mvp magazine issue 03 sample
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MVP Basketball Magazine Spring Issue 03 Sample Version OnlyTRANSCRIPT
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om £3.50 ISSUE 03 SPRING 2011
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Front Cover Issue 3.indd 1 1/4/11 09:34:32
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MVP MAGAZINEResponse Studios,369B High Road,Leyton, London
E10 5NA.
e: [email protected]: mvp247.comt: 020 8558 3501
EditorGreg Tanner
Assistant EditorMark Woods
Creative DirectorJake Green
Art DirectorHarry Adams
Contributing WritersSam Hart, Sam Neter, John
Harris & Jacob Hiller
Contributing Design, Photographers/
IllustratorsRinchen Ato, Peter G. Borg,
Anthony Charlton, Kieran Halil, Duncan Hill, Kevin Joseph,
Stefano Leonardi, Ville Vuorinen & Stuart York
Special thanks to � e Lewis Gang, Vince and Tim @ Adidas, Kent & Tom at NBAE, ‘� e Rube’ at Pitch, Smnwnwrght at Nike, Damon & Nick at ESPN
PrintersPrinted by the Manson Group.
Published by MVP247 Ltd© Est: 2010.
ISSN: 2045-4546
Distribution by: Comag distribute & can be bought at all major
basketball events.
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JACOB HILERJacob has successfully trained high school, college, NBA, Olympic athletes, and professional dunkers to increase both their quickness and vertical leap. Jacob is a regular contributor to our workout section.
J
EDITORIAL > CONTRIBUTORS > LISTINGS
GAME ON!There’s something in the air at the moment. It genuinely seems as if all the stars are aligning for basketball in Britain right now. I felt it when I saw NBA legends holding clinics on a full-sized court in the Westfi eld shopping centre in London in March I felt it as I sat in � e O2 Arena, watching the fi rst regular season games ever to be played in Europe. I felt it when FIBA announced we would be participating at London 2012.
I felt it when the news came that Team USA’s men and women will be playing our guys and girls in Manchester next July. Suddenly I’m getting emails and phone calls from media organisations wanting to do stories on basketball, from companies asking about putting on basketball events, and from people who aren’t even fans of the game asking if I can get them tickets for the Olympics (which I can’t - so quit bothering me!!). Everyone in the British basketball community has been hoping for years that 2012 will be the springboard the sport needs in this country. Well, not trying to jinx it, but the signs of that are certainly starting to show...and it’s all VERY exciting!
We have, of course, got the Olympic decision (and the strings attached to the deal) covered in this issue. Mark Woods was there in Lyon to hear the announcement made and has all the reaction to the news. I meanwhile speak to NBA Europe chief, Sophie Goldschmidt, about how the League sees the future of the game in Britain, given all the recent developments. Mark also has a fascinating interview with GB forward Nick George who candidly reveals, for the fi rst time, why he chose to ‘retire’ earlier this season. And, continuing his string of exclusives, Mark speaks to Dwight Howard, who tells us why his drive to win an NBA title is no joke. Speaking of pressure and the NBA, it’s looking more and more likely that there will be a lockout next season as owners, offi cials, players and agents argue about money. When I spoke to seven-time champion Robert Horry recently, he told me that NBA ballers should be paid less, given the current economic climate - a view shared by David Stern and millions of fans around the world. So make sure you enjoy the play-off s this spring / summer, as unfortunately, it could be the last NBA action you see for quite some time!
Keep ballin’ Greg Tanner
MVP247.COM 05
STEFANO LEONARDIStefano is a photographer from Glasgow currently based in Hong Kong/China His work has been published on book (Serpents Tail, Harper Collins). Stefano brilliantly captured Hong Kong for this issue.
KEVIN JOSEPH A regular contributor to MVP, Kevin recently shot our exclusive tete a tete with Kobe. Ranging from fashion to Nudes, Kevin shot Simon Wade the Sneaker Freak for this issue.
VILLE VUORINENVille has worked as a professional photographer for over fi ve years - but in the last few years has become a full-time basketball photographer. He has shot Trey Moore and NBA LDN for this issue.
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> REGULARS10 | OVERTIME Angel delight for Manchester...and Brit fans set to get sneak peek at Team USA
24 | MARK’S VIEW POINT
Basketball is a numbers game. It’s time we changed that.
38 | GALLERY: HONG KONG
The city’s secret world of night time playgrounds.
48 | FASHION
All the kicks and clothes you need to stay fresh this summer.
64 | WORKOUT
Jacob Hillier’s tips for defensive domination.
> FEATURES14 | RUFF RIDERSThe Brits making NCAA history in New Jersey
16 | DURHAM WILDCATSClawing their way to the top
22 | WOMEN’S EUROBASKETWhy success for Team GB in Poland will be measured in more than just the win column
26 | GAME ON!Britain gets those all-important Olympic spots - but with serious strings attached
28 | NBA IN LONDONA triple-overtime thriller makes the League’s Euro adventure a huge success
32 | DWIGHT HOWARDOrlando’s funny-man-in-the-middle gets serious
60 | JORDAN JUNKIEMeet the man with over 100 pair of Js
62 | BOBBITOThe multi-skilled mogul who helped shape NY’s hoops heritage
> BALLER12 | NICK GEORGEThe Great Britain forward reveals, for the fi rst time, why he called time-out on his career
18 | CHARLES OAKLEYHow Jordan’s former arch enemy ended up coaching Money’s team
20 | TREY MOOREThe Newcastle Eagles guard is the BBL’s ultimate competitor. He’s never known anything else.
FRONT COVER: ADIDAS / 3D ARTWORK
KIERAN HALIL TOP TO BOTTOM:
ADIDAS, RINCHEN ATO & VILLE VUORINEN
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MVP ISSUE 4 OUT JULY 21ST 2011Follow us on twitter (@MVP_247) and Facebook (@MVPMag) for daily news, exclusive features and competitions.
< INSIDE
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16 MVP ISSUE 03
“I’ll tell you a true story,” says Durham head coach Dave Elderkin as we sit watching his team get ready to face Brixton. “We met two of these guys in
the pub on the way down here. Tey were going back up to Durham from a Division Four game and we told them ‘you’ve got to come with us or we don’t have enough players.’”
With their visitors missing four of their strongest six players, Brixton are in for a stat-padding victory, right? However the Wildcats have other ideas. Tey run their hosts close to the final buzzer, having several shots to go ahead in the final minute, before ultimately falling 76-70.
For anyone who has followed Durham for the last few years, this kind of performance was no sur-prise. Only five years ago, the Wildcats, attached to the city’s university, lan-guished in the third tier of the English Basketball League. Tey narrowly missed out on promotion before enduring an injury-riddled campaign. Finally, the following year, they reached D2. Eeven then they could not have envisaged what would come next.
Te arrival of Scott Morton from NCAA Division III school Geneseo University sparked an upwardly mobile charge, culminating in an unprec-edented triple success for the Wildcats. Morton sparked the team to see off Westminster in the Patron’s Cup final before the league and play-off crowns were added for good measure. Elderkin – a former England international who spent much of his playing career in the BBL - calls their arrival to the top flight of the EBL his proudest moment in charge of the club.
“It was the culmination of five years of programme building,” he declares. Mor-ton departed following his graduation from Durham University. However the Wildcats’ new-found status meant there were now two spots open for interna-tional recruits. Enter Ivy League duo Kevin Bulger (Columbia University) and Paul Nelson (Yale) both of whom arrived for one-year Masters courses. “[Te Americans] have a big impact on our local players in terms of motivation, raising the skill levels and aspirations,” Elderkin acknowledges. “Continuity is important but we have to accept that the one-season players got us moving in the right direction and will be the norm for some time.”
Bulger and Nelson will soon end their stays, leaving two vacant slots to fill.
Te recruitment plans are already under way. “Turnaround is something we are learning to deal with,” admits Elderkin. “Te programme began with the recruitment of under-graduates and post-graduates were the second step. We now have a recruitment and scholar-ship strategy in place for both. Te first group of players into our programme will graduate this summer and we hope they will remain with the programme; this will obviously help continuity.
Also, we are trying to recruit players who fit the roles of players leaving.”
Durham University has been a major contributor to the club in a number of ways, supplying them with free training facilities, access to a
strength and conditioning coach and nutritional advice, in addition to providing them with administrative and promotional support. But the offering of scholarships is something that Elderkin identifies as especially important. “[Te university] has a high international profile, particularly in the US. And we hope the scholarship route will attract the quality of player we need to service and deliver the programme.”
Despite their foreign legion, the heart of the club is firmly home-made in the form of Mark and Paul Elderkin, the coach’s two sons. Te pair have been ever-present during their team’s rise through the ranks. Elderkin Senior acknowledges that developing local
talent is one of the club’s primary aims. “We want to build from the bottom up and enter age-group teams in national league at every level, “ he asserts. “Te ‘local
talent’ knows right from the start they can aspire to play at the highest level. We work with School Sports Partnerships to introduce the sport in primary schools.” Having travelled so far, Elderkin sees no reason to think small. “Te community programme will be expanded to cover every district of County Durham. Men playing BBL and Europe. Women in EBL One, and Europe. Emulating the cricket club on the international stage is very important to Durham County Council.”
Five years into the future, with the team possibly competing at home and abroad; with youth teams at every level, and with international ambitions, they might look back and smile about the day they had to pick up two guys in a pub on the way to a game. MVP
> EBL: DURHAM WILDCATS
The Durham Wildcats have risen from D3 to EBL1 in just five years, And they don’t plan to stop there.
“ We want to build from the bottom up and enter age group
teams in national league at every level ” - DAVE ELDERKIN
Words By:
JOHN HArrIS Photos By:
STUArT YOrK
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> COVER STORY
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Behind the smile, and the jokes, and the costumes, there is another Dwight Howard you may not know. And the alternative version will only be happy when he gets his hands on the prize.
Words By:
Mark Woods
Photos By:
adidas/
NBaE/GEtty
3d artWork By:
kiEraN Halil
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> HONG KONG BALLIN’
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Words &
PHoTos BY:
Stefano
Leonardi
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Beneath the neon lights of Hong Kong lies a secret world of night time playgrounds. Stefano Leonardi takes us there.
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Models: President OPOku, ChlOe BurrOws, elOdie trOuilleremily mCdOnald at Models 1
> FAsHIoN
48 MVP issue 03
> Nike Lebron 8 v2 All Star Game 2011 - Foot LockerJeans: mOdels OwnsOCks h&m
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PHOTOS BY:
Rinchen Ato
When you’re Jammin’ you need your kicks to be Slammin’. Here we have a selection of the sickest and slickest kicks on road.
MVP247.COM 49
Jammin’Kicks
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60 MVP ISSUE 03
The Retirement PlanBasketball coach Simon Wade doesn’t have a pension fund. But he’s hoping his 150+ pairs of Jordans (and a heap of other collectables) might just see him through his old age.
A s we all know, this is the Age of Austerity. But it’s not just council workers and students feeling the pinch.“It’s tough to find the work at the moment,” basketball coach Simon Wade told MVP. “It’s a shame because with the Olympics coming,
you’d think there’d be a lot more work around. But obviously the government is cutting funding left, right and centre. Basketball is my passion, but at the moment I’m leaning towards not doing it anymore.
Because I’m not making enough money.” Fortunately, the 35-year-old is sitting on a little goldmine. Over the last 20 years, Simon has built up a staggering collection of Michael Jordan merchandise.
“150 pairs of Jordans is what I’m up to now. I’ve got about 60 jerseys. I only have Jordans, nothing else. No Air Forces, nothing like that. Just Jordans. “The thing that really started it off was the ‘Come Fly With Me’ video. I was just blown away by it - and it started the ball rolling really. The first pair I got were the Air Jordan IVs, second-hand off a friend, white and cement grey. The first new pair I got were the Air Jordan Vs in black. And it’s just gone from there really. “I’m from The Cotswolds originally, and back in the day there were just a couple of select sports shops that would get Jordan stuff in.
I used to go to America a lot – we’d have our family holidays in Florida – so that was handy, I’d get stuff from the States. But it’s a great deal easier now with eBay and the Internet. There are certain pairs that I always wanted but could never get my hands on – but now, with eBay, you can. “I prefer the older stuff – the Jordans between I and VI, the XIs...and the XIIIs are my favourite. I basically just deal with numbered Air Jordans...from I to I think we’re on XXVI or XXVII now. All the fusions and the hybrids – I’m not really into all that.
All my clothes are Jordan, I’ve got hundreds of T-shirts, shorts. It’s all I wear really.” Amongst Simon’s most prized possessions are a signed photograph of MJ, the original 1985 Air Jordan Is and a very rare North Carolina college basketball card. So just how much has he actually spent over the years? “I’ve tried to think about it. I’m not sure. But it’s gotta be over 50 grand I’d say. I’m staring at it all right now and it’s gotta be that much. 150 pairs of trainers, jerseys, books, cards.“One day, I might have to sell it all. The idea is that it’s a bit of a pension for me – because I haven’t got a pension! So it’s nice to know it’s worth a fair bit. Ideally, I’d like to keep it forever, but you never know really.” MVP
> SNEAKER FREAK
Words By:GreG TANNer
Photo By:KeVIN JOSePh
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“ It’s gotta be over 50-grand,
I’d say. I’m staring at it all right
now and it’s gotta be that much ”
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