21/09/07 Bucknall Signs Exciting Backcourt DuoThe PAWS London Capital could boast one of the BBL's most exciting backcourts after confirming the signings of young Americans Wes Miller and Anthony Anderson ahead of the 2007/08 BBL Championship season. Head Coach Steve Bucknall commented on the pair, and revealed some of the other names that will be on his roster for their inaugural campaign in Britain's top flight, "Wes Miller from North Carolina has a pedigree that's there for all to see, and Anthony Anderson also went to a big college, UMASS. We're hoping to pick up another big player after the deal with Bryant Feggins fell through and we're also looking at Frenchman Farid Haif. "We've also got some good young players, and I'm very excited about them. Santa Ataha and Ibrahim Gariba are coming back from last season, we're talking to Pierre Henry-Fontaine and we've added Tayo Ogedegebe from Towers' under-23s." Miller, a 5'11" guard, graduated from North Carolina this year, one of the foremost college programmes in the USA. The 24-year-old won the ACC regular season title, the ACC tournament, and reached the NCAA Elite Eight last season with the Tar Heels. Miller, who forced himself into a starting spot at shooting guard, shot 33% from beyond the three-point arc during his final season in college and had the second best assist/turnover ratio on the team at 2.9. In 2005/06 he shot 44.1% from three-point range, which was the seventh best single-season connection rate in UNC history. During the same season he also won the Carmichael Cobb Award as the team's best defensive player. 25-year-old Anthony Anderson, also 5'11", averaged double-figure scoring in each of his four years at the University of Massachusetts and has featured for the Elkhart Express in the IBL since graduating in 2006. He was starting point guard and team captain at UMass and was second in the school's all-time three-point shooting charts, third in steals, and fifth in assists. Bucknall, who has vast experience of the BBL himself having spent eight years in the league during an illustrious 18-year professional playing career, has recruited some players with BBL experience. Santa Ataha has featured for both the Marshall MK Lions and Birmingham in recent seasons, and Pierre Henry-Fontaine, should he sign, has spent two seasons with the Lions. The Capital start their league campaign at home to the Marshall MK Lions on Saturday (7.30pm tip-off). 29/06/07 BUCKNALL BACK IN LONDON PAWS London Capital have shown that they mean business as they prepare for their first season in the BBL by announcing former England international, and BBL legend, Steve Bucknall as their new coach. Bucknall can justly claim to be one of Britain's all-time greatest players. The 41-year-old is a two-time BBL Trophy and National Cup winner, twice BBL Championship runner-up and twice BBL Championship Playoff runner-up. He was the BBL Player of the Season in 1999/2000 and has been on the league All-Star team on five occasions. He most recently featured for the DMU Leicester Riders before retiring from playing mid-way through last season. Previously he played for London Towers, Thames Valley Tigers, Birmingham Bullets, and Sunderland. Bucknall also collected a bronze medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games as England shone in Melbourne, where he collected his 98th and final cap. He also won 22 Great Britain caps during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bucknall started his career at Crystal Palace before progressing to North Carolina, one of the top colleges in the United States, where he collected the Most Valuable Player award in his fourth and final season. Following his graduation from college in 1989, he was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and made 18 appearances in the world's toughest league during the 1989/90 season. Large spells of his career were spent on the continent as he played in Greece, France, Germany, and Italy. Capital's general manager Brandon Bethall is delighted with the signing of Bucknall: "We're delighted to have Steve on board. It's a major coup for a new club in the BBL to have one of English basketball's all-time greats as our coach, and we're sure he'll be a big success." Bucknall is excited about the prospect of coaching one the BBL's youngest clubs: "I've always wanted to coach, but I've been busy with my playing career. I wanted to put something back into the game. I've been doing that with some work in the London community, and now I want to work with a men's side. I turned another opportunity down to join Capital, I'd been talking to Brandon and we were both saying similar things. We want to give the chance to more English players, and we've built up a good relationship. He's taking a chance on me, and I'm taking a chance on him." Capital's new play-caller confirmed that his playing days are over, and that he will be concentrating on coaching the London team: "I'm too old to be playing, we need to develop younger players, and develop the talent that there is in this country. I'll be aiming to put a good product on the floor that the fans enjoy. We'll try to improve on a game by game basis." Bucknall is already building towards Capital's debut in the BBL, which is scheduled for the weekend of September 21-23: "I've had players calling, and I've looked at some others. Above all, it's important that we have good chemistry. I've played for a lot of different teams over the years, and the successful ones have always had good chemistry."
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