British Basketball – Riders Basketball

Riders Media - 25th March 2020

Season Recap: Kyron Cartwright

Games played: 25

Points Per Game: 10.16

Rebounds Per Game: 4.56

Assists Per Game: 8.72

Kyron Cartwright joined the Riders following playing his rookie professional season in Hungary with Alba Fehervar competing both domestically in the Hungarian first division and the FIBA Europe Cup.

Cartwright is a true Point Guard who’s ability to lead the team and distribute the ball was a key part of the Riders offence this season. Kyron’s elite court vision saw him finish second in the BBL Championship in assists with 8.80 per game, first across all competitions in assists with 8.72 per game and included season highs of 30 points and 19 assists.

Coach Paternostro was pleased with Kyron’s performance this past season and noted he had a unique ability to impact games without scoring. “Kyron speed and quickness was something the defence had to prepare for, his ability to see the floor was incredible, his passing was tremendous, he could dominate the game without even taking a shot. We loved what Kyron brought to our team this season”.

Cartwright was also pleased with the season however, admits it was frustrating the season has been postponed as the team was finding their form. “I thought personally and as a team we had a pretty good season, being a second year professional now I definitely felt more comfortable out there on the floor leading the team. As a team I feel like we were starting to play some of our best basketball right when we needed to so it’s a real shame that all our remaining fixtures have been postponed as who knows what we could’ve gone on to do.”

Key Performances

October 26^th 2019 v Manchester Giants – BBL Cup

Stat line: 14 points (5/10 FG), 3 rebounds, 12 assists

The Leicester Riders and Manchester Giants did battle in the group stages of the BBL Cup as Kyron Cartwright posted his first double double in a Riders Jersey. Kyron got the Riders off the mark with a tough layup a minute into the contest followed by a trademark midrange jumper off the dribble as the Riders jumped out to an early 6 point led at the end of the first quarter. The Riders continued to assert themselves in the second quarter giving them a 20-44 half time lead with Cartwright running the show contributing 7 points and 7 assists. It was more of the same from the Riders and Cartwright in the second half as they continued to cause the Giants problems, Cartwright handed out another 5 assists and scored 7 points with a variety of crafty finishes around the basket as the Riders took the 57-96 victory to moved to 3-0 on the season.

December 6^th 2019 v Plymouth Raiders – BBL Championship

Stat line: 11 points (3/7 FG), 8 rebounds, 19 assists

The Leicester Riders took on the Plymouth Raiders at the Morningside Arena as they opened up their 2019/20 BBL Championship campaign. It was yet another jaw dropping passing display from Kyron Cartwright who handed out a season high 19 assists. Cartwright set the tone early pushing the pace with two sweet dimes on the break before finding Andy Thomson for three to push the Riders out to an early 2 point lead and the end of the first quarter. The Riders came out hot in the second quarter scoring 4 threes in the period with Cartwright running the show dishing out a further five dimes including two flashy no look passes to Darien Nelson-Henry for easy finishes inside. The Raiders fought back in the third quarter winning the period 24-18 to close the gap to just 6 heading into the final period. Cartwright ignited the Riders run at the start of the fourth scoring a jump hook over Raiders guard Josh Wilcher before once again connecting with Nelson-Henry inside for two. Kyron saw the Riders over the line in the closing minutes finding Josh Ward-Hibbert on the break for two followed by Jesse Chuku for a jumper as he totalled 19 assists on the game and the Riders took a 96-79 win.

January 17^th v Worcester Wolves – BBL Championship

Stat line: 30 points (12/21 FG) , 6 rebounds, 4 assists

Kyron Cartwright posted a career high 30 points as the Leicester Riders defeated the Worcester Wolves avenging their BBL Cup Semi Final loss to the Wolves two weeks earlier. Kyron put on his most impressive scoring display of the season causing the Wolves problems all evening. Cartwright got going early pushing the pace and finding lanes to the basket with ease as the Riders jumped out to an early 31-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Worcester closed the gap in the second quarter winning it by 6 despite still being unable to control Cartwright who found his way into the lane at will. The second half was far closer with the Wolves pulling it back to just an 8 point game heading into the final quarter however it was Cartwright that sealed the deal for the Riders scoring 8 points including three clutch free throws in the final minute to secure a 4 point victory for the Riders.

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Riders Media - 12th March 2020

Preview: Riders v Giants

Following defeat on the road in Bristol last weekend the Riders will be looking to bounce back this Friday as they take on the Manchester Giants at the Morningside Arena, here’s all you need to know about the two teams.

About the Giants

Manchester Giants are looking to build for the future after a new ownership group pulled together by former player Jamie Edwards took charge a month ago.

It has been lean pickings since the Giants return to the BBL in 2012, and the new group will look to turn that around, but, with the deadline passed for player signings this season, much of the change is likely to occur in the off-season.

Current Head Coach Danny Byrne is in his third season with the club.

Mancunians Callum Jones and his brother James Jones provide experience in the backcourt, aided by Latvian sharpshooter Ingus Bankevics, Spanish forward Eduard Arques and local guard Jack Hudson. Benson Arogbo and Zak Powell provide support off the bench

Americans Jonathan Mulmore and Del’vin Dickerson have been dispensed with, replaced by Londoner Allie Fullah and Brit David Ulph.

Form Guide

Manchester has yet to win in the BBL Championship, but is showing much improved form in recent weeks. They took Plymouth Raiders to overtime in a home defeat, racked up 80 points away at Sheffield Sharks in a 92-80 loss, and then took Cheshire close last Sunday, before Phoenix prevailed at home, 99-88.

After winning 6 in a row, Riders are now on a 2 game losing streak, after going down away to London Lions and Bristol Flyers.

The teams met twice in the Group stages of the BBL Cup, Riders winning both, 96-57 in Manchester, and 102-70 at home.

Players to Watch

Captain Callum Jones pulls the strings for the Giants from the point guard position, and he had a typical display against Cheshire last time out, scoring 16 points at a highly efficient 80% shooting, as well as dishing out 2 assists in 34 minutes of play.

For Leicester, the ability to get Darien Nelson-Henry engaged in the offence is often key to their performances. He is averaging 13 points and 5 rebounds per game, and shoots over 60% from the floor.

Tickets are still available for Friday’s game, CLICK HERE to purchase yours!

Jelson Homes to continue long-standing partnership

Return of the Mack

BBL announce new format for 2023/24

Riders fall just short in Playoff Final

Riders Media - 12th March 2020

Three Things to look out for this weekend v Giants

The Leicester Riders take on the Manchester Giants this Friday at the Morningside Arena as they look to bounce back from last Weekend’s defeat in Bristol. Here’s three things to look out for ahead of Friday’s game.

Riders aim to move 3-0 on the season against the Giants

In their two meetings so far this season the Riders have had great success against the Manchester Giants overcoming the Giants on both occasions. The Riders have stamped their authority on the defensive end against the Giants in both their previous meetings holding the Giants to 57 points in the first meeting and just 70 points in the second meeting. Although the Giants are yet to win a game in the BBL Championship they have pushed the Raiders, Sharks and Phoenix close in their last 3 games. The Riders will once again need to be locked in on the defensive end of the floor if they are to defeat the Giants on Friday as the Giants have averaged a much improved 86 points per game across those three games.

Improved execution down the stretch

In their defeat to Bristol last weekend the Riders struggled to get their offence going down the stretch, Coach Paternostro mentioned that he was happy with the shots they were getting however they could not get them to drop. Coach Rob mentioned that it is important he sees a reaction from his team this weekend who in previous weeks showed great execution on their way to a 6 game winning streak.

Riders look to get back to winning ways

The Riders were the most impressive team in the league over the month of February winning all four of their games in impressive fashion however, in their last two games the Riders have stumbled falling to the Lions and Flyers. Typically, Coach Rob has his men playing their best basketball right when it matters at the end of the season, and Friday’s game v Manchester provides the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways. The Riders face a busy April with 6 games as the BBL Championship comes to a close with everything to still play for the Riders.

Tickets are still available for Friday’s game, CLICK HERE to purchase yours!

Jelson Homes to continue long-standing partnership

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Riders fall just short in Playoff Final

Riders Media - 9th March 2020

Report: Riders fall to Flyers on the road

Leicester Riders slipped to a fourth league defeat of the season, going down 73-69 at Bristol Flyers. In a similar pattern to their trophy defeat in the south west, Riders had led for long periods, only for a fourth quarter rally to see the home side over the line.

Jesse Chuku hit a couple of early three pointers before Josh Ward-Hibbert scored eight consecutive points for the Riders as they opened an 18-11 lead.

Levi Bradley pulled his team back into the game, but Leicester would post eight points without reply to lead 28-17 early in the second quarter. Namon Wright’s back-to-back three-pointers kept Leicester’s lead in double figures, but Bristol were able to make inroads into the deficit just before half-time.

Corey Johnson was able to send Riders into the interval with a nine-point lead as he connected from behind the arc for the final score of the first half.

The home side then started the second half strongly to trim Riders’ advantage to only three-points as Lewis Champion got the scoreboard ticking for his team, but Ward-Hibbert and Johnson re-establish a small cushion a 52-44 with twelve minutes to go.

Early in the final quarter, Bristol posted seven points without reply to move 55-54 ahead and for the next five minutes the lead went back and forth. With 2:30 to play, Riders trailed by one-point, but Champion helped the Flyers to a 72-66 advantage.

Andy Thomson halved that with a three-pointer and though he had to more attempts to level the game from behind the arc, neither dropped and Riders slipped to a second consecutive victory against the Flyers.

Riders struggled to find consistency in their shooting and as such whilst they had four players in double-figures, their top score was only 13 from Josh Ward-Hibbert.

The Riders return Home to the Morningside Arena next Friday when they take on the Manchester Giants in the BBL Championship, CLICK HERE to get your tickets!

Jelson Homes to continue long-standing partnership

Return of the Mack

BBL announce new format for 2023/24

Riders fall just short in Playoff Final

Riders Media - 4th March 2020

Coach Paternostro Claims February Kevin Cadle Molten BBL Coach of the Month award

Head Coach Rob Paternostro has claimed the Kevin Cadle Molten BBL Coach of the Month after leading the Riders to a perfect four wins from four in the month of February.

The Riders impressive Month included their largest ever win over the Newcastle Eagles after they defeated their rivals 101-63 at the Morningside Arena as well as gutsy road wins against the Surrey Scorchers and Plymouth Raiders.

Coach Paternostro signed the Month off in style defeating the Sheffield Sharks 87-80 on February 29th as Rob celebrated his 500th game as Head Coach of the Riders.

New additions Corey Johnson and Jordan Spencer played a key part in the Riders change in fortune in the Month of February with the pair fully integrating into the squad adding extra bench depth to the Riders Roster. Johnson and Spencer’s additions now mean that the Riders have nine players averaging double figure minutes per game and and seven players averaging eight points per game or more.

The Riders return to the Morningside Arena on Friday March 13th when they take on the Manchester Giants, CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets!

Jelson Homes to continue long-standing partnership

Return of the Mack

BBL announce new format for 2023/24

Riders fall just short in Playoff Final

Riders Media - 4th March 2020

Rob’s reflections on 500 games in charge and a busy last weekend

Leicester Riders Head Coach Rob Paternostro had a mixed weekend, as he went through the milestone for 500 games in the BBL as a coach, splitting a pair of games in the BBL Championship.

Riders had to work very hard for their sixth straight league win over Sheffield Sharks 87-80 on Saturday night, but then struggled to recover on the road on Sunday afternoon against the London Lions, going down heavily 99-65.

Against Sheffield, Riders led from the middle of the first quarter and had a twenty point lead midway through the third quarter, but the Sharks got back within a single shot in the final thirty seconds, before a Kyron Cartwright steal sealed the result.

Cartwright scored 10 points and dished out 11 assists, and Andy Thomson had a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds. Namon Wright finished with 20 points on 67% shooting along with 5 assists.

Against the Lions Riders scored the first basket of the game, but the Lions scored the next 21 points and never looked back. Only Darien Nelson-Henry troubled the Lions with 17 points and 6 rebounds.

“It was disappointing on Sunday for sure, because we never got going.”

“These back-to-back games with so little recovery time are a mental as well as a physical challenge, and we did not handle it well.”

“The Sheffield performance was excellent at times, but they are always tough, physical affairs, and this one was no different.”

“The win took a lot out of us, because we were hanging on at the end.”

“But we know the Championship is going to be tight this year and we are still sitting on just 3 losses, as good as anybody.”

“it is about quickly putting that loss behind us and getting back on the horse.”

Riders now go on the road to Bristol Flyers this Friday night in the BBL Championship.

The Riders return to the Morningside Arena on Friday March 13th when they take on the Manchester Giants, CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets!

Jelson Homes to continue long-standing partnership

Return of the Mack

BBL announce new format for 2023/24

Riders fall just short in Playoff Final

Riders Media - 1st March 2020

Report: Riders defeat Sharks to continue winning run

Leicester Riders survived a late scare to claim an 87-80 victory over Sheffield Sharks and stretch their winning run to six games.

Riders had led by 20 in the third quarter, but some impressive shooting from the short-handed visitors in the fourth period meant the result was in the balance until the final seconds.

Both teams started slowly, but Leicester were able to hit a few three-pointers as they edged the first five minutes 11-6. Andy Thomson sparked a bit of life into proceedings and with Jamell Anderson scoring well, Leicester still held a five-point lead at the end of the opening quarter.

Sharks level the scores at 24 points each, but the two sides were stuck on that score for over two minutes. A bizarre goaltending call gave Sheffield a 29-28 lead with four minutes to go, but Riders then held the Sharks scoreless for the remainder of the half.

Namon Wright had five of 11 unanswered points to finish the second quarter and Leicester took that momentum into the second half. Nick Lewis hit a tremendously difficult three-point shot early in the third quarter, but that was their only score in the first three minutes of the period.

In the seven minutes either side of half-time, Riders posted a 22-3 burst which had them 50-31 in front. The lead peaked at twenty points and with 13 minutes to go it looked like the game would meander out into a comfortable home win.

But Bouna Ndiaye caught fire for the Sharks, pulling them to within ten at the start of the fourth quarter. Corey Johnson’s three re-established a 15-point lead, but Lewis and Ndiaye had the gap down to five with four minutes to play.

Johnson hit another two corner three-pointers as Riders seemed to be keeping the visitors at bay, but Connor Cashaw refused to let it go and cut the deficit to 83-80 with a minute to go. Riders, though, held their nerve and sealed the win from the free throw line.

Wright was again in imperious shooting form, netting 20 points including four three-pointers, whilst Thomson and Ky Cartwright both posted double-double.

Scorers:

Riders: Wright 20, Anderson 13, Thomson 12, Cartwright 10, Nelson-Henry 9, Johnson 9, Chuku 5, Ward-Hibbert 5, Spencer 4, Lascelles, Scott.

Sharks: Ndiaye 21, Lewis 18, Cashaw 14, Koch 12, Marsden 6, Tuck 5, Backovic 2, Montgomery 2, Chubb, Brownell.

The Riders return to action at the Morningside Arena on March 13th when they take on the Manchester Giants in the BBL Championship, CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets!

Jelson Homes to continue long-standing partnership

Return of the Mack

BBL announce new format for 2023/24

Riders fall just short in Playoff Final