Matt Newby, In His Words.

On the back of last weeks announcement that Matt Newby has returned as Head Coach of the Worcester Wolves, the man himself has written in his own words to share his thoughts and views of the last twelve months and the new season.

A Commentary on my first season with the Worcester Wolves.

With the season been cut short by the COVID 19 pandemic, it has given me some time to reflect.  I feel we achieved a great deal in a short period of time and genuinely believe that we had the potential to find another gear and been in contention for another piece of silverware.  This is testimony to the hard work and diligence of the players and the approach we took as a team; as a young unit we played to our strengths and I felt the brand of basketball was exciting to watch and one that highlighted the quality in system and personnel.  We faced some challenges throughout the year but as we matured as a group the returns were getting higher and higher. As stated, I felt we had a great shot and securing a playoff berth and making a run at the playoffs with the potential of walking out at the O2 Arena as a finalist.  The BBL cup run will be memorable for me personally and professionally as I felt that competition really presented significant challenges, with huge fixtures against Newcastle and Leicester in the quarter finals and semi-finals respectively signalling that we could compete with the very best in the league. I felt an immense sense of pride as I have a great respect for both programs their coaching staff and the management as two of the most storied franchises in the BBL.  When we stepped on to the floor at the Arena Birmingham that was an incredible personal moment for me having climbed the domestic coaching ladder in a similar fashion to my opposite number, coach Andreas Kapoulas, I felt it was a good advertisement for the game and I don’t think the final disappointed. It was great to see the reactions and responses of the fans as we lifted the trophy and to have them share the day with us was special.

Why I am looking forward to returning.

Returning to the BBL after two years away was a rich and rewarding experience and I am thankful for the support and encouragement I have received from the directorship, administration and UOW staff.  Following a sustained absence from the court side and the lack of opportunity to coach due to the pandemic, like most the basketball fraternity (Coaches – Players – Officials and fans) I just want to be on the floor enjoying building and developing a team and ultimately going out there and competing against my contemporaries and their charges.  Furthermore, I am excited to see how we can further develop the professional team, continue to improve the University program and extend our community reach.  It will also be great to simple reconnect with the fans and build upon lasts seasons successes.

The Prospect of Returning Players.

The reality is our league is a great platform for players to step in to the (European) shop window and invariable success breeds interest and interest leads to opportunities often beyond our shores or potentially a better offer within our own league.  I feel that number of our players will garner interest from both our competitors and abroad, for me retention is idealistic but ultimately there are a number of variables which impede that at our level. So, I have to look at this process through the right lenses with the appropriate perspective, if players have the opportunity to level up or their price points have increased significantly then naturally rosters will be impacted.  Currently there is a relatively high turnover in our league as we are gateway to a higher level or destination and securing a domestic core that will stay for a decent period of time is not simple science. However, the league is improving at pace with some new investment coming to some franchises and the commitment to European competition I feel the league will become more stable. Should this be the case then all franchises will become the beneficiaries of growth in collective identity which obviously influences commercial aspects and opportunities.  If this is the case the BBL will become a destination for players on multi-year contracts and we will see more stability in player personnel.  I think the roster we built this year was great and achieved a great deal but I am realistic enough to understand there are some players who will be looking for new destinations and the nature of the professional landscape currently also means that I have to keep my eye on what is a very open market and get the highest return on the playing budget available.

The BBL Leagues Continued Improvement:

I think this year the BBL had made strides with the competition being more open than ever in a lot ways, there was a lot to talk about: with Glasgow completely changing their fortunes between the Cup and League campaign, Leicester as ever positioning themselves perfectly for the later stages of the league and post season, the Lions finding their bite over the final 3rd of the season and the Wolves very much in the mix. The Cup Final has already been mentioned but it’s worth reminding people 9200 people flooded through the door to witness two clubs outside the perennial contenders go toe to toe, a significant feather in the cap of the BBL’s commercial team.  In the middle order and lower end of the league exciting subplots we’re emerging as teams aimed to place themselves in the 8 playoff berths available. Why is this important? For a league to thrive there needs to be more closely contested games, there has to be rivalries between teams, coaches and individual players and the narrative I feel reflected this. Even with the backdrop of COVID 19 three clubs (London Lions – Plymouth Raiders – Manchester Giants) have received significant investment and / or witnessed changes in ownership. This suggests the league is becoming more attractive to international and external investment a big plus for all franchises and the growth and sustainability of the league itself.  We are likely to see higher quality players imported and hopefully a move to retain the tier of domestic players who currently ply their trade in Europe. With the Lions taking the step in to Europe this season and other clubs muting such aspirations, a stronger representation in either the Champions League or Euro Cup can only be a good thing.  Additionally, it helps the broader basketball community and public see another level of the game and perhaps foster a new generation of players and coaches with an ambition to be part of that scene.

Summer and Off Season.

The premature end to the season, the commencement of an irregular off-season and a summer with very different parameters has been very strange.  I have been reflecting a lot on the season past and looking at how I can improve, trying to develop myself by researching elements of the game and opening conversations with my peers. Obviously trying to keep tabs on the player movements the broader player market and the key influences on the league and like most people trying to take advantage of family time and trying to maintain a positive outlook.