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PLYMOUTH RAIDERS v GUILDFORD HEAT
^{Sunday 9 September (4pm)}

The Raiders start the 2007-8 season with a two-legged clash against Guildford Heat in the first ever Cup Winners Cup Final.

The competition sees the BBL Cup winners, the Heat, face the BBL Trophy winners, the Raiders.

The first game is at the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday 9 September (4pm tip-off), and the return leg is at The Spectrum on Saturday 15 September (7pm tip-off).

The first ever BBL Cup Winners' Cup champions will be the team which wins on aggregate over the two games.

MARTIN IS LATE SIGNING
^{4 September 2007}

Point guard Anthony Martin has signed for the Plymouth Raiders, as replacement for Gavin Love who is recovering from an ankle injury.

"He's lightning fast," said Raiders head coach Gary Stronach.

"He can blow past defenders and he creates so many opportunities for other players and I'm really excited that he's decided to join us in Plymouth.

"I had to move quickly to get Anthony and it was all sorted out in just a couple of days."

Martin was born in Leeds, but was brought up in the Bronx, New York City. He played for the Chester Jets in the BBL in 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons.

STRONACH DELIGHTED AT GAYLON SIGNING
^{27 July}

The Plymouth Raiders have beaten off competition from several clubs in Spain to secure the signature of Gaylon Moore for another season in the BBL.

It will be Gaylon's third consecutive year in Plymouth, and his return has delighted Raiders coach Gary Stronach.

"It's getting really exciting," he said. "The team is coming together just as I hoped it would.

"Getting Gaylon back is massive for us, and I'm absolutely over the moon that he's signed. The move now makes us a legitimate contender this season.

"We won the BBL Trophy last year, and over the summer we've got even stronger with the signing of Brody Bishop and James Noel.

"To beat off competition for Gaylon from Spain just shows how highly we're thought of now, and it's also a testament to Gaylon's loyalty that he's come back for another year."

TWO MORE RE-SIGN
^{26 July}

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders have added two more returning players to their team for next season, with James Burchell and Jeff Danchie both agreeing to sign.

Both will also form part of the highly successful Raidercoach Academy which visits schools and community groups throughout Devon and Cornwall.

Raiders Coach Gary Stronach said: "I'm really pleased that we've been able to get both James and Jeff back again for another season.

"I love the commitment and the work ethic that they both bring to the team, and I'm sure that they'll both do a great job.

"They've both been involved with the Raiders for quite a while now, and it's great that they were both so keen to re-sign with us."

GALL STAYS
^{24 July 2007}

Allister Gall has signed up for the Raiders for the 2007-8 season.

The 6'3" Gall, who played a hugely important role as the team's sixth man last season, was keen to re-sign with his home town team for next season.

And coach Gary Stronach is delighted he has re-signed: "He's really important to us, he's a great outside shooter but more than that, a real competitor.

"I've told Allister the same as I've told the other players. I don't want them to be content with their performances last year.

"They can all still improve and I'll be looking for each one of them to contribute even more this coming season."

AARON DEPARTS
^{24 July 2007}

Carlton Aaron has left the Raiders to sign for BBL Champions, Guildford Heat.

Aaron - last season's leading rebounder in the BBL - decided the offer was too good to turn down. He's looking forward to competing in Europe with Guildford.

He said: "It hurts to be leaving Plymouth, but I had to try out some other opportunities beyond Britain.

"Now, with playing in Europe, I get to test myself against some of the best players in the world. I couldn't be happier."

RAIDERS SIGN BISHOP
^{19 July 2007}

Plymouth Raiders have signed British point guard Brody Bishop for the 2007/08 season.

Canadian-born Bishop - who is a British citizen - has most recently been playing for Laurentian University in Ontario.

He said: "I'm really looking forward to stepping up to the next level in my game and realising my dream of playing professional basketball.

"More than anything, I'm excited about meeting my new team mates and coach Gary Stronach, and to working hard together to build a great team and have a successful season.

"I've been surfing the web checking out Plymouth and the Raiders and can't wait to see my new home and check out the fantastic Plymouth Pavilions.

"Coach Stronach has told me how great our fans are, and I'm looking forward to meeting as many of them as possible."

Stronach said: "He's a solid point guard who's going to play a really important role on the team, and as with the other players this season, I want him to come in, work really hard and contribute to the team as much as possible."

LOVE IS BACK
^{17 July 2007}

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders have announced that Gavin Love has re-signed for the 2007/08 British Basketball League (BBL) season.

Love, 29, has spent his entire career with the Raiders and has been starting point guard throughout their three years in the BBL.

He first joined as a junior player and quickly worked his way up to the Raiders' senior team. Last season, he averaged 10.61 points and 2.28 assists per game, while in the run to BBL Trophy glory, he averaged 14 points per game.

At the end of last season local boy Love earned a call-up to the Great Britain team coached by Chris Finch, only to pull out after sustaining an ankle injury in the last game of the BBL campaign.

Raiders' coach Gary Stronach is delighted to have Love back for another season: "Signing Gavin was a really important piece of the puzzle for us this year.

"He's been getting better each season in the BBL, and does a great job of running the team. "

Love badly damaged his Achilles tendon in the final game of the season and had to undergo an operation and lengthy rehabilitation period.

But the signs are positive that he'll start the season with no adverse effects. The six footer said: "The injury has been healing really quickly and the doctors are surprised at just how quick.

"I can't wait to get back onto the court again and start playing. I've been told that I'm allowed to start jogging soon, and should be at full strength and fitness by the start of the season."

RAIDERS IN CUP WINNERS CUP CLASH
^{13 JULY 2007}

Plymouth Raiders will take on The Poujoulat Heat Guildford for the inaugural Cup Winners' Cup ahead of the impending 2007/08 British Basketball League season.

The competition will see the BBL Cup winners, the Heat, square off with the BBL Trophy winners, the Raiders, in a two-legged game allowing each the opportunity to raise a piece of silverware prior to the start of the new campaign.

The first game will be contested at the Plymouth Pavilions on Sunday 9 September (4pm tip-off), whist the return leg is at The Spectrum on Saturday 15th (7pm tip-off). The first ever BBL Cup Winners' Cup champions will be the team which wins on aggregate over the two games.

The Heat secured their first piece of silverware in the BBL after beating the Scottish Phoenix Honda Rocks in January's BBL Cup final.

The Raiders meanwhile won the BBL Trophy courtesy of a 74-65 defeat of the Newcastle Eagles at the MetroRadio Arena in March.

Plymouth coach Gary Stronach, said: "It's a real honour to contest the first ever BBL Cup Winners Cup competition, and the whole club is looking forward to it.

"It will give the fans their first look at our team for this season, and it's a great opportunity for us to get the season off to a good start.

"Our fans will be really excited about this news, and hopefully we can pack the Pavilions on the 9th September."

DREW STAYS WITH RAIDERS
^{13 JULY 2007}

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders have returned their leading scorer from last season, Drew Lasker, for his third season with the club.

Lasker, who comes from Houston in Texas, scored an average of 18.36 points per game as the Raiders scooped their first piece of silverware in winning the BBL Trophy in 2006/07.

This also ranked him 7th in the BBL overall. He was third on the team in rebounding with an average of 6.78, and was in the BBL's top 9 players in steals with 1.83 per game.

Lasker joins DeAntoine Beasley and Terrence Durham to fill Plymouth's quota of three foreign players.

Several other BBL clubs approached Lasker over the summer, and as with last summer, there was a lot of interest from Holland.

"I'm honestly delighted to have Drew back again," said Raiders head coach Gary Stronach.

"It's a big signing for us, I've now got my three foreign players signed, and this allows me to concentrate on the rest of the team. Drew was a big piece of the puzzle, getting him back along with Cat who he's played with the past two years and bringing in Terrence gives us real strength at those three spots."

DURHAM SIGNS UP
^{Tuesday 10 July}

Giant forward Terrence Durham has rejoined the Raiders, after spending two seasons playing in France.

Durham last played for the Raiders in 2004-5, when together with DeAntoinne Beasley, he led the team in scoring.

Raiders coach Gary Stronach said: "I'm absolutely over the moon to get Terrence back. I know the fans will be delighted to hear he's coming back top Plymouth again.

"He'll be a natural replacement for Carlton Aaron."

BEASLEY RE-SIGNS
^{Friday 22 June}

DeAntoinne Beasley has signed for a sixth consecutive season with the Plymouth Raiders.

There had been some interest in Beasley from other teams, and he was also wanted for a coaching position at university level in the USA, but he opted to stay with the Raiders.

Raiders coach Gary Stronach said: "I'm delighted that he's back for his sixth season.

"He's been an outstanding player for the Raiders over the years, so he was one of my main priorities to re-sign. I'm just looking for continual improvement from him and the team as a whole."

His statistics from last year underline just how important he is to the team. DeAntoinne was second on the team in steals (1.74 per game), first on the team (and sixth in the league) for assists (4.35 per game) and first on the team (and third in the league) for blocked shots (1.03 per game).

He also averaged a very respectable 14.68 points per game, in a very well balanced attack across the team.

SCOTTISH ROCKS 83 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 77

BBL Championship Quarter Finals^{Sunday 15 April}

Plymouth Raiders narrowly missed out on a place in the play-off semi-finals, after going down 83-77 to Scottish Rocks at the Braehead Arena.

The Rocks were led by a previous play-off winner, Rob Yanders, who had 21 points. The point guard was backed up by the trio of Julius Joseph, Sterling Davis, and Gareth Murray, who had 12 each.

The Raiders were led by Carlton Aaron's 21 points and were hampered by the loss of Gavin Love to an ankle injury in the second quarter.

After the Rocks opened with the first 7 points, the teams could barely be separated in the early exchanges as the game lived up to its billing, and they finished the first stanza with the home side still in front at 17-16.

The Raiders took their first lead of the game after a pair of Gaylon Moore free-throws opened the second quarter, and there were four successive lead changes before Carlton Aaron put the visitors 24-26 up.

Love limped out soon afterwards and the Rocks took advantage with a 10-3 burst to lead 34-29. However, Plymouth rallied and went into the half leading 34-35 after netting the last 6 points.

Julius Joseph snatched the lead back for the hosts with the first basket of the third period and they never trailed again.

The lead peaked at 53-41 after a Gareth Murray score with 5:20 left in the third. Plymouth responded with a 10-2 push to narrow the gap to 55-51 and the deficit was 60-55 going into the fourth.

An exciting fourth frame saw the Raiders tie the game at 68 as Moore capped a run of seven unanswered points. However, veterans Rob Yanders and Sterling Davis combined for the Rocks's next 12 points and the game was settled at 82-74 within the last minute.

Stats:
Scottish Phoenix Honda Rocks 83 (17,34,60)
Yanders 21, Davis/Joseph/Murray 12

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 77 (16,35,55)
Aaron 21, Beasley 17, Moore 17

PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 89 NEWCASTLE EAGLES 83

BBL Championship
^{Sunday 8 April 2007}

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders secured fifth place in the BBL Championship table thanks to a tight 89-83 victory over the Springfield Honda Newcastle Eagles at the Plymouth Pavilions.

In a close game throughout, the visitors took an early 15-19 advantage with four minutes remaining in the opening quarter, before the Raiders closed out the first period with a 13-0 burst to lead 28-19.

The next two quarters saw both sides trading baskets with the Eagles slowly closing the deficit, trailing by four points at 65-61 going into the final stanza.

In the final quarter, the Raiders opened up an early 13 point lead at 82-69 off the back of a 17-8 tear to open the quarter. The Eagles responded with a 7-2 burst of their own to trim the deficit back to eight points at 84-76 with 1:19 remaining.

Carlton Aaron bagged the next three points for the Raiders to take the score out to 87-76 and secure the all-important victory for the home side. DeAntoine Beasley led the Raiders' scoring bagging 20 points personal for the home side, while Jeremy Hyatt also netted 20 points for the Eagles to lead their scorers.

Stats:
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 89 (28,48,65) (Beasley 20, Aaron 19, Moore 17)
Springfield Honda Newcastle Eagles 83 (19,41,61) (Hyatt 20, Dorsey 19, Robinson 14)

PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 77 LEICESTER RIDERS 68

BBL Championship
^{Saturday 7th April 2007}

Plymouth Raiders took a firm hold in the race for fifth place in the BBL Championship table thanks to a 77-68 victory over the Leicester Riders at the Plymouth Pavilions.

In a close game throughout, the Raiders took hold of the game in the second quarter with some good offensive execution, and strong defensive play to lead 34-31 at the half. The second half saw the home side continue to slowly extend their lead, and lead 53-47 going into the final stanza.

In the fourth period, the Raiders enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 69-61 with less than two minutes remaining. The visitors bagged five of the next six points to get back into the game at 70-66 with 1:22 remaining, but a 7-2 finish for the Raiders saw them secure the all-important victory.

A combination of DeAntoine Beasley, Andrew Lasker and Carlton Aaron led the scoring for the home side netting 18 points each, while Dale Herriman led all scorers in the game bagging 21 points personal for the Riders.

Stats:
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 77 (17,34,53) (Beasley/Lasker/Aaron 18)
DMU Leicester Riders 68 (17,31,47) (Herriman 21, Allenye 19, Lamble 12)

MILTON KEYNES LIONS 82 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 85

BBL Championships
^{Wednesday 4 April}

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders put themselves in pole position for a fifth place finish after beating nearest rivals Marshall MK Lions 85-82 on the road.

Raiders led 17-8 after six minutes before being pegged back by three pointers by Terrell Brown and Peter Heizer as they finished the first quarter 22-20 up. A strong second period saw the visitors go into half time 54-42.

Lions fought hard in the third and two threes by Kevin Griffin and good work by Shawn Jamison reduced the arrears to 58-62 before the Raiders again took control to lead 72-65 heading into the final stanza.

Three Terrell Brown threes tied the match at 76-76 before the Raiders went on a decisive 7-0 run. Lions again came back through Griffin who knocked down two from long range to get his team back to 82-83 with 14 seconds remaining.

Raiders sealed the game with Andrew Lasker twice making one of two free throws and a last ditch three by Griffin just missing out.

Stats:
Marshall MK Lions 82 (20,42,65) (Griffin 23, Brown 23, Windless 13)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 85 (22,54,72) (Aaron 27, Lasker 18, Beasley 15)

LONDON UNITED 72 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 104

BBL Championship
^{Saturday 24 March}

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders moved back into fifth position in the table with a 104-72 win at London United.

After a level opening to the match a 10-3 close to the first quarter saw the visitors move 29-18 in front. It was an advantage that they would build on during the second quarter. A 7-2 burst at the end of the half saw them go 53-30 up.

Two Gaylon Moore threes at the start of the third put United even further back at 59-30 and the closest they could get was 82-63 early in the fourth quarter.

Carlton Aaron top scored for Raiders with 28 while United's Bryant Feggins and Marcus Knight were both ejected.

Stats:
London United 72 (18,30,52) (Knight 15, Johnson 14, Ogumjimi 9)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 104 (29,53,80) (Aaron 28, Gall 22, Moore 18)

PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 74 SCOTTISH ROCKS 78

BBL Championship
^{Friday 23 March}

The Scottish Phoenix Honda Rocks avenged Tuesday's defeat to the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders as they beat the 2007 BBL Trophy Champions 74-78 at the Pavilions.

The Rocks strengthened their position in fourth place in the BBL Championship with their fourth win in five games.

Rob Yanders led the Rocks with 20 points and was supported by 15 points from Maurice Hampton and 13 from Sterling Davis.

The visitors established a strong early lead at 20-28 and this peaked early in the second stanza at 20-31 on a three-pointer from Yanders.

The Raiders came back with a 10-2 run to narrow the gap to 30-33 and subsequently tied the game at 37 with 10 seconds left to the half-time break, before a late DeAntoine Beasley score gave them a 39-37 edge at the half.

The home side looked to establish a lead early in the third with the first 4 points and soon after posted a 13-6 push to lead 54-47.

That was the biggest lead they would have in the game as the Rocks netted 8 unanswered points to recapture the advantage at 54-55; which they still held at 59-60 going into the fourth frame.

The teams traded baskets with a couple of lead changes before they were knotted at 68.

A Julius Joseph triple gave the Rocks a lead that they would maintain to the end and a Sterling Davis trey soon afterwards made it 68-74. A Rob Yanders three-pointer and late free-throws closed the game out for the visitors.

Carlton Aaron had 21 points for 'The Greens' and DeAntoine Beasley added 18.

Stats: Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 74 (20,39,59) (Aaron 21, Beasley 18, Moore 15)
Scottish Phoenix Honda Rocks 78 (28,37,60) (Yanders 20, Hampton 15, Davis 13)

SCOTTISH ROCKS 90 PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 102

BBL Championship
^{Tuesday 20 March}

Plymouth Raiders got back to winning ways, with a 102-90 win at Scottish Phoenix Honda Rocks.

It keeps alive their hopes of a top four finish, and home advantage in the play-offs.

The Raiders led at the end of every quarter and built up a 12-point lead in the third quarter only to be pegged back to 74-71 heading into the final stanza.

Rocks couldn't complete the comeback despite the inspirational Carlton Aaron, who led all scorers with 25 (pictured), picking up an injury.

In the end, the margin of victory was fairly comfortable for the visitors and sends them into the weekend's rematch full of confidence.

Stats:
Scottish Phoenix Honda Rocks 90 (27,45,71) (Davis 18, Yanders 15, Wohlers 12)
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 102 (29,50,74) (Aaron 25, Lasker 24, Moore 21)

PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 78 MILTON KEYNES LIONS 80

BBL Championship
^{Saturday 17 March (7.30pm)}

Marshall MK Lions leapfrogged over host Kularoos Plymouth Raiders into fifth place after a nail-biting 80- 78 win in at the Pavilions.

The Lions broke a four game losing streak to keep the pressure on Scottish Phoenix Honda Rocks for the final home court berth in the play offs.

Meanwhile Plymouth remain winless following their BBL Trophy triumph.

Despite leading 29-21 and 44-37 at the end of the first two quarters the Raiders found themselves 65-57 behind heading into the final quarter thanks to a 10-0 close to the third period by the Lions.

It was a lead that Plymouth would eat into though and a Drew Lasker three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining brought them back within one at 78-77.

However, it was the closest the home team would get as veteran Tony Windless kept his cool from the line to seal a valuable win for the Lions.

Stats:
Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 78 (29,44,57) (Beasley 21, Moore 20, Lasker 15)
Marshall MK Lions 80 (21,37,65) (Windless 23, Brown 17, Youngblood 16)

PLYMOUTH RAIDERS 81 GUILDFORD HEAT 89

BBL Championship
^{Saturday 10 March (7.30pm)}

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders were presented with the BBL Trophy by the Lord Mayor Michael Fletcher at the game at the Plymouth Pavilions, with the promise that more comprehensive recognition is to follow.

The Lord Mayor praised the efforts of the Raiders in raising the profile of Plymouth and stated his desire to host an official reception for the team after securing their first piece of silverware in Britain's top flight. He said,

He said: "The Raiders are very much about family entertainment - they always seem to pack out the Pavilions. I - and Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans - want to sort out a reception for the team. They deserve it."

The Raiders scored a famous 74-65 victory over the Springfield Honda Newcastle Eagles on Sunday 4th March to win the BBL Trophy.

However, the Raiders lost this encounter with Guildford Heat by 81-89.

Guildford maintained their lead at the head of the BBL Championship thanks to a fourth quarter fight back.

Brian Dux led the scoring for the Heat with 27 points, supported by 16 from Mike Martin and some crucial late scores that contributed to Danny Gilbert's 14 points.

Carlton Aaron, MVP of last Sunday's famous BBL Trophy success, led the Raiders with 31 as they were brought back down to earth following that historical victory.

The visitors were fastest out of the blocks and held an 18-23 lead after the first ten minutes; however it wouldn't last long as a storming 17-2 opening to the second frame gave the Raiders a 35-25 lead.

The Raiders showed the kind of tough play that won them the BBL Trophy as Drew Lasker and DeAntoine Beasley made scores off steals, with Lasker again and Gaylon Moore concluding the scoring in that run.

The Heat narrowed the gap with a 12-7 finish to the quarter that sent the teams in at 42-37 at the halfway point.

Plymouth pulled away again at the start of the third to make the score 51-42 before it became a one-possession game on the back of six unanswered Guildford points at 51-48.

Towards the end of the period the Raiders stretched it out again as a Gavin Love triple contributed to 5 without reply for a score of 63-54, before the visitors made the last 4 points to set up the tense fourth quarter.

The Heat took the lead just three minutes in after a 13-6 opening to the decisive stanza made it 69-71, and the teams traded baskets until a Beasley three-pointer enabled the Raiders to snatch it back at 76-75.

There were two more lead changes before Danny Gilbert made the critical play: his three-pointer with 1:13 remaining sparked a 9-0 finish to the game from the Heat. Dan Wardrope and Dean Williams held their nerve from the line before Brian Dux concluded the scoring.

Stats:

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders 81 (18,42,63) (Aaron 31, Beasley 17, Lasker/Love 10)
Poujoulat Heat Guildford 89 (23,37,58) (Dux 27, Martin 16, Gilbert 14)

BBL TROPHY FINAL:
Newcastle Eagles 65-74 Plymouth Raiders

In what's been described as the biggest day in the history of Plymouth basketball, the Plymouth Raiders seized victory in a thrilling BBL Trophy final.

The Raiders won the 2007 BBL final at the MetroRadio Arena in Newcastle with a pulsating 74-65 victory over the Newcastle Eagles.

It was the Raiders first ever triumph in the competition and came thanks in no small part to Carlton Aaron, who was the man of the match thanks to a 25-point, 12-rebound haul.

A jubilant Raiders' head coach Gary Stronach said: "It's a fantastic feeling and I'm so proud of my players."

Read a full report using the link on this page.