PAST EVENTS & PROGRAMMES

NASSA 2nd Annual Achievement Award Winners 2010/2011

• Coach of the Year: Kelvin Chris Facey
• Most Improved Player (Primary school): Sam Kato
  Most Improved Player (Primary school): Norman Cistovas
• Most Improved Player boy (Secondary School): Jonathan James
  Most Improved Player girl (Secondary School): Abisola Oginni
• Young Official of the Year: Alisha Laurent-Smart
• Primary school of the Year: Sir John Heron
• Secondary school of the Year: Rokeby School
• Volunteer Parent of the Year: Jennifer Laurent-Smart
• Young Volunteer of the Year: Jany Rahman
• Young Leader of the Year: Alex Semanda
• Sports personality of the Year: Kevin East
• Partnership award: East London Business Alliance(ELBA)

France 03/06/2009

NASSA WIN BRONZE AT INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN FRANCE

Newham Recorder 3rd June 2009

Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) won a bronze medal at an international basketball tournament at Limoges in France this weekend.  The NASSA travelled with ten players aged between 14 years and 17 years to take part alongside 16 other teams, in the tournament which is being run for the second year.

The Newham boys started with two games on the first day of the tournament.  In their first game they faced C.S.P Limoges who was also the top regional team.  Naturally the game was a tough one.  NASSA appeared to be caught off guard by the strong offence and defence demonstrated by C.S.P Limoges and could not match their skill.   The game went to C.S.P with an easy win of 77 baskets to 49.

Next game saw NASSA take on Cateaux.  This time the NASSA boys were ready and came out fighting.  Strong drives to the basket from Teddy Okereafor and excellent passing skills by Anthony Okereafor, supported by good defence from Alex Semanda and Simonas Byblys helped NASSA to seal their win with a score of 58 baskets to 31.

The next team to face NASSA was Dyba.  Boosted by their win against Cateaux, NASSA came out with confidence and it showed in their game.  NASSA quickly established an early lead and held on to it to win by 64 baskets to 35 thus earning themselves in the semi finals.

In their first semi final game NASSA faced Union Correze Division 2 team.  This was a much faster paced game which suited NASSA and they were quickly able to dominate the court.  By the third quarter NASSA were leading by 8 points and victory seemed to be insight.  However in the 4th quarter things took a serious turn for the worst as Union Coreze came back strong to take the lead and eventually win the game by 67 baskets to 61.

With a bronze medal at stake NASSA put everything into their final game against B.C. Orchies.  NASSA played consistently well with a very tight defence which B.C.Orchies were unable to break through.  Excellent play by Anthony and Teddy Okereafor, Alex Semanda, Fartjon Metaliaj and Simonas Byblys, good defence by Alex Maynard and Jamal Lewis and exceptional team work from Mantas Adomaitis and Ryan Robinson ensured that NASSA had a comfortable win with 66 baskets to 31, giving them a result that they could be proud of.

Speaking of the result NASSA Director Natasha Hart said: “We were very pleased to be invited to participate in this tournament.  We faced some of the best European teams there are, including some division teams and we still managed to come 3rd so I’m very pleased with the result.  I’m even more pleased that we were once again able to share our Carry A Basketball Not a Blade message with the other European competitors who were very supportive and were pleased to know that basketballers were actively fighting against knife crimes.  And that together with the third place makes it all worth it!”

Holland 04/03/2009

 NASSA Basketballers carry knife message to Europe

This weekend 20 young people from Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) travelled to Holland to take part in an international basketball tournament dedicated to the NASSA ‘Carry a Basketball Not a Blade’ project. The project, sponsored by Jack Petchey, which has received national recognition, was developed by NASSA’s own young people in response to the increase in knife crime amongst young people.  The aim of the project is to get young people engaged in and playing basketball as a healthy alternative to a life of gang involvement and knife crime.

The tournament attracted teams from Holland, Malta, Belgium and England and the aim of the tournament was to raise the profile of the project in Europe and encourage more and more young people to take a positive step and participate in the basketball.

First day of the tournament marked the official launch of the project which was kicked off with five gruelling hours of training.  The young players practiced their offensive and defensive skills.  This was followed by games where the players were put into mixed teams to promote a positive attitude towards each other and also give all of the players the opportunity to play alongside team mates of different nationalities.  Following the games the players were given special talks by senior coaches about various aspects of basketball such as nutrition, health and safety, self confidence, team work and perseverance.

The second part of the days programme involved the young players exercising through swimming which was followed by a spell in a sauna.  Following a healthy dinner the youngsters had fun ice skating before retiring exhausted to their rooms.

Day 2 of the tournament continued with more team and one to one training for the players.  Although the training was intensive, the teams managed to take a quick break to celebrate the birthdays of two players, one of which included NASSA player Brenda Kipeu.   The day continued with more exercise in the swimming pool followed by a steam in the sauna.

Under 13 Captain Myles Laurent-Smart said of the tournament: “This weekend was fantastic and the best that I have been on so far.  It feels really good to be part of something as important as Carry a Basketball Not A Blade.  The tournament itself was really special and the training was fantastic.  Put that together with the indoor swimming, the sauna and the ice skating, it was easily the best tournament that we have been to”.

NASSA Director Natasha Hart said: “Although the games played at the tournament were competitive, the event was less about winning as it was about understanding and supporting the message of ‘Carry a Basketball Not a Blade’.  We recognise that knife crime is not only a problem for London but affects young people from all over the world so it is particularly significant that these young people wanted to support the project to help raise awareness and make a stand.  All teams that took part in the tournament were given specially printed ‘Carry a Basketball Not a Blade’ T-Shirts to take back to their countries so that what began in Newham can grow beyond London and even England, as the message continued to be spread to other countries.”

Spain 14/11/2008

‘CARRY A BASKETBALL NOT A BLADE’ GETS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT!

Newham Recorder 12th November 2008

What began as an idea amongst a group of Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) boys has grown beyond the boundaries of Newham and even London.

The ‘Carry a Basketball Not a Blade’ project received international recognition when NASSA were invited to spend a week at the Grand Canaria Basketball Academy in Spain.  The Academy Director, Rob Orellana, heard of the NASSA campaign and was so impressed with the aims of the project that he immediately invited the team across to Spain for a friendly tournament as part of a week long camp.  The aim of the camp was to raise awareness about the importance of staying away from knife crime and to promote the positive lifestyle of basketball.

Upon arrival the players had the opportunity to mix with other basketballers from the UK and also many different countries, who were also residents of the academy.  These included players from Poland, France, Macedonia, Lithuania, Greece, Ireland, and of course Spain.

Of the players resident at the academy 7 had direct experience of being affected by knife crime.  The NASSA boys were able to talk with these boys and share their experiences and thoughts about ways to combat knife crime.

The players stayed on the grounds of the academy and witnessed at first hand the gruelling schedule that the dedicated players have to go through every day.  Their day began at 5.30 with a three hour training session followed by a further two sessions during the day.  In the evening the boys travelled to different parts of the Grand Canaria to take part in matches with different teams.

In their first game they were joined by former NASSA U18s star player Anthony Okereafor, who began a scholarship in Spain earlier this year.  Unfortunately Anthony wasn’t able to bring the team the luck that they needed and their first game against Telde ended in a narrow loss by 3 points.

Their second game saw them take on Gonaiga. NASSA were the stronger team and took an early lead.   They maintained this lead and went on to win the game by 26pts.

In NASSA’s third game things took a turn for the worst and they lost out to Archipelago 8 by 3 pts.

In the forth game NASSA found their feet again and beat Tombard School by a comfortable 60pts.

At the end of the matches the Grand Canaria Basketball Academy, who were the official sponsors of the event, gave each of the international teams was given a special Carry A Basketball Not A Blade T shirt to help spread awareness about the campaign.   Academy Director Rob Orellana then treated both the NASSA players and the 48 academy students to a celebratory meal in a five star hotel. On their last day at the academy, the NASSA players were each presented with a commemorative Grand Canaria basketball uniform.  That wasn’t the end of the surprises for the NASSA team.  NASSA assistant coach Samuel Berhanu from Cumberland school made such a good impression at the Spanish academy that he was told that a job would be waiting for him, should he wish to take up the offer, after he completes his GCSEs.

NASSA Director, Natasha Hart said. “I’m so pleased that we have raised awareness of this project in Europe, this trip would not have been possible without the help and financial support of both Cumberland School and Rokeby School and I owe them a huge thank you.

It’s important that we keep this project focussed on the young people because they are the ones who are being directly affected by knife crime and they are the ones who can make a real difference.   It was great to see the young people discussing such a significant topic and I was really proud of how our NASSA boys conducted themselves. They learned a lot on this trip but they also gave a lot back to the other players so hopefully, we will see the Carry A Basketball Not A Blade project continue to grow.”

France 14/05/2008

International honours as NASSA youngsters defy the odds. Newham Recorder 14th May 2008

Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) Under 16 basketball team pulled off a stunning result to finish third in an under 18 international tournament held in Limoges, France. Despite the difference in ages, NASSA’s didn’t let the huge age gap put them off; instead they decided to give it their best shot.

In their first game they took on Union Meyssac Dyba and won by a convincing 22 points.  Encouraged by this success they went on to win their second game against AS Junien, beating the older team by a whopping 29 points.

The crowd were impressed by NASSAs performance and showed their support with cheers and words of encouragement.  By the end of the first day the team had also a taste of being celebrities as many young supporters crowded around them for the chance to get an autograph.

The second day saw them face the Spartans men’s team.  By the second quarter NASSA led by 10points but despite this encouraging start; they lost the game by a slim 4 points.

Not put off by this NASSA set their sights on securing one of the prized trophies.  In a game to decide third and fourth place they took on ?  The match was a hard one but the NASSA players dug deep into their reserves and eventually won the victory by 27 points and secured the trophy for 3rd place

In spite of not winning first place the team are more than happy with their 3rd place trophy.  They overcame the odds and showed true grit which won them the respect of other players, supporters and the international referees.

Speaking of their success Director of NASSA Natasha Hart said: “This tournament has given us a wonderful opportunity to experience different cultures and more importantly, the game at an international level. 

When I realised that we had entered into the wrong age group I was really concerned.  Although I new that NASSA players had skills and abilities way above their age group, I was still concerned that they would be overwhelmed by the size and aggressive tactics of the older players. I prepared them as much as I could and could only watch as they gave it their best shot on the court.  I am so proud of them.  They defied the odds to win third place trophy, and considering the fact that they were not even in the right age group, that trophy is as good as first place! 

We have been invited back for next year and I’ll make sure that next time we are put into the right category.  When we return all I can say is France look out.

Malta 14-20/04/2008

Honours galore for NASSA youngsters. Newham Recorder 30th April 2008

Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) continued to build their impressive reputation as their players won international recognition for their skills and talents at a recent basketball event in Malta.

A group of 28 NASSA players between the ages of eight and 18 travelled from Newham to Malta to take part in the Eurobasket International basketball camp.  The camp, which took place over 14th to 20th April, was held at the Maltese National Olympic sports venue and was attended by children from other European countries.

During the camp the players were put through hours of gruelling training, where the focus was the development of the whole player through achieving the correct balance of nutrition, exercise and basic set moves and techniques. The techniques learned were put to the test on the final two days of the camp when the players were split into separate teams to compete for the top titles.

The skills of the NASSA players shone through and they achieved a fantastic result winning 4 out of the six trophies awarded. Alex Semanda won the trophy for top scorer, Myles Laurent-Smart won the trophy for MVP (Most Valuable Player), Nathanial Peters and Sital Pandya won trophies for Most Improved Players.

Director of NASSA, Natasha Hart said: “This is another great result for NASSA and the International success of our young people just demonstrates that the unique NASSA basketball techniques that are taught at the academy are at the cutting edge of basketball coaching”