Bristol Flyers guard Jelani Watson-Gayle joins the MVP Cast. He tells us about his transformation from being a footballing hopeful with Leyton Orient to throwing his all into basketball – with huge assists from his mother and older brother. We talk the learnings to becoming a leader, the confidence he gained from going to the States at age 15 that’s now being put to good effect in the British Basketball League – and how a call-up from Great Britain is another step in his journey. Image: Mansoor Ahmed The post MVP CAST: JELANI WATSON-GAYLE first appeared on MVP247.com - THE UK'S HOME OF BASKET ..read more

Durham Palatinates centre Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby joins the MVP Cast. She tells Mark Woods about the globetrotting odyssey that saw her grow up across Europe but left her hunting for proper roots in this post-Brexit time. She reveals the rationale behind her decision to return to the Women’s British Basketball League, her early leap into the game in Loughborough and what we might learn from hoops in Germany. And she talks her time in Philly – and her Super Bowl picks. The post MVP CAST: HARRIET OTTEWILL-SOULSBY first appeared on MVP247.com - THE UK'S HOME OF BASKETBALL ..read more

Manchester Giants wing Dirk Williams joins the MVP Cast. He tells Mark Woods about combining fatherhood with basketball and the life lessons learnt while growing up in Alabama with hoop dreams. We relive the dunks that won him trans-Atlantic fame and the move he has in mind next. And why a players-only meeting in Manchester this week can be the spark for the second half of the British Basketball League season. Image: Mansoor Ahmed / Ahmedphotos The post MVP CAST: DIRK WILLIAMS first appeared on MVP247.com - THE UK'S HOME OF BASKETBALL ..read more

British basketball’s numbers guru Dave Owen joins the MVP Cast. He tells Mark Woods about his drive to chronicle the stats of all our players at home and abroad to give them the recognition they deserve. We talk about his tech development and a push to provide insights that complement what we watch on screen – and how the numbers define our (unsung) heroes on the global basketball stage. More on his database at daveowenbasketball.co.uk. The post MVP CAST: DAVE OWEN first appeared on MVP247.com - THE UK'S HOME OF BASKETBALL ..read more

Kofi Josephs and Oliver Lawrie join the MVP Cast to discuss their new Mental Health Charter for Basketball. Kofi tells Mark Woods about how his own lived experience left him to set up his ‘Why Not I?’ organisation to raise awareness of the issues and how talking about it openly has led to other players and basketball staff talking to him about what they are facing. Oli tells us about how the Charter came into being and the crisis that it wants to help address. And we look at the resources and steps forward required to make the sport a safe space for those involved without fear of falling short ..read more

New British Basketball League CEO Aaron Radin joins the MVP Cast. In the final podcast edition of 2022, he tells Mark Woods about a strategy to transform the BBL into a “premier content and entertainment organisation” through raising the standards of teams, game night experience, and its broadcast product. He talks us through the learnings from his previous roles, why expansion is unlikely for 2023 and whether the likes of Cheshire and Plymouth will still fit into an upsized BBL in the future.   Follow the podcast on Twitter @mvp_247  A Communicated production The post MVP CAST: AAR ..read more

Great Britain forward Jordan Williams joins the MVP Cast. He dishes all on his current posting with Hungarian side Hubner, the local cuisine and attractions, and the art of packing light and quick when a new overseas basketball assignment comes up. He tells Mark Woods of the influence of his mother in taking life choices that saw him head to Belgium at the age of 17 in the pursuit of knowledge and the adjustment from going from London Lions and the BBL to overseas. Plus he reveals his shock parallel sporting talent. The post MVP CAST: JORDAN WILLIAMS first appeared on MVP247.com - THE UK'S HO ..read more

Newcastle Eagles guard Denzel Ubiaro joins the MVP Cast. He tells Mark Woods about his big screen stunt role as the double of Thanasis Antetokounmpo in the Disney movie ‘Rise’ – and the route that took him from random message to filming in Athens inside a few days. We talk about his globetrotting life as a kid to the collapse of his own American dream, bouncing back from injury to make it in the BBL, and why a players-only meeting can put the Eagles on the road to recovery.   Image: Eagles/Dave Moore The post MVP CAST: DENZEL UBIARO first appeared on MVP247.com - THE UK'S HOME OF BASKETB ..read more

Sheffield Hatters and Great Britain guard Georgia Gayle joins the MVP Cast. She tells Mark Woods about the passing off the torch to a new generation of homespun heroines and we discuss GB’s recent EuroBasket Women qualifiers. We explore her family tree at the Hatters from her late grandmother Betty to her parents and aunt, to her cousin now making his own waves – and the challenges confronting such WBBL clubs. And she reveals the growing-up that was needed when she went to America and then career path that might take her back. Image: FIBA The post MVP CAST: GEORGIA GAYLE first appeared on MVP ..read more

Leicester Riders and Great Britain guard Patrick Whelan joins the MVP Cast. He tells Mark Woods about the brotherly battles that have driven him to succeed, the tragedy that shaped his approach to life and the secret basketball accomplishment within his own family. On the podcast, he details the learning curve that transported him from Warrington to Spain via the USA, and now to the British Basketball League, the tough roads followed that took to become a part of GB’s rebuild – and the type of head coach the national team needs next. Image: FIBA Media The post MVP CAST: PATRICK WHELAN first a ..read more