Leicester Riders stars Jaren Holmes, Teddy Allen and Kimbal Mackenzie suited up to play in yesterday’s 2024 British Basketball League All-Star game.
Relive the event through the lens…
Want to see the Riders in action? Get tickets to our next home game against the Caledonia Gladiators on March 22 here!
Leicester Riders Women’s stars suited up for the South to compete in the 2024 British Basketball League All Star game.
Take a look at the event through the lens…
Leicester Riders legend Andrew Sullivan has been named as one of the first 10 inductees of the British Basketball League Hall of Fame.
Sullivan played five seasons of his 13-year professional career with the Riders, helping to bring nine pieces of silverware to Leicester, including two trebles in 2013 and 2017.
He suited up for Leicetser from 2011-2014, before re-signing for two more seasons in 2015.
He was named British Basketball League MVP for the second time in 2013, averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
A serial winner, Sullivan won 20 pieces of British Basketball League silverware and two MVP awards.
Internationally, Sullivan was capped 100 times for Great Britain, and captained his country in the 2012 London Olympic games. He also won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 2006 in Melbourne.
Sullivan’s services to basketball earned him a place in the League’s Hall-of-Fame, amongst legends of the Men’s and Women’s League, from players, coaches, officials and those who have demonstrated invaluable services to the Legaue.
You can read the full list of inductees to the British Basketball League Hall of Fame here!
Leicester Riders fell 108-71 on the road to the Bristol Flyers, making their record 15-14 in the British Basketball League Championship.
The Flyers led convincingly wire-to-wire, hitting shots consistently all afternoon. Tevin Olison went off for 31 points, and was one of three Flyers with over 20 points.
Jaren Holmes led the Riders with 20 points and 3 rebounds. Despite their All-Star guard’s play, Leicester lost the turnover battle 17-9, and shot 39% to the Flyers’ 49% in the defeat.
The sides exchanged jabs through the first few minutes, the Flyers building a narrow advantage going into the first media timeout. They found joy getting to the rim, generating eight points in four minutes in close, giving the hosts an 11-7 lead with 4:41 left in the opening quarter.
Bristol went on a run out of the break to stretch the difference to nine. An Olison and-one followed by a Levi Bradley long two sparked the run, allowing the Flyers to lead 32-20 after one.
The momentum continued in the second quarter, the hosts building their lead to 16 midway through the period. Miryne Thomas and Jaren Holmes, with 10 and 9 points respectively, led the attempted comeback, but the Flyers had three scorers in double digits 15 minutes into the game in an offensive onslaught.
The Flyers won the second 29-16, led by Tevin Olison who had 25 points at the half. Bristol shot 13-20 from the foul line in the first to the Riders 3-5, turned the ball over four times to the Riders eight, and shot 50% from the field to the Riders 36%.
Leicester trailed 61-36 at the half.
The Riders chipped into the deficit in the third, but the Flyers hit big shots throughout to maintain their hefty advantage. Back to back Flyers’ threes rebuilt their lead, and an Olison corner triple made it 30.
It was 92-57 with one to play, Blake Bowman ending the quarter from the foul line.
The final quarter was a formality, with the game proving out of reach for the Riders. The Flyers won the fourth 16-14 to seal their win.
Leicester returns to action after the All-Star break, hosting the Caledonia Gladiators on March 22.
Leicester Riders are set for their final game before the All-Star break, hitting the road to take on the Bristol Flyers.
The game features two teams with contrasting styles, looking to play the game on their own terms to take control of the fixture.
Here’s what the Riders can expect from Sunday’s opponents…
Battling on the boards
Bristol have made their name on the boards this season, leading the League in total and offensive rebounds. The Flyers pull down an offensive board on 34.48% of their misses, leading to 11.87 second chance points per game.
Their All-Star Brad Greene leads the League in this department, and is the only player averaging double digit rebounds in the British Basketball League this season.
It’s a group effort on the boards, despite Greene’s dominance down low. Five players average over four a game, as the who roster crashes the glass every possession, from front court to back court.
Sam Idowu’s outing last time the Riders faced Bristol neutralised their rebounding threat, however. He grabbed 14 boards to pair with 15 points, making the paint his own as the Riders took a Trophy win.
Greene still pulled down 11 rebounds, but Leicetser won the rebounding battle 45-36 to take the victory. It will take the same level of effort on the glass to come away with the win in the South West.
Points in the paint
On the defensive end of the ball, the Flyers have a stifling defensive interior. They allow the fewest points in the paint of any team this season, allowing only 31.55 points per game around the basket.
Bristol contest without fouling, ranking seventh in fouls per game, and their sixth ranked blocked shots ranking means they have found ways of preventing opponents from driving their way inside, and forcing difficult attempts when they do.
The Riders rank third in points in the paint with 40.18 per outing, and will look to counteract Bristol’s interior defence to establish themselves inside. They can open up the rim from distance, however, with their second ranked 37.74% shooting from three.
Bristol have not prevented the three at the same rate as the layup this season, allowing their opponents to shoot 35.8% from distance.
The Riders, with their sharpshooting quartet of Miryne Thomas, TJ Lall, Teddy Allen and Conner Washington who are each shooting over 40% from deep this season, will hope to continue their hot form from three to get points on the board.
Setting the tempo
The game may feature a tug of war between two sides who play at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Bristol plays a slow paced, half court brand of offence for the majority of their possessions. They play at the second slowest pace of any team in the League at 76.85, compared to the Riders who lead all teams at 80.61.
The Riders continually want to get out and run in transition, using their speed and vision to push the pace and get easy looks at the rim.
In the halfcourt, they take shots early in the shot clock to maximise the amount of possessions they have in the game.
Meanwhile the Flyers slow the tempo and grind down the shot clock, taking their shots deep into the clock through patient play.
Both sides will look to establish the game at their tempo to take control of this matchup.
Leicester Riders are set to take on the Bristol Flyers on the road, in their last game before the 2024 British Basketball League All-Star game.
Here are the key battles to watch in the game…
Brad Greene vs Sam Idowu
The Riders face the challenge of taking on the League’s leading rebounder in Brad Greene. The American, who was named the All-Star starter for the centre position, has averaged a double double this season with 12.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Greene is a force on the offensive boards. He leads all players in offensive rebounds with 3.9 per game, on a team that grabs the most rebounds of any team this season.
The 6’11” California native went off for 19 points and 17 rebounds against the Riders in December, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds.
In the rematch, however, in January, Riders big man Sam Idowu was his equal. Greene was held to 7 points, while Idowu muscled his way to 15 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks, pulling down 5 offensive rebounds going against Greene.
Idowu has been a physical force inside the paint off the bench for the Riders this season, . He has the size, the physicality and the hustle to contest Greene on the boards, and limit the Flyers’ second chance opportunities.
Trejon Jacob vs TJ Lall
Despite his team’s loss, Trejon Jacob led the Flyers in a spirited performance last time against Leicester, scoring 16 points with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
He scored 10 points in the third to keep Bristol in the game, but the visitors couldn’t capitalise on the offensive momentum, and Leicester kept their opponents at arm’s length.
Jacob has averaged 17 points in the last two games against Leicester, finding joy putting points on the board. The American is putting up 12.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game committing to the glass from the wing.
Tasked with helping to slow Jacob down will be Canadian wing TJ Lall, who is coming off the back of a Team of the Week selection for his performance against the Cheshire Phoenix.
With leading scorer Teddy Allen and captain Kimbal Mackenzie ejected from the game, Lall stepped up in the fourth against the Phoenix to lead the team to a win. He scored seven to start the quarter, bringing his game tally to 22 points and 7 rebounds.
Lall has made his name as an elite two-way wing, able to impact every facet of a contest. His size and length, combined with his playmaking and shooting ability, makes him a versatile threat on the offensive end.
On defence, Lall can pick up all five positions, and will feel comfortable going up against Jacob’s scoring threat from the wing. Should Jacob get hot again in this one, Coach Rob Paternostro will feel confident in Lall’s ability to stem the tide.
Tevin Olison vs Jaren Holmes
Alongside Greene, Bristol’s other All-Star on their roster is Memphis-born guard Tevin Olison, who is shining in his second season as a pro.
Olison is Bristol’s leading scorer, averaging 15.8 points per game on 46.5% shooting from the field. He’s taken a step up from his rookie year, where he averaged 10 points as a rookie for the Flyers.
Olison missed the previous two fixtures against the Riders through injury, but played at home against Leicester at the start of the season. He scored 17 points on 37.5% shooting from three, leading his team’s scoring in a 92-74 Riders win.
Going face to face with Olison in the backcourt will be Leicester’s own All-Star, Jaren Holmes, who has been playing elite hoops of late.
He went off for 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in the game, stepping up alongside Lall. Holmes has gone off for big performances throughout the year, and is the Riders’ second leading scorer on the season.
Michigan-born Holmes is putting up 13.2 points and 4.4 rebounds from the backcourt, and can go toe-to-toe with any guard in the League on both ends of the ball.
Expect a battle between the two All-Star guards in Bristol.
Teddy Allen has been named February’s British Basketball League Player of the Month.
Allen averaged 28.6 points and 7.6 rebounds during February, including back-to-back 35 point performances.
He became the first British Basketball League player to score 35 in consecutive Championship games since 2012, and the second player to post 35 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists since 2008.
The Phoenix-born wing is the League’s leading scorer this season, putting up 24.8 points per game, and the Riders’ leading rebounder, pulling down 6.6 per game.
Allen returns to action on Sunday, where the Riders will face the Bristol Flyers on the road.
Leicester Riders are the back of a 1-1 weekend, where they faced the top two ranked teams in the British Basketball League Championship standings.
They kicked off with a hard-fought 101-93 victory against Cheshire Phoenix, handing them their first loss in 2024.
On Sunday, they headed to London to face the league champion Lions, falling 105-89.
Riders All-Star guard Jaren Holmes reflected on the weekend of play…
Overcoming adversity
The Riders pulled out the win against Cheshire in the face of adversity. They fell in a 20-2 hole to start the game and battled back to tie it in the second quarter.
Their leading scorer, Teddy Allen, then picked up a double technical foul as the game approached the half, and their captain, Kimbal Mackenzie, picked up a second unsportsmanlike foul in the third quarter.
Despite all of that, playing against a team they were yet to beat this season, they rallied to grind out a win.
“It shows our competitive nature,” reflected Holmes, who went off for 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in the game.
“We had to have a next man up mentality, and we have a great group of guys that love to play the game and compete. It showed that night.
“When Kimbal and Teddy were ejected, we took a breath and continued to play our game. Guys stepped up and it showed in those moments. We have a lot of talent on this team.”
Despite falling in a big hole early, the home crowd willed their team to the win with infectious energy all night.
“There was a great energy in the building, and our team really fed off it,” said Head Coach Rob Paternostro after the game, and Holmes seconded that sentiment.
“The crowd had a huge impact. They willed us to it. They kept getting louder and louder, and bringing that positivity. It truly helped me throughout the entire game. It was an exciting game overall, and they made it fun. They were world-class.
“I think it was our best win of the year so far.”
Battling in the capital
The second quarter is where the damage was done against the Lions. They lost the second 33-14, heading into halftime down 19.
“Playing London, you have to hit shots and get back in transition. We missed a few shots in a row and they ended up with two threes. Those are swings you can’t have when you come up against a team that talented,” said Holmes.
Despite the loss, the Riders won the other three quarters by five, fighting wire to wire despite the heavy deficit.
“There are always positives to take from games. Kimbal had to sit out in the second quarter, and Conner [Washington] stepped up to lead the point.
“It showed his ability to step up in the big moments. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but we didn’t skip a beat. The offence continued to flow, we played hard until the end.
“We were up against a good team who are in the playoffs of the EuroCup. There are moments where anyone can be beaten, so if you keep knocking on that door, it’s going to open.”
Ready to bounce back in Bristol
The Riders are back in action on Sunday, heading to Bristol to face the Flyers.
The last time the sides met in Championship action, the Flyers took an 87-81 win in Leicester. The Riders took revenge in the next meeting, winning 95-74 in the British Basketball League Trophy.
“They’re a great team, coached well with dynamic players,” commented Holmes on his next opponent.
They’re up in your face and they press most of the game. We have to take care of the ball because they thrive in transition, and then limit their three-point opportunities in the half-court.”
The Flyers lead the league in rebounds per game in the Championship this season and pull down the most offensive boards in the League as well. Their All-Star centre, Brad Greene, leads all players in rebounding with 10.2 a game and is averaging a double-double this season.
“They rebound extremely well, especially on the offensive end,” said Holmes. “We have to keep them off the glass. Rebounding is absolutely the emphasis this week.
It’s not just Greene, They all crash and help him, so we have to find ways to create two-on-one against him and take him out of the play when the ball comes off the rim.”
The sides play at opposite ends of the spectrum in regards to their play style. Leicester play at the fastest pace of any team this season, and Bristol at the second slowest.
Holmes says it’s important to establish the game at Leicester’s tempo.
“We have to trust in the work we have, not change who we are regardless of who is in front of us. We want to push the pace, get up shots and play together as a team.”
The game tips off on Sunday, March 10, at 2 pm. You can watch the action live here, on the British Basketball League Youtube channel!
Leicetser Riders lost 105-89 to the London Lions on the road, to fall to 15-13 in the British Basketball League Championship.
The sides were squared at 27 after one, but an explosion in the second quarter from the Lions gave them a 20 point advantage which the Riders were unable to overcome in the second half.
Leicester won the final three quarters by 5, but couldn’t find enough to get back into it.
Teddy Allen led the game with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals, continuing to establish himself as the League’s premier scorer. He was backed by Miryne Thomas, who scored 10 in the third quarter on his way to 17 points to get the Riders offence back in rhythm.
But the issues were on the defensive end. The Lions had five double digit scorers, led by 17 points from Sam Dekker, and the team shot 58% from the field.
The Riders burst out to a 9-2 start, attacking with authority led by four from Kimbal Mackenzie out the gate. London hit back in minutes to tie it at 11, but the Riders established their offence early to go toe to toe with the hosts.
Allen scored seven in the first five minutes, getting buckets on the board early. A minute later, he drove the length of the floor on the fastbreak for the second time in the game, scoring his second and-one play.
Dekker, in his return to the roster from injury, got to work to close the first. He scored seven straight points to take the lead for London. But the first ended 27-27 led by 9 points from Allen.
London started the second quarter 6-0 to extend out to a lead. They found success at the rim, as the Riders did early, scoring their first five buckets of the period in close to force a Rob Paternostro timeout.
Tarik Phillip scored six points in three minutes for London on their run. They made it a double digit lead through David Nwaba, who was found on a backdoor cut to make it 41-30.
The onslaught continued through to the half, the Lions winning the second quarter 33-14 to take a 60-41 advantage, led by 12 from Dekker at the break.
The Lions picked up in the third quarter where they left the second, scoring six straight to grow their lead. Thomas found joy for the Riders to score 10 points in three and a half minutes, but visitors couldn’t slow down London’s scoring to break into the deficit.
The Lions won the third 28-23 to lead 88-64 with one to play.
The Riders went bucket for bucket to start the fourth, once again finding success at the hoop. Blake Bowman’s free throws made it an 8-6 start to the period.
But London saw it out late, having built enough of a lead early to secure the win.
The Riders return to action on Sunday, staying on the road to face the Bristol Flyers.
Leicester Riders are set to take on the London Lions in their second game of the weekend. They will face the League champions for the final time in the British Basketball League Championship, heading to the Copper Box for the second time.
Here, we take you through what to expect from our opponents…
Shooting efficiency
London have operated with killer efficiency on the offensive end this season. They lead the League in field goal, three point and free throw percentage, their effective field goal percentage sitting at 58% on the season, 4% more than the second ranked Riders.
The Lions attack the hoop to generate offence. They lead all teams in points in the paint and free throw rate, getting easy buckets at the rim and putting their opponents in foul trouble consistently.
While their leading scorer, Matthew Morgan, is the second highest scorer in the League with 19.4 points per game, the Lions share the ball to great effect to lead all teams in assists.
The Riders offensive production is close to matching the Lions on the season, scoring just one point less on average in their games, but they’ll have to lock in on the defensive end to find success in this game, especially because of the quality London has on the other side of the ball.
Stifling defence
While some of the Lions’ defensive success can be credited to their high field goal percentage, preventing opponents getting easy looks on the fastbreak, they have ranked among the League’s best in their score stopping.
The Lions are the best at stopping transition buckets, allowing only 15.4 fast break points per game, they also hold their opponents to the worst field goal percentage of any other team at just 41%.
In addition, London close possessions consistently, allowing few second looks at the basket. Their 31.69 defensive rebounds per game is best of any team. Their defence is a contributing factor with that number, forcing their opponents into more misses and getting more opportunities for defensive rebounds.
Another aspect of London’s stifling defence is their rim protection. Led by the league-leading rim protector Josh Sharma, who sends away the most shots of any player with 1.7 per game, London tops the blocked shots charts also.
The Riders’ high powered scoring will need to be at its best to overcome London’s defence.
Giveaways
An area of weakness in the table toppers is their tendency to give away possessions.
The Lions turn the ball over 15.69 times per game, the most in the League. This leads to them giving up the third most points off turnovers per game at 13.86 per game.
While their shooting efficiency means London doesn’t give up many fastbreak points, but the Riders will look to take advantage of any Lions turnovers to generate good shots against London’s defence.
The Riders rank third in fastbreak points, and their desire to get out and run in transition may play a factor in the action at the Copper Box.
Leicester Riders pulled off a gritty 101-93 win against Cheshire Phoenix, snapping the visitor’s undefeated streak in 2024.
The entire Riders unit stepped up after the League’s leading scorer, Teddy Allen, and Leicester’s captain Kimbal Mackenzie were ejected from the game.
TJ Lall topped the team’s scoring off the bench with 22 points, backed by Miryne Thomas’ who had 19 and exploded out of the half following Allen’s ejection.
Leicester were red hot from three, shooting 47% from deep on the game led by Lall and Thomas who combined for six.
Aaryn Rai led the game with 28 points, fighting wire to wire in his team’s effort. But they couldn’t overcome a spirited Riders effort, backed by a raucous home crowd.
Starting slow
Leicester weren’t just faced with the adversity of two ejections. They started slow, falling in a 20-2 hole in the first quarter.
Rai scored 8 points to start the game, and Leicester turned the ball over four times in three minutes in a stuttering start.
Thomas took the lid off the basket with a score at the rim to make it 20-4. One score was all it took for the Riders to find form, and Lall sank a corner triple to make it 20-9 with 4:10 left in the first.
Bouncing back
The Riders rallied, going on a 15-3 run to end the first. Big man Duke Shelton ended the first with a drive to the hoop to make it 23-17, getting Leicester right back in it.
The surge continued in the second, and Sam Idowu grabbed the Riders the lead, as the hosts continued to attack inside.
The sides were locked in a back-and-forth towards halftime. Jaren Holmes put up seven points in the second quarter to shoulder the scoring load, hitting a corner triple after an Allen behind-the-back pass.
But the big moment in the game came minutes later, as Allen picked up a quick double technical which saw him ejected from the game. With the League’s leading scorer out of the tie, the Phoenix ended the period on a 4-0 run to make it 42-42 at the half.
Gunning out of the break
Thomas drained a three to settle the Riders into the second half. Leicester started the quarter in a 7-0 run, after three Skyler White misses on the other end. Thomas came out hot, hitting two quick triples to put Leicester up 55-48.
He brought his game tally to double figures with 3:55 left in the quarter, sinking a tough and-one finish over White.
Up 10, Leicester battled hard to close the third to keep their opponents at arm’s length. But to close the quarter, Riders captain Mackenzie picked up an unsportsmanlike foul after incidental off ball contact, which saw him out of the game with Allen.
Battling it out late
The third ended 70-62, the Riders needing heart and hustle to see it out.
Holmes attacked the hoop for two to start the final quarter, followed by Lall who put Leicester up 12. Lall hit a corner three, assisted by Holmes, before Miryne came down and nailed a triple of his own as the Riders ran away with the tie late.
Cheshire’s star guard LaQuincey Rideau was the third player thrown out of the game, picking up his fifth and final foul in the fourth.
On the other end, Riders’ veteran Conner Washington stepped up in the absence of Mackenzie and Allen, taking a charge on Cam Christon and finishing a layup through heavy contact with four minutes remaining.
Lall put the exclamation point on the performance with an explosive one handed jam, sending the Riders fans into raptures and sealing the win.
The Riders are back in action on Sunday, heading to London to take on the table topping Lions.
Pictures from last night’s 101-93 win against Cheshire Phoenix…
Leicester Riders return to Championship action, taking on Oaklands Wolves at Loughborough University.
Here’s how the game is shaping up…
Fixture information
Leicester Riders vs Oaklands Wolves
Loughborough University Netball Centre
Saturday, March 2, 6 pm
5 on the bounce
The Riders enter this fixture having won their last five games, catching fire in the mid point of the Women’s British Basketball League Championship season.
A winning weekend last week brought their record on the season to 11-2, good for second in the standings behind the undefeated London Lions.
The weekend saw Leicester beat the Newcastle Eagles 90-75 at Mattioli Arena, before hitting the road to beat the Manchester Giants 92-67. All of the Riders wins on this streak have come by over 20 points, and they fire through games and climb the standings.
Star guard Taylor O’Brien has led the team through the stretch. She has led the scoring in the last three, and averaged 27 points over the last two. And the team has continued to assert themselves on the boards, led by Rayven Peeples who has logged a double double in four of the last five.
The Riders return home to take on the Wolves, who they last played in the second game of the season.
Contrasting form
In contrast to the Riders’ hot form, the Wolves enter this matchup looking to avoid making it five losses in the row. They have lost the last four by 20, and will look to turn their form around in Loughborough.
Their last game was a 61-90 loss at home to the third-placed Caledonia Gladiators. They were outrebounded 23-53 by the visitors, so the Wolves will need to crash the glass to get a result against the Riders, who lead the League in offensive rebounding.
Oaklands are typically solid in that department, pulling down 24.7 defensive rebounds per game, good for sixth in the League.
Amy West leads them in rebounding with 6.9 per game, but missed a Gladiators game after a collision with a teammate in pregame warmups, which sidelined her with a head injury. Should she return to action against the Riders, she’ll be in for a battle at the rim with Peeples.
Key matchup
Topping the Wolves scoring charts this season is American guard Caterrion Thompson, who is averaging 16.2 points per game on the season so far.
Thompson’s play this season should come as no surprise for those who have followed her career. She arrives in Oaklands having led the scoring for Finnish side Forssain, averaging 18.1 points per game.
The Ohio-born guard started out her college career at Bowling Green, where she remained until her Junior year. As a Redshirt Junior, Thompson ranked second on her team in scoring with 13.7 points per game and averaged 5.3 rebounds.
In her final college season with Mississippi State, Thompson averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds, leading the team in 3-point shooting percentage with 41%.
Tasked with the role of going toe-to-toe with Thompson is fellow American O’Brien. O’Brien, who also leads her team in scoring this season, is capable of going bucket for bucket with anyone in the League, as she demonstrated over her last two games.
The rookie signed to the Riders from Florida State, averaging 6.7 points for the Seminoles last season.
She spent four years prior at Bucknell University, leading the team in scoring for two straight seasons and earning a place on the All-Patriot League First team for 2021 and 2022. The Pennsylvania native averaged 16.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in her final season with the Bison.
Expect a battle in the backcourt between these two scoring guards.
2018 WBBL Trophy
2019 WBBL Trophy
2020 WBBL Trophy
2021 WBBL Cup
