Medway Park Crusaders

Medway Park Crusaders
National Body	England Basketball
League	National League Division 2
Founded	2000
History	Canterbury Jazz, CK Heat (Early 1990s–2001) East Kent Crusaders (2001–2006) Kent Crusaders (2006–2009t) Medway Park Crusaders (2009–present)
Arena	Medway Park Black Lion
City	Medway, Kent
Team colors	Blue, White
Director	Jesse Sazant
Head coach	Mads Olesen
League Titels	2006 EBL Division 3 South
Playoff Titels	None
Cup Results	2006 National Shield Runner Up
Youth Teams	Under 18 Boys Under 16 Boys Under 14 Boys
Official website	kentcrusaders.co.uk

The Medway Park Crusaders is an English semi-professional^[1][2] basketball club based in Canterbury, Kent, playing in the England Basketball National League. The team's history dates back to the early 1990s, but in its current form it has been in existence since 2000.^[3]

The club has sent three players to professional contracts in Europe, including Ryan Richards, the youngest player ever to play in the Nike Hoop Summit.

The club has continued to grow with a 6th form academy based at Canterbury High School launched in 2007 and stronger links being formed with the juniors in 2008 as the club expanded to included Men’s, Under 18, Under 16 and Under 14 National League teams.

In 2009 the club moved its men's team from Canterbury to Medway as a sponsorship deal was announced with Medway Park Leisure Centre. The Junior teams will follow the men to Medway in January 2010. The Crusaders Academies still reside at Canterbury High School.

Club history

Pre-Crusaders

The roots of the Kent Crusaders began in the early 1990s when Kevin and Christine Paice, Dave Hooper and Hill Lingham began developing junior basketball at Canterbury College. Through their work, the Canterbury Jazz and CK Heat were born. As the club gathered momentum, the College became the place to be for basketball in East Kent. Trevor Acres and Kevin Maloney joined the coaching staff and numerous boys were given the opportunity to play National League and the club won numerous Kent cups.^[3]

Arrival of Jesse Sazant

In 2000, ex-player and young coach Jay Gifford took over the club. He was joined a year later by Canadian Jesse Sazant. Coach Sazant took the team to new heights, including a National Under 16 quarterfinal in his first season. At this point the club was relaunched as the East Kent Crusaders.

Mens National League

After losing older players to London for years, the club decided to launch a men’s EBL Division 3 team in 2004. In their first season the club finished third in Division 3 South East. The initial season saw a number of the club’s former junior players return to the Crusaders to be joined by a number of local players.

Promotion

In their second season the team quickly progressed, winning the 2005/06 EBL Division 3 South East and making the finals of the National Shield.

The club also signed their first foreign player, 6'10 Canadian Walter Moyse and foreign coach assistant, Dane Mads Olesen. The 2005/06 team was led by Walter Moyse, Paul Jessop and Robbie Parker, and featured 14 year old Ryan Richards, a 2007 Nike Hoop Summit World Team Player and a 2008 Euroleague Final Four: Nike International Junior Tournament player with Real Madrid.^[4]

Division 2

The Crusaders got promoted to EBL Division 2 and was renamed the Kent Crusaders in the summer of 2006. While the club signed a number of new players it also lost Moyse, Parker and Richards to contracts in Europe. Initially the remaining players and new signings London Towers players Sam Betts and James Acres, Reading Rockets guard Damion Lyons, former Crusaders junior Angelo Irving and East London's Gary Davison and JP Dontoni, fared well winning the first three league games, before fading down the stretch and only being assured another season in Division 2 in the last round of games.

On the 2nd of April 2007, Jesse Sazant stepped down as Head Coach to concentrate on a role as Chairman and Director of Basketball, passing the coaching reigns onto Mads Olesen.^[5]

New team, new coach, new academy

The 2007 offseason season saw the Crusaders lose team leaders captain Paul Jessop, leading scorer and starting point guard Gary Davidson, big man Angelo Irving, guard James Parker, forward JP Dontoni, and forward James Acres, but in his new role as Director of Basketball Jesse Sazant managed to recruit young talented players to make up for the losses.

Two young Barking Abbey Basketball Academy players, 6'0 18 year old guard Rikki Broadmore (Under 18's Reading Rockets National League and Cup champion) and 6'6 forward, 18 year old former England Under 16's player Dan Garrad. Additionally 20 year old JP Dimandja, a 6’6 forward with untapped potential and athleticism joined from Eastside Eagles.^[6]

The team struggled early in the season as the young players adjusted to the physicality of men's basketball while the returning players adjusted to their new roles as team leaders, crashing out of the Patrons Cup and losing twelve of the first sixteen league games. The team was able to secure another season in Division 3 with three games to go with a key away win at Team Northumbria.^[7]

The 2007/08 season also saw the start of the Kent Crusaders and Canterbury High School Basketball Sixth Form Academy. The academy accepted 12 players in its first year and was coached by Damian Lyons and Sam Bets. The academy focuses on developing player fundamentals and academy player Adam Brown managed to play in two games for the Crusaders mens team.

Quest for stability

The 2008 off season saw the Crusaders management focus stability on the mens team as they secured that the key players from the previous season stayed on. In late July 2008 it also liiks possible that the team will add a few key players to the squad.

Also in the summer of 2008 the Kent Crusaders mens Club and the East Kent Crusaders Junior Basketball Club merged into one club and added Under 18's, 16's and 14's EBL National League teams to the club.

Game information

Tip-off time: Saturday games: 7:00pm, Sunday games: 3:30pm

Home Venue: Black Lion/Medway Park Leisure Centre (Address: 23 Mill Rd, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1HL‎)

Kent Crusaders Basketball Academies

The two Kent Crusaders Basketball Academy are based at Canterbury High School. Both a 6th form elite level and a high school academy are run. The academies are head coached by Jesse Sazant.

Student athletes at the academies receive an hour and a half of coaching daily in addition to dedicated time for strength and conditioning work. Alongside this the 6th form students study a BTEC in Sports Performance and Excellence (which is equivalent to two A-levels) as well as 2 other courses of their choice.

The school competes in the England Schools Academy competitions as well as the Kent Cup. Additionally, players are expected to play at the highest club level they can. Current academy members play for the Crusaders Men’s team, Under 18 team and a number of local men’s teams.

Junior Club

The Kent Crusaders run national league boys teams at Under 18, 16 and 14 as well as an under 12 team and a 6th form academy based at Canterbury High School.

The main venue for the juniors is Medway park

Under 18s

The Kent Crusaders Under 18s compete in the South East Premier Division of the EBL national league.

The team is coached by Mark Hinton and Lorraine Dagger and is based at Medway park The team trains on Mondays from 20:30 _22:30 and on tuesdays from 20:30_22:30 at Medway park.

A number of the players also attend the Kent Crusaders Basketball Academy at Canterbury High School.

Under 16s

The Kent Crusaders Under 16s compete in the South II Division of the EBL national league.

The team is coached by Nick Lloyd

Under 14s

The Under 14s compete in the South Division of the EBL national league. The team is coached by Matt Fenton, Derek Lewis and Mark Hinton. Most of the players also attend the Crusaders Basketball Academy at The Canterbury High School.

Head coaches

2000-2001 Jay Gifford
2001-2007 Jesse Sazant
2007–present Mads Olesen

Achievement

Team Records

Points Scored (Team)
118 1 October 2005 v. Richmond College – London United D3
112 11 February 2006 v. Reading Rockets II D3
111 17 December 2005 @ Richmond College – London United D3

Points Allowed (Team)
40 29 September 2007 v. Sevenoaks Suns National Cup
45 29 October 2005 @ Solent Stars II D3
51 22 March 2008 @ Team Northumbria D2

Individual Per Game Records

Points
36 Paul Jessop, 16 October 2004 @ Solent Stars II D3
33 Robbie Parker, 6 October 2007, v. Leicester Warriors Patron’s Cup
33 Pete Adkins, 17 December 2005 @ Richmond College – London United D3

Field Goals Made
15 Pete Adkins, 17 December 2005 @ Richmond College – London United D3
15 Robbie Parker, 26 February 2005 v. Reading Rockets II D3
14 Paul Jessop, 16 October 2004 @ Solent Stars II D3

3 Point Field Goals Made
8 Paul Jessop, 16 October 2004 @ Solent Stars II D3
7 Paul Jessop, 9 January 2005 @ Loughborough Cardinals D3
6 Paul Jessop, 11 November 2006 @ Team Northumbria D2
6 Robbie Parker, 5 November 2005 v. Eastside Eagles D3

Free Throws Made
11 Paul Jessop, 13 January 2007 @ Taunton Tigers D2
10 Gary Davison, 18 March 2007 v. NEWI Nets D2
9 Walter Moyse, 7 January 2006 v. Reading Rockets II D3
9 Max Hurst, 12 September 2004 @ London Eagles D3

Rebounds
20 Paul Jessop, 5 February 2005 v. Solent Stars II D3
19 Walter Moyse, 10 December 2005 v. Westside D3
17 Walter Moyse, 5 November 2005 v. Eastside Eagles D3
17 Lee Butters, 5 February 2005 v. Solent Stars II D3

Assists
12 Damian Lyons, 15 December 2007 v. NEWI Nets, D2
11 Rikki Broadmore, 6 October 2007 v. Leicester Warriors Patron’s Cup
11 Gary Davison, 11 March 2007 v. Leicester Warriors D2

Season Records

Games in a Season
31 Steve Findley (2007–08)
30 Mike Webber (2007–08)
29 Damian Lyons (2006–07)
29 James Parker (2006–07)

Points in a Season
478 Robbie Parker (2004–05)
477 Paul Jessop (2006–07)
449 Gary Davison (2006–07)

Field Goals Made in a Season
184 Robbie Parker (2004–05)
163 Paul Jessop (2006–07)
162 Gary Davison (2006–07)

3 Point Field Goals Made in a Season
69 Paul Jessop (2006–07)
64 Paul Jessop (2004–05)
63 Paul Jessop (2005–06)
54 Robbie Parker (2004–05)

Free Throws Made in a Season
82 Paul Jessop (2006–07)
75 Walter Moyse (2005–06)
73 Gary Davison (2006–07)

Rebounds in a Season
183 Lee Butters (2004–05)
171 Paul Jessop (2004–05)
129 Walter Moyse (2005–06)

Assists in a Season
89 Rikki Broadmore (2007–08)
71 Gary Davison (2006–07)
70 Damian Lyons (2007–08)

See also

References

1. ^ http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Team-effort-is-key-for-Crusaders--newsinkent5409.aspx?news=sport
2. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Basketball_League
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.kentcrusaders.co.uk/club-info/about
4. ^ http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ryan-Richards-1272 Ryan Richards
5. ^ http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Sazant-steps-down-as-Crusaders-coach-newsinkent3411.aspx?news=local
6. ^ http://pawprint75.co.uk/Clubs/kent.htm
7. ^ http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Relief-as-Crusaders-escape-drop-early-newsinkent11172.aspx?news=local

External links

• Club, Ticket and Arena Information