When Manchester Basketball appointed Herman Mandole at the end of February, they weren’t just changing coaches—they were searching for clarity. Up to that point, they’d been a team of interesting parts without a clear idea of how to fit them together. Now, two months later, they’ve found something they lacked all season—an identity.
This isn’t a team fixed by one signing or one system tweak. It’s a team reshaped from the ground up. Under Mandole, the pieces make sense. The roles are clearer. The playing style has purpose. And most importantly, it’s working.
No Team Has Improved More
No team in the league has improved more since Mandole took over. Before his arrival, Manchester sat near the bottom of the SLB in both record and net rating. Since February, they’ve been one of the top-performing teams in the country.
| Team | Net Rating Change |
|---|---|
| Manchester Basketball | +14.21 |
| Caledonia Gladiators | +9.04 |
| London Lions | +1.46 |
| Bristol Flyers | -0.11 |
| Cheshire Phoenix | -0.98 |
| Surrey 89ers | -3.12 |
| Leicester Riders | -3.76 |
| Sheffield Sharks | -5.61 |
| Newcastle Eagles | -8.32 |
That leap is built on structure—not just luck. And the changes are visible everywhere.
From Talent to Team
Manchester have always been a team able to score off transition but they struggled to find an identity outside of it. Their ball movement was stagnant, their shot profile was inconsistent, and their free-throw production was the worst in the league.
That’s all changed. Here’s a before-and-after snapshot of the team’s key metrics:
| Stat | Before Mandole | Since Mandole |
|---|---|---|
| Steals Per Game | 7.5 | 7.9 |
| Fast Break PTS Per Game | 11.9 | 12.6 |
| AST Per Game | 17.8 | 18.7 |
| FTA Per Game | 15.5 | 19.0 |
| Paint PTS Per Game | 40.3 | 45.7 |
| 3PA Per Game | 25.7 | 28.8 |
| eFG% | 52.7% | 54.4% |
The blueprint is clear. Ramp up defensive pressure, run in transition, and hunt high-quality shots—at the rim and beyond the arc.
These two shot charts—both against Leicester—tell the story. In November, Manchester’s offence was scattershot. Now, it’s structured—better spacing, cleaner looks, and an emphasis on efficient zones.
Leicester vs. Manchester, November 29
Manchester vs. Leicester, March 11
Mandole’s Stamp
Mandole brought real pedigree with him. Before taking over in Manchester, he coached in Italy’s Serie A with Varese, held assistant and head coaching roles in Argentina with San Lorenzo and Olímpico, and worked with both the Argentinian and Japanese national teams.
That experience shows—not just in system, but in selection. Since arriving, Mandole has made clear decisions about who plays and who doesn’t:
| Player Name | Minutes Per Game Change |
|---|---|
| Zak Irvin | +4.71 |
| Cody John | +3.93 |
| Ian DuBose | +2.19 |
| Kyle Carey | +2.15 |
| Makai Ashton-Langford | +0.96 |
| Donovan Mitchell | +0.40 |
| Louis Weaver | -0.65 |
| Marcus Delpeche | -2.42 |
| Nathan Cayo | -7.15 |
| Elijah Ifejeh | -7.30 |
| Nicholas Lewis | -11.18 |
The minutes reflect more than just preference. They reflect clarity. Manchester now looks like a team that knows what it wants to be.
A Team on the Rise
Manchester currently sit fourth in the standings. But that doesn’t capture the full story. They’ve cleaned up their shot profile. They’ve tightened their rotation. And they’re peaking at the right time. The SLB’s top three—Sheffield, London and Leicester—have looked better than the rest of the league this season but none of them want to see Manchester right now.
This isn’t the same team it was in January. That team was undefined. This one has an identity. And with the play-offs around the corner, Manchester are making as strong a case as anyone to lift the Play-off trophy on May 18th.
