he charged us with a technical foul for playing a zone!

Although this didn’t have a huge impact on the eventual outcome, it did throw us out of our stride at the beginning of the fourth period. We missed 5 early lay-ups in a row which resulted in 8 breakaway points at the other end. That plus mounting foul trouble caused the game to gradually slip away. This prompted me to make liberal substitutions throughout the final 6 minutes with such frequency that some players thought they were coming while others thought they were going and vice versa! Our opponents capitalised upon this to stretch the margin to a flattering 24.

This is not a true reflection of how tough a contest it was for both sides.  Milton Keynes coped well with our superior size, shot exceedingly well from their multitude of free throws (garnered from the massive total of 31 fouls awarded against us) and got a number of steals from their press when we had bench players on the floor. Our never-say-die youngsters played their hearts out but struggled defensively with the opposition’s pace and organisation.

There is always likely to be disappointment after a defeat but it is imperative to lose with grace and dignity without blame. On this occasion, the team who made less mistakes won the game but I do believe that if we played them again things might be different! 

Jim

The Weekend Wrap

The Weekend Wrap 2022-23 Week 28

The Play-off Wrap

Saturday 15th April

Manchester Magic U18 96–73 Sussex Storm

Manchester Magic U18 advance to the play-off semi-finals after a home win against Surrey Rams 1 on Saturday afternoon, they will face Haringey Hawks at the National Basketball Performance Centre on Saturday 29th April at 4:00pm

Manchester Mystics U18 75–41 Reading Rockets Academy

Manchester Mystics U18 advance to the play-off semi-finals after a home win against Reading Rockets Academy on Saturday afternoon, they will face Ipswich at the National Basketball Performance Centre on Saturday 29th April at 2:00pm

Manchester Magic U16 93–95* Manchester Giants

Manchester Magic U16 play-off run came to an end after a home quarter-final overtime loss against Manchester Giants on Saturday afternoon.

Milton Keynes Breakers 86-62 Manchester Mystics U14 2

Manchester Mystics U14 play-off run came to an end after an away quarter-final loss against Milton Keynes Breakers on Saturday afternoon.

Read Coach Jim’s report here

Sunday 16th April

Sheffield Hatters 2 84-38 Manchester Mystics D2

Manchester Mystics D2 play-off run came to an end after an away semi-final loss against Sheffield Hatters 2 on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester Mystics U16 74–49 Oaklands College Wolves

Manchester Mystics U16 advance to the play-off semi-finals after a home win against Oaklands College Wolves on Saturday afternoon, they will face CoLA Southward Pride at the National Basketball Performance Centre on Saturday 29th April at 10:00am

Manchester Magic U14 58-54 Ipswich

Manchester Magic U14 advance to the play-off semi-finals after a home win against Ipswich on Sunday afternoon, they will face London Elite at the National Basketball Performance Centre on Saturday 29th April at 10:00am.

Manchester Mystics U14 91-48 Ipswich

Manchester Mystics U14 advance to the play-off semi-finals after a home win against Ipswich on Sunday afternoon, they will face Sheffield Hatters at the National Basketball Performance Centre on Saturday 29th April at 12:00noon.

Tickets for the Junior Final Fours can be purchased here (Adults £5, Concessions £2 – per day)

The Weekend Wrap

Sunday 16th April

Essex Rebels 88-53 Manchester Met Mystics

The Manchester Met Mystics moved to 1-20 in the WBBL championship after an away loss against Essex Rebels on Sunday afternoon.

Up next for Mystics WBBL is a home game against London Lions on Saturday 22nd April at 3:00pm at Platt Lane, the Mystics final game of the season.

Your team performance of the week last week Manchester Mystics D2 with 92.8% of the vote. Who was your team of the week this week? (Vote Closed)

Magic and Mystics Impress with England at Easter Tournaments

Magic and Mystics Impress with England at Easter Tournaments

Numerous Manchester Magic and Mystics juniors have been involved in England duties over the Easter break, with Manchester Mystics’ Elizandra Costa (U16), Maisie Keyes (U16) winning the U16’s Four Nations Tournament last week (as mentioned here), this week it was the turn of the U18s, and there was also Tournaments for the U14 and U15 Boys and Girls all taking place over the course of the past week.

England U15 Boys Select team at the Lions Cup in Paris

Manchester Magic’s Luca Boothe and Dominic Goodwin were chosen from the ETP selection camp in Manchester to represent England at the Lions Cup in Paris.

Schedule/results 

Saturday 8 April 

11:00: JSF Nanterre 46-62 England Select LiveStream

15:45: Union Artois Elite 64-68 England Select LiveStream

Sunday 9 April  

10:00: Zaza Pachulia Academy 77-70 England Select LiveStream

18:00: (Final Fours) Maccabi Tel Aviv 63-55 England Select LiveStream

Monday 10 April

13:15 Poland Select 78-41 England Select LiveStream (4th)

Source: Basketball England

England U14 and U15 Select squads headed to Spain for the Globasket Tournament.

Four boys and girls teams took part in the Globasket Tournament in Lloret de Mar.

Manchester Mystics’ Mojan Malek, Jane Oboavwoduo, Tiana Walker and Anya Williams, were selected for the U14 Girls, and Sonia Matei and Irene Oboavwoduo, were selected for the U15 girls. Manchester Magic’s David Akhidime, Ege Cakmakkaya and Camran Hanson, were selected for the U14 Boys and Rufus Everatt, Jack Odongo and Ayomikun Olofintila, were selected for the U15 Boys.  

Schedule/results

ENGLAND U14 Boys

10 April
15:45 England U14B 90-27 Mercurius Basket

11 April
08:00 England U14B 62-64 Apagebask 1

12 April
08:00 England U14B 64-62 BTM
13:30  England U14B 68-41 Apagebask 2

13 April
11:30 England U14B 43-69 Apagebask 1

14 April
10:30 Third Place Playoff England U14B 63-66 BBC Mambra (4th)

England U14 Girls

10 April
15:45 England U14G 86-22 Mercurius Foxes 2

11 April
09:45 England U14G 48-63 Al Riyadi
13:00 England U14G 68-29 Russell Hoops

12 April
09:45 England U14G 66-42 Mercurius Foxes 1

13 April
13:00 England U14G 67-33 Soraluce Bergara

14 April
11:30 Final England U14G 56-65 Al Riyadi (2nd)

England U15 Boys

11 April
09:45 England U15B 79-19 Al Riyadi

12 April
20:00 England U15B 64-79 Basquet Girona

13 April 
09:45 England U15B 54-65 Soraluce Bergara

14 April
11:30 Final England U15B 55-56 Soraluce Bergara (2nd)

England U15 Girls

10 April
15:45 England U15G 53-64 Beat BK

11 April
09:45 England U15G 61-32 Soraluce Bergara

12 April
09:45 England U15G 80-33 KFUM Blackebergs 2

13 April
09:45 England U15G 89-45 Mercurius Foxes

14 April
08:00 Final England U15G 70-49 Beat BK (WINNERS)
Source: Basketball England

U18 Four Nations Tournament in Cardiff

Manchester Mystics’ Alexandra Hernandez (U18), and former Mystic’ Olivia Forster (U18), and Manchester Magic’s Matthew Goodwin (U18), selected to represent England at the Four Nations Tournament in Cardiff (U18s).

England U18 women

12 April 
15:00: Scotland 33-60 England LIVE STATS / LiveStream

Alexandra Hernandez played 7 minutes, had 2 points and a rebound, Olivia Forster started, played 26 minutes, had 26 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, 4 steals and a block.

13 April 
15:00: Ireland 60-53 England LIVE STATS / LiveStream

Alexandra Hernandez didn’t play, Olivia Forster started, played 16 minutes, had 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.
19:00: Wales 64-78 England LIVE STATS / LiveStream

Alexandra Hernandez played 3 minutes, had 2 rebounds, Olivia Forster started, played 27 minutes, had 8 points, 4 rebounds, an assist a steal and a block.

(Finished 2nd)

England U18 Men

12 April
09:00: Wales 65-109 England LIVE STATS / LiveStream

Matthew Goodwin started, played 25 minutes, had 11 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals

13 April
09:00: Ireland 62-73 England LIVE STATS / LiveStream

Matthew Goodwin started, played 21 minutes, had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.
13:00: Scotland 36-76 England LIVE STATS / LiveStream

Matthew Goodwin played 21 minutes, had 14 points, 3 assists and 3 steals.

(WINNERS)

Source: Basketball England