Hey,

The weeks continue to fly by and it very much feels like I do not have enough hours in the day at the moment...

This week's 3-pointer:

🏆 BBL Cup Finals in Birmingham

it was a great Sunday in Birmingham for the BBL and WBBL Cup Finals - as Leicester retained the BBL Cup behind a masterful performance from Geno Crandall, while London Lions cruised on their way to the WBBL Cup, as Azania Stewart went 9/9 from the field! Outside of the games, there was a noticeable upgrade in the gameday presentation, with it being the first event to benefit from the 777 investment into the league - it looked great, and once again the league did a great job of filling the arena. Still plenty to improve but love seeing the game progress! Meanwhile, Reading Rockets are the latest club to try and join the party, after throwing their hat into the ring to get a BBL franchise.

🕸 Hoopsfix Foundation Discord

So, I finally got the Hoopsfix Foundation Discord server live this week - was originally gonna call it the Hoopsfix Action Network (as mentioned in previous newsletters) but changed mind last minute. The goal? To build a community for anyone trying to facilitate the growth of British basketball, particularly club owners & staff, event organisers, content creators & coders. It's currently pretty much me talking into a void - sharing updates on Hoopsfix stuff and learnings, along with a few different funding pots I think clubs could apply for. We have channels for discussions around: resources, funding, sponsorship, marketing, content, development, operations, events, products, and research so far. I'm still trying to work my way around the thing and work out best way of setting it up (roles, channels, rules etc), but if you want early access before a more public announcement, drop me a reply to this email outlining what you do and I can get you an invite!

💭 Blake Bowman relishing return with Derby

A nice contribution from Rahul Asnani this week, who sat down with rising star Blake Bowman. The Hoopsfix All-Star Classic alumnus did what most top prospects choose to - heading to an NCAA Division 1 programme in the US last summer, however, he was back home within a few months, taking the brave decision to put his mental health first. Have a read of what he had to say as he looks to show players there are other options outside of just going to the US.

That wraps up another drop, as always, hit reply with any thoughts, questions or anything else!

With gratitude,

Sam