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Everton win play-off crown despite Glasgow rally

Thrilled Everton Tigers coach Tony Garbelotto admitted his side saved their best for last after his side mauled Glasgow Rocks in the BBL play-off final.
Trey Moore hit a game-high 22 points, with Kevin Bell picking up the MVP trophy as the Merseymen stole the honours after a dramatic 80-72 win in Birmingham.
In a stunning finish, the Scots simply ran out of gas after a heroic fightback that saw them come from 22 down before falling at the last.
“We really had to dig deep for this,” said Garbelotto. “We were comfortable, they came back and then it was suddenly all to play for. But guys like Kevin, Trey and James Jones hit big shots when it counted at the end.”
Sterling Davis’ men nearly pulled off mission improbable after missing their first 17 three-point attempts as Everton piled on the pressure. When rookie guard Jessie Sapp netted from long range in the third period, it began a storming fightback that saw the Rocks edge 59-58 ahead with 7 minutes to go.
But Everton made one last push to steal the last piece of silverware to break the Rocks hearts.
“It’s just so disappointing because we came out so flat,” said Rocks captain Rob Yanders, who hit 15 points before fouling out on what is likely to be his last appearance for the Kelvin Hall outfit.
“We needed so much energy to come back and there just wasn’t enough there in the end. It’s probably the worst 20 minutes of basketball we’ve played this season and it came at the wrong time. But credit to Everton for the way they played.”
Earlier, Sheffield Sharks guard Mike Cook took MVP honours in the BBL All Star Game as the Rest of the World line-up beat Great Britain 110-94.
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BBL play-off race

Heading into this weekend, what's on the table...

Milton Keynes will qualify for the play-offs with a win over Worthing on Saturday. Or if Worcester lose to Essex OR Guildford, OR if Worthing lose to Milton Keynes.

Everton Tigers will qualify with wins over Cheshire OR London. Or if Worthing lose to Milton Keynes.

Worthing Thunder will qualify for the play-offs if they lose to Milton Keynes AND Worcester lose to Essex and Guildford.

Glasgow Rocks will clinch a top four place if they beat Leicester.

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When a deadline .. isn't a deadline

The BBL's transfer deadline isn't, apparently, as hard and fast this season as it has been in the past.

Firstly, and rather inexplicably, England Basketball's registration office – which handles all player documentation – was closed on Friday. It's understood that clubs now have until Monday to complete any paperwork on potential signings.

Intriguingly, it's been revealed that the BBL passed a new signing exemption rule at a board meeting last summer. The get-out clause has not been widely publicised, even among coaches themselves, but teams will be able to replace one player – on a like-for-like basis (i.e. Non-national for non-national), until March 31.

The rule is intended primarily for use in the case of injuries. However, like most aspects of British Basketball, flexibility is ever-present.

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Home moves see BBL downsize over decade

Guildford Heat’s re-location to the campus of the University of Surrey by the end of this season means that three British Basketball League teams will – presuming the line-up remains unchanged – start the next campaign at a different home than this one.

With Milton Keynes about to decamp Bletchley for a temporary venue at Middleton Hall, and Newcastle Eagles packing their bags for Northumbria University next summer, it’s interesting to draw the comparisons with ten years ago – a season that represented the high watermark in terms of available seats around the BBL (and also in the sheer number of freebie tickets that were given away to fill the vast empty expanses in Manchester, Sheffield and London’s Docklands).

Only one team – the Chester/Cheshire Jets - has stayed put (although Plymouth and Worthing were then in the EBL). Even more remarkably, only 5 of the 13 teams from the 1999-2000 campaign have hung around (the Rocks subsequently switched from Edinburgh to Glasgow).

Looking at the capacities from ten seasons ago, down 83 per cent, it’s a stark measure of the down-sizing in the BBL’s ambitions. A year later, Birmingham Bullets and London Leopards retrenched from arenas to leisure centres, Leicester were forced out of their long-time base at Granby Halls and things were never quite the same again.

2010-11
Cheshire (Northgate Arena): 1300 capacity
Essex (Southend Tennis Centre): 1100
Everton (Greenbank Academy): 600*
Glasgow (Kelvin Hall): 1200
Guildford (Surrey Sports Park): 800
Leicester (DMU): 800
London Capital (Willesden): 300
Milton Keynes (Middleton Hall): 1500
Newcastle (Northumbria University): 2600
Plymouth (Pavilions): 1480
Sheffield (EIS): 1200
Worcester (University): 800
Worthing (Worthing LC): 700
TOTAL: 14,380

1999-2000
Birmingham (NEC): 13000
Brighton (Brighton Centre): 5000**
Chester (Northgate): 1300
Derby (Thunderdome): 2500
Edinburgh (Meadowbank): 1900
Leicester (Granby Halls): 1500
Leopards (London Arena): 15000
London Towers (Crystal Palace): 3500
Manchester Giants (MEN Arena) 18000
Milton Keynes (Bletchley): 907
Newcastle (Metro Arena): 11000
Sheffield (Hallam Arena): 12500
Thames Valley (Bracknell SC): 1200
TOTAL: 87,307

*Some games at Echo Arena (7500)
** Some games at The Triangle (1500)

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Plymouth Raiders guard Eric Flato done for season

Plymouth Raiders guard Eric Flato is to miss the rest of the season due to a freak leg injury sustained in practice last month.

The American rookie is expected to undergo a third surgery before Christmas, ending his hopes of a speedy return. According to club sources, the Raiders expect to bring in a replacement point guard next week.

“Following the meeting earlier this week with the consultant, Eric and myself sat down and discussed the best possible way forward, "said Plymouth coach Gary Stronach. "Both of us are very disappointed that he won’t be able to finish the season, but for his own health and the longevity of his career, it’s the only way forward.”

In 6 BBL outings, the Yale graduate averaged 10.3 points and 3 assists per game, and 83% from the free throw line.

"I want to thank everyone involved with the Raiders for helping me through this frustrating injury,” said Flato. “The players, fans, and front office have all been wonderful. I have really enjoyed my time here in Plymouth and am sad to leave, but I'm optimistic about returning to peak fitness after rehab."

Stronach added: "It’s an absolute tragedy that this has happened to him in his first professional season.”

Rocks add swingman Crowell

Glasgow Rocks have signed American-born small forward Michael Crowell to reinforce their BBL title challenge. The 23-year-old from Arizona, who has a German passport, previously played for Bundesliga side Weissenhorn and is slated to make his debut for the Kelvin Hall outfit against Worcester on November 29.

Rocks coach Sterling Davis said: “I felt like we needed some extra back-up at that position for Gareth Murray. Michael gives us another option. He’s 6’7” and can play a couple of positions as well as shooting the three-pointer. He can also defend and having that extra depth is going to help.”

Davis will now accelerate his chase for a centre to strengthen his under-sized line-up and confirmed: “We’re still looking there.”

Best foot forward as Everton fly the FC nest

The future of Everton Tigers has been secured after a deal was struck that will see Everton FC provide the BBL outfit with continued backing, despite a loosening of the links between the two clubs.

The move is the culmination of five months of talks that began when the Premier League giants initially signalled their intent to withdraw their subsidy completely, leaving the Tigers in danger of folding after just two seasons in the league. Having previously been integrated into the Goodison set-up through its community programme, the basketball arm will now be formally spun-off with chairman Martyn Best, and club stalwart Henry Mooney, taking control.

Critically for the Tigers, Everton FC will still maintain some financial support while continuing informal ties. The funding is around one-quarter of what was provided in the heady days of the past but Best, who runs a PR company in the north-west of England, insists it is an arrangement that will benefit both parties.

“The club’s now stable,” he confirmed. “We had two good first years with Everton Football Club supporting us totally. They wanted to reassess where our club lay. Is it part of the charity? Is it part of the football (club)? And they decided it’s best that it is an independent entity, winning trophies on the court and developing really good community links off it.

“Everton are fully behind us as our official partner. That’s just been confirmed this week, which is great. Between the management team: myself, Henry Mooney, Tony (Garbelotto) a great coach who has committed to the club, and a good general manager behind us, we feel we’ll be a big part of the BBL going forward.”

The trick is trying to build a brand in a city that is either red or blue, with talk of little else around the water cooler. Accruing sponsors is one part of the challenge. Increasing crowds is another. While Everton has flourished in its handful of appearances at the 7,000-capacity Echo Arena, attendances are still – by necessity – small at the team’s normal Greenbank home. And that, Best admits, may mean moving elsewhere in the longer term.

“The key to that is getting the fan base behind us,” he acknowledges. “The guys at the Echo Arena are fully behind us as a basketball team. It’s the same people who ran the NIA when Birmingham Bullets played there so they understand the make-up of the sport. They’re urging us to play 2-3 more games this season but the dates haven’t worked out to do something before Christmas. So we’re probably looking at one in January and one in April to sign the season off. 

“The other thing we’re looking at is possibly playing a few games around Liverpool, away from Greenbank. We might play one in Knowsley, where we have our admin and training court at Kirkby Sports College. And possibly one at Sefton where there is a strong hold on grassroots basketball. Greenback is our base for the foreseeable future but I want to take basketball around the city.”

Winning more silverware can only help. It has not been a smooth start to the campaign for the Tigers after their titanic battle for supremacy with Newcastle last term. On their economised budget, there are no Andre Smiths to carry the load. However, that doesn’t mean that mid-table consolidation is now the ambition. The ambitious Best, appropriately, still wants the best of all worlds.

“But,” he concedes, “it’s going to come down to a range of activities on and off the court: community engagement, fan engagement. On court, in Tony, we’ve got one of the best and most experienced coaches in the league. We are assembling a younger team this season which, when they do click, they are worth watching.

“We are building up a momentum in Liverpool. The city’s not used to having a professional team but we’re creating something there. I agreed to become involved long-term and we’ve made that same long-term commitment to the BBL.”

BBL set for Sky return

The British Basketball League is set to agree a deal with Sky Sports that would see the game return to the satellite broadcaster after a decade’s absence.

Talks have reached a final stage on a tie-up that would likely see a weekly game screened from the BBL, starting in the New Year.

Although the funds are not yet finalised to finance the costs, an agreement - backed by a meeting of the league’s board on Monday - is understood to have been reached with a production company with final confirmation of the move expected “within days”.

“The only thing that would delay it would be scheduling,” said the league’s chairman, Paul Blake. “Our anticipation is that something will come off for the back end of the season. Our pitch has been for the last ten weeks of the campaign.”

The BBL has had short-lived deals with the ill-fated ITV Digital and Setanta since departing Sky, a move seen as pivotal in the league’s decline in recent years. The proposed link-up would likely see recorded extended highlights due to logistical difficulties in moving fixtures to mid-week for live transmission.

“It causes major problems from a venue point of view,” Blake confirmed.

The league is also set to relaunch its website in the next week after the two companies involved in a planned summer revamp went into administration.

Sky deal on BBL table

The BBL's board meeting on Monday is slated to discuss a proposed television deal with Sky Sports for the league, Britball understands. 


The move, first revealed last month, would kick in for the second half of the season, if it goes ahead.


A highlights show on Monday evenings is thought to be the most likely slot on the satellite broadcaster.

Sky deal in the works for BBL?

The BBL is in talks with Sky Sports over a deal that could see domestic basketball return to television screens later this season.

League officials have met with the satellite broadcaster and are understood to be at an advanced stage in agreeing a move that would end the BBL’s black-out after a 18 month hiatus.

“We have been in conversations with Sky for a while and I think we are close to getting a deal done before too long,” BBL chairman Paul Blake told Journal Live.

“I don’t want to make too many promises and there is some work to do but there is a good chance we could have some sort of deal in place in time for the second half of this season.”

BBL snippets

EJ Harrison to debut for Milton Keynes v Worthing this weekend after visa comes through.


Cheshire centre Calvin Davis has had ankle surgery today. Out until the New Year.


Worcester Wolves release Anthony Martin after 0-3 start.


Glasgow Rocks end pursuit of Australian centre Neil Mottram.

Bulls- Jazz a success. What now?

“You have to sell tickets and sell sponsorships and have a good product on the court both as a game and for entertainment purposes. So that when people come they want to come back.” – The Gospel, according to David Stern.

Credit where credit is due. The NBA’s people – both in the UK and in New York - ensured that Tuesday night’s exhibition game at London’s 02 Arena was an 18,000+ sell-out. I saw the league’s front office-personnel run themselves ragged before, during and after the contest to ensure it ran as smoothly as possible and that those with influence: corporate partners, media, VIPs and other glitterati, had the best experience possible.

If there’s one thing the Association knows how to do better even than basketball, it’s to put on a show. As I said, jokingly, to one senior NBA figure afterwards: “I always said you guys knew how to rig a game.” In truth, there could have been no better outcome to what – and let’s be honest here – was a meaningless pre-season outing, than a last-second score by James Johnston to separate Chicago and Utah. Other than perhaps if Luol Deng has been the one pulling the trigger in front of his hometown fans.

The evening, and the three days of intense promotional activity that preceded it, will have done much to push the NBA forward. More jersey sales, better ratings on ESPN this season, more moneymen eager to associate themselves with Stern’s enterprise.

“We find ourselves with a brand and we are managing it,” the Commissioner conceded beforehand.  “It is sort of self-effectuating.  Kids around the world are watching our games, and yesterday’s kids are today’s Tony Parker or Michael Pietrus, or Dirk Nowitzki, or Yao Ming.  They watched the great players and they say I want to be like them and they take up the game. 

“And as they take up the game, they want to buy our merchandise, watch our games on television, go online to find out what’s going on, and it turns out now that in many months we get more business to nba.com from outside the United States than from within. 

“And, that leads us to attempt to monetise what is here. And from playing games, from sponsorships, from merchandise, from television and from online activities and other events and all of a sudden we couldn’t spell global brand but now we are one.  And, that’s pretty good and we’re enjoying it.”

The NBA is about basketball, Stern declared. Above all, lest the hyperbole should suggest otherwise, it is a business.

What, however, does this entire endeavour mean for the sport in the UK as a whole? The buzzwords from the NBA regarding its relationship with the rest of British basketball’s myriad entities are co-operation and grassroots. As Stern told me, “historically, we have worked very carefully with the federations and the leagues, the ACB, the Bundesliga, and the BBL. We have been in consultations with them for probably 15 years.”

However, leaving The 02 late on Tuesday night after the arena had long since emptied, it wasn’t hard to name, and count, the opportunities squandered to maximise the benefits to the domestic game.

Passing by the NBA’s Jam Van beforehand, there were enthusiastic kids lining up to get a shot at the outdoor hoops. But what if they want another crack in three days time? Where were the details of numbers to call, or websites to access, to find out where their local team is located?

And what if, perish the thought, they wanted to drag their parents along to see another game this Saturday evening? No adverts, no flyers, for the BBL. How difficult would it have been to parade a single player from each team, in uniform, at half-time with the league’s website (or the present excuse for one), emblazoned on the electronic scoreboards? As one BBL General Manager, who attended the game, told me: ”we were only invited through sponsors.” Partnership, it seems, remains a work in progress.

Yet is the NBA culpable here? Yes, and no. “We hear a lot about what they might offer but beyond providing goody bags, there’s not much evidence,” the same GM said. Words have to be backed up with deeds, sure. But Stern is not running a charity.

How pro-active has the BBL been to take advantage of opportunities to help themselves? I questioned one other senior figure in the domestic league why, at Great Britain’s Game On tournament last month, there was no effort made to persuade those locals in attendance to sample the dubious joys of a London Capital game. The answer? ‘No time to organise it.’  If not then, or on Tuesday night, then when?

Stern’s advice is simple but sound. Everyone associated with our homegrown league should write down his mantra, pin it up in their offices, and repeat ad nauseum. The unbridled world-wide success of the NBA is testament to The Commissioner’s canniness.

Yet the UK has not yet been wholly conquered. One sell-out does not a conversion make. More people playing, more attending BBL games, more Bulls or Jazz vests sold. There is an inextricable link, as Stern underlined.

So, by the time the NBA circus rolls into town again next October, let us hope a means can be found to squeeze every potential benefit for all those with a stake. Otherwise, opportunities will again be lost for basketball, in the eyes of the uninitiated British public, to be more than just a glorious one-night wonder.

Stern reveals BBA approach

NBA Commissioner David Stern is in attendance at the Bulls-Jazz game and revealed that the league, as well as holding talks with Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, had also recently met with representatives from the British Basketball Association, an American-backed group of investors who have pledged to raised the funds to set up a new league in the UK in direct opposition to the incumbent BBL.

According to reports, the BBA is targetting football club owners to back the venture - and has appointed a well-known broker, Keith Harris of investment house Seymour Harris, to approach investors with a view to establishing eight franchises from 2010.

"We meet with anybody who would like to meet with us," Stern revealed. "Most recently something called the BBA said they’d like to come in and give us a report and we said come on in and tell us what you’re doing. 

"We meet regularly with the BBL and the BBP – I’ve got my acronyms just perfectly aligned, and I know I’m supposed to call it Team GB and not Team UK and I do that now too.  And, it's the same thing that goes on when we talk about the Premiership.  


"You have to sell tickets and sell sponsorships and have a good product on the court both as a game and for entertainment purposes; so that when people come they want to come back.  The sponsorship is important not just because it puts money in your pocket but because you get other companies bigger than you to spend money promoting their brand and yours."  

Stern also admitted there is likely to be a regular season game in London ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

"We hope to do it and we still hope to do it and we are running out of runway, but we will likely do it.  You know, the friendlies have been very effective for us, sold out games – you could look at see the Chicago Bulls uniforms that are dotting the concourse.  I went expecting to hear some Americanisation, but I didn’t – I heard only, you know, GB – Team GB was well represented among the Chicago Bulls faithful.  

"But there seems to be some notionality that a regular season game would add in some way to the commitment that we have.  It won’t – but we’re going to do it anyway.  The commitment that we have is from the 30-plus people that come into the office, arrange for the grass-roots events, arrange for the interviews with the media, arrange for the player visits and do all of the things that help connect us to this community."

Among the celebrities in the courtside seats at The 02 were several soccer stars, including Tottenham Hotspur’s Jermaine Defoe and Chelsea’s Joe Cole, former WBC cruiserweight champion David Hay, and music group JLS.

Q&A Sophie Goldschmidt

SOPHIE GOLDSCHMIDT Q&A

Sophie Goldschmidt is the NBA’s vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa. You can read more on this in Tuesday’s Herald and Chicago Sun-Times but here’s a transcript of my interview with her in full.

- What return does NBA Europe Live, and other overseas activities, bring on investment for the league’s owners in the UK and Europe?

From an overall NBA perspective, the internationalisation of the brand and basketball has been a huge positive from an exposure standpoint and a revenue perspective, which is something all the teams and the owners benefit from.

- Is it profitable yet?

What we do internationally does generate revenue for the NBA and the amount of revenue is increasing year on year.

- How much of this is driven by the fact that US market is largely saturated?

We continue to grow in the US but we are more mature there. We’re just coming one off our most successful seasons so I think we still see the opportunity to grow. But international is where most growth is expected. It varies market by market. There are some markets where the NBA and basketball is very mature and some where the NBA is in the development phase. We very much take a market-by-market approach. It’s not one size fits all. Fortunately we have so many different events ands marketing platforms that we can take internationally and we can utilise our players and teams in those.

- What is NBA Europe Live’s role?

“It’s very important for us to grow the game at the grassroots level. So we do numerous activities around the world to really engage young kids and fans. Whether it’s Events we’ve done in Europe this year such as Adidas 5United or the NBA Jam Van. And we’ve also fortunate to bring over the true NBA experience with these pre-season games that allows fans to see the best of the best, up close and personal. With the 02 Arena here in London, which is a NBA-style arena, you could be in the States watching a game. It’s very authentic. That’s an important part of the strategy.

- You don’t like to compare the NBA with the NFL but their London games are a way of testing the market for the idea of overseas franchises. Does the NBA see that one coming up on the horizon?

We do see the potential opportunity to have regular season (games) again because we have had them in the past. We did that for the first time in 1991 in Tokyo. So we’ve done that before and I’m sure at some point in the future it will happen again. But for us, at the moment, the pre-season model works very well. It enables us to take multiple teams to multiple markets. The economics and operational issues are slightly different. For us, it’s about going to as many strategic places as we can. So this year we’re playing in London and Madrid, as well as Beijing, Taipei and Mexico City.

- Is the UK all about capitalising on the 2012 Olympics?

We think the Olympics does give us a unique opportunity to take the sport to the next level. But even without that, we do believe the level has improved over the last few years. The level of play as improved. For the first time, GB was in the European Championships. But the Olympics will have the focus of the world on London and basketball will be one of the main events during the Games. So we definitely think it is a unique opportunity to further what we’ve been doing here.

- Is there now greater co-operation between the NBA and the indigenous powers within basketball in the UK?

We have very good relationships with the BBL, Team GB as well as Basketball Scotland, England and Wales. From our perspective, we’d like to help each other. We have common goals if the sport is growing.  It has mutual benefits. We’ve been very pleased with the reception we’ve had here since we set up the (UK) office.

Why the WNBA makes us feel better about the BBL

Intriguing nugget from the States... The first game of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night, according to the league, had TV ratings on ESPN that were 59% up from last year. The Phoenix Mercury's 120-116 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever was the highest-scoring contest in the league's history, setting all sorts of quarter-by-quarter records and, by common consent, providing a great showcase for the women's version of the Association.

If you've never seen the WNBA, then you should. It's terrific basketball and it's a shame the NBA has never bundled it into its numerous television deals in the UK. But here's the rub. The official attendance at the American Airways Center in Phoenix was just 7,200. And that's DESPITE the fact that Suns GM, Steve Kerr, bought up 7,000 tickets and gave them away free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Now here is a league that has had some kind of national television deal since its inception. It's got the best (female) basketballers in the world. They've spent millions on marketing it, not to mention the rub it (theoretically) gets from its link with the NBA.

And yet... it's losing money, it's been losing franchises rather than adding them in recent years, and even its showpiece Finals can't draw much of a crowd.

Puts the BBL in perspective, right?

Titmuss looking for bench help

New Worthing Thunder head coach Dave Titmuss has refused to get carried away with his team’s promising start to the BBL campaign.

The south coast outfit, in their second campaign in the league, thrashed Plymouth by 20 points in their opener last weekend and will look to double their count with a trip to unimpressive Sheffield on Friday.

Titmuss, the former GB wheelchair boss, has been praised by his fellow playcallers for recruiting a solid starting five to the Thunder but he wants contributions from his bench.

“Even though it's early in the season and we're certainly nowhere close to being settled as a team, I'm looking to establish key roles for everyone on our roster because I don't think 'depth' is just about having back-up,” he said.

“I think it's about recognising what each of our guys brings to the table and then finding a way of maximising that available talent in any given combination on court.

“All of the guys made positive contributions to our win against Plymouth last Saturday and we're looking to build on that this week.”

Lewis - Pirates plan to plunder BBL

Tim Lewis doesn’t want to limit the aspirations of the BBL’s newest franchise, Essex Pirates, when they tip off their inaugural campaign in the league this Saturday evening.

“We want to win it all,” he declares. He’s kidding surely? A little. But, unlike many (self included), he believes the Southend-based club are not destined to challenge London – their inaugural opponents - for the wooden spoon despite an almost exclusively domestic cast.

“I’ll be happy if we’re competitive every night,” he adds. “And if we make the top eight. We’re going to play a different style of basketball to the rest of the BBL and that might surprise a few teams. But I want to make the play-offs.”

Essex will be different, certainly. The average age of their squad is just 22, the eldest just 26.

Only two recruits, Dean Williams and Alan Metcalfe, have prior form in the BBL. Only one player, Spanish guard Pablo Rodrigo, hails from outside these shores. It has been a while since a team adopted a homegrown policy. Eventually, Chester – marooned at the foot of the table – had to import extra help to avoid embarrassment.

“I’m not sure experience is the most important thing,” Lewis counters. “If you look at a team like Milton Keynes, with a lot of veterans, they’re not fast-paced and there may be an advantage for us there in the right system.

“We have a good bunch of guys. There are players who have been in the GB Under 20s who can still improve and some young players who I’m excited about working with.

“I’ve said all along that we want to do this with a mainly British team and I think that can be a positive for the league.”

- Lewis will interview this week for the post of GB Under 20 coaching post which was re-advertised following a disappointing summer campaign.

“It was always a two-year deal,” he confirmed, “so I had to re-apply whatever.”

Bar raised as new campaign tips off

So after four months of eager anticipation (OK, perhaps mild longing), the new BBL season starts tonight with defending champions Newcastle getting us all under way against Cheshire at the Metro Arena.

Is anyone ready to break the Eagles' monopoly at the top of the tree? Talking to a lot of coaches and players this week, the answer - candidly - is no. However, looking at the rosters, and some pre-season insights, the message heading into this campaign is that there are more teams out there who could - in theory - beat anyone on any given night.

Discounting the ever-shambolic London Capital, and youthful newcomers Essex Pirates, and the 11 other teams appear to have come a little closer together than before.

Newcastle, despite the advantage they possess in continuity, are one down from last term. Everton have been forced into a late rush, and will field an almost wholly new line-up. Guildford and Plymouth are similarly less deep with Heat player-coach Chad McKnight having to learn his new trade on the job. And while the Glasgow Rocks (if they acquire a centre) and the Sheffield Sharks look improved, are either really good enough to challenge for the title?

That leaves Leicester, last season's upstarts, with the potential for leaping into the mix again despite the huge loss of Phil Missere. An unknown quantity again.

Worcester and Worthing, according to at least two rival coaches, will improve sheerly because of the change on the bench. Both should, our informal and unscientific survey says, challenge for a play-off spot.

Which leaves Milton Keynes and Cheshire. Both have opted largely for continuity with 1-2 new faces. At some point though, regeneration is required. I'm not sure either have done enough to mould themselves into a top-eight squad even if Lions coach Vince Macaulay has been talking up their chances.

So that takes us back to Newcastle. It's an easy choice after all. Proven quality, track record, off-court savvy. They may lose 10 games this year but there are multiple reasons why the Eagles remain our favourites. And that's why my money goes on them.

PREDICTED TABLE (check back in April to see how wrong it was)

1. Newcastle
2. Everton
3. Glasgow
4. Leicester
5. Sheffield
6. Plymouth
7. Worcester
8. Milton Keynes
---------------------
9. Guildford
10. Worthing
11. Cheshire
12. London
13. Essex

Tigers claw back from brink

It has not been the smoothest of summers for Everton Tigers despite their emergence as one the BBL's super-clubs last term.

There was the departure of chairman, and behind-the-scenes-fixer, Gary Townsend - poached away from Goodison - where he headed community programmes - to be part of the revival at Notts County along side Sven Goran Eriksson.

In tandem, doubts arose over the continued backing and benevolence of Everton FC, support that will - for now - continue.

A new chair, Liverpool-based PR executive, Martyn Best has been installed with a new board coming together in his wake. The sole outstanding manoeuvre has been to put a team together on the court, a task which coach Tony Garbelotto admits has been a challenge as the new campaign dawns.

"Gary was the driving force behind everything so when he was headhunted to go elsewhere, it did cause some problems internally because he is so integral to what we do," concedes the Great Britain assistant. "There were some scary moments. But it's now definitely business as usual."

With Everton slated to begin their challenge on October 3 with a trip to Leicester, you sense Garbelotto is relieved for the additional time to bring his new-look side together - with a few last minute deals in the pipeline. Talk of the Tigers being a big-budget team can probably be dropped. However, as elsewhere this summer, bargains are to be had for those who have put in the time to scout and survey.

Steven Rush, a point guard who learnt his trade at UNC A&T State, will be handed the reigns left vacant by the retirement of Richard Midgley. The 5'11" playmaker spent last term in the Bundesliga but arrives on Merseyside on the recommendation of GB chief Chris Finch.

"I saw him a couple of times and I knew I wanted more scoring at that position," Garbelotto admitted. "He definitely fitted the bill."

More intriguingly, Crewe-born forward Andy Thomson has returned to his roots after two years in the Spanish lower leagues. A coup, states the ex-London and Newcastle coach, who has tabbed the 2.05m former Manchester junior for his starting line-up.

"He is going to be a good player. He's multi-skilled, he has a high basketball IQ and he shoots well. I don't want to put too much pressure on him but he may even be an outside bet for a GB place."