News Menu Latest News Archive 2005/06

06/07/2007
2006/07 Basketball Awards

This years End of Season Presentation took place at the Hermitage Park Hotel and marked another stage in Coalville Basketball's development.

Chairman Lee Alesbrook started things off with a review of the past 12 months. The Cougars knew things were going to be tough after being placed in division 2 but stepped up to the challenge in what was set to be one of the most competitive divisions many players around the league could remember. Difficult injury problems with 4 of the previous seasons starting 5 missing posed problems but the Cougars still did themselves proud and managed to finish 3rd overall.

Another reason to celebrate was the excellent job done off the court. In a season with other clubs being thrown out of the league, the Cougars did the job both on and off court, and set the stage for further developments in 2008.

Coalville Basketball Club with continue to progress and continue the professional attitude that got the club to this position. The sponsorship attained along with the addition of the Summer Hoops league and another International event in Holland shows the strength of the organisation. This will be built on with a pre-season team building weekend, entry to the National Founders Cup, new team and a new look kit for the 2007/08 season.

Special thanks go to Lee Alesbrook and Steven Farmer for picking up the organising at a late stage and making a success of the evening.

29/06/2007
Cougars go National!

The Coalville Cougars have raised the bar yet again by being accepted to join one of the oldest events in the basketball calendar, the National Founders Cup. This National Cup dates back to 1951 and is an opportunity for non-national league teams aspiring to national league status to show how they can perform at national level. A good showing in the cup would assist in any applications to enter in future seasons.

The entries are split into regions before going on to Quarter and Semi-Final ties against other regional winners with the Final being played alongside the National League Playoff Finals in April 2008. All competition information and results will appear on englandbasketball.com shortly.

12/06/2007
Season Presentation Evening

The Coalville Basketball Club are pleased to announce that this years End of Season Celebration will take place on the 6th July 2007. The evening will be similar to last year with food, disco, Basketball awards and will take place at The Hermitage Park Hotel (Near Morrison's in Coalville).

As always both past and present members of Coalville Basketball Club are invited along with their friends and family. Entry will be around £20 per adult (dependent on numbers). Rooms are available at the Hotel at around £60 including breakfast. Please register your availability on our message board.

11/05/2007
Coalville Basketball AGM

The Coalville Basketball Clubs AGM will be on Wednesday 23rd May. The meeting will start at 9.00pm in the Forest Rock Public House.

If you are interested in finding more information about the current position of the club, want to get involved with the day to day running of the club or have your opinion heard then this is your chance. The meeting is for all committee and club members so if you are not available but still would like your say please email here with any comments or questions.

17/04/2007
"Summer Hoops 2007" goes Live!

Coalville Basketball Club are pleased to announce that the "Summer Hoops 2007" league will go ahead and the new mini-site has been launched today. The format will be a full league competition with every team playing against each other. All games will be held at our central venue, Castle Rock High School throughout June and July with the enthisis of the league on fun, making new friends and getting plenty of good basketball action.

For rules, information and an application form please check our league mini-site at... www.coalvillebasketball.co.uk/summerhoops

Spaces are limited so please apply early!

28/03/2007
David Geary Officially Joins

Coalville Basketball Club are pleased to announce that National League referee, David Geary, will be representing and working with the club for the 2007/08 season.

David started officiating back in 1984, aged 21, to prevent the club he was playing for at the time from being ejected from the league. He went on a course with the legendary Mac Callender so they could share the load for the following season. Believe it or not David passed but Mac failed! It took Mac a further 10 years before trying again and rising to great refereeing heights! David then became a National League referee within 3 years and spent the late 80’s officiating in what we now know as the BBL before ‘emigrating’ to China for a couple of years.

Around 7 years ago David took a break from refereeing to pursue other interests. However 3 years ago he returned to help out yet another team, because you guessed it... they were going to ejected from the league if they couldn’t provide a referee. David now joins Coalville Basketball with a view to helping the club in our efforts to improve both men's and ladies Basketball locally. He will also encourage and promote participation in officiating within Coalville, again with the aim of assisting the club to provide resources from within to build a stronger club in all areas.

07/03/2007
Small Grants for Small Groups

Coalville Basketball Club have been awarded a small grant from the Leicestershire Funding Toolkit. The "Small Grants for Small Groups" New Year Fund has made between 50 and 80 small grants to community organisations in the Leicestershire area. Whilst the Leicestershire Funding Toolkit say that a grant of £100 will not change the world, it will make things much better at Coalville Basketball Club. Many thanks!

08/02/2007
Cougars progress to Semi Final

The Coalville Cougars gained their place in the Cup Semi Final with a 1 point win against Leicester University. The Cougars only managed to put together a depleted team of 6 players from the full squad of 20 usually available.

The game was a close contest with the sides tied for most of the game. With the Cougars trailing 56-54 in the final seconds, Carl Stokes pushed the ball and looked to be going all the way to take the game into overtime. However Carl had other ideas as he pulled up for a huge 3 pointer to seal the game on the buzzer. Coalville will now face Cottesmore Flyers following their impressive win against Division 2 leading Bosworth Blazers.

01/02/2007
Fundraising & Charity Cycle Ride

On 17th March Coalville Basketball Club are organising a Fundraising & Charity Cycle Ride. The proceeds will help fund Coalville Basketball Club with an additional donation being made to the best fundraisers charity of choice. The Cycle Ride is a fun and active day for members of the Basketball Club. This year’s route will be the 25 miles (40 km) around Rutland Water and is 95% off road.

We are hoping to make this a year to remember, so the more money raised; the more successful we will be at achieving our goal. Thank you very much for your help!

27/01/2007
New Sponsor - Living by Design

The newly formed Living by Design Ltd have stepped up and committed to sponsor Coalville Basketball Club for the 2007/08 season. The Coalville based company have pledged to make a significant contribution that will help the club develop even further.

Living by Design Ltd are specialists in building extensions and loft conversions although they are fully competent in all aspects of property development. They manage complete projects from the initial design concepts through to building completion. If you have any property enquiries please contact Living by Design by clicking here.

17/01/2007
Congratulations to the Zhang's!

Congratulations to the Zhang family on the birth of their baby boy!

Sean Zhang was born in Nottingham QMC at 2:42pm on Tuesday 16th January. A big baby at 4.12kg should be as tall father Bo by the age of 10! With very big hands and feet is set to become a Cougars star in a "few" years. Baby and mum are both fine and best wishes from Coalville Basketball Club for the future.

04/01/2007
Cougars Sign Groby Duo

Coalville Cougars have signed ex-Groby backcourt duo Adrian Steeples and Tom Smith for the remainder of the season. Coalville were contacted by Adrian before Christmas showing his interest in joining the Cougars outfit. He was very pleased with the progress and professional nature of the whole club over the last couple of seasons and wanted to be part of the further development.

Along with Adrian, Cougars managed to secure the services of Tom Smith, a great guard with lots of potential to evolve within the Coalville structure.

Coalville Chairman, Lee Alesbrook commented "Adrian and Tom have both had lots of success over the last few seasons with Groby and were the nucleus of that team. I believe that they were both heavily involved off the court too and did lots of work for the Groby club. I'm not sure what has happened recently to make them feel that they had to move but that Isn't our concern. I'd like to take this opportunity, on behalf of Coalville Basketball Club, to welcome them on board".

Although Coalville are still to have the transfer confirmed it is now only a matter of paperwork before both Adrian and Tom are officially Coalville Cougars.

03/01/2007
Cougars invited back for IBT2007

In a repeat of last years close season the Coalville Cougars will start their 2007 International tour with the 24th Tantalus International Basketball Tournament in Holland. The tournament is held by Basketball Club "Tantalus" on the 4th - 6th of May 2007 and as always will take place in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The Cougars will join around 40 other teams from across Europe for the Tournament.

In 2006 the Cougars did themselves proud with a 4-3 record. This year the Cougars will be hoping to go a little better and get through to the knockout stages. The event is well known for its sportsmanship and integration of different cultures. The Cougars made many friends in 2006 and are looking forward to meeting them all again this year. Further details are on our message board.

13/12/2006
Coalville Basketball Needs You!

Coalville Basketball Club is expanding and you have the opportunity to be part of it. In early preparation for the 2007/08 season Coalville Basketball are asking for a show of potential members interested in joining the club. Although we are not asking for a commitment at this stage we would like to access the interest and availability of male and female players* for the 2007/08 season. Along with players we will also require referees and table officials and the final number of teams entered into competition will largely depend on this.

Over the past 12 months Coalville Basketball have introduced the "Cougar Cubs" youth development programs at Castle Rock High School for 11 to 16 year olds. Along with this they have forged strong links with the South Charnwood Family of Schools including Stanton Under Bardon, Thornton, Mercenfield and Stafford Leys. The commitment to youth programs and coaching will increase and continue alongside any new teams that are decided to be introduced. If you are interested becoming a member of Coalville Basketball Club in any capacity please contact us via email here... info@coalvillebasketball.co.uk. Please include you name, current level you are at and if you are a player or official.

*Although we are asking for the potential interest of players we make no guarantees that any team will actually take place. This exercise is to access general feasibility.

09/11/2006
Cougars Link with Local Schools

In addition to Coalville Basketball Club's strong links with Castle Rock High School in Coalville the club has now created links with the South Charnwood Family of Schools. The four primary schools that will be given the opportunity to take up coaching will be Stanton Under Bardon, Thornton, Mercenfield and Stafford Leys.

To kick start the links with Coalville Basketball Club the schools will be provided with at least 6 weeks of coaching ending with a festival at the Cougars home court at Castle Rock High School. Coaching is planned to start after Christmas and New Year with the festival taking place in early February. The current coaching sessions are for South Charnwood High School pupils and are year 9 boys. More details about this session and others can be found on our "Cougar Cubs" youth page.

24/09/2006
Ex-Riders Star signs with Coalville

Former Leicester Riders forward, James Hurrell, has joined the Coalville Cougars for the 2006/07 season. James has been training with the Cougars over the summer and mainly due to his speed around the court at 6' 8" fits into the Cougars style of play very nicely. Along with this James is one of the most high flying, athletic players ever to put on a Riders vest so seeing him in action for the Cougars is highly anticipated.

During his time with the Leicester Riders he helped them to the biggest prizes in British Basketball winning the BBL Championship Finals and BBL Trophy in 2001. Hurrell said "I am looking forward to the new season. I got on very well with the Coalville players over the summer and they are a good bunch of guys". The signing of James concludes the team for the following season.

15/09/2006
EGM - Wednesday 20th

An E.G.M. has been called for Wednesday 20th at the Forest Rock Public House to start at 9pm. If you are interested in finding more information about the current position of the club, want to get involved with the day to day running of the club or have your opinion heard then this is your chance.

The meeting is for all committee and club members so please post on our message board to let us know if you are available or not. If you are not available but still would like your say please email here with any comments or questions.

14/09/2006
Lutterworth Game Cancelled

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Coalville Cougars vs Lutterworth Harriers game on Wednesday 20th September has been cancelled. Hopefully the two teams will be able to rearrange the friendly fixture for a later date.

13/09/2006
YeeeHaaa! Bo joins the Cougars

The Coalville Cougars have signed new player, Bo Zhang just in time for the new season. Bo started his career playing at Chongqing University in China. During his four seasons with Chongqing he managed to win the division every year. Since then Bo has travelled to England and has played for Loughborough University for the past couple of seasons.

12/09/2006
Lutterworth Harriers Return

The Coalville Cougars are playing the return leg of their friendly series against the Harriers on Wednesday 20th September at 7.15pm. Lutterworth will be the first competitive game in the new facility and both teams are looking forward to trying it out.

The game will give the Coalville Cougars, who only move into the facility on the 13th, a much needed opportunity to get used to the new court and see how they have progressed over the summer months.

11/09/2006
New Venue is Ready!

The Coalville Cougars will move into their new venue at Castle Rock High School this week to prepare for the upcoming season. Training will start at 7.00pm on Wednesday. The venue has been built over the summer of 2006 and is near the same site as the Cougars previous court at King Edward VII College. For full details and directions click here.

08/09/2006
The Boys are back in Town

After working hard at Coalville summer training the Cougars are pleased to see the return of core players. Richard Williams, Carl Stokes, Christiaan Moore, Jamie Greasley and Brett Katchick are all returning for the 2006/07 season. Apart from a short break with the Swadlincote Scorpions, Richard and Carl have been playing at Coalville for over 10 years. Whilst Christiaan, Jamie and Brett are relatively new to the club they show a true team attitude and Coalville Basketball Club are very proud to be associated with them.

The roster is now almost complete but the Cougars are hoping to add at least one further player by the end of next week. Click here to view the current roster.

07/09/2006
Cougars stuck in a Rutt?

Coalville Cougars managed to retain the services of Carl and Paul Rutt for the upcoming season. The brothers have played for many teams over the years, coming through the Leicester Riders programs, but playing at Coalville has given them a rare opportunity to play for the same team. Both players bring much needed experience of playing in higher divisions and although veterans of the game will contribute to the overall quality of the team.

06/09/2006
Long Serving Veterans Confirmed

Neil McHugh, Lee Alesbrook and Andres Algaraz will return for yet another season with the Coalville Cougars. Andres is entering his 6th straight season with the club and is a previous top scorer so knows all about putting the ball in the basket. Neil and Lee originally started playing for Coalville many years ago when the Men's team was known as Merlin Mavericks. Both players have been to many clubs since then but returned to their home team proving... "Once a Cougar, always a Cougar!".

04/09/2006
Award Winning Trio Return

Coalville Basketball Club are proud to announce the re-signing of star trio Bruce Lauder, Ben Herbert and Simon Hoult from the unbeaten 2005/06 season.

Coach Steven Farmer said "We are very excited about managing to keep the nucleus of last years team. We have some great challenges ahead of us and these guys will get the job done. They are very contrasting players and bring very different abilities to the court".

Bruce, Ben and Simon are all committed to Coalville Basketball Club for the foreseeable future and are all attracted by the professional aspects of the organisation. Returning player Simon Hoult commented "I really enjoyed playing alongside Ben and Bruce last season and hopefully we can repeat our success again this year. However the key factor for 06/07 will be keeping the majority of last years team as we complimented each others games nicely. Although I am very positive we are setting realistic goals. A record with more W's than L's will suit us and justify us being in this division".

02/09/2006
LBBL Fixtures Released

The LBBL fixtures were released today showing who the Cougars will be facing for the 2006/07 season. What looks to be one of the most competitive divisions for many years should be just the challenge the Coalville Cougars were looking for. Whilst 8 clubs have their "A" team in the division the other 2 teams still very strong, including Groby who went unbeaten in Division 3 last season.

Coalville have also drawn Swadlincote Scorpions in the 1st round of the William Taylor Cup, who are a team Coalville know all about. The Cougars Steven Farmer, Simon Hoult, Carl Stokes, Richard Williams and Christiaan Moore have all played for the Scorpions in recent years. Cougars captain Lee Alesbrook said "We are very excited about the task ahead. Whilst we will enjoy every minute of the upcoming season, we are setting ourselves realistic goals and are concentrating on bringing on the youth element to ensure the clubs future".

30/08/2006
Ruwende joins the Cougars

Nigel Omar Ruwende is the first player in 5 years to come through from Coalville Juniors to play for the Cougars men's team. Coalville Basketball Club are hoping that this is just the start of things to come with the new junior coaching programs starting in 2006.

The 5' 7" guard has showed great potential over the past 12 months and Coach Steven Farmer is looking forward to seeing Nigel's game develop alongside the more experienced Cougars players. We hope to announce the remainder of the team over next week.

23/08/2006
Sponsor - SwiSh basketball

SwiSh basketball are set to join our other sponsors supporting Coalville Basketball Club for 2006/07. SwiSh, who are helping the club with Basketball equipment, started trading in the late summer of 2005 and are currently working hard at extending its catalogue to provide many advantages to basketball players.

The idea for SwiSh developed from their personal experiences. As a family they have spent many hours over several years trying to hunt down the kit wanted or needed for their three boys to play basketball. Shops stocking any range of basketball kit are few and far between and those stocking a good range even scarcer. The answer... a specialist basketball apparel outlet with a good range of stock for all sizes and shapes of Basketball player. And here it is... SwiSh, a reliable source for the basketball apparel you want and need.

22/08/2006
Sponsor - Surfacing Standards

Surfacing Standards Ltd are supporting Coalville Basketball Club for 2006/07 with significant funding to further develop the club.

Surfacing Standards Ltd was established to provide specifiers of sport & play surfaces with professional support services at all stages of a project. The company work closely with organisations such as schools, local authorities and sports clubs to become fully involved in each project and aim to ensure that the final facility meets the expectations of all involved.

21/08/2006
Schlüter and PPD renew deals

Schlüter-Systems Ltd and Plant Process Design have both stepped up for a second season to support Coalville Basketball. Schlüter-Systems is the number one worldwide supplier for accessories for use with ceramic and stone tiling installations, and following last years success have decided to support the local club by donating towards youth development and providing additional support for the Cougars men's team.

PPD are a multi-tasking multi-national company specializing in the design, co-ordination and support of manufacturing facilities. Predominantly in the food and healthcare industries. PPD were the Cougars first sponsor and Coalville Basketball Club are proud to be involved with such an accomplished company.

16/08/2006
Cougars Basketball Trials

Coalville Basketball Club are holding trials for the Cougars Men's team on Tuesday 22nd and 29th August '06 at Loughborough University *. Both sessions will be 7pm - 9pm.

If you are interested in playing for the Cougars and are able to commit for the 2006/07 season please contact us via the details below and attend the above mentioned training sessions. If you wish to play but are unable to attend please let us know well in advance. Although the main purpose of the trials is to access the interest and availability of players no position on the roster is safe.

* Venue subject to change for the 29th August '06 trial.

Simon Hoult
Email: simon@coalvillebasketball.co.uk
Text: 07970 820517

26/06/2006
New Venue for 2006

Coalville Basketball Club are moving to a brand new venue at Castle Rock High School for the 2006/07 season. Visit our "venue" page for full details.

25/06/2006
Cougars DVD Available Now!

The 2006 Cougars DVD is available now. If you are a club member and haven't received your copy yet please contact a committee member.

The DVD contains highlight videos from the 2005/06 season including the Cougars outstanding William Taylor Cup run. In true DVD style it also includes a host of special features with footage from the Cougars International Tour to Eindhoven, Holland.

16/06/2006
Basketball Official Needed!

Coalville Cougars have gained promotion this year and require a referee to represent us for the upcoming season. Although we are in the process of arranging training for club members to become qualified referees we still need to cover the 2006/07 season, or at least part of it.

If you would be interested in representing Coalville Basketball Club, for a full or part season, we may be able to offer a financial arrangement that could be beneficial for both of us. If the above is of interest to you or you know of another referee that may be able to assist us please contact me using the details below...

Simon Hoult
Email: simon@coalvillebasketball.co.uk
Mobile: 07970 820517

08/06/2006
Lutterworth Harriers Friendly

The Coalville Cougars have been invited to play a friendly game at Lutterworth against the Harriers on Tuesday 27th June at 8.15pm.

The Cougars played against the Harriers twice over the 2005/06 season and they were one of the teams that particularly stood out as having lots of potential whilst being a very professional outfit. Finishing mid-table with a 9-9 record was certainly impressive for a team enjoying their first season together. Coalville are very pleased know another club that is pro-active in developing itself, especially during the usually quiet summer months. Good luck to the Harriers for the 2006/07 season!

07/06/2006
Coalville Basketball need support!

After a very successful 2005/06 season with our undefeated men's team, Coalville Basketball Club are expanding and need assistance from local businesses to take the club to the next level. We are seeking sponsorship for the 2006/07 season and beyond.

Coalville Basketball Club are a non-profit organization that is actively promoting Basketball in the community. Along with our youth development programs we are looking to enter junior, women’s and an additional men’s team into the Leicestershire League in stages over the next two seasons. This will create lots of publicity for our club and any sponsors involved with us. We are seeking donations of any size, large and small to enable our club to take a step further.

All sponsors will feature on our website (300+ visits per day) with links back to your website and on all of our promotional literature. However if for instance you sponsor our Uniforms we will have your company logo and details shown in our kit design. If any of the above is of interest or you would like further information about our club or supporting us please contact me using the details below...

Simon Hoult
Email: simon@coalvillebasketball.co.uk
Mobile: 07970 820517