In episode 61 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, the BBL All-Time leading scorer and second most capped England/GB player ever, Peter Scantlebury MBE joins us to talk his career. Scantlebury won 9 titles as a player in a 23 year career in the UK that saw him miss just a single game due to injury, whilst representing his country 143 times. He finished his BBL career all over the all-time leaderboards in various different statistical categories, having played for the likes of Bracknell, Sunderland, Thames V...
Jul 02, 2020•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 61
For episode 60 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we bring back Martin Henlan on the show to discuss the Mallin Review, an independent government-mandated review of basketball done in 2007, and the Basketball Players Association. The Mallin Review - which you can read in full here - was an independent review of basketball in England performed by a group of business and sport high-flyers external to basketball - except for Henlan - aimed to discover what is holding basketball back and why it is not meeting...
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 60
For Episode 59 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with former England and GB international, and ten-year pro Steve Hansell. Hansell, now coaching Team Birmingham Elite in NBL Division 2, had one of the most successful playing careers of any player out of the UK, being signed to Italian side Kinder Bologna (literally) straight out of college - as they would win a Euroleague title weeks after him leaving Illinois State, before making a Euroleague Final Four with AEK Athens three years later. Havi...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 59
In episode 58 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we go into the behind the scenes of running a BBL club with 5 different owners. Paul Blake (Newcastle Eagles), Russell Levenston (Leicester Riders), Vince Macaulay (London Lions), Yuri Matischen (Sheffield Sharks), and Richard Mollard (Plymouth Raiders) jump on a Skype call to discuss the ins and outs of the league and running a franchise. In this episode, hear from the owners on: The structure of BBL clubs and why they all have a foundation separate to the...
Jun 11, 2020•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 58
In Episode 57 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with BBL Commercial Director Bob Hope, who was instrumental of the forming of the league in 1987. Hope has been involved with basketball club and league administration/commercial since the 70s, and was one of the main drivers for the clubs breaking away from the federation to form the BBL in the late 80s. Since then, he has served as the commercial director of the league twice, been the UK rights holder for basketball producer Molten Sports and ...
Jun 04, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 57
In Episode 56 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with the first Englishman to play in the NCAA Final Four, Karl Brown, who went on to have a more than decade-long pro career in the BBL, being an All-Star multiple times and winning titles. In this almost two hour episode, hear from Karl on: How he first started playing Making the choice between football and basketball How basketball kept him out of trouble How a connection with the Leicester Riders head coach landed him in High School in Florida...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 56
For Episode 55 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with two-time BBL Coach of the Year and the first player in English basketball history to play for, and then coach the England National team, Mick Bett. Bett, now a coach in Canada at Ridley College prep program and basketball commentator, is a multiple national-title winner as a player, 1983 Commonwealth games gold medalist, with 43 caps as a player, along with two-time BBL Coach of the Year along with 6 caps for England as Head Coach. Note – ...
May 21, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 55
For episode 54 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we took an in depth look at why more British basketball teams aren't competing in Europe, speaking with Russell Levenston to focus on the Leicester Riders' experience in the 2018-19 season when they played in the Basketball Champions League and FIBA Europe Cup. Levenston is the Riders' Managing Director, having got involved with the club in 2007, becoming a co-owner of the club alongside Kevin Routledge. The Leicester Riders' became the first BBL team to c...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 54
For Episode 53 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with former England and GB international, and legend of the game Paul Stimpson. Stimpson, is not only one of the British game's all-time greats, but post-playing has gone on to an impressive career off the court which saw him become the Managing Director of FIBA Media for over 15 years. At the end of last year, he moved over to DAZN (formerly Perform), an over-the-top subscription sports streaming service who have a multi-year deal for FIBA even...
May 07, 2020•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 53
For Episode 52 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Great Britain guard and esteemed pro, Ogo Adegboye. Originally from the Brixton Topcats programme under the legendary Jimmy Rogers, Adegboye carved out a successful near-decade long career for himself in the pros, whilst becoming GB's starting point guard in the run up the London 2012 Olympics. In this hour episode, hear from Ogo on: How he first got into playing basketball Joining the Brixton Topcats programme and community Coming up with...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 52
Whilst the world is locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, set up a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live, which we have been granted to re-post on our Hoopsfix Podcast feed. In Episode 10, aired on April 22nd 2020, it was the grand finale which went almost three hours and it was straight Q&A, as they answered questions from fans. Hear from the pair on: Whether or not Luol does his own laundry How Luol has no...
Apr 23, 2020•2 hr 51 min
Whilst the world is locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, set up a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live. We hit their team up to ask if they would be happy for us to record and publish online and we got the green light! In Episode 9, aired on April 20th 2020, they did a part 2 to the future of Africa, talking about the continent, favourite places to visit/live, the Basketball Africa League, and answered questio...
Apr 21, 2020•1 hr 33 min
Whilst the world is locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, set up a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live, which we are now re-posting on the Hoopsfix podcast feed with permission. In Episode 8, aired on April 17th 2020, they spoke about a cause particularly close to their heart - the plight of Africa, how they both view the continent and their respective countries - South Sudan and Ghana, the Basketball Africa L...
Apr 18, 2020•1 hr
With the world locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, continued with their Instagram live discussions, which we have been granted permission to post on the Hoopsfix Podcast feed. In Episode 7, aired on April 15th 2020, they spoke about life after basketball, their respective decisions to retire, how difficult it is to not be playing anymore, and what they are currently doing - Pops as the GM of the Capital City Gogo and Luol as...
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 46 min
Whilst the world is locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, set up a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live, and have granted us permission to repost on the Hoopsfix podcast feed. In Episode 6, aired on April 13th 2020, it was the one we've all been waiting for, as they spoke about British Basketball, the Great Britain set up in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics, and more. Hear from the duo on: The build up to...
Apr 14, 2020•1 hr 55 min
Whilst the world is locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, have been recording a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live, and with their permission we are reposting to the Hoopsfix Podcast feed. In Episode 5, aired on April 10th 2020, they did a part two on life in the pros, predominantly answering questions from fans. Here from the pair on: Pops dealing with being cut from teams and how much it hurt in his early c...
Apr 11, 2020•1 hr 55 min
Whilst the world is locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, have been publishing a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live which we have been granted permission to post on the the Hoopsfix podcast feed. In Episode 4, aired on April 8th 2020, they discussed turning pro, the draft, and playing in the NBA and Europe. Hear from the pair on: Pops making the decision on whether to declare for the draft after his Junior ye...
Apr 09, 2020•1 hr 53 min
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, set up a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live which we are now reposting with permission on the Hoopsfix podcast feed. In Episode 3, aired on April 6th 2020, they discussed their college experiences - Luol at Duke with Coach K and Pops Mensah-Bonsu at George Washington, with a lot of great stories about the recruitment and March Madness. Hear from the duo on: The rapid rise of Lu...
Apr 07, 2020•58 min
With the world locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, set up a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live, and with permission from their team we are hosting them on the Hoopsfix Podcast. In Episode 2, aired on April 3rd 2020, they discussed their transition from the UK to the US, going to their respective high schools and how they adapted. Hear from Luol and Pops on: How Pops attended The Hun School of Princeton in N...
Apr 04, 2020•57 min
Whilst the world is locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, two British basketball stars, Luol Deng and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, set up a series of live discussions, hosted on Instagram Live. We hit their team up to ask if they would be happy for us to record and publish online and we got the green light! In Episode 1, aired on April 1st 2020, they discussed the early stages of their basketball careers where they both started in England's capital, London, with a lot of legendary stories of Luol a...
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 2 min
For Episode 51 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with Ipswich Basketball’s Nick Drane to talk about the stellar work he has done building a local club and developing home grown talent. Having started playing with Colchester as a junior player, Drane was in his early twenties when he got his first job in basketball development in Suffolk which put him on a path that led to the resurgence of Ipswich basketball club. Ipswich is now one of the most successful clubs in the country, having experienc...
May 04, 2019•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 51
For Episode 50 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we take a trip down memory lane with Greg Tanner the man behind the legendary website Streetball.co.uk. Streetball.co.uk was the epicentre of British basketball and global streetball culture in the early 2000’s, doing over a million impressions a month whilst putting the UK on the map with a variety of mixtapes and clips of streetball highlights. Tanner, now living in Dubai working as an executive TV producer, spent his 20s running the site, which was orig...
Apr 11, 2019•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 50
For Episode 49 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with one of the greatest shooters to ever come out of England, Sam Stiller. Stiller had a pro career that spanned over two decades both domestically and in Israel, whilst also representing England and Great Britain internationally. After retiring from playing eventually got into coaching, where he helped take NASSA from Division 4 to Division 1 from 2010-2013, whilst picking up three consecutive Coach of the Year Awards, and then picking up ano...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 49
In Episode 48 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Roger Hosannah , co-founder of the legendary Rough & Ready tournament and British sportswear brand Hosana. Rough and Ready is up there amongst the most prominent basketball tournaments to ever take place in the UK. Running from 1996-2003 in Brixton, it featured two age categories, Under-19 and Under-25, pitting East, West, North and South against each other in a showcase of young British talent. It became one of the hottest basketball p...
Mar 14, 2019•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 48
In Episode 47 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with British basketball legend Joel Moore , one of the greatest guards to ever come out of the UK. A two times Commonwealth Gold medallist, Moore had a professional career that spanned from 1982 where he began with Crystal Palace as a junior – and suited up for the England men at 17 years old – and ended in 1995, having played predominantly in the National League and BBL for the likes of the aforementioned Crystal Palace, Portsmouth, Kingston, Gl...
Feb 28, 2019•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 47
In the latest episode of the Hoopsfix podcast we sit down with British basketball commentator Dan Routledge, one of the foremost experts on the domestic game. Routledge has been a commentator for over two decades, covering the BBL, GB and other international basketball for Sky Sports, Eurosport, ITV, Channel 4, ESPN, NBA TV, and many more. He has closely covered the entire evolution of the British Basketball League, and is arguably the most knowledgable person around the domestic pro league. A s...
Feb 15, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 46
For Episode 45 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with British basketball researcher Jeff Skinner who has recently completed his masters dissertation on basketball funding in England and its impact on the sport’s development. The dissertation, which you can read in full here , is 94 pages of pure gold for anyone interested in basketball’s history in England, especially around funding, both from public and private sources. A former accountant, Skinner now helps run his own local league club, th...
Jan 18, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 45
For episode 44 of the Hoopsfix podcast, we sit down with London City Royals’ Ashley Hamilton, who has signed in the BBL this season for the first time after spending his career overseas in Europe. It completes a full circle for Hamilton, growing up in South London and starting his career with the London Towers as an Under-16 at Crystal Palace. Now, fifteen years later, he suits up on the same floor as a professional with the league’s newest franchise. The 6’7″ Great Britain Senior cap left the U...
Jan 10, 2019•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 44
For Episode 43 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sat down with former BBL Head Coach and co-founder of the now-defunct Basketball Coaches Association, Mark Dunning. Dunning coached in the BBL with Bracknell, London Towers, Hemel Hempstead and Brighton Bears, along with time at Crystal Palace, Brunel Uxbridge and Brixton prior to the BBL coming into existence. Having been at the forefront of coach development in the UK, Dunning served as President and Secretary of the Basketball Coaches Association (BC...
Jan 03, 2019•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 43
For Episode 42 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with Jackson Gibbons, the Director of Basketball at City of London Academy and Chairman of Southwark Pride. A former player at Westminster Warriors and Brixton Topcats, Gibbons ended up in coaching, starting with the Westminster Warriors, where he had an undefeated season and won an Under-18 National title in 2010, before setting up the City of London Academy basketball programme – which is also a part of Southwark Pride programme – in 2012. In...
Dec 20, 2018•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 42
