U18 Western Premier Champions
When our Future Stars Sixth Form basketball Academy students met for the first time
last summer they could be forgiven for feeling completely overwhelmed by the task
awaiting them. As a completely new group their first competitive assignment was
participation in the Future Stars International tournament against the U18 England
National team and some of the strongest teams in Europe including powerhouses such
as Zalgiris Kaunas, Porsche Ludwigsburg and Stella Azzura Academy but they rose to
the challenge and have realised that hard work and perseverance can take them very
far.
The beginning of the domestic season was not so promising with losses in the first three
games in the U18 National League and Senior Men’s competition. However, after
defeating Birmingham Rockets the student athletes started to believe in themselves,
propelled by this newly found confidence they went on a 19-game winning streak and by
the end of January had taken the lead in the U18 National League. The academy team
finished this season as U18 National Legue Western Premier Champions with the best
record in the entire country.
Student athletes Michael Osuji and Junior Sanchez Falette have become leading
players on the junior scene terrorising opposition with ferocious defence and an
impressive array of offensive skills. Interestingly, our young sixth-formers have found
their confidence in the National League Senior Men’s Div 3 competition winning 11
games and finishing 5 th place overall.
The rapid improvement of our team was greatly accelerated by participation in the
European Youth Basketball League (EYBL). Trips to Tartu (Estonia) and Jyvaskyla
(Finland) provided the team with access to top European opposition and tactics which
paid off handsomely on the domestic scene.
After finishing the U18 regular season with the best record in the UK, the team entered
the Play Off stage. After dismantling Sheffield Elite and London Westside, our Academy
has earned a place in the prestigious Final Four tournament in Manchester. In the
semifinal, our Academy has beat current U18 Cup holders. Unfortunately, the final game
proved to be a proverbial bridge too far and we finished in 2nd place in the country.
We are extremely proud of the successes of our academy programme this season and are excited what the next season holds.
For more information about the Future Stars Sixth Form programme please contact 07951 762 821 or chairperson@futurestars.eu