Wolverhampton school basketball team win regional title

Year 8 pupils at St Peter's Collegiate Academy in Wolverhampton were crowned West Midlands Jr. NBA champions after two impressive wins at an event at Worcester University.

In the semi-finals they beat fellow Wolverhampton school Moseley Park Academy 44-11, before taking down Birmingham-based school Bishop Challoner Catholic College 20-11 in the final to pick up their Championship golden rings.

Coach Douaine Anderson said: "The students were pretty anxious at the beginning, they felt some pressure, but after the first game tipped off they got into a rhythm straight away.

"They played really well defensively and that fed into getting a lot of offensive transition opportunities. Their confidence kept building and by the final they were really excited to play some competition we hadn't played before in any regional games – and they came out and did the business.

"From a school coaching perspective, it's one of my proudest moments. I have put a lot of pressure on the young people because those Year 8's and our current Year 9's have the most potential and I keep talking to them about becoming national champions in the next couple years. I have very high expectations of them.

"Being a part of the Jr. NBA's allowed them to play some different teams and it will springboard us to go play in the national competitions next year, when these Year 8's become Year 9's and can play in the under-14s, for both boys and girls."

Anderson is also the club director and coach at Wolverhampton SLAM! Basketball Club, who train at the facilities at St Peter's.

He added: "In the Year 8's we have four members who play for the club and in the year above more than half of the team play for the club.

"Being based at the school, the basketball academy will springboard things. In September we'll have 30-40 sixth formers come in who will be training and helping out the development of the rest of the school.

"Having that mentoring system will be really important and at a high level. They will be the inspiration for the young people coming through."