Author: Joe Whitehead
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Is Basketball’s Academy System Being Left Behind?
Every sport needs a bridge between education and the professional game. When government funding arrived through the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) in 2004 — and later its successor, the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) in 2018 — it gave young athletes across multiple sports a dual path: to train like professionals while completing
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Inside Newcastle’s Small-Ball Identity
Small-ball isn’t new. For nearly a decade it has shaped modern basketball — faster line-ups that trade size for shooting, spread the floor, and switch defensively. Newcastle have taken it in a distinctive direction. They often play without a true big, trusting mobility and strength over size in the frontcourt. Their version is about pressure
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Matthew Ragsdale Knows What He Is
Some skills fade as the competition gets tougher — size evens out, speed meets its match, athleticism stops being an advantage. Shooting isn’t one of those skills. It scales. The higher the level, the more it matters. Matthew Ragsdale plays like he knows it. He’s one of the most willing shooters in the league —
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Europe Is Losing Talent to the NCAA
College basketball is no longer just an American story. It is redrawing the global map. In the last two years, U.S. programmes have begun to lure Europe’s best young talent with offers that combine money, exposure and a proven route to the NBA. College basketball is increasingly viewed as the second-best league in the world
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Becoming the Manchester They Want to Be
Manchester Basketball began this summer with a plan that reached beyond domestic competition. Their intended entry into the Basketball Champions League was blocked when the British Basketball Federation refused to issue the required International Letter of Clearance — seemingly ending the chance to test themselves in Europe before it began. But they didn’t change course.
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Pat Robinson’s One Thing
Before the season, Cheshire’s guard hierarchy looked set. LaQuincy Rideau was back — returning after a season away, a homecoming for the leader of the Cheshire team that had pushed the 777-era Lions two years earlier. Pat Robinson was meant to play off him. But within weeks, that balance has shifted. Rideau’s minutes have dipped,
