Team News

NASSA’s Under-14s are still one of the country’s best
May 5, 2015 – NASSA’s Under-14s maintained their marvellous record of achievement with a third-place finish at the Basketball England National Final Fours competition at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
It could have been even better for the side which has won the national title three times in the past four years. Read more here.
The NASSA team, coached by NASSA Head Coach Chris Facey, led their semi-final against London Greenhouse Pioneers South by as much as eight points in the third quarter. In the end, a heartbreaking 67-65 loss in the final seconds cost NASSA the chance to defend their title in the final against Worthing Thunder.
The NASSA side showed commendable spirit to overcome their disappointment and defeat Manchester Magic 69-61 in the third place play-off.
NASSA Chief Executive Natasha Hart said: “It is a great achievement for NASSA to have the third-best Under-14s side in the country and, with a little luck, it could have been even better. What pleased me most of all was the sportsmanship and the mature attitude our players showed.
“At NASSA we always say that we want to create good basketball players but that it is even more important that we create good citizens. Having said that, we want our national title back and we’ll be doing everything we can next season to win it again.”
NASSA Under-13s are National Champions again!
April 7, 2014 – Newham All Star Sports Academy’s (NASSA) Under-13s basketball team have been crowned national champions for the third year in succession. They won the 2014 England Basketball National Final Fours competition at the Worcester Arena on Saturday, beating Leicester Warriors 117-62 in the final. Read more here.
The victory marked a third consecutive triumph in that age group for NASSA captain Enoch Denkyirah who first played for the Under-13s side when he was just 10.
Led by coach Chris Facey and assistant coach Aurimas Verbukas, the NASSA team – Division South II winners during the regular season, made a quick start against Midlands winners Leicester. They raced out to a 26-17 first quarter lead before extending it to a 57-43 half-time advantage.
The two sides had never previously faced each other but it was in the third quarter that NASSA’s high-powered offense and pressing defence took the game away from their opponents with particularly strong play from MVP Emmanuel Obeng-Amponsan and Enoch Denkyirah. NASSA outscored Leicester 33-9 in the third quarter giving them an unassailable 90-52 lead entering the fourth.
They cruised to victory with Dylan Darbin, Hadrian Basilio, Elliot Quail, Teresa Da Silva and Tyreese Garrod also prominent.
Earlier in the day, NASSA’s semi-final against Bradford Dragons had begun tightly before good work from Normanas Custovas, Tautvydas Mieliauskas, Caleb Garcia, Tim Colie and Jonathan Fakile turned a slender 15-14 first quarter advantage into an eventual 94-59 victory.
Speaking of the win, NASSA ‘s director Natasha Hart said: “This is phenomenal. It is only our seventh year of competing in the National League and we have won the Under-13s championship three years in a row.”
NASSA’s Under-15s side finished third in their Final Fours competition, also played this weekend at the Worcester Arena. After losing their semi-final 94-68 to Cheshire Wire, they recovered to win the the 3rd place play-off with a convincing 86-67 victory over Sheffield Junior Saints.
Coached by Aurimas Verbukas and his assistant Kelvin Chris Facey, the Under 15s team was made up of Kevin Boatey , John Manzon ,Dante Bishop, Wandai Tawenuga, Benjamin Akyeampong, Opemiyan Okesade, Derrik Mendioro, Seyone Shiskantha, Omar Agbandje, Zekeus Blue Shagourie, Dimitru Bandol and Devante Abana-Odita.
Natasha Hart added: “Third place is still a brilliant achievement, so well done to them. Both teams have worked exceptionally hard all season and I am thrilled for them. We would like to thank all the parents, volunteers, supporters for their continued support. Our aim now is on ensuring that the teams remain focused and are prepared for the challenges ahead.”
There was further good news for NASSA on Saturday when its senior men’s team, in its first season in National League Division One, reached the play-offs by beating Westminster Warriors 69-50. Their task in the play-offs is a tough one. This Saturday they travel to face last year’s champions Reading Rockets.
NASSA Under-18 Men Reach the National Cup Final 2014
February 3, 2014 – Newham All Star Sports Academy’s (NASSA) run of success in the National League Cup competitions continued in Manchester this weekend.
The Under-18 National League Men’s side beat Manchester Magic 92-84 away in the semi-final of the Sureshot National Cup against last year champions Manchester Magic. They will now travel up to Manchester again for the final against Birmingham on February 15. Read more here.
It was an incredible win for the Under-18 team, seizing their opportunity to come from behind to record what was greeted as the performance in this side’s short history.
Newham began the semi-final slowly in spite of baskets from Ben Maranan, Javel Small, Kevin Boatey and Sydney Ekio. They ended the first quarter down by 12 points.
Solid offensive rebounds from Kasparas Baksys, Kayode Dawkins, Adomas Zemgulis, Matthew Faucher and Carlton Kuponiyi helped to slow Manchester’s momentum during the second quarter although Newham still ended the half trailing 42-37.
It was then that coach Aurimas Verbukas gave the half-time talk to end them all, inspiring Newham to a brilliant third quarter display. A run of spectacular 3-point shooting and dazzling teamwork was backed up by solid defence as NASSA overturned the deficit to lead 67-57 going into the final quarter. In the third quarter alone, they outscored their opponents by a remarkable 30-15.
The pattern continued in the final period. The main objective at this stage was to maintain their lead. A number of 3-pointers were again crucial while the defence proved too strong for Manchester to break down.
A delighted NASSA director Natasha Hart said: “This is a great day for NASSA. To reach the Under-18 National Cup final is an amazing achievement.
“Today’s success is a testament to the hard work from all of our NASSA coaches, parents, volunteers and our players.
“All of the teams have worked really hard and we are very proud of today’s results. It shows that NASSA is still at the top of our game and that we have a lot more to offer in the future.”
NASSA’s other results this weekend included a 94-76 victory over Worthing Thunder for the National League Division One men’s team.
Meanwhile, the Under-15s and Under-13s faced opponents from Ipswich, the Under-15s winning 106-26 and the Under-13s recording a 87-69 triumph.