Kian Gadsby
The University of Nottingham has an illustrious recent sporting pedigree. After securing 25 national titles last season and finishing second in the BUCS points tally, Green and Gold teams are revered by opponents across the country.
Basketball is no exception. The Women’s 1’s team compete in the topflight of their BUCS league, while the Wheelchair Basketball team are the reigning national champions after regaining their title with an emphatic victory on BUCS Big Wednesday.
Unfortunately, the same success has not yet extended to the men. Their 1’s currently reside down in the Midlands 2A, the third tier of competition and the lowest level of any 1’s team at the university. This is made worse with the successes of their nemeses, as Nottingham had to watch at home while last year’s National Championship final was contested between Loughborough and Nottingham Trent; the Green and Gold’s two arch-rivals.
A spirited Varsity display back in March indicated that this team has potential, but a defeat in last season’s league to Trent’s 3’s showed just how much progress they need to make to catch up.
Basketball felt that change needed to be made, inspiring the formation of a partnership between the university and Nottingham Hoods, the local semi-professional basketball team.
At the time of the deal, Max Masters, UoN Men’s Basketball Club President commented, “My goal is to make the University of Nottingham one of the strongest basketball programs in the country. Our new partnership with the Nottingham Hoods is a major step forward in achieving this and I am incredibly excited to start working together.”
The partnership saw Vladan Dragosavac, head coach of the British Championship Basketball outfit, take over the reigns at the 1’s team to enhance coaching support and ultimately attempt to raise the level of the team, while Hoods captain Elliot Bailey also took over the same role at the 2’s.
The strategy has been vindicated already, with the Green and Gold enjoying an immediate and immense transformation.
A perfect record of four wins from four league games for the 1’s has them firmly in the race to secure promotion, while a streak of wins has the 2’s firmly in their fight to take the 1’s sides’ place. The changes have also sparked Midlands Conference Cup runs, with both sides in the quarterfinals and in with a chance to secure silverware.
Such form was unfathomable mere months ago, suggesting the impact of the partnership has been tremendous. However, given the small sample size, the true scale of the impact may have to be measured in the future.
The objective of the partnership was to strengthen the pathway between university and professional basketball in the city by laying the foundation for long-term success on and off the court. Although it has not been given a long time to flourish, the early signs are that this deal is going to be a crucial turning point in University of Nottingham Basketball history.
Future fixtures will offer another opportunity to prove their progress. Nottingham restart after the winter break with games against Trent’s 3’s and 2’s; matches that will be critical in the promotion race, before they turn their attention to Conference Cup action.
If they can secure victories in these games, then they will enjoy one of the most successful seasons in their history. Maybe the Hoods partnership was the springboard they needed to elevate themselves into the upper echelons of the university game.
Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of Impact Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @hoodsbasketball via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @hoodsfoundation via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
