MVP Magazine Issue 2 Winter by Response London

ISSUE 02

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£3.50 ISSUE 02

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EDITORIAL > CONTRIBUTORS > LISTINGS

MVP MAGAZINE Response Studios, 369B High Road, Leyton, London E10 5NA.

LINNEA APELQVIST IS V Q L P A E N LI

After studying Set Design at Wimbledon School of Art Swedish born Linnea Apelqvist is now working as a freelance prop stylist and set designer. She made the asphalt ﬂoor for this issues trainer shoot.

e: info@mvp247.com w: mvp247.com t: 020 8558 3501

Editor Greg Tanner greg@MVP247.com Assistant Editor Mark Woods mark@MVP247.com Creative Director Jake Green jake@MVP247.com

Contributing Writers Sam Hart, Jacob Hiller

Contributing Design, Photographers/ Illustrators Linnea Apelqvist, Jake Green, Kieran Halil, John Hooper, Cary Jobe, Kevin Joseph, Robert Laberge, Matthew Laidlaw, Miss Molly, Tom Roberts, Ville Vuorinen, John Harris & Duncan Hill.

Special Thanks To Kent & Tom at NBAE, ‘The Rube’ at Pitch, Smnwnwrght at Nike, Damon & Nick at ESPN

Printers Printed by the Manson Group.

Published by Response London LTD © Est: 2010. ISSN: 2045-4546

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

Subscriptions Swish Online Store www.swishbasketball.net We may occasionally use material we believe has been placed in the public domain. Sometimes it is not possible to identify and contact the copyright holder. If you claim ownership of something published in MVP, we will be pleased to make a proper acknowledgement. All letters received are assumed to be for publication unless otherwise stated. MVP does not accept liability for any loss or damage of unsolicited materials. Reproduction in whole or parts of any contents of MVP without prior permission of the Editor is strictly prohibited.

MISS MOLLY M

PHOTO BY: JAKE GREEN

Art Director Harry Adams harry@MVP247.com

Happy New Year!

hat’s up everyone. It’s been another busy few months at MVP Towers. First of all, I got to meet and interview my favourite player, Kobe Bryant. His on-court achievements meant he already had my respect before I sat down with him for a special House Of Hoops event. But his down-to-earth and friendly demeanour just conﬁrmed for me that Kobe is that guy. Meanwhile my partner in crime, Mark Woods, got some great insights from (and on) Pau Gasol - the top Euro baller in the L (sorry, Dirk!). You can read what the Lakers’ dynamic duo had to say in our special feature later on in the mag. More recently, I got the chance to tour the Olympic site in east London. It was a freezing cold December day, and fog hid much of the complex. But what could be seen was looking very, very impressive. The Velodrome and the Aquatics Centre were the most eye catching buildings... but standing inside the basketball arena (which creative director Jake Green and I dubbed “the meringue” due to it’s whipped-egg-style exterior), it was possible to get a sense of what it’ll be like in a year and a half, when the world’s

top players are assembled here for the Games. In fact, I made sure I bagged a seat nice and early as I became the ﬁrst person to sit on the initial batch of chairs to be installed in the arena. I’m hoping I’ll be courtside when the Games actually happen for real! For more pictures of our visit, check out MVP247.com. Obviously we’ve been keeping a keen eye on the Miami situation (our previous cover stars). For a couple of months there, it was looking bad. REAL BAD. But the last few weeks before going to press, they’ve really hit their stride and currently sit second in the East on 24-9. Speaking of The Heat, our British version (Guildford) looks to be in trouble. Just a few weeks after we interviewed up-and-coming forward Tayo Ogedengbe for his feature in this mag, the Heat’s owner warned that the club will be forced to close unless a new major sponsor or investor is found. It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Heat since they came into existence just a few years ago. I can only hope that for the sake of the fans, Tayo and the BBL in general that the club bounces back like it always has done.

Keep ballin’ Greg Tanner

Molly is a London based Stylist with a serious addiction to Breton Stripes, Diptyque candles and Charles Anastase clothing. She can design and make clothes as well as adding shoes and brooches to dresses.

JJOHN HOOPER

Photographer John Hooper has shot some of the most intriguing ﬁgures from the worlds of music, TV and ﬁlm, His work has found its way onto the pages of Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Wire and Big Smoke. Now for our own fashion pages.

MATT LAIDLAW M

Matt has been working as a fashion illustrator, specialising in traditional pen and ink illustration. Matt skillfully adorned our extended fashion feature.

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< INSIDE > REGULARS

08 | OVERTIME

The Force is strong with one BBL rookie...and how the NBA banned the ‘Jump Higher’ shoe.

50 | FASHION From street to chic, we got it going on.

64 | WORKOUT Make a splash with Jacob Hiller’s top shooting tips.

> FEATURES

16 | PAUL STURGESS Meet the biggest man on (any) campus in America.

18 | TAYO OGEDENGBE Why it took three years in the BBL for the Heat forward to feel like a true pro.

20 | NBA LONDON We preview the Nets and Raptors historic clash at The O2 Arena

22 | MARK’S VIEW POINT Holding the BBL Trophy on the NBA’s court is a sign of a team game

24 | QUEMONT GREER One former college star is resurrecting his career at Cheshire Jets.

28 | HARINGEY ANGELS Britain’s most successful female junior team - and the man who makes them tick.

34 | PAU GASOL How Europe’s greatest basketball export won his struggle to earn R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

38 | KOBE BRYANT The all-world baller sits down with MVP’s Greg Tanner for an exclusive chat.

42 | GIRLS GOT GAME We lock up the ferocious females inside New York’s Cage.

62 | TALIB KWELI The lyrical genius talks about the Knicks, LeBron and his new album.

> BALLER

10 | DZAFLO LARKAI The Londoner is big in Japan. Literally.

12 | BRITS ABROAD TOP TO BOTTOM: NBAE/GETTY IMAGES & JAKE GREEN N

MVP ISSUE 3 OUT APRIL 14TH 2011

Veteran Phil Perre chills out in Iceland - and how new NCAA rules stung Orlan Jackman.

14 | BO MCCALEBB The Euroleague star is born and bred in New Orleans - so how come he ended up jazzing up Macedonia’s front line?

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EUROLEAGUE > BO McCALEBB

“ I got a phone call -

and they wanted me to represent their country at the Euro [qualiﬁers] last summer. The next thing you know, I was there playing for them ”

Words By: GREG TANNER Photo By: EUROLEAGUE / GETTY IMAGES

BO Selected How does a kid from The Big Easy end up representing Macedonia? Not even he knows.

ot many British basketball fans had heard of Bo McCalebb prior to last summer. Tat’s perhaps not surprising. Following a college career at the notexactly-world-famous University of New Orleans, the 6-foot guard spent the last two seasons in Turkey [Mersin] and Serbia [Partizan Belgrade]. But hoop-heads here in Blighty got a rude introduction to the high-scoring point guard as he gave Team GB the business (to the tune of 30 14

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points) in their first Eurobasket qualifier against Macedonia. Yes, Macedonia. Eyebrows were raised when it was revealed that a guy from Te Big Easy suddenly appeared on the roster of the Balkan nation. And had acquired the local name of Ivica Dimcevski. How? Why? “I really can’t tell you,” he told MVP. “I don’t know. I got a phone call - and they wanted me to represent their country at the Euro [qualifiers] last summer. Te next thing you know, I was there playing for them.” Simples.Although Macedonia lost that clash with GB (an overtime thriller), they won the second leg and qualified for Eurobasket 2011. One thing McCalebb DOES know is that Britain will be an even tougher adversary next

summer, should a certain Detroit Piston turn out for us. “Tey will be a very dangerous team, with Ben Gordon,” he said. “He’ll make it a lot harder. Ben Gordon is always a threat on offense - and Luol Deng as well. And Pops (MensahBonsu) kinda controls the paint. So they will be very dangerous.” Until then, Bo is concentrating on this season at Italy’s Montepaschi Siena – his third European club in as many seasons. Te 25-year-old admits that as a kid who had, until 2008, spent his whole life in New Orleans (and suffered the horror of Hurricane Katrina), getting used to such unfamiliar and ever-changing environments has been difficult. “My first year in Turkey was kinda hard. I was fresh out of college and young....and it’s a Muslim country and all that. Ten I went to Belgrade, which was kinda wild with a mad nightlife. And now I’m here in Italy. But now I’m kinda used to changing and adapting to different cultures.” He also says he was shocked by the passion European fans have for the game. “It surprised me a lot. Last year, in Partizan...wow...they have some of the best fans in the world. It gives you that extra energy and makes you want to play harder and harder. In the States, they don’t get that serious.” But he is quick to credit his European coaches for taking his game to new heights. “I think the biggest thing is that in all my years here, I’ve had great coaches. My first year I had a great coach in Turkey. Last year I had coach (Dusko) Vujošević - everybody knows he’s a great coach. Now I have (Simone) Pianigiani. Tose three coaches have played a big part in what’s going on right now - helping me adapt to things, helping me learn things.” Top of McCalebb’s priorities now is the Euroleague – and emulating the success he enjoyed in the competition last season. “Last year was a great year for me and the team. It was my first year winning a championship professionally. And we went to the Final Four in my first Euroleague season. Tat was big. “It’s still early, and we still have a lot of basketball to play, but I think we have a team capable of going to the Final Four. We’ll just have to keep working hard and improving every day.” You can follow Bo’s progress – and all the rest of the action from Europe’s finest – by signing up to Euroleague.tv. MVP

> NBA IN THE UK

Words BY: GREG TANNER Photos BY: NBAE/GETTY

Battle Of London

SASHA VUJACIC

History will be made in March when the ﬁrst NBA regular season games to be held in Europe take place at London’s O2 Arena. Here’s who you should be keeping an eye on.. DEVIN HARRIS – NEW JERSEY NETS

He’s most famous for getting clowned by my brother when he was over for NBA Live in 2008, but don’t get it twisted – Devin Harris can BALL. So far this season he’s putting up just shy of 17 and 7...and with only 3 other Nets players averaging over 10 points per game, his scoring is much needed. As the starting point guard and co-captain of the Nets, Harris will be crucial to the success of New Jersey’s oﬀense during the two games in London. And he’s hoping that the change of scenery will help rejuvenate his struggling team. “We are used to a certain routine so it will be exciting to break that routine in London,” he said. “I came over last summer and we had a pre-season game at Te O2 in 2008. Te fans are great and there’s a fabulous arena.”

BROOK LOPEZ – NEW JERSEY NETS

Although he is the Nets’ leading scorer (19.2ppg), man in the middle Brook Lopez is down in the rebounding department at the moment. And not by a small margin either. He’s gone from 8.6 boards per last season to just 6.2 this year. He’s at a loss as to why. “I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “I feel like I’m still going after the ball. I don’t know.’’

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Coach Avery Johnson has his own theory though. “You’ve got to think, ‘I can get every [rebound],’ ” he said. “Sometimes it’s a mental situation, where he thinks ‘It doesn’t look like I can get it, so I’ll go back on defence.’” Te fact is, with their record, New Jersey need the very best out of Lopez if they want any shot at making the playoﬀs. Tey’ll need him to be scoring AND rebounding on March 4 and 5.

SASHA VUJACIC – NEW JERSEY NETS

When Slovenian Vujacic was traded from the Lakers in December, he went from the penthouse to the outhouse. He won’t be going for another ring this season – just making the play-oﬀs would be a major achievement for this New Jersey team – but individually, it’s been a good look. Te soon-to-be Mr Maria Sharapova has rocketed from just 8 minutes a game (and less than 3 points per) to 26 minutes and nearly 10 points. But he insists that the only stat that counts is the one in the win column. “I really want to do good with the team,” he said. “I was never one (who) just cared about their individual stats. I have to do what this team needs me to do, and that’s scoring. Sometimes, it’s going to be assists, playing good defence. Whatever. I’m having fun. Tey wanted me, and I’m really happy to be here.”

ANDREA BARGNANI

BROOK LOPEZ

“ This is the ﬁrst

time in NBA history they have played a game overseas in Europe. It is great to be part of that - I’m very proud ” ANDREA BARGNANI – TORONTO RAPTORS

Whether you’re a Raptors fan or not, you’re gonna need to show Bargnani some love... dude was the first European to be selected as the number one NBA dRAft pick. Since coming into the League back in 06, ‘il Mago’ (italian for “Te Magician) has seen his scoring average steadily rise to the 21 points per it currently stands at. And with chris Bosh having taken his talents to South Beach, there’s more pressure than ever on the 25-year-old’s shoulders. Bargnani recognises the historical significance of the games at Te O2. “Tis is the first time in NBA history they have played a competitive game overseas in Europe. it is great to be part of that - i’m very proud.” But he knows it won’t be a tourist trip. “do we expect to win both games? i hope so. Tey are going to be very important for us. New Jersey is a team we have to beat because they are fighting with us to get into the play-offs. So there’s going to be pressure because it is important in relation to how our season turns out.”

DEMAR DEROZAN – TORONTO RAPTORS

if there’s one player most likely to bring the house down at Te O2, it’s this young fella. Te 21-year-old sophomore, straight outta compton, started dunking when he was just 11 - and is still going strong. As well as highlights, deRozan brings much needed scoring to the table. currently putting up nearly 14 points per game, he is the Raps’ second leading scorer behind Bargnani. deRozan has put countless victims on posters already so far this season. Make sure you don’t blink any time he’s on the ﬂoor – or you might just miss the play of the day. MVP

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PHOTOS BY: baSkEtballvIEwS.com

> BBL - QUEMONT GREER

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WORDS BY: MARK WOODS PHOTOS BY: VILLE VUORINEN

Minding Min n n tthe P Pss & Qs Quemont Greer wants to get his career off the ground again, using the Jets as his launch pad.

he thermometer on the dashboard reads -3C. Ice cold. Quemont Greer comes outside and waves me over, his hands uncovered by gloves or sleeves. “The weather’s not a big deal for me,” he scoﬀs. “Wisconsin’s much colder.” They breed them tough in the northern United States. In body - and in soul. Greer joined Cheshire Jets last summer when the sun was still punching the clock every day. But for the ﬁrst time in his career, he had been forced to take the temperature of his own game. He’d been out for almost 18 months, balls shot in empty gyms far removed from the pressure cooker ignited by 17,500 voices, showing their love, when he emerged as a stand-out at Chicago’s DePaul University.

What had he left in the tank now? What could he accomplish? “He was pretty out of shape when he arrived and a little bit tentative at the start,” admits Jets coach Paul Smith. Not that you’d have noticed amid Cheshire’s productive first third of the season - when the 6’7” American forward was averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds. However, for the former NBA prospect, coming to the BBL has meant thawing out his talents from deep freeze. His professional career had started promisingly after graduation. There was a rookie year in the Philippines when Greer’s eyes were opened wide. “It was my first time ever out of the country, really different, nothing like I’d experienced before. I enjoyed it.” >

“ ‘Fear No Evil, Kill or Be Killed’. That’s the mentality I take on the court. I fear no-one. It’s Man against Man ”

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> GRASSROOTS BASKETBALL

Angel Do Right Meet the coach who’s been making miracles happen for one North London basketball club.

ive Five EBL Conference titles, four National Cups, eight national titles, 21 Final Four appearances and nine London Youth Games titles. Since it was formed in 2002, the Haringey Angels have become one of the UK’s most successful basketball clubs - totally dominating the women’s scene in London. Te club was created when Hackney legend Joe White asked Dan Bowmaker and Phil Hayﬁeld to coach the girls’ side of his White Heat set up. Te following year, the pair went alone as Haringey Angels. “It was to give us more control and stability over how we ran the programme,” says Bowmaker. Tey haven’t looked back since. Haringey’s run in the London Youth Games - an inter-borough multi-sport competition held annually in the capital - is truly phenomenal. Nine years. No losses.

“We have just kept winning,” Bowmaker modestly proclaims. “Te pressure is on not to drop that ﬁrst game, but of course that day will come. “Te Youth Games has a great tradition in London. It’s in the summer - so something to keep the team ticking over - and also an opportunity for the kids to play in front of a different audience. Winning has kept the Haringey sports development team happy - and they have been a great help to us over the years, so it’s important for the borough.” So what’s the secret? “Hard work, focus on details, passion for excellence and talented athletes,” he proclaims. And many of his players, who’ve gone on to bigger things in the States, are quick to sing his praises. “I credit Bowmaker for everything,” states Josette Campbell, currently on scholarship to the University of South Florida. >

Words By: JoHN HArrIS Photos By: JAKE GrEEN

28 MVP ISSUE 02

“ I credit Bowmaker for everything. He developed me from scratch. He’s made such a diﬀerence in my life. He became not only my coach, but a father ﬁgure” Josette Campbell, Former Haringey Angel

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> MAIN FE AT URE

Words By: Mark Woods GrEG TaNNEr Photos By: NikE / NBaE / GETTy FC BarCEloNa kEviN JosEph

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol - so many diﬀerences, yet so many similarities. One is an athletic assassin, the greatest guard since Michael Jordan and the deadliest closer in the game. The other is a mild-mannered Spaniard who’s become the NBA’s most skillful seven footer. Both are at the very top of the game - yet both have had to battle for respect in the NBA afer learning the game in Europe. Thankfully for MVP’s Mark Woods and Greg Tanner, they are also two of the NBA’s most articulate stars... 32

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> NYC

Words By: Michael RoMyn Photo By: nBae/Getty iMaGes

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Girls got Game Words BY: MONET JOHNSON Photos BY: JAKE GREEN

Growing up being a female basketball player was not an easy task. I started at a young age and never thought that I would be where I am today. I have experienced playing college basketball and also pro basketball in Europe. As a female basketball player I’ve set many goals for myself and hope to soon achieve all of them.

Basketball to me is more then just a sport and more then just someone who is gifted and talented its more like a motivation that requires athleticism, strength and endurance. Female players do not get half the recognition that male players get, but we are trying to set the tone so that we can be heard, recognized,and get more of the women basketball games on T.V. Playing basketball in America is much different then playing abroad, the people are different, and the fans are different, as well as the atmosphere, being out there is a whole different outlook. I can say this because I have experienced europe myself playing in finland, Europe was a big step for me. I wonder which step I’ll have to take next. MVP

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> FASHION

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PhotoS By: John hooper IlluStratIonS: Matthew LaidLaw

A Molly & John Joint

> Michelene Black track jacket with gold stripes – Adidas Lace top – Elena Antoniades Black velvet skirt – Charles Anastase Gold trainers – Jeremy Scott x Adidas Gold knuckleduster – Katie Rowland StylINg: MISS MOlly at Mandy COaklEy MAke Up ANd HAIr: lIlly kEyS USIng MaC PrO

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> FA S HION

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Stayin’ On Top PHOTOS BY: Kieran Halil SeT DeSign: linnea apelqvist

Nike Air Max LeBron 8s (retail: £ 100.00) remaining from the 7s are the over-size nike swoosh, the hi-top style (now even higher) and the chunky air Max bubble. Te idea behind the new shoe is apparently the notion of leBron as “the hunter and the hunted”, an attempt to showcase James’s aggressiveness. Te result is undoubtedly a mean one, with some of the most scientiﬁcally state-of-the art innovations of any sports shoe ever.

Te advert in support of James’s kicks is dope. light-hearted and humourous in places, with questions like “should i be who you want me to be?” it really hits home, cutting to the core of leBron James critics and detractors. You have to respect the nike air Max leBron 8s… especially in Miami Heat red, white and black.

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