Drayton Manor claim first UBL title
Drayton Manor High School confirmed their supremacy in the UBL by beating Acton High School in the final game 40-22. Drayton was driven by inside-outside combination of Alexi Felekis and Brooklyn McCoy who were dictating proceedings at both ends of the court. While true floor general Felekis was masterminding Drayton’s half court offence and deadly fast breaks, 6’6’’ powerhouse McCoy completely dominated both boards. Perhaps even more importantly McCoy’s inside presence had a catastrophic effect of Acton’s ability to drive to the basket. Jaheem Blake and Alan Opyiyo were able to penetrate Drayton’s perimeter defence quite easily, but were then met by McCoy whose sheer presence significantly affected their accuracy. The game was effectively finished as a competitive contest after the first half when Drayton was holding a decisive 16 points lead. The second half turned out to be an exercise in trading points with Drayton sailing to their first UBL title.
To commemorate the end of the inaugural UBL season individual awards were presented to players to recognise their performances throughout the season. The full list of individual award winners are:
L-R: S. Ali Raza, L. Campbell, B. McCoy, A Felekis, J. Blake, J. Oliva
All Star Team:
Brooklyn McCoy – Drayton Manor
Jaheen Blake – Acton High School
Shahan Ali Raza – Brentside High School
Alexi Felekis – Drayton Manor High School
Jacob Oliva – Cardinal Wiseman CofE School
Most Improved Player:
Liam Campbell – Alec Reed Academy
MVP:
Alexi Felekis – Drayton Manor High School
Emma Chambers, Director of London United was delighted when she delivered her comments “Leagues such as this should be played in every borough in London. For proper growth of basketball in this country you need well structured school competition which operates below national league level, that’s where you cultivate interest in the game and find real talent which can be further nurtured. We were slightly anxious at the beginning of the project, but the final product has surpassed our expectations and great credit must go to PE teachers and coaches working in all participating schools. After the success of this season, the second edition of UBL will grow be even stronger and include further schools across the region.”
For more information on the UBL please email gm@londonunited.eu
To find out more about the activities of Future Stars Charity please click here.
