Tag: Manchester Magic and Mystics

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

The Weekend Wrap

The Weekend Wrap 2022-23 Week 27

The Play-off Wrap

Saturday 8th April

Manchester Mystics D2 62–61 Bromsgrove Bears

Manchester Mystics D2 advance to the play-off semi-finals after a home win against Bromsgrove Bears on Saturday afternoon in the play-off quarter-finals, they will face Sheffield Hatters 2 away on the weekend of Saturday 15th April.

The Weekend Wrap

Monday 10th April

Durham Palatinates 73-51 Manchester Met Mystics

The Manchester Met Mystics moved to 1-19 in the WBBL championship after an away loss against Durham Palatinates on Monday afternoon.

Up next for Mystics WBBL is an away game against Essex Rebels on Sunday 16th April at 4:00pm.

Your team performance of the week last week Manchester Mystics U14 2 with 55% of the vote. Who was your team of the week this week? (Vote closed)

Play-off Quarter Final Fixtures:

Saturday 15th April

Manchester Magic U18 vs Sussex Storm at 1:00pm

Manchester Mystics U18 vs Reading Rockets Academy at 3:30pm

CoLA Southwark Pride 20-0 Manchester Mystics U18 2 – Forfeited due to player availability.

Manchester Magic U16 vs Manchester Giants at 3:30pm

Milton Keynes Breakers vs Mystics U14 2 at 12:30pm

Sunday 16th April

Manchester Mystics U16 vs Oaklands College Wolves at 1:00pm

Manchester Magic U14 vs Ipswich at 1:00pm

Manchester Mystics U14 vs Ipswich at 3:30pm

Manchester Magic and Mystics selected for Lions Cup and Globasket Tournament 2023

Magic and Mystics selected in England U14 and U15 squads for Lions Cup and Globasket Tournament

An England U15 Boys Select team are taking part in the Lions Cup in Paris this weekend against international opposition. 

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. See below for Magic and Mystics selected in squads for U14 and U15 Boys and Girls squads for the trip to the Globasket Tournament in Costa Brava, Spain next week. 

In Paris, the England U15 Boys will be led by head coach Sterling Muschett and face a selection of club, academy and national teams between 8-10 April. 

The teams entered are: 

Group A: CTC Centre Essonne (France), Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), Poland Select, Saint Charles Basket (France). 

Group B: England Select, JSF Nanterre (France), Union Artois Elite (France), Zaza Pachulia Academy (Georgia). 

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

Source: Basketball England

England U14 and U15 Select squads head to Spain for their latest challenge.

Four boys and girls teams will take part in the in the Globasket Tournament in Lloret de Mar between 10 and 14 April.

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.  

The girls will be led by Ruth Eytle (U14s) and Maialen Zilbeti (U15s), while the boys’ head coaches are Dan Petts (U14s) and Billy Beddow (U15s).

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

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

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

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


Source: Basketball England

Mystics Help England U16 to Four Nations Victory

Mystics Help England U16 to Four Nations Victory

Manchester Mystics’ Maisie Keyes and Elizandra Costa helped England U16 Girls to the Four Nations title, after winning all three of their games in Ireland over the two-day tournament. Manchester Magic’s David Hewitt and Jack Walton helped England U16 Boys to Silver, losing to Ireland in overtime to miss out on the title. While Manchester Mystics’ Holly Stones impressed for Wales.

Elizandra Costa and Maisie Keyes with the Four Nations Trophy

Results:

U16 Girls

5 April 
09:00: Scotland 37-76 England – Maisie Keyes 14 points, Elizandra Costa 3 points
11:00: Ireland 90-39 Wales – Holly Stones 1 point
17:00: England 91-41 Wales – Maisie Keyes 19 points, Elizandra Costa 9 points, Holly Stones 5 points.
19:00: Ireland 81-58 Scotland

6 April 
13:00: Wales 33-62 Scotland – Holly Stones 6 points
15:00: Ireland 61-73 England – Maisie Keyes 16 points, Elizandra Costa 6 points

U16 Boys

5 April 
13:00: Scotland 42-95 England – David Hewitt 6 points, Jack Walton 7 points
15:00: Ireland 71-62 Wales

6 April
09:00: England 80-43 Wales – David Hewitt 6 points, Jack Walton 7 points
11:00: Ireland 99-39 Scotland
17:00: Wales 91-87 Scotland
19:00: Ireland 89-85 England (Overtime) – Jack Walton 13 points

US College Update

US College Update

With March Madness over in the US Colleges, we thought it was time to bring you up-to-date with how a number of our former Manchester Magic and Mystics junior players currently out in the USA playing at various Colleges have been getting on.

Chloe Andrew (Junior) at Oklahoma Panhandle State University (NAIA – SAC) Record: 3-22

Season stats: Played 21 games, 2 starts, 10.6 minutes per game, 4.4 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game, 0.6 assists per game, 0.4 steals per game, 0.0 blocks per game.

Michael Anumba (Graduate) at Winthrop University (NCAA Division 1 – Big South) Record: 17-15

Michael missed the season through injury.

Kaiyem Cleary (Junior) at Ball State University (NCAA Division 1 – MAC) Record: 20-12

Season stats: Played 21 games, 0 starts, 5.4 minutes per game, 2.0 points per game, 0.7 rebounds per game, 0.1 assists per game, 0.2 steals per game, 0.04 blocks per game.

Arinze Emeka-Anyakwo (Year 3) at University of Regina (USport Canada – West Canada) Record: 11-11

Season stats: Played 22 games, 3 starts, 21.6 minutes per game, 9.0 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, 0.9 assists per game, 1.1 steals per game, 0.5 blocks per game.

Sanmi Fajana (Redshirt Sophomore) at University of Wisconsin Parkside (NCAA Division 2 – GLIAC) Record: 21-9

Season stats: Played 30 games, 6 starts, 14.8 minutes per game, 5.5 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, 0.4 assists per game, 0.1 steals per game, 0.6 blocks per game.

Ben Gordos (Junior) at Concordia University Chicago (NCAA Division 3 – NACC) Record: 8-4

Season stats: Played 4 games, 0 starts, 4.0 minutes per game, 1.0 points per game, 0.3 rebounds per game, 0.3 assists per game, 0.0 steals per game, 0.0 blocks per game.

Luke Gordos (Sophomore) at Muhlenberg College  (NCAA Division 3 – CC) Record: 18-9

Season stats: Played 27 games, 15 starts, 26.4 minutes per game, 5.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, 1.0 steals per game, 0.7 blocks per game.

Ceejay Hanson (Freshman) at Cape Breton University (USport Canada – AUS) Record: 9-11

Season stats: Played 18 games, 1 start, 11.2 minutes per game, 1.8 points per game, 1.7 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, 0.2 steals per game, 0.0 blocks per game.

Ashana Hinds (Junior) at Academy of Art University (NCAA Division 2 – PacWest) Record: 7-18

Season stats: Played 22 games, 12 starts, 28.4 minutes per game, 6.7 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, 1.1 assists per game, 0.5 steals per game, 0.0 blocks per game.

Khia Lee (Sophomore) at Nicholls State University (NCAA Division 1 – SLC) Record: 5-24

Season stats: Played 12 games, 0 starts, 3.8 minutes per game, 0.2 points per game, 0.6 rebounds per game, 0.2 assists per game, 0.1 steals per game, 0.1 blocks per game.

Matin Malek (Freshman) at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NJCAA D1 Region II) Record: 23-6

Season stats: Played 17 games, 0 starts, 3.9 minutes per game, 0.9 points per game, 0.9 rebounds per game, 0.2 assists per game, 0.0 steals per game, 0.1 blocks per game.

Wesley Oba (Redshirt Sophomore) at Florida Southwestern University (NJCAA D1 Region VIII) Record: 20-9

Season stats: Played 28 games, 19 starts, 17.6 minutes per game, 4.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 0.7 assists per game, 0.7 steals per game, 0.7 blocks per game.

The Weekend Wrap

The Weekend Wrap 2022-23 Week 26

The Play-off Wrap

Saturday 1st April

Baltic Stars 2 90-69 Trafford Magic U16

Trafford Magic U16 play-off run came to an end after an away round 1 loss against Baltic Stars 2 on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester Magic U14 83–67 JMA Reading Rockets

Manchester Magic U14 advance to the play-off quarter-finals after a home win against JMA Reading Rockets on Saturday afternoon, they will face Ipswich at home on the weekend of Saturday 15th April.

Manchester Mystics U14 20–0 CoLA Southwark Pride – Awarded

Manchester Mystics U14 home game against CoLA Southwark Pride on Saturday has been awarded 20-0 to Mystics, and advance to the play-off quarter-finals, where they will face Ipswich, just like the Magic U14s, at home on the weekend of Saturday 15th April.

Manchester Mystics U14 2 53–51 Harris Federation Knights

Manchester Mystics U14 2 advance to the play-off quarter-finals after a home win against Harris Federation Knights on Saturday afternoon, they will face Milton Keynes Breakers away on the weekend of Saturday 15th April.

Read Coach Jim’s report here

Sunday 2nd April

Manchester Magic U18 93–65 Surrey Rams 1

Manchester Magic U18 advance to the play-off quarter-finals after a home win against Surrey Rams 1 on Sunday afternoon, they will face Sussex Storm at home on the weekend of Saturday 15th April.

Manchester Magic U16 66-59 London Elite 1

Manchester Magic U16 advance to the play-off quarter-finals after a home win against London Elite 1 on Sunday afternoon, they will face Manchester Giants at home on the weekend of Saturday 15th April.

The Weekend Wrap

Saturday 1st April

Essex Rebels 93-85* Manchester Magic D1

Manchester Magic D1 moved to 4-22 in the NBL Division One Men after an away overtime loss against Essex Rebels on Saturday evening, finishing 14th in NBL Division One and relegated to NBL Division Two North for the 2023-24 season.

Manchester Met Mystics 70–79 Caledonia Gladiators

The Manchester Met Mystics moved to 1-17 in the WBBL championship after a home loss against Caledonia Gladiators on Saturday afternoon.

Up next for Mystics WBBL was an away game against Leicester Riders on Sunday, find out how they got on below.

City of Birmingham Rockets 52-55 Manchester Mystics U18

Manchester Mystics U18 moved to 15-0 in the Premier North after an away win against City of Birmingham Rockets on Saturday afternoon, finishing 1st in the Premier North and await their fate in the play-offs.

Charnwood College Riders 20-0 Manchester Mystics U18 2 – Forfeited

Manchester Mystics U18 2 moved to 4-10 in the Premier North after an away forfeited loss against Charnwood College Riders on Saturday afternoon.

Up next for Mystics U18 2 was an away game against Nottingham Wildcats on Sunday, their final game of the regular season, find out how they got on below.

Sunday 2nd April

Leicester Riders 20-0 Manchester Met Mystics – Forfeited

The Manchester Met Mystics moved to 1-18 in the WBBL championship after an away forfeited loss against Leicester Riders on Sunday afternoon, due to injuries leaving the Mystics squad depleted.

Up next for Mystics WBBL is an away game against Durham Palatinates on Monday 10th April at 12:00noon (Easter Monday).

Nottingham Wildcats 87–44 Manchester Mystics U18 2

Manchester Mystics U18 2 moved to 4-11 in the Premier North after an away loss against Nottingham Wildcats on Sunday afternoon, finishing 4th in the Premier North and await their fate in the play-offs.

Your team performance of the week last week Manchester Mystics U16 3 with 50% of the vote. Who was your team of the week this week? (Vote Closed)

Coach Jim's Report

The dance goes on for Mystics U14 2

U14 girls play-offs last 16. Manchester Mystics U14 II 53 Harris Federation Knights 51.

For a second team to qualify for the play-offs is highly commendable. To then get through to the Quarter Finals is exceptional. To do so when trailing by 7 with 90 seconds to go in a tight, low-scoring affair is bordering on the miraculous!

Harris Federation Knights not only has the nation’s longest U14 team name, they are also blessed with possibly the physically strongest. We would have stood no chance in a tug of war head-to-head! When we really needed her, Oldham’s most powerful teenager, Victoria, decided to abscond to Austria (maybe to challenge Arnold Schwarzenegger to an arm wrestle.) We certainly missed her rebounding prowess.

As predicted, this was never going to be a tie in which I could fully involve all 12 Mystics, but I’m pleased to say that they all rejoiced as one in the final celebration, which shows what wonderful team spirit we have. In a game such as this whereby the outcome is as unpredictable as how many crimes Donald Trump will go unpunished for, every substitution is likely to be game-changing. 

It was immediately evident that Harris’s talented #13 made everything tick for them and after Jane picked up her second foul early on, it was left to our much-improved team defence to ward off her strong drives to the basket. They did well collectively, which reduced the opposition to trying their luck with pot shots from distance. It turned out to be their lucky day because 9 of their 14 points came via this route, with three two-handed 3 pointers thudding off the backboard and through the hoop.

This meant that, despite being the more creative side, we could only muster the slenderest of 1st quarter leads at 15-14. A combination of ‘big match nerves’ plus a tendency to rush and look for the killer pass resulted in too many missed lay ups and turnovers. We were also struggling on the boards against a very strong rebounding team.

The second quarter proved to be equally close. This affair was now as tight as any Yorkshireman, most of whom view every pound in their possession as a prisoner! Knights shaded it 15-16 to tie proceedings at 30 apiece at half-time. We were the fundamentally superior outfit, but lack of experience in close games had made us play too quickly and over-complicate things. My half-time team talk centred around slowing down, relaxing making shorter passes and being more aggressive in our rebounding. I assured the girls we would be fine!

The third quarter did not go well. I made too many changes which upset our rhythm so that we only managed 4 baskets in 10 minutes. This meant we trailed by 5 with 10 minutes to play. That may not sound much of a deficit, but in an even, low-scoring game, clawing it back would be as difficult as trying to eat soup with a fork!

We continued to struggle on the boards, but our hard-working team defence meant we were still in with a fighting chance if we stayed focused and more composed. We did. The five who came out for the fourth quarter sparkled like Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond wedding ring as we quickly narrowed the gap to one at 42-43 with 4 unanswered points. A great play by the Londoner’s leading light restored their lead before potential disaster struck. We missed two open lay ups, and they increased the margin to a whopping 7 thanks to a couple of speculative heaves, ironically from the previously anonymous #7, which crashed, rather than swished, home.

Knight’s excellent coach now called a time-out, after which it became obvious, he had told his players to run down the clock. Having spotted this, I called out of my own to offer a counter derived in discussion with my able assistant James. The response from the 6 players I used in the dying embers of the contest was magnificent. We scored 9 points without reply in the final minute and a half, combining it with such good interior team defence that our worthy opponents could not find a way to add to their tally.

The reaction from those on the bench plus the home support was worthy of the occasion. We had won this ‘cup final’ to create another one, away to the country’s number 2 seeded team, Milton Keynes in the land of the plastic cows… If we can capitalise on lessons learned from today’s encounter, we could cause them problems.

Many thanks to Louise and Andy for their never-failing assistance, to James for his insightful observations, to Alina and family for helping to set up the court, to all parents and supporters as well as to a group of young ladies who never give up.

Best wishes

Jim

Manchester Magic and Mystics EABL and WEABL Awards 2023

EABL and WEABL Regular Season Award Winners Announced

The 2022/23 EABL regular season provided some stunning performances and campaigns worthy of recognition.

With MVP, All-Conference 1st and 2nd teams, Most Improved Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, U17 Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honours available across both the North and South Conferences, the end-of-season awards are a great chance to single out some of those great contributions to the 2022/23 season.

All Conference 1st Team

Manchester duo Joe Buchanan (19.9PPG) and Ben Brown (17.9PPG) both make the cut after helping Magic to a 9-5 season.

All Conference 2nd Team

Matt Goodwin (20.1PPG, 3.1SPG) finished fourth in the EABL scoring charts and second in the steals list, making him a logical choice.

U17 Player of the Year

Awarded to the best Year 12 players from across the league, Manchester’s Matt Goodwin has been recognised.

Sealing conference 2nd team honours, despite his young age, it’s no surprise to see Goodwin singled out here as one of the best U17s in the EABL this season.

Words and Image Credits: EABL

After a high-quality regular season, the WEABL awards have now been announced.

With MVP, All-Conference 1st and 2nd teams, Most Improved Player, Defensive POTY, U17 POTY and Coach of the Year awards up for grabs across both the North and South conferences, the honours represented an excellent opportunity to recognise some great performances from the 2022/23 campaign.

MVP

After helping Manchester to a 6-3 record and second spot in the North, Mystics’ standout Isobel Robinson has earned MVP honours.

Collecting the league’s second-highest efficiency at 23.6, plus a WEABL third-highest 25.2PPG to go with 8.3RPG, 2006-born Robinson was a constant highlight for the North West side.

The 5’11” wing picked up more than one Player of the Week nod throughout the campaign and was a strong choice by North conference coaches for this award as well.

Coach of the Year

Mystics’ play caller Rob Fairley joins Robinson in collecting honours for 2022/23 as he’s named North Conference Coach of the Year.

Fairley got the best out of a young squad in the North West, with contributors Robinson, Alejanda Escriva-Gay, Daisy Bryan and more all making strides in their development this year.

Second place in the North and a 6-3 record was also an improvement for a Mystics programme that haven’t made the playoffs since 2019/20.

All Conference 1st Team

MVP Robinson is joined by Manchester team-mate Alejandra Escriva-Gay, who averaged an impressive 4.4APG as part of the Mystics’ solid season.

All Conference 2nd Team

Mystics Jo Vourliotis (8.1PPG, 7.0RPG).

Defensive Player of the Year

So much defensive work goes unnoticed on the stat sheet but the output of these two players certainly didn’t escape the attention of coaches across the league.

Manchester’s Daisy Bryan was a pain for opponents across 2022/23, with a league-third best 7.9 defensive rebounds per game. Adding in 1.0SPG and 1.1BPG, it’s clear to see why the 5’10” guard was singled out.

U17 Player of the Year

Awarded to the best Year 12 players from across the league, Manchester’s Isobel Robinson. Robinson’s selection was no surprise given her MVP award.

Words and Image Credits: WEABL

The Weekend Wrap

The Weekend Wrap 2022-23 Week 25

Saturday 25th March

Manchester Magic D1 85–100 Westminster Warriors

Manchester Magic D1 moved to 4-20 in the NBL Division One Men after a home loss against Westminster Warriors on Saturday evening.

Up next for Magic D1 was a home game against Derby Trailblazers on Sunday, find out how they got on below.

Manchester Met Mystics 37–82 Durham Palatinates

The Manchester Met Mystics moved to 1-16 in the WBBL championship after a home loss against Durham Palatinates on Saturday afternoon.

Up next for Mystics WBBL is a home game against Caledonia Gladiators, at Platt Lane, on Saturday 1st April at 3:00pm, followed by an away game against Leicester Riders on Sunday 2nd April at 3:00pm.

Manchester Valkyries 44-76 Manchester Mystics D2

Manchester Mystics D2 moved to 9-3 in the Pool 1 after an away win against Manchester Valkyries on Saturday afternoon, finishing 2nd in Pool 1 and await their fate in the play-offs.

Leicester Riders 64-80 Manchester Magic U16

Manchester Magic U16 moved to 19-1 in the Premier North after an away win against Leicester Riders on Saturday afternoon, finishing 1st in the Premier North and await their fate in the play-offs.

Derby Trailblazers 68-67 Trafford Magic U16

Trafford Magic U16 moved to 15-5 in the Premier North after an away loss against Derby Trailblazers on Saturday afternoon, finishing 3rd in the Premier North and await their fate in the play-offs.

Manchester Giants Blue 77-57 Manchester Magic U16 2

Manchester Magic U16 2 moved to 8-4 in the Conference North West 2 after an away loss against Manchester Giants Blue on Saturday afternoon, finishing 3rd in the North West Conference 2.

Sheffield Hatters 59-103 Manchester Mystics U16

Manchester Mystics U16 moved to 16-0 in the Premier North after an away win against Sheffield Hatters on Saturday afternoon, finishing 1st in the Premier North and await their fate in the play-offs. 

Leicester Riders 71-57 Manchester Mystics U16 3

Manchester Mystics U16 3 moved to 5-10 in the Premier North after an away loss against Leicester Riders on Saturday afternoon.

Up next for Mystics U16 3 was a home game against Bristol Academy Flyers on Sunday, find out how they got on below, their final game of the regular season.          

City of Leeds 49–580 Manchester Mystics U14 2

City of Leeds 2 0-20 Manchester Mystics U14 2

Manchester Mystics U14 2 moved to 16-2 in the North 1 after an away win against City of Leeds and the away game against City of Leeds 2 was forfeited, 0-20, by Leeds 2, meaning Mystics finish 2nd in the North 1 and await their fate in the Play-offs.

Sunday 26th March

Manchester Magic D1 71–89 Derby Trailblazers

Manchester Magic D1 moved to 4-21 in the NBL Division One Men after a home loss against Derby Trailblazers on Sunday evening.

Up next for Magic D1 is an away game against Essex Rebels on Saturday 1st April, their final game of the regular season. 

Trafford U18 66–79 QE York Knights

Trafford Magic U18 moved to 9-12 in the Premier North after a home loss against QE York Knights on Sunday afternoon, finishing 8th in the Premier North.

The outstanding away game, against St. Helens Saints, was voided.

Manchester Mystics U16 3 71–43 Bristol Academy Flyers

Manchester Mystics U16 3 moved to 6-10 in the Premier North after a home win against Bristol Academy Flyers on Sunday afternoon, finishing 5th in the Premier North.

Manchester Mystics U16 2 finished 7th in the Premier North, with a 5-11 record.

Manchester Magic U18

The away game against St. Helens Saints, was voided, Magic U18 finish 1st in the Premier North, with a 21-0 record and await their fate in the Play-offs.

Your team performance of the week last week Manchester Magic U14 with 27% of the vote. Who was your team of the week this week? (Vote closed)