Newby Era Continues With The Return Of Head Coach Matt Newby.

Worcester Wolves can confirm that Head Coach Matt Newby is returning for a second season with the BBL franchise. After an exciting 2019/20 Season, Coach Newby returns to continue where he left off last season, in pursuit of honours and to support the growth of basketball in the community.

Last season Newby led the team to a third-place finish in the BBL Championship and lifted the BBL Cup for the first time in the club’s history. In January, Newby was also awarded the Molten Kevin Cadle, Coach of the Month Award.

Coach Newby assembled an exciting team, combining youth and experience with a hunger to succeed, which saw an exciting, fast paced brand of basketball at the University Of Worcester Arena.

Worcester’s exciting style of Basketball became one of highlight in the BBL, with individual players regularly featuring in the ‘Championships weekly All-Star Five’, together with several appearances as winners of the fans award, BBL ‘Plays of the Week’

Newby is excited to get back on courts and see what the new season brings.

“Returning to Worcester for 2020-21 is for me an easy decision, with the 2019-20 season having been cut short I feel everybody in basketball and the broader sporting fraternity have an appetite to be back on the floor and doing what we love to do.

The fact that from a league wide perspective pre COVID 19 everything was set up for an exciting conclusion to the championship and the varying sub plots that were playing out in terms of the playoff race ensured that league wide fans were absolutely engaged.  Coupled with the fact that as a club we had begun to re-establish ourselves running in 3rd place and having taken the BBL Cup in Birmingham in front of 9200 fans many of whom were carrying the Wolves insignia before the pandemic.

I genuinely feel the league is on an upward trajectory and we have the opportunity to go with it.  I personally enjoyed developing and preparing the new look Wolves and I am thankful for the support that both the players and our staff received.  The voice of the Wolf Pack was getting louder and louder play by play and game by game, I look forward to feeling that energy and enthusiasm again.

I also look forward to reigniting our rivalries across the league and matching up with the great clubs we see visiting our arena through the season; all of whom are striving to bounce back from the current backdrop and all of whom are working diligently to build new rosters and prepare for the new season. In a time were there has been so much uncertainty I feel that it’s encouraging that the basketball fraternity on local regional and national level have been pulling together.

The new season will look different and certainly feel different but I think with so many positive moves been made throughout our fraternity the BBL will be back and stronger despite the extended break.  We are currently working hard both on and off the floor to put ourselves in the best position to compete with the very best in the league.  I look forward to seeing you courtside.”

Worcester Wolves Managing Director Mick Donovan is thrilled to see Coach Newby return to the Wolves franchise:

“It was always within our strategy to bring Matt into the club to impose his style and philosophy and then plan for future development. Clearly, we are delighted with the progress that the coaching and playing team have made and Matt’s leadership has been critical to that success. We are really looking forward to the start of the new season and sincerely hope that it happens as soon as it is safe to do so”