FadeAway Magazine Issue 04

I N ISSUE 04

in association with

TM

The Original & Only

F3DRPOSTEEER + GLASSES

The UK’s ORIGINAL & ONLY BASKETBALL MAGAZINE - 2 of 2 special edition covers

+Giggs

Mike Martfinfs BBL Playo and Joel Freel Bball Hip Hop vsgent Madness NBA Free A

ISSUE#04 SPRING 2010

K C A B H S A FL

£3.50 ISSUE 04 SPRING 2010

EDITORIAL

Fadeaway Magazine Response Studios 369B High Road Leyton London E10 5NA E: info@fadeawaymag.co.uk W: fadeawaymag.co.uk T: 020 8558 3501 Editor: Greg Tanner greg@fadeawaymag.co.uk Creative Director: Jake Green jake@nothingbutnet.co.uk Art Director: Harry Adams harry@fadeawaymag.co.uk

Commercial Director: Mike Baptiste mike@nothingbutnet.co.uk

Photo By: thomasangus.com

Contributing Writers: Danielle Aumord, Simon Burr, Will Clapton, Sam Hart, Joe Hewinson, Jacob Hiller, James HH, Natasha Martineau, Sam Neter, Mark Woods & P Heard.

Those were the days – Streetball.co.uk’s Street All-Stars III, August 2004

HAP P Y BIR T H DAY !

C

rack out the champagne - I’m celebrating two special basketball anniversaries.

First up - this issue of FadeAway marks the mag’s first birthday. I know that time flies faster the older you get, but damn!! It literally seems like yesterday that the team and I were getting everything together for that first LeBron edition. I’ll never forget the first time I actually physically held the finished product in my own hands. I knew the mag was going to be decent - just based on the articles and images but Jake (creative director), Harry (designer) and Mike (business manager) went above and beyond to produce the best looking (and feeling!) basketball mag I’d ever seen.

They set the bar high, but have consistently raised it ever since - remember the black and gold Kobe cover and the Derrick Rose 3D special? Producing a high quality, glossy magazine is hard work. But thanks to some great writers, our friends at Pitch PR, the NBA, Adidas, Nike, the BBL and various others, we’ve steadily grown over the last year. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be in a very well-known nationwide store come the next issue. Hold tight for that.

The other date I’m celebrating is May 5th - which will mark the 10th anniversary of me registering the domain name Streetball.co.uk.

If that hadn’t have happened, I would not be writing for this magazine. In fact, I’m not even sure this magazine would exist.

Streetball.co.uk changed my life...and I don’t think it’s big-headed to say that it changed British basketball, too. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell the story of how I set SBUK up...I’ve bored people with that one a million times! I’m just going to say that a lot has happened in the ten years since I did – and I’ve been places and done things I never thought I’d do in my lifetime.

Anyway...in this issue we look at the one and only Dwyane Wade. The Flash showed just how sick he can be back in the ‘06 Finals - but since then, the Heat have struggled. Can he take them back to the top this year, or will Orlando/Cleveland spoil the playoff party?

Former England captain Mike Martin opens up to us about how the death of his mother almost saw him quit the game and I visit Joel Freeland down in Malaga to how he’s living on the Costa Del Sol.

Keep ballin’ Greg Tanner

“I know that time flies but damn!!

It literally seems like yesterday that the team and I were getting everything together for that first LeBron edition”

Contributing Design, Photographers/Illustrators: Thomas Angus, Mike Arnfield, Rinchen Ato, Natasha Brown, Kévin Couliau, Mark Green, John Hooper, Kevin Joseph, Phil Knott, Adrian Nettleship, Tom Roberts, Mikhail Serbin, Carlos Serrao, David O’Shaughnessy, Ville Vuorinen & Rus Martin.

Special Thanks: Tom @ Pitch - Simon W @ Nike Printers: Printed by Cambrian using vegetable based inks.

Published by: Nothingbutnet 2010 © Est: 2009.

ISSN: 2041-2134 Printed on Recycled Paper.

Distribution by: W.W.M.D. & Comag distribute & can be bought at all major basketball events.

This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or part, without the express written permission of the publishers.

Disclaimer: No part of Fade Away Magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

FADEAWAYMAG.CO.UK

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CONTENTS

32

REGULARS 08 | OVERTIME

How the phrase “Jordan owns a team” now has a new meaning.

Wad e know s it’s on him to carr y the Heat to the play offs

44 | FASHION

All the latest garms and gadgets for the summer of 2010.

FEATURES 10 | HOOPS TALK

FadeAway takes part in a groundbreaking event at London’s House Of Hoops store.

12 | NBA ALL-STAR DIARY

Strength in numbers. Our man helps make history in Dallas.

16 | PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Who’s hot and who’s not, as the BBL gets serious

26 | FREE AGENT FRENZY

The NBA landscape will change dramatically this summer. We look at some of the possible scenarios.

38 | HIMALYAN HOOPS Ballin’ at 15,000 feet.

54 | IT’S A RAP

“I ball for real, y’all n****z is Sam Bowie.” A look at some of the best basketball-related lyrics.

56 | GIGGS

One of UK urban’s finest tells FadeAway why the police are determined to shut his shit down.

22

58 | UK ELITE

The guys get their ride seriously pimped.

60 | NEED FOR SPEED

Why there’s no side-stepping the importance of lateral quickness.

62 | TOP TWEETERS

44

Who you need to follow on Twitter.

BALLER 14 | DEXTER CHAPMAN

The comeback kid who beat a broken neck.

18 | JOEL FREELAND

We visit the Team GB star at his Costa Del Sol crib.

22 | MIKE MARTIN

The former England captain reveals how the death of his mother almost saw him quit the game.

32 | DWYANE WADE

Flash is ballin...but what will it take for Miami to get back to the finals?

Photos By: David O’Shaughnessy, NBAE/Getty Images & John Hooper

FADEAWAYMAG.CO.UK

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FEEDBACK + CONTRIBUTORS DOPE MAG

I just wanted to give a shoutout to all you guys at FadeAway mag! You guys are doing an amazing job of displaying all the urban and basketball news in one magazine. Keep doing what you doing. The only British basketball mag out there - every baller in the UK needs to have one of these magazines in their hands for sure!

Cameron Thomas Cheers Cameron - cheque’s in the post ;-p

NEXT TINGS

LOVE US? HATE US? Holla at us – letters@fadeaway.co.uk MORE BBL?

Awesome effort guys, loving your work!

Took just one issue before I was convinced enough to get a subscription! Loved the little quirk with the 3D cover in issue 3 too and look forward to seeing what other innovations occur when future issues hit my mat!

Just as an aside, as brutal a product as it is, would love to see the BBL get some increased coverage in your magazine as you progress, alongside some local leagues highlighted (including mine! ;o) )!

I realise that these are things that you are probably looking at though!

Anyway, keep flying the flag for our game, you are doing a great job so far!

Neil Watson P.S. If you are continuing the NBA theme with the covers, how about a CP3 one for me?!

Love to you all!

We love you too - but Chris Paul’s knee is probably gonna keep him off the cover for the remainder of this season.

GETTIN’ GUNNED

Well the only upside to being hit like a train with flu was being home to take delivery and watch “More Than A Game”. What a movie, what a story! Just immense. I watched it twice back to back. But...no place for “Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot” on your list of hot hoop flicks? WTF??!! With a killer soundtrack and direction by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch? That’s a free shot you missed badly! Thanks for a great mag though guys, look forward to each issue.

Neil Dutton, Wirral, Merseyside, Everton Tigers fan.

You getting commission from Gunnin’?? Damn! lol

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ISSUE#04

I’m looking for any information about the next issue of the magazine. I’ve been scouring the internet but info is proving hard to come by.

Any response would be appreciated, as would any information such as what sort of release schedule you’re hoping to achieve - i.e a new issue monthly, bi-monthly, etc.

Thanks, Joe Hardacre Hey Joe - fadeawaymag.co.uk is the place to get the latest info...or search for FadeAway on Facebook. Right now we’re still quarterly...but hoping to go bi-monthly in the very near future.

WHAT’S UP FADEAWAY

The mag is banging. But how come you guys ain’t shown no love to Luol Deng? He’s the only Brit in the NBA, yet you haven’t done a single article on him yet.

Duncan Hey Duncan – thanks for the mail. If Lu does something newsworthy, we’ll cover it. But I am literally bored to tears of the British media doing pieces on him. It’s like the first commandment of British basketball writing: “Thou shalt do a Luol Deng story”! Everyone knows his tale by now. But as soon as something happens that warrants a new feature, you can bet we’ll be on it.

FAN MAIL

Hello, I was wondering if it would be possible for Greg Tanner to send my mum a signed photograph as it is her birthday soon and she is a big fan of his, and if possible if he could put ‘To Catherine, happy birthday’. Thank you so much if this is possible, Georgina Hennessy x “Damn, I’m seriously running out of copies of this pic, they sell out quicker than the mag!”

Mark Woods

Mark has been covering hoops for almost 20 years - writing for the likes of The Sun, The Guardian and NBA.com - as well as broadcasting on the BBC, Talksport and ESPN. By day, he is a distinctly average 2-guard for Basketeers in Edinburgh and blogs at Britball.com.

Sam Hart

Sam is a journalist and writer currently studying at the University of Brighton, and has been following, playing and writing about basketball for almost ten years. A former national league player, Sam has experience of the game both in the UK and in the US, and has contributed work to such publications as Overtime, The Fly, the NME and Virgin.com, as well as local newspapers.

Danielle Aumord

Danielle Aumord has been writing for almost 4 years now, specialising in cutting edge and urbanfocused human interest stories, as well as hip-hop and gospel music for the likes of Mix Mag, Time Out London and the Guardian.

She was also the associate producer on the recent hard hitting documentary ‘Vigilante Britain’ for Current TV. Follow Danielle at danielleaumordofficial.blogspot.com

Dave O’Shuaghnessey

This is O’Shaughnessy’s debut shoot for FadeAway.

He is a London based Irishman who juggles his time between still life photography in a small dark room at home and taking portraits. Dave shot the fashion article.

ISSUE 5 ON SALE JULY 1ST 2010

FOR MORE FOLLOW US ON: FACEBOOK.COM/FADEAWAYMAG

OVERTIME NEWS

DRE ALLEYNE JAILED z We were in two minds about whether to print this,

but it has been the biggest news in British basketball recently...England Under 18 coach, and former Five basketball pundit, Andre Alleyne, has been jailed for sexually abusing a 14-year-old schoolgirl. He was arrested after officers discovered lurid emails he’d sent her on a computer seized from his home. Found guilty of performing sex acts on the child, Dre was sentenced to 30 months.

MJ COMEBACK SHOCK! z No...not that MJ! Disgraced former sprinter Marion

POPS WATCH

Another issue of FadeAway, another team for Pops Mensah-Bonsu! The GB forward is now in Russia, playing for CSKA Moscow, and putting in WORK! His 19 point, 8 rebound performance against Zalgiris saw his team winning Group G at the end of the Euroleague Top 16 stage. As always Pops was his high-flying self – throwing down three HUGE jams in the third quarter which helped swing the momentum CSKA’s way. “ Mensah-Bonsu was the hero of the night,” said Head Coach Pashutin Evegeny. “I am glad for Pops, who was just sensational. He’s a great guy, he fits just right for the team and all his teammates are trying to help him. I am sure that’s only a beginning.”

METS TOPPLE MAGIC

z London Mets have upset favourites Manchester Magic to win the EBL National Trophy.

Tough defence from the London club – plus a hot first half from Arturo Noha - saw them hit the break up 43-33. In the third quarter, the ever-high-scoring Stefan Gill did his best to get his team back into the game, nailing 5 threes in the period and helping to cut the gap to just two going into the final stanza. But with Courtney Van-Beest shooting a perfect 6/6 from the field (en route to 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals) and Jeffrey Danchie hitting big shots (17 points, 7 boards) the Mets came away with an 80-73 victory.

Noha was named MVP - finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.

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Jones has signed for WNBA team the Tulsa Shock.

The 5’ 10” athlete achieved global notoriety when she was stripped of five Olympic medals for using steroids...AND jailed for lying to federal prosecutors.

Jones said joining the Shock is not about her past, but instead about fulfilling her dream of playing ball at the highest level. “The word redemption is not in my vocabulary,” she said. “I’m a competitor, I want to play against the best in the world, and I know that I will be doing that.”

WIN WIN z As you can see, a

certain Mr Wade is gracing our cover this issue. And he could be gracing your DVD player soon. We’ve got a copy of NBA Undeniable: Dwyane Wade to give away. The film charts the rise of one of the League’s most exciting and explosive players and is a must for all Flash fans. To enter our competition, just answer this question: IN WHICH YEAR DID DWYANE WADE WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP? a) 2004, b) 2005, c) 2006 Email answers to competition@fadeawaymag. co.uk - and make sure you include your name and postal address!! The winner will be drawn on May 1st.

W DUNK CONTEST CHANGE

z Everyone knows the NBA dunk contest has sucked the big one for the last few years. Well, it

seems the disaster which was this year’s competition has prompted some action. One of TNT’s bosses, David Levy, is talking to the NBA about potential changes to the contest after viewer complaints. Whilst Levy would (obviously!) not be upset to have LeBron James competing against Kobe Bryant in future dunk contests, he apparently doesn’t believe the event necessarily needs that kind of star power to thrive. Instead, he’s more interested in having the players who agree to participate put more effort into it...and, perhaps, give it some thought beforehand. “I think it had to do with preparedness,” he said of this year’s dunk contest problems. “I want to figure out how we can change or grow the event and keep it relevant.” Thank god!!

elcome to the 1st installment of the Big Fen section in this issue of Fadeaway. If you don’t know about Big Fen he is one of the UKs top basketball entertainers. You may have seen him touring on the Extreme sports channel showcasing his streetball skills against Europe’s finest or freestyling in various stage shows and events including the BBC your game road shows or Adidas Adizone 2012 campaigns.

Big Fen constantly performs/plays and commentates at various prestige events and is known for his unique personality standing at 5’10 with his wide frame he is usually the smallest on the court but definitely always the loudest! His big personality means that he pulls no punches and says exactly whats on his mind!! (For more info on Big Fen go to www.bigfen.co.uk) This section is going to be some general chit chat and banter on current subjects and events. Each month I will bring a different topic and you will have your chance to voice your opinion. This issues subject is UK Basketball!...... In my opinion basketball is one of the coolest best suited sports for our country!!

It is constantly raining and this is an indoor sport, every high school has gym and we have plenty of outdoor basketball courts for the dry days. So why we are not up there with the likes of the US or even closer to home are neighbors in Europe.

Is it Money? Attitude? Ability? Knoweledge? My opinion is that we do not adopt the culture like we should, basketball is a lifestyle and there are too many short shorts wearing meat head rugby teacher s teaching the sport in schools! I started a playing basketball because baggy clothes were cool and so was hip-hop and now im in love with the game!! Let’s find out what you think send your opinions to bigfen@fadeaway.com.

See you next issue!

JORDAN OWNS TEAM (NO...REALLY, THIS TIME!)

GO WITH THE FLO

majority owner of an NBA team, after paying $175 million to buy the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats are the youngest franchise in the League, having been established in 2004. Money has been the top basketball executive there since 2006. NBA Commissioner David Stern said: “I am certain that as Michael Jordan returns to his home state as the principal owner of the Bobcats, the team will continue its growth as a success on the court, as a business success and as a valued community asset.”Let’s hope MJ does a better job here than he did at Washington – where he made some very questionable decisions (including drafting Kwame Brown with the number pick in the 2001 NBA Draft).

Tigers for Japanese team Hamamatsu Phoenix.

The move didn’t go down to well with Tigers’ coach Tony Garbelotto, though. He said: “We had invested a lot of time and effort getting him back fit after he broke his hand, but he was looking to leave.“I don’t think he’s helping himself in terms of the future,” he added. “Moving out of Europe is not good for his GB hopes.”

z Mike’s gone and made history again. He’s become the first ever former-player to be a

z GB big man Dzaflo Larkai has left the Everton

FADEAWAYMAG.CO.UK

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H OU S E O F H O O P S

I N STO R E

WORDS BY: GREG TANNER PHOTOS BY: ADRIAN NETTLESHIP

“EVERYONE FROM LEBRON JAMES TO PAU GASOL TO PAUL PIERCE TOOK PART - FIELDING QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE AT HOUSE OF HOOPS STORES IN N.Y., L.A., LONDON AND PARIS”

REACH FOR THE STARS Foot Locker House Of Hoops stores around the world link up on for a special All-Star Saturday “HoopsTalk” event.

YOU

didn’t have to be an accredited journalist to ask NBA players questions at All-Star weekend (thank god, those forms are ridiculous!). Thanks to the power of the internet, fans from near and far got to quiz their favourite ballers - LIVE - via video link.

Everyone from LeBron James to Pau Gasol to Paul Pierce took part - sitting on stage in Dallas, fielding questions from people at House Of Hoops stores in New York, Los Angeles, London and Paris.

With questions like “why did you start playing basketball” and “how does it feel to be an all-star” regularly featuring, it goes without saying that there were no juicy revelations.

What was funny though was the way the store hosts got progressively crazier in their attempts to out-do each other. London’s master of ceremonies, Treble T, tried all manner of gimmicks - including stringing sneakers around his neck and getting kids to spin basketballs on their fingers - to show that London was reppin. The guys in the French store were on some weird business though!

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Highlights included Shannon Brown showing us his new creps and explaining how he used to bust calf-raises 24/7. Everyone was hyping him like crazy ahead of the dunk contest - bare people rocking “Let Shannon Dunk” Tees. A shame he FLOPPED horribly a few hours later! Paul Pierce meanwhile described All-Star weekend as a chance for the NBA players to have fun around each other before “becoming enemies again” when the regular season resumes afterwards. Serious dude.

HoopsTalk aside, as a first time visitor to the House Of Hoops store, I was impressed. They have a SERIOUS basketball sneaker collection there... and with bare throw-back Jordans, it was like a trip down memory lane for me!

Oh yeah - everyone left a winner (even those who didn’t get to ask questions)...there was a free copy of FadeAway issue 3 in every goody bag.

A L L- S TAR D I A RY

N B A A L L- STA R W E E K E N D

PHOTO BY: JAKE GREEN WORDS BY: JULIE ADENUGA

“ BEING ONE OF THE RECORD-BREAKING 108,713 PEOPLE WATCHING MADE IT KINDA UNFORGETTABLE. ALL THE PLAYERS SEEMED TO RISE TO THE OCCASION OF PL A YI N G IN FRONT OF SUCH A HUGE CROWD”

A BREAKING ALL STAR

WORDS BY: JAMES HARRIS HOGARTH PHOTO BY: NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

James Harris-Hogarth on his record-breaking role at NBA All-Star Weekend.

T

o All-Star or not to All-Star, that is the question...

It happens every year - around November you get an email from the NBA asking if you want accreditation for All-Star Weekend. And you sit and think “it’s just a glorified friendly” and “the dunk contest always flops”. But this year - THIS year - was going to be different. Mavs owner Mark Cuban wanted to put on the biggest and baddest ASG ever and, in true Texan style, had arranged to hold it at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, which holds over 100,000 people. Now THAT was something I just could not miss.

FRIDAY

First up was an “NBA Cares” event. It would be easy just to write it off as a PR stunt, but the look on the kids’ faces as they ended up painting a wall with Chris Bosh - or watching D-Wade plant trees - was amazing. And to give them their dues, the players actually seemed to enjoy themselves. I’ve been to three All-Star NBA Cares events now, and not once have I seen a baller just turn up and go through the motions. They always give 110% and the kids appreciate that.

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Later I hit up the NBA Jam Session, where the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown was taking place. Local leaper “Air Up There” won the contest - which was judged by LeBron, Darryl Dawkins and Drake - to scoop the $10,000 prize money.

Next it was downtown for the Rookie / Sophomore game, where I was looking forward to watching Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings trying to outshine each other. Evans won the MVP, but it was DeJuan Blair from the Spurs who stole the show with 22 points and 23 rebounds (!!!) as the Rookies powered their way to a 140-128 win.

Later that night I found myself in an air hangar (yes - an AIR HANGAR) for the Dirk Nowitzski / Mary J Blige / Common party. I could write another whole page on that evening - but let’s just say an English accent gets you into most VIP areas in Dallas :-)

SATURDAY Saturday was hectic - but also the main reason I was in Dallas (to cover the D-League All-Star Game). Team GB coaches Chris Finch and Nick Nurse were in charge of the two teams, and I managed to grab them both for a chat. See basketball247.co.uk for the video interview.

As for the NBA action - it was a bit of a letdown to be honest. I don’t think anyone really cares about the Skills Challenge or the Shooting Stars. It’s all about the 3 point competition (Paul Pierce beat Steph Curry by cheating!) and the dunk contest.

But that was TERRIBLE! Nate won...again...but no one really cared. And at $400 a ticket... well, I’d want more bang for my buck if I was paying! Later that night there was another party - D-Wade this time. And the accent thing...it still held up.

SUNDAY The big day and the main event...and being one of the record-breaking 108,713 people watching made it kinda unforgettable. On the court, it was the best ASG I’ve seen. All the players seemed to rise to the occasion of playing in front of such a huge crowd.

Funniest moment of the weekend though was Benny The Bull standing right in front of Jay-Z, dancing Beyonce-style to “Single Ladies”. Jigga did NOT look amused! Benny pegged it...and I’m not sure of that lovable rouge mascot from the Chicago area has been seen since.

I M P O S SIB L E I S N O T H I N G

DEXTER CHAPMAN

CRASH TEST A serious car accident left him with a broken neck and doctors fearing paralysis. But Dexter Chapman had other ideas.

W

Words By: Will Clapton Photo By: Adrian Nettleship

ith its relatively rural and affluent reputation, the county of Oxfordshire seems like an unlikely hotbed for young British basketball talent. Yet that is where 6’ 5” former Reading Rockets junior Dexter Chapman honed his impressive repertoire of skills.

After leading Henry Box School to three consecutive county championships, Dexter was scouted by a programme that takes the best British ballers across the pond to play against the big boys in the USA. With encouragement from supportive friends and family, Dexter left his home in the small market town of Witney and headed to Ohio for one year of high school basketball at Harvest Prep. The versatile guard / forward’s first year Stateside was all going according to plan... until the actions of a drunk driver left Dexter’s basketball career – and, indeed, his life - hanging in the balance. The young Brit took the full force of impact in a car accident which left him hospitalised with no feeling in his right arm, and his neck broken in two places. Despite fears of paralysis, Dexter made a miraculous recovery and was playing basketball again just two months later.

Although some Division 2 colleges lost interest in him following his accident, Ohio Christian University were quick to see Dexter’s potential and offered him a scholarship, commending him on his tremendous character and leadership skills.

Dexter gratefully accepted and now contributes tough, physical defense and the ability to spread the court with his accurate jump shot.

He recently went off for 27 points and 13 boards and hopes the best is yet to come. Dexter is keen to encourage other young Brit ballers to follow his lead and take their game to the States. “Do not let anybody change your dreams”, says the 20-year-old, “just have fun and step up when it’s your chance”. After all, Dexter is living proof that people can overcome even the most challenging circumstances in pursuit of their dreams.

“A car accident left his neck broken.

Despite fears of paralysis, he made a miraculous recovery and was playing again just two months later” 14

ISSUE#04

BBL – PL AYO F F S P R E V I E W Sheffield Sharks

Words By: Joe Hewison PHOTOs By: Mike Arnfield Ville Vuorinen

BATTLE OF BRITAIN It’s tight at the top as the BBL gets into the business end of the season. Joe Hewison checks out the contenders.

“

They will not win three trophies next year, I can guarantee that.” That was Everton Tigers coach Tony Garbelotto’s pledge after the Newcastle Eagles narrowly defeated his side to take last year’s BBL play-off crown - and with it, their third piece of silverware of the season.Ten months on and the north-east outfit find themselves in their sixth-successive BBL Trophy final, top of the Championship, and on course to repeat an identical treble. But with high-profile departures, the emergence of new title challengers and the unpredictability of the post season, play-off victory is anything but a foregone conclusion.

Shortly after last year’s play-off success, the Eagles were dealt a double-blow when newly crowned MVP Trey Moore and Team GB hopeful Tafari Toney decided their futures lay away from the MetroRadio Arena. Fans’ favourite Toney opted to make the short journey south to join the Sheffield Sharks while Moore looked abroad to secure a deal in one of Europe’s big leagues. However, when such a deal failed to materialise, he returned to the BBL with Everton in December. You might think losing players of such stature to your closest rivals would have an adverse effect on a team, even one as dominant as Newcastle, but this is not the view of their coach Fabulous Flournoy.

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“How would that be a factor if we are still at the top of the table?” asks the American. “We are in a situation where most players only sign a one-year contract and when you have a season like we did last term, it is inevitable that teams are going to come in for our players. “When that happens, the most important thing is to keep that central nucleus together. This happens every year and we are still at the top challenging for trophies every year.” The Eagles’ ability to handle the loss of top, individual talents has been a key factor in their continuing dominance of the British game in recent years - but this season it has been particularly significant. As well as the departures of Toney and Moore, Newcastle suffered another blow when Team GB point guard Flinder Boyd signed in January, only to leave shortly afterwards without even playing a game. But with Boyd’s departure came the opportunity to bring in another GB star in former Eagle, Andrew Sullivan - a move Flournoy is particularly happy with.

“With Drew coming in it makes it easier because he already knows our system and our philosophy,” he said. “Usually when you get a new guy it takes time for them to get into a new rhythm - but with Drew it’s easy to implement him into what we’re doing.”

Charles Smith

Atibe Lyons

Reggie Jackson

Fab Flournoy

Tony Garbelotto

Even with ‘Sulli’, Newcastle will have to be clear in what they are doing if they are to get past their closest challengers, current BBL Cup holders, Sheffield Sharks. After five years without a trophy, the Sharks have been rejuvenated this term, leading the way for much of the season and only being pegged back by Newcastle in March. But as history tells us; whilst the top two seeds from the Championship usually advance to the semi-finals (the last time this didn’t happen was 1998), it is not always the number one team that wins the lot, with the Championship winner going on to claim the play-off title in only two of the past seven seasons.

Therefore, with ever-improving player/coach Atiba Lyons at the helm, MVP elect Mike Cook leading the league in scoring, Toney providing a dominant presence inside and a roster full of natural leaders such as Ryan Patton and Perry Lawson, the Sharks are certainly one of the favourites to challenge the Eagles for the big prize at Birmingham’s NIA in May. However, before Sheffield or indeed Newcastle can begin thinking about Finals weekend, they must first come through their respective quarterfinals.

At time of writing there are just six points separating fourth and eighth position, so home-court advantage in the final eight is still up for grabs...and whilst the Guilford Heat and Worcester Wolves still have a chance to sneak into the top eight, it remains unlikely as the teams above them have games in hand. Of the teams just inside the play-off places, the top sides will almost certainly want to avoid last year’s finalists, Everton.

Garbelotto’s side have struggled to recreate last season’s form and although they may have a very different looking side to last year, without the likes of Richard Midgley, Andre Smith and Josh Gross.

They still possess a number of experienced, highly talented, players like James Jones, Trey Moore and Olu Babalola who are capable of pouring in 30-plus on any given night.

It remains to be seen what kind of impact late signing Marcel Jones will have after coming in to replace Japan-bound Flo Larkai, but based on Everton’s previous forays into the American market you can bet he will be no slouch. Worthing Thunder will be hoping their own American muscle, Reggie Bratton can carry his 25.8ppg scoring touch into the play-offs, as they look to cause a shock or two. But one team the ‘big two’ will certainly not be caught out by are the Cheshire Jets. Paul Smith’s side surprised a lot of people with their BBL Cup run earlier this season, dumping the Eagles out before pushing the Sharks all the way in the final, so most sides will have one eye on them. That leaves the Glasgow Rocks, Leicester Riders and Milton Keynes Lions to battle it out for home court advantage. These have been three of the most consistent teams in the league this season and each will fancy their chances of making it to Birmingham.

Although sitting comfortably in third, Glasgow could struggle once the ‘one-off’ games come around having lost dominant centre Randall Hanke too late to find a replacement. But they should have top scorer and dead-eye three-point shooter Rob Yanders back from injury and ready to play. Other than that, it could simply be a case of who wants it more and executes better on the day between these three. So, as far as Garbelotto’s guarantee goes, it is difficult to see anybody other than the Newcastle Eagles as favourites for every piece of silverware still going - and even more difficult to see the Everton Tigers as the ones who can stop them.

But then again - as Newcastle know all too well - anything can happen in the play-offs.

“ As history tells us, whilst the top two seeds from the Championship usually advance to the semifinals, it’s not always the number one team that wins the lot”

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BRITS ABROAD – JOEL FREELAND

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A FRACTURED LEG CAN END A SPORTSMAN’S CAREER IN A HURRY. For Team GB forward Joel Freeland, it started his...

WORDS BY: GREG TANNER PHOTOS BY: BB24/7

WITH

a pimped out apartment on the Costa Del Sol, an M5 in the driveway and a multi-year, multi-million Euro deal with one of the ACB’s strongest teams, Joel Freeland is living the baller’s dream. But, he says, none of it would have happened had it not been for a pretty nasty injury. “I’d been playing football for about eight years, then I broke my left leg,” he explains. “I had two weeks in hospital and nine months of recovery. After that, I didn’t want to play football again. I didn’t want to get tackled and go through that experience all over again.” And who can blame him? But, already standing over six and a half feet tall aged 16, those around Joel didn’t think he should call it quits on a sporting career quite so quickly.

“My PE teacher said ‘why don’t you try basketball?’ Obviously, what with it not being big in England, I’d never even touched a basketball. But I started to play with the school team, and at the local park, and from that point everything just snowballed.” After a brief stint with a local league team in his hometown of Aldershot, Joel began playing with the BBL’s now-defunct Thames Valley Tigers’ junior team. But again, his potential was so obvious, he was given the chance to train with the senior professionals.

“It was really strange,” he admits. “Within just seven months of starting to play basketball, I was already playing with a pro BBL side! They were like ‘just throw him in at the deep end and see how he does’”. It seems he did OK. That summer, Joel attended Steve Bucknall’s camp, where he caught they eye of former NBA player, and British basketball coaching legend, Jimmie Guymon - the first of two people who Joel credits as being instrumental in getting him to where he is today. “He taught me what I needed to do – getting better at rebounding, individual skills, fundamentals.

He taught me my hook shot, which I’ve used ever since and is now my favourite shot. “When I first came to him, I couldn’t even do a left-handed lay up! I found it hard to co-ordinate my feet... left-right, right-left.

He had a lot of patience with me and helped me a lot within that year.” But it was hard work. “I was living in Farnham and travelling like an hour each way to and from Southampton, three or four times a week - two were for team training, the other two were for individual workouts with Jimmie.”

After a year with Solent, Joel found himself representing England at an international Under-18 tournament in eastern Europe, where he impressed the other guy who’d prove crucial in his development, Roberto Orellana – a scout for Gran Canaria.

“He offered me the option of going to Europe, so I decided to try it,” says Joel. But if Joel thought Southampton had been hard work, it was nothing to what Orellana put him through in the heat of the Canary Islands. “Rob used to wake me up at six in the morning and we’d go and work on ball handling. He had the keys to the gym, but because there was no one there, all the lights were off...so everything we were doing was completely in the dark!

“After that I’d have a weights session, then I’d eat, sleep, wake up, go to my team’s practice and then go and practice with the ACB team. And that was pretty much every day.”

Whilst many people wouldn’t have been able to hack it, Joel was appreciating every moment. “I was seeing constant improvement. Rob’s a great person and a great coach – he takes you very seriously and he takes everything he does very seriously. He was hard on me, of course, because he wanted me to get better...but outside of basketball he was like a friend as well. It was tough being only 18 and being so far from home and friends, but I think during that year there were so many things that happened that I never really had the chance to think about it too much”. Then, Orellana hit him with something out of the blue.

“He said to me one day ‘what would you say I if told you that the NBA were interested in you?’ “I was like ‘what are you talking about? I’ve only been playing basketball for two years. I watch NBA on the TV’...but he was deadly serious when he said it. “I was thinking ‘what is he on about?! Obviously I’m not going to go to the NBA at 18 or 19’ - so I didn’t even think about it.f

“eVery basketball player’s dreaM Is to play In the nba, and MIne Is no dIfferent. but I don’t Wanna go there If I’M not ready. I Wanna feel lIke I’M strong enough Mentally and physIcally, because there Is a huge step” FADEAWAYMAG.CO.UK

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Joel Freeland

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“But about a month later he said it again. He said ‘I have a good friend who’s an agent at a huge American agency – WMG – and he’s interested in coming to see you.’ I said ‘OK, let’s see what happens’”. “So he came to Gran Canaria, watched me work out individually and I signed with him. Then probably two or three weeks later I flew to L.A. and started to do all my workouts with the NBA teams, in front of NBA scouts.”

“I was in awe – my first workout was with Sheldon Williams, JJ Reddick, Brandon Roy and Jordan Farmar...it was just us guys because we were all with the same agency. We were working out in a little school gym, but there were like 29 or 30 scouts watching us.

It was strange because those other guys had had the college years and experience and everything, so for them it was kinda normal they knew what they were doing and were kinda going through the motions. Whereas I was out there going 110%, doing everything I possibly could to try and impress these people.” Before he knew it, Joel was at Madison Square Gardens for draft night. “It wasn’t so nerve-wracking to be honest, because I actually knew before the draft that I was going to go to Portland at the 30th pick. So I was just waiting for my time.” When his time came, the Brit kid caused quite a stir – pulling out an England football shirt and presenting it to David Stern. “That wasn’t my idea!” he protests, laughing.

“That was my agency’s idea. But originally they wanted me to put the England top on underneath and take my shirt off. I said ‘I haven’t got the kind of character to do that, that’s not me’... so I said ‘I’ll give him the shirt as a present’. All of a sudden, “Joel Freeland” was the hottest name in town. “The next day I had like 25 missed calls from different newspapers in England, news networks in America. I don’t know how they got my number!

“Defence is hard, there’s a lot of things you need to remember - being in the right position, or the help position, different things on pick and rolls...and then you’ve got to think about all the things you want to do as a team within the game. It’s hard, but I think I’ve improved my D a lot since the start of the season.”

Joel’s also been lucky enough to have a special mentor within the team - fellow Brit big man Robert Archibald. “Arch is a great guy. It helps a lot that he’s in my position. He’s been with Aito for three years and knows his principles, so any problems I have he just pulls me to the side and says ‘you’ve gotta do this, this and this’ - so I listen to him and try to learn. He’s someone I definitely look up to within basketball. He’s a veteran, he’s a very, very smart player. I look to him a lot to learn things to improve my game.”

But it hasn’t all been smoothing sailing in Malaga. The team has been struggling recently – and the fans are getting increasingly critical. Indeed just an hour or so before our interview, the booing crowd chanted for heads to roll as Unicaja lost to Bilbao. “That’s been hard,” Joel admits. “I never had to experience anything like that in Gran Canaria”.

“We’re not living up to expectations, so we’ve been doing a lot more practice sessions than usual. As a result, Joel doesn’t have a lot of free time. But when he does get a minute, he’s got some pretty cool spots to go hangout. “I tend to go to places like Marbella to relax..and Puerto Banus. The great thing about Malaga is that there are busy places and there are quiet places, and plenty of nice scenery to take in. “Obviously there’s a lot of English people down here. I have a nice house and everything is provided.”

Still only 23, Joel is certainly living the life. But it ain’t been easy.

He says it’s all about hard work, and a little luck.

“I tend to go to places like Marbella to relax..and Puerto Banus. The great thing about Malaga is that there are busy places and there are quiet places, and plenty of nice scenery to take in” “It was a great experience, but at the same time very surreal. I was like ‘is this really happening?’. And being so young, and having grown up in England, I didn’t know a whole lot about basketball, so it was strange having all these people who DO know so much about it talking to me.”

Although Portland held his rights (and still do), they wanted Joel to stay at Gran Canaria to improve his game before coming to the NBA. This season, they offered him a place in the L, but Joel declined – instead choosing to sign with Unicaja Malaga. “I turned it down because I didn’t think it was going to be ideal for me.

Every basketball player’s dream is to play in the NBA, and mine is no different. I would love to finally get there. But my biggest issue is that I don’t wanna go there if I’m not ready. I wanna feel like I’m strong enough mentally, physically...all these areas I wanna make sure are there before I make that step, because there is a huge step.

“Obviously the ACB is a great league, but it’s completely different to the NBA. Europe is more of a team game, theirs is more of an individual game. But to take that step to the NBA is going to be very hard – and I wanna make sure I get all my experience in Europe first before I go, so I am able to go there and make an impact...not to go there just to sit on a bench and watch a game.

I wanna go there and play.” Joel says his first season in Malaga has been a success for him personally – and seen much needed improvement in his D. “Coach Aito is a great defensive coach, and I’m starting to learn his defensive principles. For me, it’s all starting to make sense now, so this year has been a huge step forward.

“I’ve put in the time. I listened and learnt - that’s why I’m in the position I’m in now. But I also believe that everything happens for a reason. I see it all starting from when I broke my leg. That was a bad moment, but a lot of good things have happened to me since that moment. That was the turning point in my life I guess.”

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LIFE

GOES ON Words By: Mark Woods PhotoS By: John Hooper

The death of former England captain Mike Martin’s mother almost killed his love for the sport too. He’s managed to bounce back... but as his own son starts to take an interest in basketball, the BBL veteran says he’s dismayed by the lack of opportunities available today.f

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There was a spell, Mike Martin claims, during his teenage years, when he might so easily have stepped out of bounds. “To be honest, I wasn’t doing anything,” he recalls. “I didn’t study. I had no real direction. Then a friend took me to a local basketball court, I saw what was going on, and fell in love with it.”

Right time, right place. “It helped I was 6-foot-6,” he laughs. But it is the passion he developed early on that ultimately helped him flourish at home as well as on the international stage. Now 36, the Guildford Heat’s veteran forward still displays that boyish fervour for a sport that has repaid his faith in abundance. But that bond has been severely tested in recent times, by traumas on and off the court.

“It has,” he states with absolute conviction, “been the most difficult season of my career.” Seeing his long-time mentor Paul James sacked last summer was just the start. Featuring on a team which has, ever since, been a model of inconsistency, has driven Martin to frequent despair. “We’ve not accomplished the goals that were set out at the beginning of the season. We lost focus half-way through and we’ve had injuries to deal with. It’s been hard, but all I can do is see the season out and look forward.” If strength is found in adversity, then the former England skipper was better prepared for this challenge that he would have liked. Growing up, his mother Maria stood behind him, providing her son with quiet encouragement. “She was a woman of few words,” he recounts, “but she always said ‘Mike, do your best’.” When she died, two years ago, Martin’s world almost stopped. Those who know him well saw a visible change. Broody, not bubbly. Distracted rather than determined. Before that, he admits, “basketball was life.”

When he wasn’t with his family, he’d be in the gym, lifting weights or doing drills. Losing his personal life coach flipped it all on its head.

“Basketball became this thing that I wasn’t too focused on,” he reveals. “I was lost for quite a while and I’ve only turned things around of late. “It was very difficult losing her. But you grow. You become stronger. You learn how to deal with things better. And you somehow re-focus and come back to what made you who you are and what made you live. Basketball came back into the picture when I asked myself ‘would Mum want me to do this half-heartedly?’ The answer was ‘no’. So I began to reconnect again and everything else fell into place - in basketball and away from the sport.” As a parent himself, Martin is now charged with leaving behind his own legacy. His tenyear-old son, he says, likes basketball - but also other pursuits. “I’m not going to push him to dunk,” he jokes. But he is worried that it’s becoming harder to follow in his footsteps. Twenty years after he first picked up the rock, he has observed little progress.

“I don’t think enough is being done to introduce the younger generation to the game, and to put in place what is needed for them to continue playing if they choose.” What are the government doing, he asks? Or the BBL itself? Or the authorities who, he believes, are throwing too much money at the Great Britain teams at the expense of the grassroots. “And are the coaches who are out there doing as good a job as they could for people to become more interested in basketball and to help them play at higher level? There are a number of different places you could point a finger at.”

He is frustrated at a perceived lack of ideas. “I don’t know if it’s just our take on a sport, if it’s not accessible. It’s not attracting people in. “In France (where he had two spells in Pro A), it was completely different. Here, football is our first sport. Over there, basketball and football went hand in hand. It wasn’t frowned upon. You’d see outdoor courts which were actually being used and which were maintained properly. Guys here are reluctant to go to a court that’s falling apart - but over there, if a court was available, you’d see people out playing day and night. “And at a higher level, it was done professionally. You’d see posters of the local team. You’d see flyers in shop windows. Ticket vouchers. It was everywhere. We don’t do that here. It’s football, rugby and cricket who get all the status. And basketball suffers.” After two more seasons, Martin plans to step away from playing to pursue a second career as a youth worker or junior coach. “I’d like to show kids the opportunities available in sport, even if it’s not basketball, if you go down the right path.” With so much first-hand experience, who is better qualified to lead the way?

Follow Mark on Twitter at twitter.com/markbritball

Basketball came back into the picture when I asked myself ‘would Mum want me to do this half-heartedly?’

The answer was ‘no’

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FREE AGENT FRENZY

The NBA landscape will change massively this summer...and everything hinges on what a certain Mr James wants to do.

M

oney. Climate. Championship credentials.

Those are just three of the many factors that LeBron James will be weighing up when he decides which team to sign for this off-season in what is being hyped (for good reason) as the greatest free agency period in NBA history. If you examine many of the trades and transactions that have taken place over the past few years, you’ll find that a lot of them shared the same goal: freeing up cap space to sign LeBron James. Of course, a lot of teams are going to be left disappointed. Signing LeBron is the equivalent of winning the jackpot...but how about Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire or Joe Johnson as consolation prizes? Not only is this a star-studded free agency class, but it is also an exceptionally deep one.

There isn’t enough space in this article to list every potential free agent - and it would be a pointless exercise anyway, since some have ‘player options’ and ‘team options’ written into their contracts - stipulations that are foreign to casual fans not possessing a PHd in the inner workings of NBA free agency - which ultimately means it’s difficult to know exactly which players will be up for grabs. Instead, let’s concentrate on the top tier superstars who many assume will be on the market come July 1st.f

Words By: Will Clapton PHOTOS By: NBAE/Getty Images

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N ba fr ee agents

Firstly, we should consider the likelihood that LeBron remains in Cleveland. They can offer him more money than any other team (a benefit of owning his current contract) and, perhaps more importantly, LeBron was born and raised in Ohio and has never played for an out-of-state team. Cavs fans will be particularly desperate to win a championship this year in the hope of persuading King James that he can build a dynasty in his own back yard. However, despite the Cavs’ best efforts to keep LeBron happy (most recently demonstrated when they traded for Antawn Jamison) it’s conceivable that the superstar has outgrown his home state.

The LeBron brand could benefit from a move to a bigger market and, if so, LBJ’s destination might be New York, where the Knicks have been putting all of their eggs into one neatly laid Madison Square Garden-sized basket. With newly acquired Tracy McGrady’s expiring contract coming off the books Chris Bosh

this summer (don’t be fooled into thinking that the Knicks actually intend to keep him), the Knicks would still have enough cap space to pursue another maximum free agent to pair with LeBron. Wade might be an unrealistic option - he is too good to play second fiddle - but Chris Bosh wouldn’t be out of the question. With Mike D’Antoni drawing up fast break plays, what’s not to like? Well, the Knicks would seriously lack depth for one thing...so there might be better options for LeBron if he looks elsewhere.

Just across the Hudson River lie the struggling New Jersey Nets - a team that is on course to finish with the worst regular season record in NBA history.

Hardly the best advertising slogan to attract LeBron.

However, write off the Nets at your peril. They plan to move to Brooklyn following investment from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and partowner Jay-Z - a move that would surely appeal to a big name free agent. Meanwhile, the Nets have a core of young players, led by Brook Lopez, who could develop into a nice supporting cast. They also have the best chance of winning the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery and landing potential star player John Wall - a player with skills akin to Derrick Rose.

Joe Johnson

“The Nets plan to move to Brooklyn following investment from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and part-owner Jay-Z - a move that would surely appeal to a big name free agent” Alternatively, why not just play alongside the real thing? Rose’s Chicago Bulls rid themselves of enough salary during the deadline-day trades of Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons that they can afford to pay maximum money to a star free agent. LeBron is every team’s top target but, more realistically, the Bulls would be wise to concentrate their efforts on Dwyane Wade. A backcourt comprising home town superstars Wade and Rose would give the Bulls the most explosive guard tandem in the league. Joe Johnson would be a sensible fallback plan for the Bulls.f LBJ

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Joe Johnson

That said, Wade’s preference might be to stay put in Miami. The Heat are the only team other than the Knicks to have enough cap space to sign two maximum free agents. Re-signing Wade would take up half of that, but still leave them with enough money to throw at another big name player. Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to tempt someone like Bosh to pack away his woolly winter jumpers and migrate from Canada to the warm beaches of Florida? With Michael Beasley and astute general manager Pat Riley already on board, Miami could be a hot destination for free agents this summer.

If a big name free agent really wanted to cause a stir, opting to sign for the LA Clippers would be one way of achieving that, although they would have to be prepared to share the Staples Center with Kobe Bryant’s Lakers. Playing for an inept franchise like the Clippers might seem ill-advised, but a starting five of Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, LeBron James, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman would be tough to beat.

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Elsewhere, the Wizards, Kings and Wolves will also have cap space. However, their chances of attracting a top tier free agent are perhaps slim. One other possibility for LeBron is a sign and trade, whereby he could force the hand of the Cavs by demanding a trade to a team of his choice, albeit at the risk of tarnishing his reputation. The Dallas Mavericks have emerged as a dark horse in the race for LeBron. It is rumoured that Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban deliberately structured Erick Dampier’s contract so that it would expire at the end the 2010/11 season so that it could be used as bait in a sign and trade deal for a superstar. Stranger things have happened.

Expect this off-season to pan out like a game of poker: as soon as LeBron plays his hand, the other players will follow. Ultimately, no matter how deep the pool of free agents, it’s all about King James. He holds all the cards.

“Expect this off-season to pan out like a game of poker: as soon as LeBron plays his hand, the other players will follow.

Ultimately, no matter how deep the pool of free agents, it’s all about King James. He holds all the cards”

DW YANE WA D E

WORDS BY: GREG TANNER PHOTOS BY: CARLOS SERRAO / JORDAN

DWYANE

FLASH BACK

FOUR YEARS AGO, Dwyane Wade led Miami to the ‘chip with what’s been labelled “the greatest Finals performance of modern times”.

Injury put paid to any plans of a dynasty. But, now back on form, can Flash beat the odds and take the Heat back to the finals?f

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A fair few people thought Dwyane Wade got bumped last season when he came third in the MVP voting. “Compare the numbers,” they said: Wade:

30.2ppg 5.0 rebounds 7.5 assists 2.2 steals 1.3 blocks

LeBron:

28.4ppg 7.6 rebounds 7.2 assists 1.7 steals 1.2 blocks

Kobe:

26.8ppg 5.2 rebounds 4.9 assists 1.5 steals 0.4 blocks

Looking at the figures in black and white, you can understand where they were coming from. But a quick glance at the win column soon makes everything clear: Miami:

43 – 39

Cleveland:

66 – 16

LA:

65 – 17

The simple fact is, Dwyane Wade has struggled to win in the NBA since scooping the ring and Finals MVP trophy back in ‘06. His performance on the big stage back then showed just what an unstoppable force he can be – he averaged 34 points per game, helping the Heat come back from 0-2 down. And that was in his THIRD YEAR!!! It took MJ six seasons to accomplish the same. Mamba 13!!

But the following season, everything began falling apart. A dislocated shoulder ruined Wade’s year, and the reigning champs were unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs in the first round by Flash’s hometown team, Chicago.

Things then went from bad to worse in 07-08 as Shaq skipped to Phoenix and Wade suffered another serious injury – this time to his knee. Forget even making the playoffs - the Heat finished with the worst record in the NBA at 15-67. Last year, however, the 6’ 4” guard was back to health...and killing. But without a strong enough supporting cast, the Heat were once again eliminated from the playoffs in the very first round. This season, Wade is still on form – but the Heat still ain’t. At time of writing they are just one game above 500 and barely clinging onto a playoff spot. “It’s been ebb and flow, lots of ups and downs,” he says. “We’ve had some good games against good teams – just not enough to get over the hump. Hopefully we’ll see what works for us and what will bring us more success.” But D-Wade is grown now. And the seven year veteran says he’s learnt not to let the losses put him off his game. “This is probably the best I’ve been, frustration-wise. As you get older, you start to understand the NBA. I got a young team, kinda, so I gotta be sensitive to certain guys. I can’t explode [at them] all the time. So I try to talk and be more positive, because I know I’m imperfect as well. I let coach do all the yelling and screaming!” But where are things going wrong for Miami? Does he think the team relies on him too heavily? “At times, yes. It’s not a secret at times, and it can be frustrating. But I’m a very unselfish player and I love to see my team mates succeed. If they continue to understand that, and be hungry about the possibilities of this season, we’ll [do] better.” That said, Wade knows it’s on him to carry the Heat to the playoffs. “It’s that time of the year where you get beat up – I’m dealing with a lot with my body. A couple of years ago, I would sit out those games and rest my body. But this year I’m trying to fight through it - and, as the leader of my team, show my team mates ‘I’m here with you guys’.”

He’s here with the guys now...but they’re probably wondering whether he’ll still be with them come next season. Afterall, Wade is one of the biggies in this summer’s free agency bonanza. Does that ever get talked about? f

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“It’s been going on,” Wade says about trade talk. “Everyone’s doing it. Everyone’s trying to get everyone to their cities. But this is finally the year. It’s been talked about the last two or three summers, but this is finally the year.”

So, is he planning on going anywhere? “I think I’ve shown and said that Miami is where I want to be. I wouldn’t be jumping in the air to leave Miami anyway. It’s a great place to be and they’ve adopted me there ... I’ve said it so many times: That’s the place I want to build. We just have to get people to come, and if we get people to come, why would I leave?” Hmmm....”we have to get people to come”. Like who? “I could come out and say, ‘Oh man, I would love to play with LeBron. Then the next week, I could say I would love to play with Chris Bosh. I mean, we would love to play with great players. But you don’t know which one is gonna fit you and your team.”

But what about all the rumours about the Jordan Brand star heading home to The Chi? “That’s gonna be a topic of conversation for a long time because of my connection with Chicago. I love Chicago, of course, so it’s always exciting, it’s always fun to think about that, but I’m really not thinking about being in another uniform. I’m thinking about building a dynasty in Miami.” For the remainder of this campaign though, the six-time All-Star (and this year’s All-Star MVP), wants to concentrate on what’s happening on the floor.

“Players are focusing on the season and understand that the summer is the summer. You can’t jump to the summer – if you do that, you lose the season. So we all have to focus. It’s fun having conversations about it – but at the end of day you can’t start looking at who’s not going to be there, or who’s coming in, you just gotta play.” Right now, it looks like Miami will finish in either 7th or 8th place in the East – both of which would mean extremely tough match-ups. Finish 7th and they have fellow Floridians, Orlando, to deal with. But whilst the Magic are clearly the stronger team, The Heat have actually won two of their three games against them this season. And in the loss, Wade took Dwight Howard and co to overtime. This could be a very interesting series – but it would be a surprise if Miami came out on top. But if the Heat finish 8th, they face Cleveland and LeBron.

The Heat haven’t beaten them since December 2008, and the Cavs currently sit top of the NBA with a 55 – 15 record. Barring a ridiculous upset, this match-up would almost certainly mean another first round exit. But for Wade, previous form counts for nothing. “It doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do early in the year. It’s about what you do now.”

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AIR WORDS BY: NATASHA MARTINEAU PHOTOS BY: RINCHEN ATO

UP THERE

15,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, Tibetan villagers are busy getting their hoop on. But, as Rinchen ato discovered on her trip there, you won’t find any trash-talking going down on the Himalayan plateau.

W

hen the Communist Party of China launched its Cultural Revolution in 1966, basketball was one of the few sports allowed to continue, whilst most Western ideas and activities were perceived as “bourgeois” and forbidden.

The game had originally been brought to China in the early 1900s by YMCA missionaries. It quickly became popular, especially with soldiers, who were encouraged to play for both training and recreation. They built courts in even the most remote areas of Chinese occupation, including the Himalayan plateau in Eastern Tibet, 15,000 feet above sea level, where these pictures are taken. Friendship first, competition second was the slogan under which the Chinese played basketball during Chairman Mao’s era.

It’s a phrase that could equally well be applied to the ways that people now use the courts built by his soldiers all those years ago.

Decades of conflict have taken their toll, but the basketball courts remain as a legacy. These photographs capture an essence of how some courts provide a focus for Tibetan village life today, where matches are squeezed in between religious ceremonies and daily chores (such as herding livestock), and how others are left to deteriorate back into the land that they occupy.

As a newcomer to the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, you would be hard-pushed to take part in the friendly matches between Buddhist monks and lay people without proper time to acclimatise to the high altitude. You might also have trouble recognising some of the rules, and risk being distracted by the agility of opponents in robes. But the friendly rivalry and enthusiasm of the games would almost certainly raise a smile and remind you of any court in the West.

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Decades of conflict have taken their toll, but the basketball courts remain as a legacy. These photographs capture an essence of how some courts provide a focus for Tibetan village life today, where matches are squeezed in between religious ceremonies and daily chores 40

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“

Basketball was one of the few sports allowed to continue, whilst most Western ideas and activities were perceived as ‘bourgeois’ a n d f o r b i dd e n

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FASHI ON

KICKS

ON FIRE FadeAway magazine always brings the heat, but these creps are literally FIRE! The All-Star LeBron’s and k1x’s latest joints are both definitely worth a look if you’ve got money to burn.

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Nike Air Max LeBron VII - £95.00 Basketball shoes fit for a King; James’s latest kicks feature the legendary Air Max bubble along the sole for extra spring, plus the high-top design means it won’t be your own ankles you’ll be breaking on the court.

Available from Nike.com (UK online store) or House of Hoops

Words By: GREG TANNER PhotoS By: DAVID O’Shaughnessy

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FASHI ON

K1X Lazy High Le - ₏99.90 With the eye-catching K1X logo graffitied near the toe and the velcro strapping covering the laces, this shoe stands alone. Serious footwear from Germany’s finest.

Available from Kickz.com (Euro online store).

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Adidas 3 Series 09 - £39.99 This subtly designed silver and white high-top is all about balance and support, ensuring that you’ll look good and feel good when cutting hard to the hoop.

Available from JJBSports.com (UK online store)

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FASHI ON Converse Star Player EV Mid This latest offering from the makers of THE original basketball shoe is all about the visuals; It’ll be all eyes on you, whether you’re stepping out on the hard-wood or the high street.

Size, 33 – 34 Carnaby St - 020 7287 4016 Price: TBC

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Adidas Commander Lite - £44.99 With the perfect balance of power and lightness, this is a shoe designed for both performance and comfort, and with the distinctive three stripes enlarged on the outside of each shoe, you can be sure that you’re set to stand out on the court.

Available from JJBSports.com (UK online store) FADEAWAYMAG.CO.UK

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FASHI ON

Nike Zoom Kobe V - ÂŁ85.00 The new signature shoe from the most explosive scorer in basketball is a revolutionary low and lightweight design.

Want to attack the basket like Bryant? This is for you.

Available from Nike.com (UK online store) or House of Hoops 50

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BLING BLING

GY M CLASS

WORDS BY: ER GREG TANN : PHOTOS BY JAKE GREEN

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IT ’S A R AP

BOUNCE toTHIS

For those who don’t know (and shame on you if you don’t) Sam Bowie was the second pick in the 1984 NBA draft – chosen ahead of Money. You can probably forgive Houston for taking Hakeem Olajuwon at the number one spot....but SAM BOWIE AHEAD OF MJ??!??! WTF.

Basketball and hip-hop go together like chicken and Peri Peri sauce. Greg Tanner examines some of the greatest ever ball-related lyrics.

JAY-Z - “SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT”

E

veryone knows that ball players like to bang some hard shit on their iPod to get them hyped for a game, or help them push that extra rep in the gym. But it’s also true that most rappers secretly wanna be ballers. Jay-Z is no exception - “check out my swag, yo...I walk like a ball player” - and is, in my opinion at least, the king of NBA references...so let’s start with him:

JAY-Z - “ENCORE” Jay’s status appears to be at an all-time high Perfect time to say goodbye.

Will I come back like Jordan, wearin’ the four-five?

It ain’t to play games with you...it’s to aim at you.

This was from Jigga’s “Black Album”... you know, the one that was meant to mark his retirement?! Anyway, it seems he too wanted to go out at the top of his game, just like Jordan had done after his first three-peat. But, even before he’s hung up the mic, Jay-Z is wondering whether he’ll do an MJ and make a comeback. Of course, Jordan switched from number 23 to 45 when he first returned to the league...but “four-five” has a whole different meaning for a hustler like Hov! When Jay dropped his...er....’comeback’ album, “Kingdom Come”, he continued paying homage to Jordan:

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Shots of Patrón, now she’s in a zone I ain’t talking about the 2-3, Mami in the zone like the homie 2 3, Jordan or James Makes no difference boo, I’m ballin’ the same.

I am the Mike Jordan of recording, You might want to fall back from recording.

But one of Jay’s most recent ball-related lyrics has caused some confusion:

JAY-Z - “EMPIRE STATE OF MIND” If Jeezy’s payin’ LeBron, I’m payin’ Dwyane Wade To explain, Young Jeezy did a tune called “24, 23” in which he says “I used to pay Kobe, now I pay LeBron”.

He’s basically saying he used to pay $24,000 for a kilo of cocaine (Kobe’s number being 24), but now pay’s $23k (LBJ’s number). So what Jay-Z is claiming is that he’s so big in the game that he only has to pay $3k (Wade’s jersey number) for a key. Wow! But my favourite Jay-Z basketball lyric has got to be the first line of this:

JAY-Z - “HOLA HOVITO” I ball for real, y’all ni**az is Sam Bowie.

And with the third pick, I made the earth sick...

MJ, him Jay, FadeAway...perfect.

Of course, plenty of other rappers regularly drop basketball lines. Joe Budden did a whole song about the sport over NBC’s old NBA theme tune...the funniest bit of which is:

JOE BUDDEN - “NBA” Nice truck, nice house and chain, I car-jacked you like Shaq shooting a three - man, get outta your Range!

Given Kobe’s recent dominance of the NBA, it should come as no surprise that he gets a lot of mentions. Lil’ Wayne, of course, did a whole tune about him:

LIL’ WAYNE - “KOBE BRYANT” Pass me the damn ball...I don’t need a pick at all And don’t worry bout my shot, coz I’ma get that off Yea, I drops 40 on your double team Then I drop 81 on another team.

Yeah, you better guard me with caution And watch I work ‘em like an auction Meanwhile plenty of others, including Fiddy, have shown Mamba lyrical love:

50 CENT - “U NOT LIKE ME” You wanna get acquainted wit me?

You wanna know me?

From three-point range with a glock, I shoot better than Kobe.

Back in February, former New Jersey Nets big man Jayson Williams was jailed for shooting his limo driver dead 8 years ago...an incident mentioned by Cam’Ron:

THE DIPLOMATS - “GROUND ZERO” Chill while I’m chasing millions, I’m a baller that would merk you like Jayson Williams Deep! Let’s go old school now:

WORDS BY: GREG TANNER Photo By: PHIL KNOTT

JADAKISS - “PUT YA HANDS UP” And y’all scared, I can tell That I’ma get Bucks like Milwaukee - cuz like Sam I Cassell A play on words with the name of the most butters player in NBA history!!

FREDRO STARR - “WHAT IF” What if Ewing would have dunked it, instead of fading away?

The Knicks would have been the champs, wouldn’t have got traded away.

The Onyx star and New Yorker expressing his pain at his team blowing it against the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals.

Now, seeing that we’re a British magazine and all, I’m gonna end this with two relevant quotes...the first from a rapper called Hanz (athough I don’t know the name of the tune): Ask Vinnie Del Negro when it’s time to bang Who clear blocks with that nine like Luol Deng Brrrrrrrrrrrrrap!! And finally, this from Londoners S.A.S. (aka Eurogang): RIP Joe White – that was my coach, damn When b-ballin was my whole life, Suicide drills, run and touch the wall The only charge that I knew was in basketball Rappers Mega and Mayhem (Sean and Melvin Williams) – who used to play for Hackney White Heat back in the day – paying their respects to the legend that was Joe White.

Big shout to Chris Leonard for the Luol Deng lyric...and everyone else who made suggestions on Facebook. If you think we missed some classic lines, hit us up – info@fadeawaymag.co.uk

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MUS IC + R E V I E W S

”THE MUSIC IS LIKE THERAPY TO ME, THE PAIN AND THE TRUTH, JUST KIND OF GETTING IT OUT” WORDS BY: DANIELLE AUMORD PHOTO BY: JAKE GREEN

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SWAY – THE DELIVERY

THE HARDEST

WHILST GIGGS MAY BE TALKING THE HARDEST, Nathan Thompson is a much more sensitive and vulnerable soul. FadeAway gets up close and personal.

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n first impression, Giggs may appear to be a swaggering, street-savvy type of rapper - spitting venon and hell-bent upon establishing his own firebrand version of British gangland hiphop. But scratch the surface a few times, and there’s actually something a little bit more endearing - even a tad more vulnerable. Although he’s hard pressed to reveal it, there is another side lurking behind the public front. “I’m not really a talkative person so I just kind of hide behind the music,” he says. “That’s how I express what I’ve been through. Sometimes, talking about some of the things that have happened to me upsets me, so instead I write it down and turn it into tracks. It’s like therapy for me, you know, just kind of getting it all out.” Given what he’s gone through, his development of a protective shell is, perhaps, not surprising. Born Nathan Thompson in 1983, Giggs was raised by a single mother (who he honoured within the slow jam hip-hop joint ‘You Raised Me’) and a member of SN1 (which stands for Spare No 1), a branch of the Peckham Black Gang, of which his brothers, ‘Joe Grind’ and ‘Gunna D’ are also members. He spent two-years in prison (2002 - 2004) for possession of firearms, and started rapping shortly after his release. It grates Giggs that despite his achievements, many people are more interested in grilling him about his criminal past than about what he’s doing now. “Why was I carrying a gun?

Fuck knows....protection,” he stammers. But he’s not about to start preaching. “I don’t want to give any advice to no-one because I’m not a hypocrite. Not many people have been in a position where someone wants to blow to your head off. So, on that basis, I can’t really tell someone else not to carry a strap.” This image is something that both Trident (the Metropolitan Police’s anti-black-on-black gun crime unit) and the media have latched onto. He thinks it’s descimination. “How I see it is that because I’ve come from a violent or what some people would label as a ‘dysfunctional’ background, certain peoples don’t really want me to talk about what I’ve been through, you know, my truth. For me, rapping about this is positive because I’m actually doing something else now as opposed to what I was doing before.” When asked about his

recent cancelled tour, Giggs shrugs and simply says: “They (the police) aren’t gonna let me do no tour.

Basically, they rang up all of the clubs and advised them to cancel – even though nothing has ever happened at any of the gigs that I’ve performed at. I’ve performed at over a 100 shows, some really big venues as well.” An official Met statement reads: “Police advised that there were concerns about potential risks to the event, if it took place. It is routine for police to work with licensed venues on a regular basis to identify and manage risk assessments for forthcoming performances, but the decision to cancel an event is a matter for the venue itself.” “They (the police) just want to f**k up everything that I do,” continues Giggs, obviously frustrated. “Shows make an impact in terms of my sales. When I performed in Ayia Napa, it really increased my sales for my first album ‘Walk In Da Park’. They just want me to f**k up, start selling drugs so that they can just wrap me up, get me nicked. I’m too smart for all of that crap.” Too smart, and way too hard working to let it all slip now. In the lead up to where he is today, Giggs and his crew have released numerous mixtapes - including ‘Hard Bodied’ which featured 2008’s number one street anthem ‘Talking the Hardest’. From 2005 to 2008, they trawled the country handing out thousands of mix CDs for free to create the biggest street buzz Britain had seen in years. It was an investment in his career...and Giggs is a business man who knows that investments pay off in the medium to long term. Currently signed to XL Recordings (who boast the likes of Dizzee Rascal on their impressive roster), Giggs is putting in the grind on his forthcoming album, ‘Give It To Em’. So what can we expect from this carefully crafted offering? “Pain and truth,” he says, thoughtfully nodding his head.

“Just getting to know a lot more about me, how I turned around from a criminal lifestyle to what I’m doing now. To be honest, I’ve been kind of bored with all the recording. This isn’t the fun part, the shows are the hype part. I’ve been in studio 24-hours a day. It’s like I’m in jail so when I get visitors, it’s like ra!” On a final note, given that we’re FadeAway and all, what does Giggs think about our beautiful game? “I don’t play basketball. I’m not really a sports man,” he says, before grinning and asking: “Is this going to fuck up the whole interview?” Well, not quite. Giggs’ latest single ‘Don’t Go There’ featuring B.O.B is currently out on release through XL Recordings.

www.myspace.com/trapstargiggs

Remember 2004?

Sway DaSafo was the most exciting prospect in UK hip-hop by a stretch: The underground mix-tape success, the features with the likes of The Streets and the iconic debut LP. Um, then he hooked up with chart heavyweight Akon. Sure enough, the opener to Sway’s new tape is a mind-numbing Akon-special, but things do pick up after that; a mixture of forward-thinking beats and stone-cold classics (Dr. Dre’s ‘The Watcher’), plus some big features (Giggs, Tinchy Stryder and Mr. Hudson) mean that Sway is hot property once more. SAM HART

KANO JACK BAUER: THE 7 DAY EDITION It would seem that as soon as Kane Robinson made it back from the Gorillaz’ ‘Plastic Beach’ safe and sound, he headed straight for the studio, coming up with one of the freshest mix-tape ideas in some time: A ‘24’-themed set of tracks recorded in just seven days.

The beats back up the brains; make no mistake, this tape is hotter than a Florida playground in August. It’s worth checking out simply for his treatment of Tinie Tempah’s ‘Pass Out’. Excited for album number four? Us, too. SAM HART

CHARLIE SLOTH I’M NOT LIKE YOU Charlie Sloth should be an interesting one to watch. He’s come with this catchy number which features Farma G and Black the Ripper, as a follow up to the single ‘One More Drink’. The chorus is sing along, with the lyrics: ‘I’m not like you, you’re not like me!’ and tight lyrical maneuvering within the verses, an extract from the mix-tape ‘The Black Book’. He’s kind of cute, sweet but with a cutting edge.

Good stuff. DANIELLE AUMORD

SHANK SOUNDTRACK Shank represents the next step for the urban Brit-flick, after successful movies like Kidulthood and Adulthood. Like those two, Shank also boosts some of the brightest musical talent in the UK. The film is set in 2015 and takes a look at what life might be like for the next generation, should the recession continue to force them further and further towards the periphery of society. Tracks from Bashy, Tinchy Stryder, Mz Bratt, Giggs & Breakage stand out the most. P HEARD

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B R I T BA L L E R S

UK ELITE

PHOTO BY: JAKE GREEN WORDS BY: JULIE ADENUGA

WORDS BY: SAM HART

”IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT OUR YOUNG PLAYERS GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AS WE ENDORSE AN “EACH ONE TEACH ONE” MENTALITY”

EACH ONE TEACH ONE

AS PART OF THIS YEAR’S UK ELITE BASKETBALL PROGRAM, players must complete community service as a condition of their sponsorship deal. The aim is for the UKEB ballers to become role models for the next generation of kids looking to get involved in sport or physical activity.

T

his early intervention and positive activity will, hopefully, make children think about the next stages in their sporting careers... or, at the very least, how they will go about the next challenge in their lives. Seeing players not much older than themselves - and what they have been able to achieve through hard word and positive direction – should be a very powerful tool!

We’re going to be organising half-term community basketball camps, at which our players will be conducting clinics. All participants will be able to access these camps FOR FREE - and we will be working with local authorities, school sports partnerships and Gifted and Talented programs. Our camps will hold workshops in: Healthy eating, citizenship and positive action through on-court activities. Not only does this benefit the children, but also the players themselves, as we try to instill a sense of “giving back” - something vitally important to their development as young male role models. Some of our mentors lacked such role models themselves growing up...

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but this is their chance to make sure the same doesn’t happen for at least a few from the next generation. We feel that it is extremely important that our young players give something back to the community as we endorse an “Each One Teach One” mentality. “Players Into Role Models” is a mentoring program setup as part of the Shoot A Ball, Not A Gun (SBNG) anti-gun-crime campaign, to help build young positive aspiring role models our youth can look up to. The program features the UK’s top under 19s basketball players, coaching and mentoring local youths between the ages of 8-16 in fundamental basketball skills.

The idea of this is to give these kids positive role models to look up to - people they know and admire and, most importantly, people that they can relate to. This is because many of them are from the same or similar backgrounds, and understand the pressures of growing up with temptations all around. This program not only benefits the local youths receiving the lessons, but also helps show our young up-and-coming

athletes the impact they can have on others. By doing, this we are also educating these athletes on how important it is to carry themselves in the right way and to set a good example. As part of this project, we have put together a touring car called “The Xboxelite Shuttle”. It has been custom-designed to provide basketball and football facilities on the go! With this car, areas that do not have hoops or goals can suddenly benefit from organised games - as well as the chance to play the latest basketball game from 2K Sports on the Xbox 360. The Xboxelite Shuttle has been put together in partnership with Microsoft Xbox 360, 2K Sports, adidas, Dunn Rivers Nurishment and FadeAway Magazine.

W ORKO UT T I P S

LSAPETEDERAL

WORDS BY: JACOB HILLER PHOTO BY: TOM ROBERTS

MOST ATHLETES’ RADARS IN THE GYM. S APE ESC IT E AUS BEC ” ART N TTE RGO “FO A ED SPE L I CALL LATERA at) but cat-like quickness on the gre are ich (wh ics etr om ply do or at, squ ch, ben s Often athlete speed. court cannot be complete without excellent lateral very specific. You’re Your speed day is a time to get to d weekly?

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you need to strong, you’re explosive, but now p; the general apply that to a specific skill grou not guarantee the speed and strength alone do training aides use can skill will be improved. You don’t let it over but ks bloc plyo al later as such training. shadow the specificity of your

up your D, get you more stea ch’s and make you one of the coa and d spee al later your If s. urite favo will coordination is well tuned, you need to set up the exact down f Watch videos if you find it surprisingly easier to lock want to build. you sets situations and skill able to react on your opponent. You will also be your foundation. ove the exact ify impr Solid that drills nity ortu time up opp Set nd seco f defence and capture that split s to be second nature. You have need skills set. tion the posi for This tion nt. rdina one muscular coo specting opp erful here. to snatch the rock from an unsu got to feel comfortable and pow drills with plenty of rest. osive usly expl gero do dan First, to fast ely your f often, and train The gap between moderat into fatigued movements Assume and hold this position one that lateral f Later, you can work quick is a small window, and it’s this groove with ease. nd fi to y endurance. ic bod erob and build up ana e of. c holds (holding speed is very fit to take advantag h drill and create a If fatigue is setting in quickly, stati eac rd reco and Time ht) f or without weig uct new the position for long periods with is often competitive atmosphere to prod Winning the battle on offense fatigued in this position it are you If . used be can ss rds. unle reco l and ona nt pers one opp , your side to side about getting around will be very hard to spring up or you are going to you want to commit a charge, fourth quarter. the in to emulate y ciall espe ing There are a lot of potential drills opponent mov have to go around or get your rd, and lateral movements. , kwa Rose bac ick ard, Derr forw like ers the of slash osive abilities the other way. Effective also use some Develop the strength and expl Use variety to keep it fresh, but on do so thanks to nt.

Dwyane Wade and Allen Ivers cle groups for lateral moveme breaking mus for ets lved targ invo set to staple exercises r and more ty drills, but you will their ability move laterally faste Some folks skip right to the agili rds. reco l ona pers new rs. nde r your muscula unexpectedly then their defe be limited if you are not increasing your agility drills. with ntly curre ause con ty abili Lateral training is exciting bec if you cannot move rs, abductors, Regardless of how fast you are, kly. You’ll Your entire hip complex, adducto quic so s yield it are fruits you the nt, of one calves must be side to side faster than your opp the glutes, core, quads, hams, and feel an increased prowess on e long. I hope I’m . The good news is much of going to be struggling all gam osive expl and le stab e results in thos and with d, Train t. spee al cour later your training will work driving this home. Improve your speed and vertical jump mind, achieve them, and then aspects of your the effects will enhance various these same areas. keep the cycle going! ! now it entire game. Do

OFFENCE:

Train wide, and side to side. one leg at a time, This means that you need to train normal. Moving than ce stan r wide a with as as well can handle leg h eac that ire side to side will requ r leg to help. the body’s load without your othe r stances to engage You also need to train at wide athletic stance your nt, eme mov activate during side will to that side For the same muscle groups you. dictates which muscles move nt. eme mov al you are limited to later es, wide leg squats, If you are standing straight up, 1 leg squats, lateral squats, lung glutes. Why? ial med your and rs, ucto uction, and elastic abd abd your hip hip adduction and with quads, glutes isolated effective. and iate Because straight legs can’t push ropr app all are training (gluteus maximus), and calves. day for the Have a strength and a speed .

A proper athletic stance should: cles mus appropriate t slightly greater than a 90 ger, but also make f Have your knees ben Make sure you are getting stron cles to move more mus e thos degree angle ing train are you sure tly behind your toes, and efficiently. Whilst it is okay to do f Have your knees sligh lining up with explosively and ard forw tly sligh ing lean gth day, make lders your shou sport-specific agility drills on stren the focus is on re whe day d your knees. spee a have sure you and eyes straight ahead up s hand your Have f specific skill building. t 1 _ shoulder widths apart. f Keep your legs at leas

g your lateral speed.

Your crash course in increasin dation. Without first foun your is An athletic stance upon which you mastering this, you have nothing s. knes quic al can build later

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To your success, Jacob Hiller Creator of The Jump Manual

“Your entire hip complex, adductors, abductors, glutes, core, quads, hams, and calves must be stable and explosive”

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T H E T W I T T E R T O P 10

JIM WEST

WHO SHOULD YOU FOLLOW ?

“POPS IS SITTING PRETTY AS “TOP TWEETER” WITH OVER 3000 FOLLOWERS. HIS OFTEN HUMOROUS UPDATES OFFER AN UP-CLOSE-AND-PERSONAL INSIGHT INTO THE STAR’S LIFE ON AND OFF THE COURT”

WORDS BY: SAM NETER PHOTO BY: MIKHAIL SERBIN

It seems the whole world is on Twitter these days – sharing their news and views in 140 character updates.

Here are 10 British b-ball Tweeters you should follow.

1) POPS MENSAH-BONSU | @londonsfine5t (3073 followers) Pops is sitting pretty as “Top Tweeter” with over 3000 followers. His often humorous updates offer an up-close-and-personal insight into the star’s life on and off the court. Check this from Feb 22nd: “lol, someone in my building is blasting some hardcore reggae, i live in moscow” His feed is also a good way to keep up with exactly where in the world he’s currently playing...no mean feat considering he’s been signed with about 19 different clubs in the last year!!

2) JOHN AMAECHI | @JohnAmaechi (2150 followers) British b-ball legend ‘Meech is in the Basketball Hall of Fame for scoring the first NBA points of the millennium. But it was another first - being the only NBA player to come out - which made him a household name. Much of his Twitter feed documents his fight against homophobia in sports.

3) LUOL DENG | @ldengf (1317 followers) The official account of Lu’s charity - the Luol Deng Foundation which features sporadic tweets from the man himself (identified by the initials LD at the end). Follow how he’s doing in Chicago, as well as his extensive charitable work.

4) MATTHEW BRYAN-AMANING | @MBALIVE11 (899 followers) The Washington Huskies big man is getting a lot of love with nearly 900 followers (in fact, he’ll almost certainly have passed that mark by the time you read this). When he’s not goofing around doing Dancin’ Dogs videos (google it!!) he’s usually posting messages stressing how important the up-coming game is.

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5) MARK WOODS | @markbritball (308 followers) Arguably the UK’s leading basketball journalist, Mark Woods’ Twitter account is always busy – in fact, he’s the most active Tweeter on our list. Covering everything British basketball - from the BBL to Team GB – his feed is a gold mine of b-ball news nuggets.

6) HOOPSFIX | @hoopsfix (221 followers) The Twitter feed of my website – Hoopsfix.com. Follow me for the latest news and links to my videos :-)

7) BASKETBALL 24/7 | @basketball247 (195 followers) All the latest news (and drunken updates from basketball after-party events across the globe!!) from the number one British basketball site on the web. Also worth following them to get the early jump on most of their competitions too...just this week they gave away a pair of brand new Jordans!

8) VINCE MACAULEY | @vincemacaulay (130 followers) Read the latest from Milton Keynes Lions coach Vince Macaulay. His feed gives you a decent insight into what goes through the mind of a BBL boss.

9) MIKE BAPTISTE | @ukelite10 (123 followers) Mike Baptiste is the man behind “Shoot A Ball, Not A Gun” and “Street 2 Elite” - plus a FadeAway magazine co-founder. Get all the info on his latest venture – the UK Elite Tour – by following him on Twitter.

10) DZAFLO LARKAI | @DzaFlo (33 followers) Having only recently signed up to Twitter, the GB big man doesn’t have a huge following just yet. But if his Tweets are anywhere near as much joke as some of his Facebook updates, he’ll be worth checking out.

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