We Speak International Sports

How the Leicester Riders were able to make British Basketball League history

Published

3 years ago

November 26, 2023

In game week seven of the British Basketball League, fans were able to witness recent history in the league.

The Leicester Riders overcame a gargantuan task, beating the Surrey Scorchers after seeing themselves down by as much as 23 points in the game.

In what looked like would be a routine win for the Scorchers, we delve deep into how the Riders were able to pull off this herculean task and overcome the biggest deficit and win in recent British Basketball League history.

Where the Lead Came From

The Surrey Scorchers have become one of the most in-form teams in the past few weeks of the British Basketball League.

Notching their first win of the season against the Manchester Giants in game week six of the League, the Scorchers were also able to win their game after the Riders, beating the Plymouth City Patriots.

The Scorchers started off incredibly hot in their game with the Leicester Riders, jumping off to a 28-12 lead by the end of the first quarter.Surrey’s shooting from beyond the arc has been the talk of the league.

Currently averaging the most makes and attempts from three, with 10.9 makes and 33.6 attempts per game, their shooting was once again showing to be the difference maker.

The 16-point lead by the end of the first quarter primarily came from their shooting, going 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Their defence was also fully on display, grabbing five steals and holding the Riders to 5-of-20 shooting.

Their 23-point lead came midway through the second quarter after an absurd Saiquan Jamison three-pointer, the first in his British Basketball League career, went through the basket and saw themselves up 43-20.

How They Came Back

With five minutes to go in the second quarter, it’s remarkable that the Riders were able to make it a 45-36 game by the end of it.

Their defence went into lockdown with Miryne Thomas commanding the paint, but also the likes of Kimbal Mackenzie and Conner Washington locking down the perimeter while adding crucial baskets themselves.

The veteran duo on the perimeter seemed to be the catalyst to start this comeback, but even a nine-point lead is still quite comfortable in basketball terms. It’s what came in the third quarter that was truly remarkable.

Starting the second half and third quarter, Thomas and point guard Xavier Pinson knew what they had to do.

Pinson went into overdrive, constantly attacking the paint, picking up fouls, and scoring consistently. The young guard has been in MVP conversations this season, and this performance will only further those talks.

Thomas continued his defensive ways as he showed in the second quarter, while also scoring from everywhere on the court to retrieve the lead.

Taking their first lead of the game with 6:33 left in the third quarter, Thomas hit the three that took them into the lead again.

What This Means

By the end of the third quarter, the Riders were ahead by three points and had destroyed the dreams of the Scorchers grabbing a win over them and snapping a 12-year streak without a win.

This win for the Riders could ultimately push them far this season and could be the turning point for their season.

After some questionable games against the likes of the Newcastle Eagles and Manchester Giants, the Riders looked like legitimate contenders. Their guard rotation is arguably one of the best in the league, if not the best.

Miryne Thomas is starting to show he is also one of the best big men in the league. The rookie has really started to carve out his role in recent games, picking up multiple Player of the Game awards while scoring 13.3 points and grabbing 6.4 rebounds.

The Leicester Riders could be one of the best teams in the league and one of the most likely teams to knock the London Lions off their perch at the top, but they will need to capitalise on this historic moment to continue.

We Speak International Sports

Regular Season Round 9 MVP: Lonnie Walker, Besiktas Istanbul

Published

2 days ago

October 31, 2026

We Speak Media

Lonnie Walker, number 4, in a white Besiktas Istanbul jersey dribbling the ball and pointing during the EuroLeague game at Virtus Bologna

The new arrival delivered a career night in just his second game for the club

Lonnie Walker needed just two games to make himself at home at Besiktas Istanbul. The new arrival produced a stunning performance as Besiktas came from behind to win 101-103 at Virtus Bologna in the final seconds, and his career-high PIR of 36, the best of the round, earned him MVP of the Round honors for Round 9.

Walker scored 30 points on 2-of-4 two-pointers, a red-hot 7-of-11 from three-point range and 5-of-9 free throws, adding 4 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and 8 fouls drawn. It is the second MVP of the Round award of his career, and he is the first Besiktas player to win this honor.

Lonnie Walker, number 4, in a white Besiktas Istanbul jersey standing on court during the EuroLeague game at Virtus Bologna

Theo Maledon of Real Madrid posted the next-best PIR of 35 in a 95-76 home win over Fenerbahce Tarfin Istanbul. Maledon scored 26 points on 3-of-6 two-pointers, 3-of-4 three-pointers and 11-of-12 free throws, adding 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 9 fouls drawn.

Nadir Hifi followed with a PIR of 30 as he led Paris Basketball to a 94-99 road win over Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv. Hifi had 26 points on 4-of-7 two-pointers, 3-of-4 three-pointers and 9-of-10 free throws, plus 4 assists, a steal and 11 fouls drawn.

Three players rounded out the top performers with PIRs of 29. Chima Moneke led Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to a 103-73 home rout of FC Bayern Munich with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Tyty Washington was perfect inside the arc for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, going 7-of-7 on two-pointers and 2-of-3 from deep to finish with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a 94-79 home win over Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. In the same game, Baskonia’s Kenneth Faried had 17 points, including 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, plus 8 rebounds and 10 fouls drawn.

Individual highs: Facu Campazzo, Real Madrid, 10 assists

Walker led all scorers in Round 9 with 30 points against Virtus. Hifi leads the EuroLeague at 21.2 points per game.

Dario Saric of Anadolu Efes Istanbul led all rebounders with 12 boards in an 83-68 home win over Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens. Jonas Valanciunas of Zalgiris Kaunas leads the season standings at 8.1 rebounds per game.

Facu Campazzo of Real Madrid was the only player to reach double digits in assists, handing out 10 against Fenerbahce. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade’s Carlik Jones and Zvezda’s Chris Jones are tied atop the standings at 5.9 assists per game.

Wenyen Gabriel of Besiktas made a round-high 4 steals against Virtus. Luca Vildoza of Partizan leads the league at 2.1 steals per game.

Six players blocked a round-high 2 shots: Moneke, Mo Gueye of Valencia Basket, Jaylen Hoard of Maccabi, Olivier Nkamhoua of FC Barcelona, Austin Wiley of Bayern and Azuolas Tubelis of Zalgiris. Aliou Diarra of Virtus is the EuroLeague’s top shot-blocker at 2.1 per game.

Campazzo (10 points, 10 assists) and Saric (11 points, 12 rebounds) were the only players to record double-doubles in Round 9.