USA Select side to play Leicester Riders at arena

August 02, 2016 | Leicester Mercury

Rob Paternostro

Leicester Riders will take on a touring USA Select side in two pre-season exhibition games at the Leicester Sports Arena in early September as part of their pre-season preparations.

The Riders line-up for the new season is now virtually complete with their training camp due to start in a few weeks.

Riders have played the USA Select side in pre-season over a numbers of years.

The USA Select is comprised of recently graduated players from US universities looking for their first professional jobs, and touring the UK and Europe to showcase their talents.

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Riders Claim First Home Victory of Pre-Season

2nd September, 2016 | Riders Media

Leicester Riders took victory over the USA Select to begin pre-season at home today on the front end of a double-header.

The Riders came out to a firing start with new signing’s Pierre Hampton and Andy Thompson firing early however the USA struck back to create close first quarter at the Leicester Sports Arena.

Sullivan exploded off the bench with a quick 14 points to catapult the Riders to a half-time lead that they did not look back from in the game, extending the margin to grab a large win to begin the preseason schedule at home.

Riders were led by Drew Sullivan who finished with a game high23 points to go along with 5 rebounds whilst Andy Thompson added 15 points and Conner Washington poured in 14 points.

Donovon Jack protected the rim with 5 blocked shots, proving his athleticism on the defensive end throughout the game.

Riders return to action tomorrow night as they take on the USA Select for a second time to continue their pre-season.

CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets for tomorrow nights game against the USA Select to be sure to catch all the action live!

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The start of a new era on Saturday as Thunder prepare for USA Select friendly

1 September, 2016 12:50 PM | Worthing Thunder

It will be a new beginning on Saturday night as Worthing Thunder host USA Select in a pre-season friendly before their National Trophy opener against Reading Rockets on September 17.

After nearly 34 years of attending every home game and faithful service to Worthing Bears and Thunder – the baskets have been retired – and Saturday’s game gives Hildreth and his players the chance to get accustomed to the new buckets in the annual pre-season fixture against the Americans.

“So many unbelievable players have enjoyed the ‘friendly’ hoops from the likes of Herman Harried, Billy Hungrecker and who can forget the glory years with Alan Cunningham and Colin Irish,” Thunder coach Daniel Hildreth recalls. “It already feels strange in practice not having them rolled out but I’m hoping the new hoops bring us luck in the future.”

Saturday’s game will also see new scoreboards in place at the Leisure Centre due to the old one practically giving up last season, but the hard working volunteers installed a projector to the table officials’ scoreboard as a reasonable substitute.

But focusing matters on to the court and Hildreth has confirmed that there will be a full squad in time for the Trophy opener against the Rockets and that preparations for the new season are going well. The majority of this season’s team will be playing this Saturday against USA Select.

“From a playing perspective it’s a good opportunity to get some of the cobwebs out and try some of the new offences that have been put in over the summer,” said Hildreth. “We obviously don’t know the USA Select’s personnel but one thing for sure is that they always come very well prepared, hungry and physical.

“It’s a great test for the guys to play at an extremely fast pace, as notoriously the select team will full court press for the entire game. Preparations are falling into place with the team and we expect to be at full strength and ready for the first Trophy game against rivals Reading on the 17th September.”

Thunder’s pre-season fixture against USA Select tips at 7:30pm with tickets selling for just £5.00 for both children and adults.

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Riders Add USA Select to Preseason Schedule

31st July, 2016 | Riders Media

Leicester Riders have announced that tickets are now on sale as they take on the USA Select in a double-header on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd September as part of their preseason preparations.

Leicester Riders have boosted their preseason schedule by adding two games against USA Select to their preparations alongside the recently announced R3 Tournament which will follow the double header event.

The Riders have taken on USA Select over the recent few seasons, a game that always proves entertaining to the fans as well as providing the Riders team valuable preparation for the upcoming season, and the R3 Tournament the following week.

Check out some of the highlights from two seasons ago when USA Select came to Loughborough University (via Hoopsfix.com).

Double header tickets are now of sale for the event for just £16 for Adults and £8 for Children by CLICKING HERE.

Ticket are on sale for the individual games for the advanced price of £10 for Adults and £5 for Children at leicesterriders.co.uk/schedule.

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Nikitas headed to Europe with USA Select squad

August 12, 2016 | Joseph Vanden Acker

Lawrence’s Jamie Nikitas (3) is playing in a European tour with the hopes of signing on with a professional team.

APPLETON, Wis. — Jamie Nikitas is chasing his hoop dreams on the other side of the pond.

The former Lawrence University men’s basketball star guard is playing on a USA Select team that will take part is as many as 20 contests in Europe from Sept. 1-20.

“I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to be seen, get noticed and get a chance to play over there,” Nikitas said.

The USA Select team is made up of recent college graduates ranging from NCAA Division III to Division I. The team will play in England, Ireland, Norway and possibly Greece over its three-week stay. The USA Select schedule will be a mix of games, tournaments and scrimmages, according to Nikitas.

After putting together a highlight tape, Nikitas began talking with an official from USA Select and was pleased to land with this group.

The Nikitas family has a history of competition overseas with Nikitas’ father, Danny, playing for two seasons in Greece after a stellar career at Lake Forest College. Nikitas’ uncle, Chris, played in the same league in Greece after helping DePaul University, led by Mark Aguirre, to a Final Four berth in 1979.

“This USA Select organization has placed plenty of guys, and a lot of guys are still playing with teams in Europe,” Nikitas said.

Nikitas said he’s not quite sure what to expect from his USA Select teammates since he’s never played with any of them.

“I think it will be letting the game come to me,” Nikitas said. “I may not be the guy who needs to score 25 points a game so it may be grabbing rebounds and stopping guys defensively. I feel like I had a pretty solid all-around game in college so hopefully whatever needs to show itself will show itself.”

Nikitas was a 2015-16 first-team All-Midwest Conference selection and one of 10 national finalists for the Josten’s Trophy, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division III. He finished in the top 10 in the nation in scoring at 25.1 points per game and broke Lawrence’s season scoring record with 577 points. He was the only player in the Midwest Conference to finish in the top seven in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

Nikitas was named the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week, was chosen for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week and was twice named Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

Nikitas ranks among the greatest players in Lawrence history and his name is all over the school’s record book. He finished fourth on the career scoring list with 1,406 points, trailing only Josten’s Trophy winner and three-time All-American Chris Braier, All-American Ryan Kroeger and Lawrence Hall of Famer Joel Dillingham.

Once the tour is done, Nikitas hopes he gets the call from a pro team that needs an American guard.

“As long as I stay healthy and play like I can play, I have a chance to catch on with someone,” Nikitas said. “Even if nothing comes of it … to have the opportunity to do this is a really cool thing.”

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Charity Game with USA Select – HD

AAU Basketball Tournament Underway in Greensboro

By Elaina O’Connell | Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 12:14 PM EDT

GREENSBORO — Two North Carolina teams tipped off against one another Tuesday morning during the Amateur Athletic Union’s 7th Grade Basketball Tournament.

“It’s real good competition, and it’s bragging rights; they beat us last time so we have to come out here and get it done,” said AIA player Silas Mason.

Mason has been playing basketball since he was 4.

“My dad played college basketball and so I picked it up at a young age,” said Mason.

He worked his way up into the elite AAU.

“To get here they all had to qualify in their district which means finish in a top eight in their respective location,” said NC AAU District Gov. Sean Kilmartin. “We’ve got teams from Seattle, San Diego, Texas and all over the country.”

Overall, the AAU has 34 sports with about 750,000 athletes. In North Carolina alone, there are more than 20,000 athletes, participants and volunteers.

“To get to this level, these are some of the most talented basketball players in the country. It doesn’t just take an hour a day at practice,” said Kilmartin.

It takes much more. Players like Myles Evans practice four to five hours a day.

“Morning, middle of the day, and end of the day working out,” said Evans, who plays for the Garner Road Bulldogs. “It is a lot of work and a lot of dedication you have to have in order to play for a team like this.”

The last day of the tournament is Saturday, July 9. Admission for adults is $15 daily and kids’ tickets are $12.

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Exciting times for Ipswich Basketball Club as glamour friendly secured

11:06 | 21 June 2016 | Stuart Watson

Ipswich Basketball Club captain Tom Sadler. Photo: Pavel Kricka

Head coach Nick Drane says these are exciting times for Ipswich Basketball Club.

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The man who has overseen two promotions, followed by three near misses when it has come to attempting the final jump to the top-flight, believes he is close to assembling his best ever Tomcats squad.

And there is also the prospect of a glamour pre-season friendly to look forward to, a USA Select team made up of College graduates confirming that they will be visiting Copleston High School on September 12 as part of a big European tour.

“We’ve finished third, third and fifth in Division Two and, if I’m being honest, last season was a transitional period of us,” explained Drane.

“A couple of great servants to the club were not quite at the same level, so we parted ways with them and started planning for the future.

“I’ve been saying every pre-season ‘we are going to get promoted this time’, so I won’t put that pressure on my players again – but what I will say is that I am confident that the team I am looking to put on the floor will be the best I’ve ever had.

“Leigh Greenan has had surgery on the knee problem which has plagued him for the last 18 months and the bottom line is that he is the biggest, baddest player in this league when fully fit. Having him back is the ultimate summer signing.

“All my main players are returning with the exception of Sam Newman, who is going to university in Canada. I essentially put an advert out looking for a replacement and the response has been phenomenal.

“I must have had 30 to 40 applicants, we’ve whittled that down to four and it’s now about deciding who is the best fit for Ipswich Basketball Club.

“They will not only have to be good players for this level, but also understand the history of this unique small town club and the responsibilities that we expect senior players to take on.

“It might be someone looking to drop down a level and make a name for themselves or someone in this league looking for a change. This process is really fun for me as a coach. Having built this team on local talent for so long, it’s exciting to think that we can begin recruiting to take us to that next level.”

He added: “Securing the USA Select match is another sign of just how far we’ve come and further enhances our reputation.

“It’s also worth pointing out that we have 11 junior players – boys and girls – in various international age-group teams. That’s more than many of the clubs from the big cities. I really think we are on the cusp of something special here.”

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