Solent Stars Basketball
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Articles
This page contains a numbers of articles about or by members of the Solent Stars club.
Mick Byrne - The Start of Solent Stars
In the 1977/78 season, I was the promoter, secretary and assistant coach to the Scandinavian Homes Solent women's team that played in the National League Division 2.
The driving force behind that team was Sally Clarkson. We approached a very successful local businessman called Harry Smith, a retired Army Officer and basketball player from the Pay Corps at Worthy Down in order to secure sponsorship for her team the Shrimps. We negotiated a very good deal and were accepted into the League in 1977. The first National League team in the South or as it became that year the Solent Area.
That team was very successful only losing to Sheffield, the team that has dominated England Women's Basketball for the last decade at least. We won the Division 2 and The National Trophy and reached the last 8 of the National Cup before losing to Turnford Tigers at St Mary's Sports Hall. They had just about all of the GB and England Team at that time. The present Eurosport Basketball commentator Roy Birch was their Coach.
Harry Smith was very keen to produce a men's team for the league and he approached me with that in mind at the end of that season. He took over the running and coaching of the SHS team himself and brought in some top American Women including Eileen Dunn.
He also took over the running of the Solent Basketball Association
and this brought us into contact with the man who had run basketball
in Southampton, Jim Rumsey. Although I had played against Jim
in the Portsmouth League I had not met him much off the court.
Jim has proved to be the life and soul of The Stars ever since.
A local league team from before the start
of Solent Stars
We had two men's teams in the Area who were playing in the Southern League - as were our rivals over the years, Plymouth. The first was a Southampton based team run by Pete Sandford and included former England Under 20 players Trevor Denny and John Day (who had played for the Doncaster Panthers in the NBL) along with Ian Day, John's twin brother, and Ian Redford who all travelled up to Doncaster to play each weekend.
This team was AMH Giants and their sponsor Tony Hodgson who ran a scaffolding firm. Their bitter rivals from the East were Schroder Pirates and they were always to the fore in deciding the Southern League. Pirates included several players including Steve Fitzsimons, Alan Boniface, Dave Wilson and Steve Bowden who travelled to Guildford Pirates in the NBL. The team started in Portsmouth but moved to Guildford with their coach Brian Naysmith who was appointed Director of Sport at the University of Surrey.
The story was that players who wanted to play good class ball had to travel outside the Area or indeed the region.
So in 1980 three of us travelled to Leeds and the infamous Calomax House (the HQ in those days) for the interview. The three were Steve Fitzsimons, Chris Campbell and myself. We were given the go ahead but in those days we were required to put on an exhibition game to prove we were suitable for NBL. We were to play in the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth but the building of this prestigious project had been delayed by the steel strike and so it was decided to play the game against Brighton - who were already in Division 2 - at Waterlooville Football Club in the early summer of 1980. We recruited two Americans from Guildford for the game.
The newly-built 350 capacity hall was packed to the rafters andthe game was a huge success. We were accepted into the NBL even though we lost the game and then the hard work began. Peter Ray - who at that time was the Brighton Coach - was also on the Executive Committee, and he gave us the go ahead.
The first thing that happened was the formation of the company at a meeting at the Solent Motel where Tesco's now stands at Windover, Bursledon. The board was duly elected and included Jim Rumsey, Ken Butcher and Don House and myself as directors. Harry Smith took on the Chairman's role with me as Secretary.
Next we met at my house in Gosport with Harry to decide on the budget needed to run such a team and which players we needed. Steve Fitzsimons was appointed coach and I was given an extra role of his assistant. We decided that £30,000 was a good figure to start with and Harry started negotiating a sponsorship deal with a local firm Wadham Stringer, car dealers in Waterlooville. We were about to be called Wadham Stringer Stings when it was decided to play in Eastleigh because the Mountbatten Centre couldn't be ready at least until 1982. We just stayed at Fleming Park mainly because we were made so welcome.
Several things changed all our plans. First, Peter Sprogis, then a legend in the game and now a millionaire in sports marketing, met with Harry and Jim and the name of Jimmie Guymon came up casually in conversation. Harry was very interested in hiring Jimmie to player/coach the team and decided to travel to New Mexico in the USA to speak to him.
The meeting took place, but Jimmie - a player that had captured the imagination of the English fans during his spell at the top club in the country, Crystal Palace - decided he needed some support and brought along another Star of Crystal Palace, Mark Saiers, the huge centre. Also invited was a local real estate man and a previous coach at The Palace - Tom Wisman. To cut a long story short, Harry employed them all - Jimmie and Tom in joint coaching capacity with Jimmie and Mark forming the backbone of the team. That meant Steve Fitzsimons stepping down to assistant. My role was then limited to administration.
We were the invited to put on a GB game against Finland as part of the GB team's build up for the 1980 Olympic Qualifier. This team was coached by Norman Sloan, an American, and Vic Ambler from St Luke's College, Exeter, then the England Coach. They had been preparing in Florida and had invited plavers from US Colleges that were suitably qualified. Two players had made the final squad, one a medical student who was about the take a year out from his studies, Mike Sampson. The other was Karl Tatham. Sampson made a big impression in the game played at Fleming Park. GB lost 81-80 to Finland in front of a useful crowd of about 350 and the local TV stations. We were also treated to a civic reception by Eastleigh which started a long tradition of co-operation with the town.
Then the recruiting began, first Ken Walton and Paul Philp both in the current England and GB squads and Crystal Palace, then came big Nic Burns at 7' and 1/2" from Kingston, Fred Petty at 7'4" an Englishman who had settled in the US. Harry was very keen on Mike Sampson from the GB who was qualified for England and had starred for GB in the summer. But he settled for Team Fiat in the 1st division as he could only get one year off his studies as a doctor with the US Navy and he didn't want to play in the 2nd Division. Bob Hope who had managed the GB side and was the force behind Team Fiat then offered us another player from the GB squad - Karl Tatham. Hope thought that Karl was a dual National but it turned out that he was English and we signed him before Fiat found out and could change their mind. I don't think we ever told Hope that he could have played both players. Karl went on to play over 50 times for England and GB. We added several young English players to the team, Dave Wilson, Roger Spencer & Steve Bowden from Portsmouth, John Day from Southampton, Steve Mathias and Pete Lovatt from Andover. Off we went to try and win Division 2 and the National Cup and Trophy.
Our first game was played in Frome in Somerset against Ovaltine Hemel Hempstead, and what a game it turned out to be. We won and Saiers and Guymon were magnificent and we all joked that Saiers had ended the career of the American who was trying out for Hemel. Hemel were in the middle of a training camp - under canvas - just outside Poole. Their coach Dave Titmus went on to coach England.
Our next excursion was to Gravesend in Kent for the Qualifying Competition for the Philips, which was the big New Year's Tournament at Crystal Palace and was at that time the biggest of it's kind in Europe. North Carolina, Tennessee, Minsk from USSR, Macabi Tel Aviv, Red Star Belgrade to name but a few.
Teams queued up to compete at The Palace. Crystal Palace the hosts always raised their game at this festival and beat some great European teams.
Well we were pitched in against Kelly Girl Kingston, Team Talbot Guildford, and Ovaltine Hemel Hempstead and we beat them all, and were very pleased to be invited to Crystal Palace at The New Year. We all felt that we had arrived on the Basketball Scene.
Things did change as the season went on and we lost Fred Petty, whose American wife could not settle here, Steve Bowden who moved to Woking to work and returned to Guildford. Roger Spencer couldn't fit in a career in insurance so left the squad quite early.
Solent Stars were up and running.
The Second Division Days
We had some great games especially up north against Liverpool. This was a very tight hall and it was packed to the rafters with spectators. They had two great Americans, LeRoy Shaw and Mike Tyatt who could really play and our games against them were fantastic affairs. But Saiers and Guymon were great team players and got the best out of the English players on the Stars and soon we were beating everyone out of sight.
We worked hard at our public relations and soon had the rising sports reporter from the Echo, Bob Everett, on our side and built up a good relationship with Radio Solent, Southern TV and BBC TV South.
Our crowds built up from 150 - 200 to a regular 350 - 400 and soon we had all the paraphernalia of a top team. We had a great run in the National Cup losing to Team Fiat in the semi-final with Jimmie Guymon sustaining a very bad injury to his hip. We were unbeaten in the League by Christmas with Petty, Spender and Bowden all leaving the squad early in the campaign. In those days the rules allowed twelve players on the bench and coach Wisman was very keen on Lovett and Mathias gaining experience he felt they would need on the run in at the end of the season. This meant that they got minutes in almost every game.
At the Philips we played the Austrian champions, Kloster-Neuborg, with the legendary Larry Dassie in their team. Disaster struck and Saiers broke a finger (his index) on his right hand. He took free shots to win the game but missed then both and after the game was rushed off to hospital to have his finger pinned. He was going to be out for several weeks at a crucial time. Also injured in the game was Paul Philp who turned an ankle.
We next played Murray International Metals on New Year's morning. It was us that played badly with a replacement in for Saiers. That meant that we played at a school gym for 11/12th place against a team from Windsor, Canada. We managed to finish in 11th place. We had to find a temporary substitute for Saiers. We looked all over Europe. Eventually we brought in two players, Greg Johns and Thines Robinson (known as TJ). TJ was no problem as he came from France and arrived in the country one day before the transfer deadline. Greg was due to arrive from Belgium at Leeds/Bradford airport at 3.15 on the day of the registration deadline. I was dispatched to Leeds where the HQ of the Basketball Association was to register both players. I arrived at the airport, with a very excited 5 year old son, Alex, in tow only to find that the aircraft had been diverted to Newcastle. We rushed down to the office to register TJ and explained the situation and they allowed Johns to be registered after the deadline once we had picked him up. We then took the long drive home and did not get a word out of Johns all the way down the motorway.
The net result of all that was that they each only played a few matches. The first was against Brighton in the league and it was the only match we lost in the division, played in front of a screaming crowd at Lancing Sports Centre. The next game they played in was a Colchester later in the year when Saiers and Guymon went on ahead to rest up as we were playing Sunderland in the BIBF Cup the next day.
That season we also went to Jersey in the Modern Hotels Classic and won the trophy, beating champions Sunderland in the semi-final. Then we met Ovaltine Hemel Hempstead in the final. They had beaten Kingston in the other semi-final, although it eventually came to light that a score-keeping error meant the really Kingston had won! Trevor Pountain, an up-and-coming referee at the time was attacked and had a chair thrown at him by ex-NBA player Joe Pace, playing for Hemel. Joe had a reputation as a drinker and the only way he was finally removed from the game was by the promise of a bottle of whisky. He went on to smash up the Wembley changing room later in the season in the play-offs. Trevor went onto an illustrious refereeing career and became President of England Basketball in 2000.
We went on to win Division Two and the Trophy with two epic games against Liverpool and LeRoy Shaw and Mike Tyatt. Liverpool finished second and Brighton third and all three teams were promoted.
We went on to play in the Cork tournament and reached the final
only to be beaten by Murray Metals and their guest star, Alton
Byrd. Steve Fitzsimons coached the team for that tournament and
this was the forerunner to his taking over two years later as
head coach.
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Who Were Those Masked Men?
There was snow on the ground as the Solent Stars team made its way back from a match in the Midlands in the depths of winter in the 1985/86 season.
Spirits were high following another win, when the coach driver slowed to point out a car that had skidded off the road.
Dave Bugden, the then team manager/general administrator, insisted that the coach driver - against his will - pulled over so that we could see if help could be given.
A Citroen 2CV had fallen partly into a ditch and onto its side and its occupants, a young couple and their baby were standing alongside the vehicle in the snow. Dave Bugden quickly sized up the situation and came back into the coach to arrange a rescue party.
The faces of the young couple were a sight to see as TJ Robinson, Ron Whitehead, Bryan Skeoch, Mike Griffiths, Ken Nottage and Roy Lewis all appeared from the coach. They must have thought it was the Giants Night Out. Quickly and efficiently the group literally righted the vehicle and pulled it back onto the hard shoulder.
The young woman looked admiringly at what had happened and
those who had done it and in words similar to those used at the
end of Lone Ranger stories said, I don't know who you are, but
you certainly saved us this evening".
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Paul Philp - An Appreciation
In the summer of 1992, the Solent Stars club organised a series of testimonial events for Paul Philp to mark his twelve seasons with the club. Dinners were held at the Southampton Guildhall and the Lyndhurst Park Hotel (where England cricket captain Graham Gooch was the main speaker) and basketball game was played against the National League Champions for the season - Kingston. The following information is taken from the Testimonial Programme printed for the occasion.
Caribbean Origins
In the twenty years of the 1950s and 1960s many settlers into
Britain arrived from the New Commonwealth Countries, the majority
being black workers attracted by the then expanding job opportunities.
London Transport even operated a recruitment scheme in the West
Indies to encourage immigration.
The majority who responded to this and similar schemes gravitated
towards London and the Midlands.
Such was the background into which was born one Paul Philp on 23rd December 1952 in Montpelier, St James, Jamaica. He was the tenth child of Sidney Philp, who had qualified as a Chartered Accountant in England but who had returned to practise in Jamaica, while his wife Eva supplemented the family income as a seamstress.
Some of the Philp family first came to England in May 1961, when Paul was eight and a half, to set up a new home in Kilburn.
School
Paul joined Bronsbury Junior School, Willesden Lane, enjoying immediate success in a whole range of sports, eventually representing his school in Athletics, Boxing, Cricket and Football. He became the under ten Champion at Boxing, and later in his final year as a junior was the School Captain in Football and Cricket.
From those days Paul fondly recalls his school chum Stephen, who was the school goalkeeper and wicket-keeper. For he it was who had to try and outlast Paul's demands to parry his shots for goal or field his bowling at the stumps. Such commitment to practice paid off when Paul was called first as a triallist at Football and then was actually selected for the Willesden Schools at Cricket.
When Paul was due to transfer to Secondary School in 1964 his family left Kilburn, moving to Brixton, so he joined Tulse Hill School with its complement of 2000 boys aged twelve to eighteen.
A school of such numbers provided many sporting opportunities at all age levels, but with increased competition for places. So it was no mean achievement for Paul to be made a House Captain, and School Captain at Cricket, Rugby and Basketball. He also competed in Athletics, specialising as a javelin and Discus Thrower. It was at the latter that he enjoyed most success, twice being selected for the All England Schools Championships, gaining 5th place, and as County Champion. Paul cannot recall ever being beaten in London.
He was playing less Football at this stage having replaced it with Rugby usually as a Forward, or at No. 8.
Paul's consistent all-round and natural ability as a ball player is further illustrated by the high degree of success he enjoyed with his cricket. As he progressed through Tulse Hill he developed as a left-hand bowler and left-hand batsman into a complete all-rounder to earn the nickname of "Young Gary" (Sobers). He represented London Schools with whom he gained London Colours as their Vice-Captain and Captain on two occasions.
His performances with the bat attracted the School 's Selectors attention, so that he was invited to join a Select XI on Tour to East Africa in the Summer of 1969.
Two of his team mates in that schoolboy side have continued in a cricketing career, namely Graham Gooch and John Embury, both being full international Test players and Captains of the England XI.
On return from that Tour Paul was approached with a view to joining Warwickshire County Cricket Club, but his family had reservations about one so young leaving home or making a career as a sportsman.
However, this loss to Cricket was Basketball 's gain.
Paul's Introduction to Basketball
There had been a friend of the family when in Kilburn - or more accurately a friend of Paul's sister - Winsome - with whom Paul renewed his acquaintance on joining Tulse Hill.
He was three of four years Paul's senior and was already playing in the basketball team, and he it was who invited Paul to join him in the Gym for some extra practice. To such an invitation to a new game and to the opportunity of more sport, of course Paul required no second asking! He was there!
His Development
Within a year Paul rose quickly through the ranks and was selected
from the School side to play for England at Under 14. He was the
only boy then selected from Tulse Hill and the only black representative,
a record of
which Paul is justly proud. Not many of his black contemporaries
made a breakthrough in the late Sixties, nor indeed had many professionals
in the adult world.
Many black sportsmen have related how there was a distinct lack of interest shown in their achievements by parents and family. However, in Paul's case he at least had the support of his elder sister Pat, who accompanied him to as many school and other matches as possible, though not to Germany where he toured with the Schools' National side being noted as "a budding promising forward".
Most sportsmen acknowledge their debt to the encouragement of a tutor in their formative years and Paul is no exception. His, you will not be surprised to learn, was one of his teachers at Tulse Hill - Dennis Morgan. Dennis himself may not have appreciated the extent to which Paul respected him, not only as his mentor, but also regarded him as a father figure, for Paul's own father was still practising his accountancy back in Jamaica.
Dennis coached Paul in all his activities Athletics, Cricket and Rugby - but in Basketball Paul recalls the time Dennis returned from a Coaching Course and tossed the coaching manual to him saying "Here take this, because I can't teach you any more". So Paul studied the diagrams, strengthened his dribbling for instance and learned all he could to earn further praise from the teacher he admired.
Together they took Tulse Hill to become National Schools` Champions. In a two leg Final against Kings Norton School, Tulse Hill lost away in the first leg with a 14 point deficit. Paul well recalls the return at home played at Poplar Baths, when they retrieved this deficit to be 4 points up on aggregate. Then with only minutes to go, Paul was fouled out - and in his nail-biting frustration at being off the court he saw Kings Norton score to pull back 2 points. But Tulse Hill held on and in enormous relief and total happiness Paul collected the National Schools Shield carrying it home very proudly that night on the top of a double decker bus.
One who shared in the presentation at School next day was fellow team member Walter "Wally" Williams, who was to follow Paul into adult Basketball as a Team Manager.
On leaving school he secured employment with the Amateur Athletic Association in London as one of their Office juniors, with an with a string of unequalled and unparalleled sporting achievements from School, Paul's academic achievements had to take second place, with an opportunity to learn something of the printing trade.
It is sobering to reflect that even with a sports orientated employer like the three A's there was still some reluctance to release him for his matches, and only now with the passage of time will Paul smile as he admits to resorting to a variety of excuses to secure sufficient travelling time or match time.
Anxious to further his education Paul engaged on some '0' Level courses and requested a Day Release Course at Croydon Technical College, but again obstacles were put in his way.
So Paul moved to the International Federation of Photographic Industry, where he gained further experience in running a small printing department. This gave him the confidence to enter the London College of Printing for a three year ONC Course in Photolithographics, successfully completed in 1976.
Basketball Takes Over
'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy - but our boy wasn't called Jack. On the contrary Paul was playing as often as he could manage it. For instance, at weekends he played Basketball for Sutton on Saturday mornings, then dashed over to play Rugby with Streatham and Croydon in the afternoon.
These were the early days of the first year of the English National Basketball League - Paul's early Registration Number was 60. The Selectors were quick to earmark Paul for the England Junior Men's Squad. He was at first overlooked by England as a Senior and was denied a trial, but then he had the honour to be selected for the Great Britain side for the Montreal Olympics of 1976.
He was one of only two players to play for the Great Britain side before playing for England, but was the first black Basketball player to be so selected, some three years before Viv Anderson became the first black footballer to play for England.
Paul played firstly in Edinburgh and captained Great Britain, going on to play in the pre-Olympic Tournaments. To his enormous disappointment Great Britain failed to qualify and if that was not depressing enough, he returned after the necessary two months absence on duty to find he had been sacked. So much for representing one's country.
Career profile
Paul Philp International Basketball Player
Age and Weight - Paul now keeps these a secret!
Height 6' 1"
England Caps 35
Great Britain Caps 25
A mention in The Guiness Book of Records for the most NBL All-Time Appearances (1992)
NBL All-Time Points Scorers 7th player to score over 2,700 points
National Cup Final Appearances 12
National League Championship Medals 12
National League Appearances 385
League Record
Paul has played in the National Basketball League for the following Clubs: Sutton, Sutton and Crystal Palace, Cinzano (SCP), Milton Keynes, Kingston and Solent Stars
It was with Sutton that Paul enjoyed playing under "Wally" Williams as Team Manager, his former school friend from Tulse Hill.
Then to Cinzano came Tom Wisman as the first American Coach to come over and whom Paul still holds with the highest regard for the influence he had in furthering his Basketball career.
Paul always played in the First Division until the latter years with Solent to whom he has remained very loyal over twelve years.
Paul is already a holder of a Champions Medal from the First Division, seven times over. He gained a Second Division Medal when Solent started as a Club, and then a Fourth Division one when Solent were obliged to drop, but bounced back as Champions in that first year.
So when Solent captured the top place in the Third Division
in the 1991/92 season Paul gained a rare full set of League Championship
Medals.
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David Hedley - Memories
My introduction to Solent Stars was at the Southampton Show on the Common, before the start of the first season. I met Harry Smith who told my son and I about the team and his plans to create a successful side.
As a result of this chance meeting I went along to Fleming Park to see the Stars beat Wolverhampton by a record score, over 140 points! The player who impressed me most that Sunday afternoon was a tall American called Jim Guymon, what ever became of him? Despite the one sided victory I saw enough to tell me that Basketball was a highly skilled and exciting sport and since that time I have only missed a handful of home matches.
Initially I was a paying customer along with my, at the time, very young daughter and we both enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendliness of everyone. I remember having no idea what the rules were, who said 'no change there then'? but being a fairly logical guy I tried to work out why body contact fouls were sometimes called as Charging Fouls and at other times as Blocking Fouls. By the end of the first season I had got it worked out…….
If Solent are attacking it is a Charging Foul and If they are defending it is a Blocking Foul!
After over twenty years of involvement I know what the rules actually state but my original definition still seems to fit!!
In the following season I met Dave Owen, who was then Court Manager who conscripted me on to Court team with responsibility for all of the electronics. For many years this seemed to cause my family much amusement considering my lack of basic knowledge of things electrical and electronic. I still don't know what the difference is!
There were many exciting evenings in those years but my memory
only recalls those special TV matches. A Cup Semi Final against
Crystal Palace when the court was so packed that I watched the
match using the monitor on one of the TV cameras, there was just
nowhere else to stand that gave a better view. Then there were
the Channel Four Monday night games when the electronics had to
be set up in about 20 minutes because the special floor had to
be laid first. I well remember one member of the TV team who sat
on the bleachers all afternoon and finally about quarter to eight
as I completed the link up of the scoring system he came down
to the table and set up his small unit which allowed him to impose
the match score onto the screen in the top left hand corner. I
have always wondered just how much he got paid for that onerous
task!
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Mark Saiers - An Interview
Mark Saiers was coach to the team in the 1987 - 88 season and for part of the 1988 - 89 season. This followed a basketball playing career in England that was second to none with long spells with Crystal Palace and Solent Stars. Many people believe that Mark was the best player in the centre position to grace the 1970s and 1980s. The article that follows raises matters in Saiers' coaching time at Solent.
Who did you recruit for your first coaching post at Solent Stars?
I tried to recruit a player called Paul Scarborough from the University of New Mexico. However, he wanted to try out for the NBA. I thought at the time he might have difficulty in that. He was only 5' 11" tall and I couldn't somehow see him guarding Magic Johnson very well! With Paul unavailable, I went for two other University of New Mexico players that I had seen - Phil Smith and Johnny Brown. In fact it was Johnny Brown who I went for first as he was a complete athlete, and it was Brown who recommended Phil Smith.
So you must have been disappointed when Brown left the team after the Calderdale match in which he was disqualified?
Several things upset me about that situation. First of all, Johnny never spoke to me about any of his concerns, He certainly never spoke to me after the Calderdale game. I only became aware of the situation through comments made from the family of his girlfriend. His banker's card was still being used for some time after the event, so I thought that one day he might materialise again - but he never did.
You then had to play yourself for a few games.
This was something I had not anticipated. I played against Oldham and then it took one hour of physiotherapy after the game to relieve a back spasm! My final game was against Crystal Palace, which was quite ironic considering my basketball career in England had been with both those clubs.
You then brought in Abraham Okoradudu.
Phil Smith supported Okoradudu's signing saying that 'he had a great body for basketball'. However, as time showed he was always just a bit off the pace. He was just like a car that would suddenly slip into neutral gear. Also, his hand injury did limit his effectiveness. He did have one good game for us though, against Kingston, which showed what he might have been able to bring to the club.
You finished with a 14 - 14 record for the league season. What were your main thoughts?
Mainly that we were never able to defend well, especially on
the defensive rebounds. We gave our opponents too many shooting
opportunities by being able to get the ball off the board. I was
encouraged by our good wins during the season, but I knew that
we only had a limited pick of players. This was because our nearest
clubs, Kingston, Bracknell and Portsmouth all had more money than
we did to spend on players.
Your main signing over the summer was Tyrone
Canino.
It wasn't quite like that! At the end of the previous season no firm plans were announced. I did not know if I would still be the coach. The club directors did all the negotiating with the existing squad - some of whom I would not have re-signed. Then they came to me with the notion of finding an American player to join Phil Smith. Jim Kelly recommended Canino to me but in the ensuing negotiations between the club and the agent, there was confusion about the amount of money to be involved. The agent informed the player of the amount he would be getting in pounds, but he used the figure he had been given in dollars. Hence the player was upset when he found out the true situation and we had a problem on our hands from day one.
Were there any other problems?
The main one was that we had no pre-season training at all. By the time the directors had assembled the squad, approached me and done the deal with Canino, the opening games were almost upon us. We were plagued by injuries early on in the season to both Phil Smith and Canino. On top of that, our top English signing, Paul Stimpson, decided that he could not attend weeknight training sessions since he had to commute from London.
Your coaching career ended suddenly in mid-season.
Once again, it was ironic that my last game in charge was against
Crystal Palace at Fleming Park. It was quite a dramatic match
with two disqualifications, but I guess there must have been an
element of frustration all around. I was told after the match
that my services were no longer required because, in part, there
was a financial crisis that could be partly alleviated by appointing
a player coach - Phil Smith. One thing I know - it's a lot more
fun playing than it is coaching!!
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Tom Wisman - Coach's Comments
Comments by the first ever Solent Stars coach, Tom Wisman at the end of the first season
"As part of our drive to promote the best of basketball
in the Solent area, the Stars have arranged this challenge match
against the England National team to assist them in their warm-up
programme for the forthcoming European Basketball Qualifying
Championships. We are delighted to act as hosts to the England
team and provide them with one of the competitive matches that
they will need to prepare for the important challenge.
As coach to the Stars this season I am proud of our playing record and achievements. We are Division Two champions, winners of the Modern Hotel Classic, in Jersey, and the Philips International Club Championship Qualifying tournament at Gillingham. (It obviously slipped Tom's mind that only four days earlier, Solent had also won the National Trophy by beating Liverpool at Liverpool!)
In an extraordinary short time I believe we have established ourselves as one of the leading clubs in the country. It is my intention to strengthen the squad for next season so as to maintain our winning ways and also to further promote the club in a way that will ensure the continued development of basketball at all levels in the Solent area.
Finally I cannot overstate the vital contribution that our
increasing number of supporters make to the success of the team.
A combination of winning basketball on court and an enthusiastic
following off it will carry us to the top.
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Mick Byrne - The Drop to Division
4
Here, Mick Byrne recounts how a decision taken in February managed to keep the club on the national scene in the next season which began in September 1990.
"Luckily I had entered a second team in the 4th Division, a regional League. We had our first game on the side court at Fleming Park and played what is now the Swindon Division 2 team. We won by about a hundred to 30 and set the scene for the new season. We had Nic Burns and Paul Philp playing on a non-regular basis and Roy Lewis coming along for home games. We lost to Oxford away and didn't lose another game. Even in that game we came back from a huge deficit at half time to lose by 1 or 2 points - with Paul Philp scoring one of our set plays from a move from our end line with seconds to go.
The season progressed and Martin Dowdall, Mark Scott and Alex Byrne all qualified as Level 2 coaches at a course I ran in Whitney in Oxfordshire.
We kept our National Cup spot and the first game was against Chiltern, from Division 2, at Fleming Park. We decided to hire the whole court, thanks to a sponsorship from Tonrin, and we beat them by 40 plus points, in front of over 400. We had survived a serious club and marched on.
Next we played the mighty Carlsberg League Leicester Riders and we gave them a big shock. They took off their best players after building up a biggish lead and we staged a big fight back and closed the game to 7 points. They brought the big boys back on and they couldn't find their rhythm. We ran them ragged and just lost, we enjoyed ourselves it was great fun.
We progressed through to the Division 4 Playoffs and went to Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire beating all the other Division 4 winners and finding our way back into the National League the new Division 3.
The team that won that tournament include Paul Philp, Roy Lewis, Nic Burns, Martin Dowdall, Jason Colgan, Paul Philp Joe Morant and Rob Bonnick, who we discovered playing for the Institute.
We went to take the Founders Cup winning a two-legged final with Liverpool. I can remember trying to keep the score close for the second leg at home. But Lewis insisted that we did the job in Liverpool and we took a 24-point lead to Fleming Park. 750 turned up to watch us it was heady stuff for the local youngsters. We had a tremendous team spirit,
I still have a picture of me holding all 3 trophies. I felt really good that day.
It was during this time that a promising young player called Mark Jackson made his debut for the club and that was what we were all about.
Over the years it is gratifying to think that the club has
survived because the local youngsters who have been the backbone
of the club."
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Jim Kelly - Memories
A VOICE FROM THE PAST
Toronto, Sept.8, 2001
Hello Solent Stars Fans, X-Players, Coaches, and Team Administrators,
I had a message from our "do everything guy" at the club Jim Rumsey asking me to do a little update as well as a look back at my days in Eastleigh with the Stars. I can't say that I'm much at writing these little stories, but I'm going to give it my best shot.
Well since my days in England, I have bounced around a bit on the global basketball circuit. I had seven years in Germany, followed by three in the Philippines before settling in with my present team the Toronto Raptors where I begin my eighth season. In my travels with the Raptors, I haven't had much of an opportunity to touch base back in England, but I do get to some of the cities where I thought we had some memorable game in our European competitions.
While passing through Croatia and visiting Zagreb, I can never forget how we travelled for almost two days via bus, planes, trains, cars and taxis, before we arrived and then still had enough gas in our tank to come away with an amazing victory over Cibona. I still see some of the players from Milan, Italy who have now turned into coaches or general mangers and the conversation usually gets around to our victory there in the Euro Cup. In all the games that I have watched there, I don't think that I have yet seen a team come into Italy and play a first half like we did and walk out with the victory.
Probably not so memorable was the bus ride back to the hotel that night as the Milan supporters rained garbage, rocks, and whatever on us as they wished us a "safe journey home??!!" I do remember clearly when we arrived back in Eastleigh and the local paper had the headline "Solent Coach Stoned". I only hope they were referring to the bus and not the basketball coach! I still can fondly recall these games clearly as these two victories are as good as it gets on any level of basketball that I have been involved with.
As for those long journeys through the night all over England to come to small locker rooms but big crowds to pull against us, I think it was calming influence of Paul Philp snoring away in the back seat no matter if it was a thirty minute or a three hour drive, I mean that man could sleep anywhere! As always our ever ready assistant Steve Fitz always had things organized and scouted out where ever we went, right down to the fish and chipper on the motorway back home which made things so much easier.
After a great early season run fuelled by some big scoring games from Roy Lewis, we came up to the first big pressure game of the year, the Asda Cup at the Royal Albert Hall where I thought they only had concerts. Our veteran leader Mark Saiers came up with his best game of the year to get us through that one as I believe Mark was the hands down MVP that night. From then on I knew that we had something special going with the Stars and I was just hoping that I didn't screw it up. Big game performances from John Johnson and TJ Robinson became regular occurrences after that as we rolled onto successive Championships in England. About the only thing that was unpredictable after that was which story Tony Watson was going to use to miss a practice or clinic responsibility that we had to do. I mean Tony had such great lines as to why he couldn't be somewhere, that I find myself using some of the same excuses today whenever I find myself in a time crunch problem.
I can recall us getting a lift from the late season play of Karl Tatham and Mike Griffiths that got us over the hump in the Wembley Playoffs. I just wasn't prepared for Steve Fitz's wife Cecila's "mild" curry that we had the day after the championships as we celebrated and I still think that was probably the last time I've dined on Indian cuisine.
All in all in was a pretty good run for us that year and I find myself going down memory lane many a night when I stuck in a car facing a long drive back to where ever. Although I haven't had the chance to get back to Eastleigh for some years now, I still hear that we play at Fleming Park Leisure Centre and I hope one day to get back there to see the Stars in action again.
All the best, Jim Kelly
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Ken Walton - An Interview
(Excerpts from an interview in January 1981)
It seems strange to talk of a player being rejuvenated at the age of 32, but Ken admits that a telephone call at the back end of last season breathed new life into a career that looked set for the last lap.
The 1979/80 season had not been one of the best for Ken. His long term association with Crystal Palace was coming to a close; Dan Lloyd had taken over the champions' captaincy and Norm Sloan had cut him cruelly from the Great Britain squad in Florida.
The telephone call was from Tom Wisman, commodore of the good ship Solent sailing into view just at the right moment. This proved to be the start of Ken' captaincy of Solent that took them to Jersey to beat three first division sides and later to take the Division Two Championship.
Ken looked a man reborn even after spending 13 years already at the top of his game. He had started comparatively late in his sporting life. After the school rituals of soccer and rugby the lecturer at Stretford Tech persuaded him to have a go at basketball. "I never played soccer or rugby again," says Ken. "The involvement in basketball got me from the start and with Stretford in the British League there was a chance to travel. The social side was good too."
It was in 1972 that Ken began his association with Sutton and Crystal Palace. "There were no Americans but even then we had our sights on winning everything. Tom Wisman arrived in 1973 along with Jimmy Guymon and they initially overwhelmed us with their skills. They certainly got us moving in a professional way and, of course, started other clubs thinking American."
Later Ken took a year off to go to the States to watch basketball and then moved to Manchester in 1977. After a year he returned to again captain Crystal Palace for the 1978/79 season when they won the play-offs.
He was called up by the martinet Norm Sloan for the Great Britain camp in Florida, made to shave off his 13 year-old moustache and still called by his number only after one week. Sloan eventually cut three players in the second week and Ken, unsurprisingly, was one of them.
Ken returned to that telephone call and the successful events
that followed. Of Norman Sloan little more was heard!
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In Memorium - The Fast Break
As the season progressed, and with only one win from six league games at the start of the 1994/95 season, so frustration built up. Here, in the programme notes an anonymous contributor to the November 26th match against Stockton Mohawks puts a point of view.
"IN MEMORIUM - THE FAST BREAK
DEFINITION: The quick downcourt movement by a team in offense, usually following a missed shot by the other team. The intent is to get down the floor before the defending team can set up, thereby giving the offense an easy shot at the basket. ~ (Sam Goldaper and Arthur Pincus "How to Talk Basketball")
Those of us that have watched basketball here over the years are, if you are of the same opinion, regretting the loss of the fast break feature from our game. True, Richard Cutler did lob the ball from one end of the court to the other in one match. But, the mere fact that it stands out in the memory only adds to the notion that we don't see many end-to-end exchanges.
When Plymouth used 28 seconds on their first offense last week we had some idea of their game plan. You will never see Brixton play like that - you only have to see that they scored 160 points in last week's match to know that they were playing their usual run and gun game.
What you need for a fast break is a defensive rebound (well done, Richard) and a quick outlet pass to a team mate heading downcourt. Fitness, speed and frequent substitutions also help - come and watch Brixton later in the season.
Paul Philp, Karl Tatham, Dan Callandrillo were usually fast
away when Mark Saiers or T J Robinson pulled the ball off the
board. You never saw Roy Lewis posing around on the edge of the
key while the crowd watched the paint dry as the ball was brought
up court. Still, it is up to the coach and players to decide their
best tactics using our current strengths and obviously the fast
break has been ruled out - or has it?"
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Mark Hannen - Memories
Until he moved on to work for Newcastle United football club, Mark Hannen was for 17 years the competitions secretary of the National Basketball League. He willingly responded to an invitation to comment on his thoughts about Solent Stars.
Mark writes:
My introduction to the Stars was almost an instant one, for when Ijoined the English Basketball Association back in December 1983 I was thrust into assisting in the organisation of the National Cup Final at the Royal Albert Hall (sponsored by Asda). It was an eye opening start for me and even though the game itself was rather one sided, the Stars living up to their name by sweeping Leicester to one side, it was a super occasion in a terrific venue. The game was played on a specially fitted carpet court - the only problem being having to drag it out of the hall afterwards - it weighed a ton!
I remember also Solent being one of the very first teams to play a match on the new EBBA wooden floor, in a televised Cup encounter at Warrington. My memory leads me to think they lost that game to a Colin Irish inspired home team and John Johnson was particularly upset at the defeat. That could have been the game when Irish scored under the hoop but had stepped off the court to do so, a move missed by referee Colin Gerrard but captured by the Channel 4 cameras.
Solent were of course one of the leading lights at that time, but things were sadly to change, and when the financial position worsened, the Stars had to swallow their pride and compete in the Southern League, which at that time was effectively Division Four in the National Competitions structure. But all credit to them and in particular the back room team who stayed behind the team - especially people like Jim Rumsey (Mr. Solent).
Quite how many different ownership names the Stars re-appeared as during those years of struggling I couldn't say, I think it depended on the year, e.g. Solent Stars 1988, but the bottom line was that it was imperative that the club survived.
In the early 1990s teams would come and go with an alarming
regularity but it was all credit to Solent that they survived
and wanted to carry on if nothing else for the loyal band of supporters
who regularly cheered on their heroes at Eastleigh Leisure Centre.
They rose again, and successive promotions took them back to the
top of the National League pyramid. Where will they be in five
years time, who knows? Indeed where will basketball be in five
years time!
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Bob Everett - Memories
It's funny how picking up a phone can change your working life sometimes. If I hadn't picked up the phone in the Southern Evening Echo Sports Department early in 1980, someone else would probably have been the paper's first Solent Stars basketball reporter - and I would have missed out.
Picking up the phone led to three years of helter skelter, often crazy, work for me. Almost always fun too. The phone call was from a man called Harry Smith. He told me he was creating a team which was the future of basketball, oh, and buying the old Pirelli club in Southampton to turn it into a Health Club - which he saw as a sort of base for the team.
He sounded a bit nutty to me, but others in the room knew him as a wealthy enthusiast, so what the hell, I went along to a game. I was hooked instantly. The atmosphere at Fleming Park, even at that early stage, was pretty charged - the coach, Tom Wisman, had a touch of class (I still have some basketball books that he let me borrow to help learn the game - sorry Tom!), and so did the players. Jimmie Guymon, Mark Saiers, Karl Tatham, Ken Walton and Paul Philp wasn't a bad starting five for a Division 2 side!
I realised how good when they came within three points of beating Team Fiat, then the top team in the country, in the cup.
Promotion was a certainty, and cigar-smoking, Rolls Royce driving Harry Smith was good copy in the unlikely event that the team flagged.
It was also clear that Harry was putting his money where his mouth was - players like these cost money. Marvellous Marvin Johnson, (perhaps the best shooter English basketball has ever accommodated?) probably cost even more the following season as Solent won the Cup and went so, so close to winning the league and bombed in the play-offs. (Marvin departed for the Philippines).
One player, who shall remain nameless, told me that the team spent enough of Harry's money on petrol for their team cars in the first six months to fly a rocket to the moon, and Saturday night at the Solent Health Club was generally party time after a home game.
The game may not have been football, but it had pizzazz, it had live Channel Four coverage (how did the safety regulations at Fleming Park cope with all those people at those Monday night televised games?), and it was FUN!
Other highlights for me: being mistaken for Steve Fitzsimons by a national newspaper when I had a barny with Harry Smith after a game at Warrington (headline read something like "Coach and Chairman in bust up"). European nights, when Jim Kelly took over the reins, and Stars went so close to conquering Europe. Winning everything in '83. The characters - crazy Ken Pemberton, TJ Robinson, always worth a quote. The remarkable consistency of Mark Saiers on court (has there been a better centre in British basketball?)
Biggest disappointments: Not making the trip to Milan for a European semi-final first leg when Solent Stars destroyed the best team in Europe at the time (and had their bus stoned on the way out of the place!). And watching as the money ran out, and the steam ran out of the team.
Proudest moments: Writing Karl Tatham's Player of the Year tribute for the Wembley programme (1981?). Watching Tatham cut the net at the Royal Albert Hall after joining BBC Radio Solent as Sports Producer and commentating on yet another Solent Cup final triumph at the Albert Hall.
Thanks for the memories!
Bob Everett, TV producer, BBC South
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Mike Griffiths - Memories
Griffiths joined Solent Stars in August 1983 having graduated from Lancaster University while playing 3 seasons for Warrington, Blackpool & Birchwood.
Memories:
Recruited by Harry Smith with a meeting at the PentaHotel in Knightsbridge.
New coach Jim Kelly with Steve Fitzsimons asst. Professional approach. Strong team - esp Tony Watson who I'd met at World Student Games that summer. Karl Tatham, TJ Robinson, Mark Saiers, John Johnson, Paul Philp. ... Strong team with well coached offense which centred on combination of John Johnson and inside threats.
Won all that season I think. Lost in early stages of European competition leading ID financial difficulties.
Nautilus fitness equipment at Solent Health Club. Strong team - Jacuzzi after practices.
Following season: Brian Skeoch and Dan Callandrillo.
Brian Skeoch - the man who broke the alt pull down bar at Solent Health Club. Legendary strength and drinking capacity.
John Johnson - outstanding offence.
Game at the time seemed to be growing with weekly Channel 4 TV and increasing sponsorship money available.
Loss of Bob Sperring as sponsor and over commitment financially led to team's "collapse".
Dan Callandrillo - stopped shaving once the money troubles began. He seemed more affected than others by circumstances.
New organisation helped with limited cash from locally based directors including Malcolm Le Bas and Richard Tear.
OK initially but limited funds and lack of strong full-time coach meant that club declined.
Left to play for Kingston in 1985/86.
Played at occasional intervals in following years.
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Jim Rumsey - 15 Minutes of Fame
Solent Stars had reached the ASDA Final, which was to be played in the Royal Albert Hall. The venue and the occasion had caught the public's attention thanks to the ongoing Channel 4 weekly screening of matches. Whilst Channel 4 was in its infancy, any approach by mainstream ITV was not to be ignored.
So it was that when Solent were approached to provide a piece for the breakfast time show we made arrangements for it to happen. The downside was that it had to be recorded early in the morning. Now basketball players are not renowned early risers. To get four of them, changed and ready to play by 8.45am, was always going to be a challenge.
Our opponents, Planters Leicester, would be watching to see if anything would be given away regarding our players, injuries, tactics etc. At the appointed time, despite threats, cajoling and bribery only three of the team plus Jim Kelly, the coach, were present. The ITV crew was adamant that while Jim Kelly was being interviewed there should be some basketball action in the background
I had made the venue available to the club and was standing by to watch the interview take place. Without a moment's hesitation - and in the persuasive way large basketball players have - I was sent to 'suit-up'. As Jim Kelly's interview progressed, we played out a two-on-two game (first to ten) Mark Saiers and myself v John Johnson and Mike Griffiths. Now, for the others this was yet another in the countless practice games. For me, however, it was a chance to prove that despite being a few (!) years older than the others my day had not yet gone. Mark and I won the game.
I often wonder whether Leicester - after seeing the interview - adopted their tactics to take account of this unknown free scoring 'older' player they had seen on TV that morning.
My identity remained a mystery since everyone else was interviewed
but me …………… but, then, I had no breath
left to speak anyway!
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Steve Fitzsimons - Memories
Some time ago an article appeared in a local newspaper that reviewed Solent's past history. My name was never mentioned! In fact I was involved with the club longer than any other individual and played a pivotal role in not only keeping the club alive but also in its huge success between 1980 and 1989.
1980-1984
I had been playing National League at Guildford in the '78 - '79 season and was asked to consider coaching with a new team in Southampton. I met Harry Smith for the first time and it soon became apparent that bigger things were planned than had first been suggested. It was also obvious that I had not got the experience necessary to coach the sort of team Harry was planning and after one of the early practice sessions he asked me how I would feel about working with Tom Wisman as his assistant. At this time Tom was the most gifted, successful and notorious coach ever to work in this country. It was too good an opportunity to miss! I was a relative unknown to the likes of Saiers, Wisman, Walton and Guymon.
It wasn't so much a steep learning curve as a mountaineering course- the way the 'Wis' used psychology with his players and the Officials - he was a master of the coach technical; the way Harry dealt with the delicate politics of local league support for the venture; the enormous ego's of the players, (they were the best in the country and possibly amongst the best in Europe, after all) I learnt an awful lot in a very short space of time. As that first season came to a close, I was beginning to feel that I was making a contribution and that the players were appreciating my efforts.
The Wis was always in trouble with the authorities and one such an occasion gave me the opportunity to coach my first game. I got my instructions from Tom, but there was some disagreement about tactics. Dare I follow my own line? Wisman retired to the balcony like some great vulture, watching my every move. Ten minutes into the game things were not going well and so I gambled, possibly my whole coaching career, (at least as Tom's assistant), and changed strategy. We won comfortably but the Wis said nothing, nothing at all!
I remember one radio interview during this time with Mike Smith. He asked me what I hoped to gain from working with such a team. "His job" I replied pointing at Wisman doing the TV interview. Within 3 months Harry offered me Tom's job as he departed the club in typical controversial style.
My first season as Head Coach was full of incident with the team beginning to show a trade mark that became associated with my Coaching throughout my National league career - this was simply not playing in the first half (and then coming back to win in the second). We did this so many times it began to wear everyone's nerves down, including Harry's. Another memory - The game was at Hemel Hempstead and was being televised on Channel 4. We were leaving it late again - this time VERY late. Harry came down to the bench, reached over and put his hand on my microphone and asked "is this on Steve?" - "Yes Harry" I replied. So he continued to voice his opinion about some of the players performances with his hand firmly grasping the mic attached to my shirt, so that we were the only ones to share these views. Harry's language was colourful and he asked me to mention the words "plane tickets" in my next time out. I didn't, but the players knew the Owner was not happy and produced the Performance necessary to win, yet again!
After the game the press and TV only wanted to ask me one thing - how could I allow Harry Smith to grab me by the lapel - half throttle me - and still look so happy about it? I tried to explain what really happened, but to this day I don't think they believed me. Harry and I never had a cross word and I shall remain eternally grateful to him for having confidence in my ability and giving me a chance to coach at the highest level.
Of course the highlight of my first season was coaching the team and winning the National Cup Final at Leicester against Birmingham. It all came down to the last three minutes. First, I chose what I, and I'm sure the Wis, thought was the right time to put pressure on the Officials after a couple of crucial calls had gone against us - and got a "T" for my troubles. Some people thought this had given the game to Birmingham as they sunk the free throws. However, as all who were there know, this was then followed by a decision that went our way - the infamous Mark Saiers shot and free throws. This put us three points clear and won us the game. Exactly the outcome predicted by my mentor, Tom Wisman.
At the end of that season Harry once again asked me to step down to assist Jim Kelly - my coach education was about to receive another huge boost.
The main difference between the Coaching styles of Wisman and Kelly can be summed up simply as follows; if something was not working well, Tom's response would be "we'll damn-well make it work, or else!" Kelly's reply would be - "OK guys, that's not working, try this!" Two entirely different approaches that both brought rewards.
One major lesson I learned from Jim Kelly was to never underestimate how much your players can learn and remember. In his first season we used something like 20+ different offences and 33 different combinations of defence.
Jim remains a great friend of my family and I, living with us for a number of months. Two more memories;
Each morning I left for work at my college, Jim would be preparing for his physical workout - a run followed by some exercises on the back lawn. My wife became most embarrassed when the new neighbours said how impressed they were with her husband's fitness regime!
To and from practice Jim and I drove past a sweetcorn field. One day we stopped and Jim bought some 40 corns, which he presented to my wife. Celi cooked 6 with the evening meal - but when Jim went into the kitchen he exclaimed "Aren't you guys having any?"
Apparently Jim would go to 'Corn parties in the States where
eating 6 each was commonplace!
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EBBA Coaching Video
Yet another claim to fame for Solent Stars at the beginning of this part of the history was its involvement in filming a training video for the English Basketball Association. Not only did the club provide a player for the individual skills, but many of the Solent personnel helped in other capacities as can be seen when the credits run at the end of the video. The following article, taken from Basketball Monthly, describes some of the process.
"After several planning meetings and many faxes several groups of people came together on a February weekend at HMS Dryad, Portsmouth, to make a video which ultimately will complement the EBBA Curriculum Guide.
Top (left to right): Jim Rumsey, Brian Coleman,
Jon Rumsey
In red sweatshirt: Trevor Pountain
Jon Rumsey (Solent Stars, England U15 & U17) had been selected to perform some of the individual skills. Years of coaching by experienced Solent Stars coaches had moved Jon on from the basic skills. There thus ensued several discussions ("if I shoot like that, I can say goodbye to my nose, when a defender swats the ball into it") between player and coach, in the form of Technical Director, Brian Coleman. Brian, working from his coaching manual did a quick, what he considered, re-educating job on Jon.
One new skill Jon acquired was to make sure the name of the ball appeared in view at the beginning of each take, to satisfy sponsorship requirements. This ability did not transfer, sadly, to the off-camera feeder (his father) and so several retakes were necessary on some moves.
The second session of the day involved the England Under-17 Girls team who demonstrated a series of individual and team skills.
On the following day, Brian was joined by the EBBA Vice President
(Coaching), Peter Ray. They oversaw the sessions in which Paul
Christensen's Gloster Jets demonstrated pair and team skills,
finishing with a game.
Brian Coleman (Director of Coaching)
One feature that was in evidence during this session was the
number of retakes needed. Perfectly executed moves would finish
with a missed shot, a player would, 'travel' in the middle of
a fast-break, a final pass would be dropped etc. The fast-break
drill needed fifty re-takes! Filming director Trevor Pountain,
the Solent based FIBA referee, required considerable patience."
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Graham Hiley - Daily Echo Reporter
Graham Hiley was the local sports reporter for the Daily Echo assigned to basketball coverage in the mid to late 1980s. He had succeeded Bob Everett and was the writer of the article that announced "Stars of the court go out" as the Solent Stars club exited from the Carlsberg League at the end of the 1989/90 season after just ten years in existence.
Although over the years he has been only too pleased to acknowledge that the notice of demise was premature - indeed Graham is a spectator still at some of our home games - at the time, things did look bleak. Having reported on the club for a time, he had views as to how the present situation had come about.
"The rot began to set in for the Stars at the start of the 1984-85 season after signing Driller Killer Dan Callandrillo from Bracknell as a panic replacement for Karl Tatham. But with Saiers and TJ Robinson also in the side, Solent now had three Americans. Only two could ever play in one match which meant an extra set of very expensive wages.
The transfer generated enormous excitement among the fans. Solent beat Warrington 91 - 80 at Fleming park to claim the first British Championship. Then in December 1984 came the shock announcement that Solent would fold in a fortnight unless a major sponsor would step in with a rescue bid. While most of the players rallied to the cause and paid their own way to games, superstars Johnson and Callandrillo walked out saying, 'no pay, no play'.
A business consortium fronted by TJ Robinson outbid Portsmouth FC chairman, John Deacon, to save the club at the 11th hour - but things were never the same again. From then on it was more goodwill than hard cash that kept them going. Coach Jim Kelly left for German side Leverkusen and Steve Fitzsimons again took over once more.
Ironically his first game was at home to Telford who had that week been bought by John Deacon who moved the club to Portsmouth. With just six players sticking by the club, Kelly had predicted that the Stars would not win a game all season. In fact, the famous Stars spirit took them within a whisker of Wembley but their flu-hit side was beaten by Worthing in the Play-Off Quarter Finals.
Solent survived to start the 1985-86 season on a shoestring budget but the players continued to give their all and were rewarded with a gritty run to the Prudential Cup Final. Although they were thrashed by Kingston at the Royal Albert Hall (113 - 82) Solent had done enough to prove that they were still a force to be reckoned with.
Although money was again still in short supply, Paul Philp was installed as a player coach for the 1986 - 87 season, which it seemed that Solent might not see. Then Draper Tools came up with a deal to keep the club afloat but all they could ever hope for was to keep their heads above water even though they harboured faint hopes of making the play-offs.
And that was to be the pattern from then on as directors spent hundreds of hours of their own time desperately seeking sponsors from one season to the next. The Glory Days had gone: it was just a case of survival.
Coach Mark Saiers' knowledge of the college game in America enabled Solent to pick up the talented duo of Phil Smith and Johnny Brown on the cheap and they were able to carry the team until Brown suddenly returned home. Despite pain of a knee injury, Saiers came out of retirement and played his heart out to help the club to the quarter finals of the play offs where they lost to champions Portsmouth. His reward was the sack two months into the new season as the result of another cost-cutting exercise despite sponsorship from A&B Homes. Phil Smith took over but it was always then a question of whether Solent could scrape into the play-offs. Inevitably, they just missed out.
As usual there was a pre-season plea for cash and an anonymous
backer carried them through their next season. But this season
there was to be no last-minute reprieve. Maybe the people had
heard it all before and thought that the club was crying wolf
again. This time it was for real. There was no more money available
so the only alternative was to drop down to the regional league
- a long way from the heights they once reached."
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Paul Coates - Memories
Paul Coates epitomises the many fans that have followed basketball in the last two decades. Here he writes of his experiences with the local teams.
"There have been three constant threads running through my 20 years as a basketball fan - Solent Stars, Colin Irish and Alan Cunningham.
So when the two legends ended their competitive careers at Wembley wearing Solent vests it wove them together perfectly. Panji Grainger's knee injury ended their hopes of going out in a blaze of glory so it was great that we were able to give them a proper send-off in their farewell matches at Solent and Portsmouth.
For although Solent was the first club I ever supported - on Channel 4 as a 13-year-old in 1982 - the fact that I live in Portsmouth meant Alan and Colin were the stars of the first one I saw play live. And as Solent's fortunes waxed and waned I tended to alternate spells of watching them with others of watching the dynamic duo, first at Portsmouth and then Worthing.
But them all coming together successfully for three years meant Fleming Park became the place to be again - as it was during those early television years of Mark Saiers, Karl Tatham, TJ Robinson, the cliff-hanging cup final win over Birmingham and the trophy treble in 1984.
I kept my affection for Solent during Portsmouth's three-year existence - so when Portsmouth edged them out 84-81 at the Mountbatten Centre in December 1987 I was relieved title-chasing Pompey won but disappointed that Solent just missed a major upset.
By then I was attending Fleming Park regularly too and finally saw Solent win with Phil Smith's famous step-back three-pointer on the buzzer against Leicester after the clock ran backwards.
After Solent left the top flight I didn't return until 1992 when Jason Colgan's team won Division 3 at Wembley. Division 2 began okay but as Solent struggled our travelling clan followed Cunningham and Irish to Worthing. I thought Solent needed a miracle after winless relegation in 1997 - and it happened.
I knew AC had gone to Solent but was amazed to see Colin there to complete the double act again! The first campaign was exhibition stuff as they were several classes above their rivals - great entertainment that gave us the title and playoff victory in Manchester. But I rate winning the league in 1998-99 as Solent's greatest achievement since '84.
When Swoop and Colin's Worthing veterans completed a Wembley hat-trick in 1995 we said: "They're not old, they're experienced!"; a motto illustrated in the pandemonium of Plymouth at home - working a play at the end of a fantastic game and battling to score the crucial bucket off a third rebound!
Circumstances worked against them in the following year but there were great nights to prove that with everything equal they were still the best at that level - the third quarter blitz and fourth quarter keep-ball to stun Derby, and the shut-out of Worthing in the closing minutes of the playoff semi-final.
To Alan and Colin - thanks for making Solent winners again,
and thanks for giving us 15 years of great south coast basketball
that will be impossible to follow."
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Press Headlines (1992/93)
It was not all sweetness and light in the 1992/93 season as we were reminded by the local press on occasion……..
(Key: N - The News, S - The Echo, E - Eastleigh Weekly News)
Solent Strike Victory (N) New Boys Solent Make Bright Start (S) Solent Make Happy Return to Second Flight (E) v LEWISHAM Sept 19th
The heat is on unsung hero (S) Barfoot back in business (N) Solent win thriller in dying seconds (E) v CARDIFF Oct 3rd
Heavy home defeat for Solent Stars (E) Shattered Stars to see video nasty of thrashing (N) v WARE Nov 21st
So near and yet so far for brave Solent (N) 'I quit' coach has a change of heart (S) Solent so close in amazing finale (E) v DONCASTER Dec 5th
Stars slip into danger zone (E) Six defeats in a row for falling Stars (S) v PLYMOUTH Jan 16th
Sad Solent struck by Lightning (S) Byrne blasts sorry Stars (N) Crushing blow as Solent lose to the bottom team (E) v LEWISHAM Jan 23rd
Stars delight the faithful (S) Fans stay loyal as Solent halt slide (E) Generals fall to old guard v BARNSLEY Jan 30th
Solent slump to heaviest defeat (E) Brixton jinx haunts Stars (N) Falling Stars (S) v BRIXTON Feb 21st
Depleted Stars slump again (S) Luckless Solent crushed by runaway Division 2 leaders (E) v DONCASTER Mar 14th
and now for the good news............
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Bob Beggs - Memories
Anyone arriving at a home Solent Stars match over the last two decades would have had to run the gauntlet of one of Solent's most avid followers. Bob Beggs has been a wonderful friend to the club as a fundraiser, raffle ticket seller and Father Christmas role player at our last home game each December. His advice to visiting referees has also been a feature, delivered as it is from behind the Supporters Table and with true Liverpudlian humour and insight.
Bob has written the following:
"I first went to see the Stars at the start of the 1983/84 season when my son asked me to take him to a basketball match. We went and I was hooked. That season we won the league, I think, by Christmas. The Stars must have been the best team in the British Isles and better than some abroad.
One thing that made me feel that basketball was special was how close the players and fans were. That year Stars were up at Warrington , so I went and saw the game. Afterwards I went up to the bar to see the players and each one I spoke to said thanks for coming and have a safe journey back. You don't get that in any other sport. My all time favourite player was John Johnson.
All seemed well at the start of the next season and then with money problems the team started to break up. It got so bad that some of us took letters around to the shops and businesses for help. But the damage had been done and we lost most of our best players and for a few years we just about survived.
We then started with home grown players and things started to look up. We won leagues and got to Wembley and won the cup. I often wonder how if we had kept that team together how good they would be now. Since then we have had our ups and downs, but it has never been dull.
On a more humorous note, one or two things I will always remember…………
Nic Burns playing the ball which then hit him on the head and
went into the basket (He told me later that he had meant that
to happen)….Colin Irish falling back on the halfway line
and scoring three points in the process……and who can
forget A. Cunningham playing to the crowd, always with a smile.
I would love to have seen him here years ago when in his prime.
Thank you to all the players past and present who have given me so much enjoyment.
On closing, I would like to pick out one man who has been there
since the start, Jim Rumsey. Thanks, Jim, for all you have done."
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Mick Byrne - End of Season Comments
(1994/95)
Some seasons were less successful than others. Here coach Mick Byrne wrote in the end of season programme his thoughts on the season 1994 - 95 when Solent won only seven league matches. Little did he realise then that much worse was to follow…………
Comments from the Coach
Well it has been a long hard season, but we didn't expect anything else with the loss of so many persons from last year. We started with a pre-season at Oxford and beat them easy despite an injury to Martin's ankle which kept him out for the first few games. Then we gave several of the pacesetters really hard games which gave encouragement to everyone. Martin's and Richard Cutler's experience allowed Andrew Rowlands and Alex Byrne to step up and we won at Northampton in the cup to set up the first of four games against Plymouth Then the first league win against the same team.
The hard work and dedication from all the squad especially from the likes of Marc Barfoot, lan Broadsmith, Richard Bell -who didn't always get much court time - was not showing much in the way of results. Then we lost Richard to Naval duties, 'then Steve Chant to several injuries, Dean Owen to ligament problems. We certainly missed them, especially at practice. We welcomed back first Drew Sewell and then Roy Lewis and this soon produced some results, but Drew has not been able to travel to all the away games and this has certainly affected tile rhythm and feeling in the team. I always like to have a player on the team like Guy Nicholas. He dives for every 50/50 ball and wins most; and all this with a severe groin strain. Lastly, we welcomed back Joe Morant from his working stint in the USA and when he Martin and Alex hit full stride at Stockton we were winners. He and Martin have always had big hearts, and a tough scrappy nature. It did us all good to have him back allowing Martin and Alex the room to do some scoring. I was very sorry to lose Craig Metcalf with all his talent but he couldn't make practice due to work commitments. He managed two games recently to remind us of what he has to offer.
Chris Mills has helped me with the coaching and his little comments during the game have also been invaluable. He is still learning the game at this level. The team was well managed by my good friend Steve Witt, who also provided the very useful contacts in setting up the Reebok Sponsorship deal. He and his boss, Steve Beale owner of Top Trainers, one of sponsors, have done us proud. The team are very grateful for their efforts. I also must thank Derek Browning, our first rate Physio, for his efforts and support on behalf of the team We relied on him heavily during the season and he has never let us down. Thank you Smiley . Dave Heron has also helped us with the statistics at most of our home matches. Sarah Hamer, has supplied the team stats for all the away games. We value their efforts.
Jim Rumsey, as always, has provided us with his enthusiasm and long driving abilities at great speeds. He is always doing something on behalf of the team. He produces the programme for all the home games. He also co-ordinates the public relations and is always ready for a quick word on Radio Solent, or two. Thank you Jim. The coverage we get in the Southern Echo has been second to none. Our thanks to Wendy Gee. The Eastleigh Weekly News reports from David Ogilvie have been very informative and well written. Grant Coleman and Radio Solent have always been very fair and has kept us in the front line of local sport. The News at Portsmouth has also continued their weekly reports via Dave King.
My sincere thanks to Jon Rumsey for his coaching of the Juniors, they have improved greatly and although we propped up the league we learnt a lot every game, it is a very good league this year. The lads were great to be with and whoever we have selected for junior player of the year represents the whole bunch. Ben, Dave, Chris, Paul, James Mike, Adam, Wilts, Rob, Jenks, Matt, Steve, Simon et al.
Lastly I must thank our directors, Jim and David Varcoe-Baylis for the support they have given me this season, they have really picked me up several times Yet again 1 thank each of you for your support of the team and myself. You are the BEST CROWD IN BASKETBALL in this country. You deserve a better team and I'll do my best to get you one.
Mick Byrne. Head Coach Solent Basketball Club.
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Mick Byrne - End of Season Comments
(1996/97)
Mick Byrne's early season heart attack meant that he had to take to the sidelines for the rest of the season. However, he was still fully committed to the club and these are his programme notes taken from the last programme of the season for the 1996/97 season.
"Thank You.
I could not have survived the season without all these persons around The Park tonight. First let me give thanks to the first person you see. Jenny Barfoot looks after the Box Office and Club Finances with the minimum of fuss. Next there are the door stewards, Steve Peacock and Andy Jackson. The hall has already been set up by Promoter Dave Hedley, Ken Rowlands, Richard Sheldrick and his wife, Julia. The programmes and raffle tickets are sold by Sharon and Amy and Bob Beggs.
The table is taken care of by Julie Mills, Sarah Hamer, Zoe and Sean Daniel, Cliff Fullbrook and is always amongst the best in the country.
The bench is serviced by Glen Follett who is our Golden Gofor and keeps the players happy. Dave Hedley looks after the opposition and the referees and ensures that the court is ready and equipment is working. Steve Witt provides the kit and team list and also feeds mints and gum to the players and waters them, and sometimes awaits anxiously for the late comers.
Jimmie Guymon looks after the team once they arrive on court and during the game. Derek Browning makes sure that the players make the court fit and ready to play. Dave Heron (home) and Sarah Hamer (away) make sure every shot, turnover, rebound etc are recorded.
Jim Rumsey makes sure you know what is happening on the court.
Bob Paulley and his office staff make sure that you can read about the team and in all they are a very formidable team.
The players have stuck to the task with more heart than you would expect during a very difficult season. The basis is there for a new start to next season. My thanks go out to Martin and his crew, who have shown a lot of character in seeing it out.
The last group which makes our promotion worthwhile is you, the supporters. There are no better supporters in the division. You are knowledgeable and fair to all the referees and opposition. You are the reason we keep going.
THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART."
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Easy for England as Fleming Park
hosts first basketball international
ENGLAND 99 IRELAND 68
Most managers will tell you that there are no easy games any more - particularly at international level. And perhaps they are right.
Better organisation and defensive strategies have generally narrowed the difference between sides in many sports to the extent that the more accomplished team often labours to an expected but unconvincing win against even the weakest of opponents.
That stage may well have now been reached in basketball as well but there was little evidence of it on Friday as a packed Fleming Park witnessed the nearest thing to an easy win you are likely to get at international level.
In their final match before this week's European championship qualifying tournament, England were simply awesome as they pounded the Irish defence into virtual surrender with the speed, power and variation of their attack.
From the moment Neville Austin shot England into an early lead, there was only ever going to be one outcome to this, the first international basketball match to be played at Eastleigh's Fleming Park. In nearly every position on court. England had bigger, better and more experienced players than Ireland.
Just two points came Ireland's way in the opening six minutes of the match as they spent most of their time looking to frustrate the likes of Thames Valley pair Pete Scantlebury (14pts) and man of the match Steve Bucknall (17pts).
A better side than Ireland might have had some success with even this limited outlook but as wave after wave of attacks poured in, so their defensive posture crumbled. Ahead by 30 points at half time (53-23), England could have done little more to impress the thousand or so crowd.
Such was the dominance exerted by England that it was easy to overlook the fact that the squad had woken up on Friday in Hungary, spent more than six hours sitting on buses and planes and come straight to Fleming Park for the match.
In the two preceding weeks they had also been put through a rigorous training camp before taking part in a four-team tournament involving Hungary, Holland and South Korea.
Although England won only one match in that tournament, performances improved steadily and before leaving Hungary they put a 30 point defeat on the South Koreans.
An even bigger win seemed to be taking shape against Ireland as Moscow Spartak's Spencer Dunkley, debutant Jon Amici and Birmingham Bullets' Kurt Samuels posed all sorts of problems for the small Irish rearguard.
But for the impressive Frank Powell, Ireland would have had nothing at all to commend on their journey home. As England tired, he scored 16 points in the latter stages to at least impart some respectability to the score.
Despite all the travelling involved, Lazslo Nemeth, the Hungarian-born England coach, considered the visit to Fleming Park to be more than worthwhile. He said: "It was a very tough day for the side and they deserve a lot of praise for the way they responded.
"Although the match was decided by half time it was a useful run out for everyone. I was relieved we didn't pick up any injuries and now I am confident we can qualify in the European Championship"
In that event, England face Wales, Luxembourg, Denmark, Georgia and Poland. The top three teams qualify for the semi-final stages of the championship.
The Mayor of Eastleigh attended the match along with other council officers. It was organised by Mick Byrne, Solent Stars coach and England team manager, together with Paul Philp and Dave Owen.
David Ogilvie
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Molly Ingram
At the start of the 1993 season, the following announcement appeared in the Solent Stars programme dated 11 September 1993 - a pre-season game against Worthing Bears:
"Since 1981 Molly has been a regular supporter of Solent Stars Basketball club. Indeed, she was a regular winner of our Supporter of the Year Award. At that time she attended both home and away matches with her husband. In particular, she recalls the all day rail trip to watch Solent Stars when we played in Scotland.
Molly has now decided to retire from running our raffle on each of our home match nights.
The club is extremely grateful for her support over the years
since its formation and looks forward to seeing Molly at any of
the matches she is able to attend."
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Basketball Academy
England Basketball's Academy accreditation scheme was launched
in 2004 and Southampton Solent University, in partnership with
Solent Stars basketball club took up this opportunity - the first
Higher Education establishment to do so.
Steve Darlow - England Basketball's National Academies Officer - commented “I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to Southampton Solent University on achieving England Basketball Academy status. Here is another excellent opportunity for young people to continue their education, whilst still playing basketball at the highest level in the country. Southampton Solent University is now recognised by England Basketball as an asset in the future development of the Basketball / Education partnership. They should be proud of all their hard work.”
Phil Green, Head of Recreation and Sport at Southampton Institute stated “This recognition from England Basketball is the culmination of many years of hard work in promoting the sport within both the local area and the HE Sector. We are delighted that we now have the opportunity to work with our partners in establishing Southampton Solent University as a premier player in BUSA Basketball, as well as developing the South Hants region into a major force. We are committed to working with Solent Stars in their desire to return to the highest echelons of basketball in this country.
With the backing of England Basketball we are confident that we can continue to develop and deliver a program that will cater for the needs of high-class players whilst enabling them to pursue academic ambition. The accreditation provides a further boost to the Institute's sporting achievements in recent years, and confirms our growing status as a major provider of sport.”
Jim Rumsey, Director of Solent Stars: “The Solent Stars
Basketball club is honoured, that it has been recognised, in conjunction
with Southampton Solent University, by England Basketball as only
the second Basketball Academy in the country. The club, now entering
its twenty fifth season in the National League, has already received
4 Star Club Accreditation and a Clubmark award. The efforts of
all the coaches and administrators of the club have combined to
make ths club with its strong youth programme and four senior
teams a worthy recipient of the Academy status. We look forward
to continuing our strong links with Southampton Solent University
to provide top level training for top level basketball players.”
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