The Luol Deng Foundation hosted a ‘Gamenight’ event at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and invited a team of Under 10 players from the School of Hoops to attend. The Luol Deng Foundation host weekly basketball sessions at the Palace and begun the Gamenight initiative to give players an opportunity to compete in a safe environment.

Coached by Christian Lacsina and Director Tony Brown, the team got a chance to put into practice the fundamentals they’ve been learning in front of a passionate crowd of parents. They performed remarkably well, working as a team to win all of their games.

“I think we enjoyed this as much as the players and the parents [Laughs]. Great evening of basketball and we’re looking forward to doing it again soon. It’s good for the players to see how working together; sharing the ball and moving to create opportunities, can help you to both enjoy and win games. Very proud of their performance and the attitude they showed.”

To find out more about the work of the Luol Deng Foundation, visit www.luoldeng.org.uk

Just two months in and 2011 has brought a wealth of change our way. In January we announced a new umbrella charity – Family Resource Centre UK – and now, in the next step of that transition, we unveil two new brands; Fourth Fundamental and School of Hoops.

‘CIA Basketball’ is replaced by ‘Fourth Fundamental’. Brand Manager Luke Bowler says the name makes a subtle nod to their basketball roots but stands for something bigger.

“Traditionally there has always been three fundamentals taught in the coaching of basketball; passing, shooting and dribbling. As we’ve found, throughout our 16 year history, the off court development of our players is just as important as their on court development.”

“When I joined the basketball club back in 2003, at the age of 17, it was clear that this was much more than a basketball club. I’ve matured both on and off the court, encouraged to strive as much for success in my education and employment as in basketball. Our fundamental teachings go beyond basketball.”

School of Hoops is a global grassroots coaching and mentoring program based around a unique system of coaching in grids. The HOOPS program enables coaches of any level to break down complex skills into manageable layers, taking individuals that have never played before and filtering them towards team play in performance basketball.

“We have found that by instilling a focus from an early age, ensuring players enjoy their first experience in a safe environment that is structured and with appropriate boundaries, we are able to curb many of the issues relating to young people today. The School of Hoops program focuses on team play and aims to create a track from absolute beginner to elite team player.”

“We are also excited to be working outside of the UK for the first time in our 16 year history. We are exploring a partnership with a worldwide charity to use the grid system of coaching, combined with a unique emphasis on mentoring, to affect communities around the globe.”

The School of Hoops site will be launching in the coming months with online training videos, ambassador articles and more. Stay tuned for more information.

CIA Basketball are delighted to announce that they are now formally a constituent of Family Resource Centre UK, a well established charity which operates across the UK and has its head office in Reading.

Family Resource Centre UK is a respected charity and since 1990 they have worked with Local Authorities, businesses and other voluntary sector organisations to provide a variety of services and projects, including the award-winning Family Information Service, Children’s Opportunities Group and GO!.

As CIA Basketball embark on a new era in the club’s history, Director Tony Brown said that  he believes the move could not have come at a better time as we negotiate new contracts for 2011/12. “Having the wealth of experience, support and knowledge of FRC UK behind us will be invaluable as we have a lot of work ahead of us in 2011!”

Family Resource Centre UK have their own sporting success and six months ago welcomed Reading Football Club striker Shane Long as their debut Sports Champion. Shane assists with special needs projects as well as with other activities undertaken by the charity. They were also awarded the specialist National Association of Family Information Service Quality Award (NAFIS) as well as the universally recognised Investors in People IIP Award.

CIA Basketball will soon be changing their name and launching their new and exciting brand – so watch this space. Promotions Manager Luke Bowler commented, “We strongly believe that the new brand will signal a fundamental shift in the services we offer. This will include new work outside of the UK for the first time in our 15-year history.”

The club will launch its new brand in the coming months.

The London Metropolitan Basketball League released the fixtures for the 2010/11 season this morning, uncovering a number of interesting match ups when the season tips of in the first week of October.

In the first game of the 2010/11 season on the 8th October, CIA will travel to Britannia Leisure Centre in Central London to take on the Hackney White Heat. Though the two teams have met on several occasions, both teams will boast an unfamiliar line up, promising a tense opening game.

CIA will return home the following week to play Hackney’s older brother, Hackney Community College. The national league team, based at the Space Centre, are stacked with young talent and have blazed a formidable trail over the past few years, topping the league on several occasions and always fighting for supremacy at the top of the table.

On the 19th October CIA visit the infamous Moberley Sports Centre to face off against Westminster Warriors. CIA caused an upset last season as they dumped the Warriors out of the LMBL Cup with a nail-biting single point victory and they’ll be hoping for a repeat performance.

To close out an action-packed October, CIA will face an in-house battle as newcomers Christians in Action, formerly CIA 2, pit their wits against them in a bid to reach the second round of the LMBL Cup. Former shooting guard Nik Lawry has joined Christians in Action under the leadership of coaches Dennis Paddyfoot and Freddie Roberson and a completely new-look team is expected.

CIA will renew rivalries with Met Trident Lewisham and face Alleyns Apaches for the first time in December.

CIA will hope to debut two new players when the season tips off, with 6′3″ Guard Aaron Lawmann and 6′7″ Forward Andre Bayliss expected to complete the roster.

Last year’s EBL MVP and current England International Stefan Gill will step up to professional competition next season when he joins local BBL outfit, Milton Keynes Lions.

The 26 year old, 5′10″ point guard was voted the MVP in the English Division One last season as he led his hometown Manchester Magic to a playoff crown. He averaged an impressive 23 points and just shy of 5 assists per game.

The high flying guard has thrilled audiences at our annual Family Festival for the past 2 years, winning the slam dunk crown on his first appearance back in 2009. Now he’ll put his unique skills on show for thousands as he battles the very best in the UK.

Stefan is expected to make his debut in September presuming the Lions find somewhere to call home. They were forced out of their current arena this summer and the race is on to find somewhere new before their first fixture.

Follow Stefan and the rest of the Lions at mklions.com

A familiar face is expected to return to the platinum kit of CIA this season. Aaron Lawmann will join several first team teammates tonight in a friendly before pre-season starts on 1st September.

Aaron previously played for the club at the U21 level along with current teammates Gene Brown, Daniel Montague, Darryl Lewis and Chi Lewis-Parry as well stints in National League competition with the London Towers.

His brother Benji plays professionally in Italy and enjoyed a breakout season in the 2009/10 season. He set several season highs and was highlighted as one of the most promising players in his division.

Point guard Luke Bowler thinks Aaron’s versatility will be important next season. “Aaron can play Shooting Guard or Small Forward and combines a tenacious attitude with a good shooting touch. Having him running the lanes with Daniel (Montague) next season is a dream for a Point Guard and gives us more options against bigger teams like Rocco.”

15 years in any venture; business, charity or otherwise, is quite an achievement. For CIA’s Director and Head Coach Tony Brown this achievement came and still comes at a price. It’s not often we get a chance to drag him away from his daily coaching and counseling duties so when that opportunity presented itself we spoke in-depth about his personal journey and why he’ll never regret the sacrifice he’s made.

From an early age it was evident that Tony possessed both a gift and a passion for working with people and this quickly permeated his professional life, starting in direct sales before being promoted to regional sales manager. All the while Tony’s passion for basketball remained an integral part of his life.

Through that passion, much of Tony’s time became dedicated to mentoring the younger players around him. “I found that I was spending more and more of my time on the court coaching the younger players. As I did that it became clear that there was a desperate need for mentors and role models in our community and often the parents benefited from that relationship as much as the players,” Tony remembers.

However, whilst the inception of the project was clearly necessary it certainly came at a cost.

“I had just been offered a promotion and would have been earning upwards of 50k a year, so starting the club meant risking getting nothing. Our aim wasn’t to make money but a neutral environment where players could trust their coaches and where they’d learn to love their community.”

“A lot of young people want to take but aren’t prepared to give. Through the hard work and discipline that’s inherent in the way we coach, we teach them to give something back to their community and set them up for life away from the court too.”

Tony took a true leap of faith, going from a stable, regular income to earning just £30 per month coaching in a single school.

“We started in one school in Merton and were immediately given those labelled as ‘problem kids’. These were young boys and girls on the brink of expolsion from Primary School. When parents and teachers saw a transformation in the way they behaved and in their school work we were quickly recommended to other schools and the coaching program grew from there.”

With little over a month to go before the launch of HOOPS, a national grassroots coaching and mentoring program developed by the club and it’s partners, Tony is prepared to do it all over again regardless of the sacrifice.

“Even if we were to spend another 15 years without being funded we’d continue to do what we do.”

In a society that considers wealth, both corporate and individual, as a key indicator of success, Tony believes CIA has, and always will, go against the grain.

“For us success isn’t measured by finances. Seeing the project make a genuine difference to the kids we coach and their families is more important. We see it in how our kids interact with each other and their passion to make a difference. We see it in the recognised and respected players that give up their time to support our annual Family Festival each year.”

“If we continue to change lives through the project, then it will have been a success.”

Note: CIA Basketball was established in the Summer of 1995 by Tony Brown and Freddie Roberson and now celebrates 15 years of coaching and mentoring in the local community.

CIA are delighted to announce that Christian Lacsina will become the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach for the forthcoming 2010/11 season alongside Player/Head Coach Tony Brown.

Born in the Philippines, where basketball has been the national sport for well over 100 years, Christian joined CIA 3 years ago and soon joined the coaching staff that visits over 40 schools in the local South London community. His positive approach to the game and Phil Jackson-esque calm demeanor made an immediate impact amongst the young players; an attitude he’ll hope to pass on to the Senior Men.

CIA Basketball commented, “Coach Lacsina has an advanced understanding of the offense we run and great ideas to develop our defense. He’s also got an infectious passion for the game that matches our values, putting teamwork above winning games.”

CIA will return to Premier Division competition facing a host of familiar faces. Despite being demoted for the first time ever two seasons ago, CIA are confident that the progress they’ve made coupled with a continued commitment this summer will put them in good stead to return to winning ways.

Hear more from Coach Lacsina in this video:

CIA first team Point Guard Luke Bowler believes keeping the team united throughout the summer period will be essential to their success as they return to Premier Division competition next season.

“We had a really difficult year 2 seasons ago that led to our demotion – last season a lot of effort went into learning a new system and keeping everyone together but we managed to do that and it’s vital we maintain that throughout the summer.”

The 23-year old guard is inspired by the commitment of CIA’s senior players too as many players start intense workouts away from the court. “Players like Gene Brown, Darryl Lewis and Daniel Montague have shown great commitment working out in the gym and running. They should be in great shape when the season comes around and it’s up to all of us to follow suit.”

More than just physical development over the summer, Luke stressed the importance of the team staying on the same page. “We’re all comfortable with our offense, it suits all of us individually and as a team and takes the pressure off a bit as a point guard too. But all of that is secondary. We have to continue to do the little things, even in training.”

“At the beginning and end of every session we pray and come together as a team – it’s easy to forget that and rush in to a session. It’s also a different dynamic having a player/coach – it’s important we allow Coach Brown to lead us and follow his example. As the more senior players in the team, we have a responsibility to set an example for the younger guys.”

The 2010/11 season will start in October as CIA return to the Premier Division to face familiar rivals. Luke is confident the team can also return to winning ways. “We essentially run the triangle which gives us a really flexible offense based on sound fundamentals. Last season we learnt a lot from it as a team. By the close of the season everyone looked comfortable and ready to move up.”

Fans can stay up to date with all the fixtures, results and stats right here on www.ciabasketball.com

There was a surprise in store at this year’s Family Festival 2010 at Canons Leisure Centre in Mitcham as CIA Basketball were honoured to present the ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award’ to Patricia Fairclough OBE.

After being asked to present the award, the unsuspecting Patricia was surprised to be greeted on court by Peter Scantlebury MBE, the former England Head Coach and last year’s winner. With the Golden Molten Basketball in hand Peter Scantlebury took the mic, opening “Patricia thought she was presenting this award, little does she know…”. Normally the person to surprise others, Patricia pointed at Luke Bowler (CIA’s Promotions Manager and event organiser) as he smugly hid, as if to say, “You did this”.

Patricia kindly said, “I was completely shocked to receive the Golden Ball Award and deeply honoured that Basketball people still remember me after 43 years and continuing voluntary service to our sport in building communities. I will continue with my voluntary work to assist the development and promotion of basketball and officials for our great family game which helps to promote trust, discipline, respect and unity whilst building a safe and secure future for our young people. I totally enjoyed my evening with CIA Basketball.”

Event organiser Luke Bowler replied, “It was truly our pleasure to honour someone who has invested so much time and passion into the community. Training and developing officials and equipping them to work in the basketball community is a vital part of the game that often goes unnoticed – Patricia Fairclough’s unique and infectious character leaves an indelible impression on anyone she comes into contact with and we wish her continued success.”

CIA Basketball would like to thank Bob Hope and Molten Sports for supporting this award each year.