Welcome to Riders Heroes.

Tom Brown

2006-05-01T21:00:00.000+01:00

Name: Tom Brown
Height: 6'7
Position: Power Forward
College: Seton Hall
Joined: 1985/86

Tom Brown was a powerhouse player down low in the 85/86 season for Leicester, coming from a strong Seton Hall program in the States. Tom is pictured here going to work against Davenports Birmingham with Gene Waldron hanging around the foul line in the background.

Gene Waldron

2006-04-24T20:44:00.000+01:00

Name: Gene Waldron
Height: 6'3
Position: Shooting Guard
College: Syracuse
Signed: 1984-85/1988-95/ 1996/99

For many people, Gene Waldron WAS Leicester basketball during the mid eighties and through the nineties. The 3rd most loyal player in league history, Gene played the game with a flair and skill level much above most other players he played against, his three point shot was feared throughout the league, his spin moves and through the legs assists were legendary as was his scoring prowess, he averaged 19.8 over his English career.

The fact that Gene never won a trophy in all his time at Leicester proves that sometimes pro sport just isn't fair, the closest he came was the infamous 1998 National Cup final versus Thames Valley in Sheffield where Riders were more than comfortable with Gene controlling matters on the floor until tragedy struck. A clash of shins with Tigers' Dameon Page spelt a trip to Sheffield hospital for Gene with a spiral fracture of his lower leg and with it went Riders chances of Cup success.

Gene did come back after the injury and played again under Dave Harris in 1999 but a poor season ensued for the team and Gene retired at the end of the season, although rumours of him joining Derby were thankfully wide of the mark.......
Any long time Riders fan will have a fantastic Waldron memory of maybe a ridiculous drive to the hole for an and one reverse lay up, a no look pass or my favourite, the patented NBA length three pointer, usually a dagger to stop an opposing team comeback or a nerve steadying score for Leicester.

Gene made Riders basketball a pleasure to watch, he also had the skills to get fans out of their seat and he was and still is one of the best guards to ever play in this country without question.

The picture shows Gene in his very early days at Syracuse!

Tim Moore

2006-04-23T19:28:00.000+01:00

Name: Tim Moore
Height: 6'8
Position: Power Forward
College: University of Houston
Signed: 2001

Tim Moore scored 36pts and claimed 9 rebounds on his Riders debut to make himself a Riders hero, he then injured his ankle and was out for nearly a month, he then returned to play a few games and then walked out on the club with no word to either Coach Mims or club directors....

Certainly not a team player, but a stunning talent who unfortunately has more stamps than Judith Chalmers on his passport which shows a nomadic streak not matched by many other players.

Ryan Huntley

2006-04-21T21:50:00.000+01:00

pic courtesy of 4everblue.
Name: Ryan Huntley
Height: 6'4
Position: Point Guard
College: Tarleton State
Signed: 2005/06

Ryan Huntley hit some amazing shots for Karl Browns' 05/06 Riders, usually with the shot clock expiring...... He also single handedly fired Leicester into the Trophy Final with a stunning 7 pts in 26 secs to see off the Guildford Heat on their own floor.

Ryan came a very close runner up to Anthony McHenry in the Player of the Year voting to cap a successful first season in a Riders vest, hopefully it won't be the last. Huntley also has BBL experience with the Scottish Rocks, Chester and Brighton.

Steve Bucknall

2006-04-19T23:42:00.000+01:00

Name: Steve Bucknall
Height: 6'6
Position: Guard/Forward
College: North Carolina
Signed: 2005/06

England legend Steve Bucknall was signed by Karl Brown for the 05-06 season and it signalled Riders intent on being competitive in the BBL after a good few lean seasons. Buck played hard belying his veteran status and this was typified by his stunning defensive performance in the amazing comeback Trophy semi final win at Guildford which prompted KB to say "Steve thought he was back at North Carolina!"
Buck could also hit the three and was in the top 5 for free throw accuracy.

Steve's season included a bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games but sadly ended with an ejection in the play off defeat at Sheffield. Can Karl persuade him to give it one last go for the 06-07 season????

Anthony McHenry

2006-04-19T23:25:00.000+01:00

Name: Anthony McHenry
Height: 6'7
Position: Guard/Forward
College: Georgia Tech
Signed: 2005/06

Quite simply one of the best players to ever wear a Riders uniform, 6'7 Anthony McHenry could play any position from 1-5, he could pass, rebound, block, dunk, steal, run the floor and lock down any opposing teams danger men. A coach's dream who provided Riders fans with some great moments during the 05-06 season, my own favourite was the double block on Sheffield's Eddie Cage at the John Sandford which had the crowd on its feet and an embarrassed Cage on his way to the bench......!

An 2004 NCAA finalist with Georgia Tech, Anthony was also crowned Riders Player of the Season edging out Ryan Huntley to take the trophy, a just reward for his efforts in his rookie pro season.

It was a pleasure to watch Ant in action and maybe one day he too may get to the NBA where some of his former Tech team mates have made the grade?

Deg Erskin

2006-04-19T23:16:00.000+01:00

Name: Deginald Erskin
Height: 6'6
Position: Forward
College: University of Texas
Signed: 2005/06

Deg Erskin was signed by Karl Brown in late 2005 after an impressive spell in Birmingham the season before. 6'6 Erskin was a great slasher to the hoop, a tremendous shot blocker for his size and a whole hearted performer. As the season progressed, Deg was more often than not Riders leading scorer and a firm fan favourite.

Dollar Bill

2005-12-27T22:38:00.000Z

Name: Billy Singleton
Height: 6'7
Position: Forward
College: St Johns
Signed: 1997/98 & 2000/01

Big Billy Singleton is a true Riders and BBL legend, having captained the Double winning team in 2000 in his second spell with the club after initially joining in 97-98.
6'7 Singleton was unstoppable in the low post at times, he could finish to a high percentage close in and rebound heavily too. While not being the most mobile guy on court, Billy sure had the quickest hands in the business and he used his famous quarterback launch pass to great effect many times, usually to set Purnell Perry off on a flying mission.
Billy has also played for Birmingham, Thames Valley, Scottish Rocks [winning the play-offs] and Chester during his time in the BBL.

Tim Winn

2005-12-27T22:27:00.000Z

Name: Tim Winn
Height: 5'10
Position: Point Guard
College: St Bonaventure
Signed: 2002/03

Former NCAA Div 1 St Bonaventure star Tim Winn was signed by Billy Mims to replace Antoine Sims at point guard during the 02-03 season. Tim arrived in December [along with Mario Porter] to join a team which had no confidence and no continuity and he tried hard to inject some sparkle into things with some gutsy moves on offence and some tremendous steals on D.
5'10 Winn averaged around 15pts a game in his short stay at Loughborough and he played for the Pennslyvania Valley Dawgs amongst others after leaving Leicester.

Antoine Sims

2005-12-27T22:16:00.000Z

Name: Antoine Sims
Height: 5'10
Position: Point Guard
Collge: Johnson C Smith
Signed: 2002/03

This BBL rookie 5'10 point guard was signed straight from Johnson C Smith college in the States to run things on the floor for the 02-03 season. Antoine got off to a decent start assists wise but his scoring was proving a problem for Coach Mims, who always liked heavy scoring guards in his system.
Eventually things came to a head in December and Sims was cut to make way for Tim Winn, a decision which didn't go down too well with a few Riders fans who had taken Antoine to their hearts as he always tried his hardest on court.

JaRon Boone

2005-12-27T22:05:00.000Z

Name: JaRon Boone
Height: 6'6
Position: Guard/Forward
College: Nebraska
Signed: 1997/98 and 1998/99

Former Nebraska Cornhusker JaRon Boone spent two seasons with the Riders initially playing under Bob Donewald in 97-98 and then Dave Harris the following season.
A real showman, the 6'6 SF provided some memorable moments during his stay, dunks, threes, outrageous passes and his patented sit in the crowd stunt if he didn't like the call against him.
Boone played in the 98 Cup Final but he was up against one of the finest players the BBL has ever seen in John McCord who overshadowed JaRon and guided Thames Valley to glory.
Under Harris, Riders stumbled to a 9-27 record and Boone had a poor season by his standards which saw him move on at the season end.

Ervin Murray

2005-12-27T21:49:00.000Z

Name: Ervin Murray
Height: 6'5
Postion: Guard/Forward
College: Wake Forest
Signed: 2004/05

6'5 PG Ervin Murray was signed by Karl Brown as a replacement for Nathan Anderson in the early stages of the 04-05 season. Erv had started his BBL career at Birmingham but he left Bullets and KB snapped him up, it was a wise move as the multi skilled former Wake Forest man showed his versatility by covering 3 positions and doing a bit of everything to a good standard. Being 6'5, he provided match up problems with most opposing PG's, his long arms grabbed plenty of rebounds, he could hit the three, take it inside and finish softly or via a slam plus his passing and court vision were superb.
Ervin's steadying influence was the catalyst behind the Riders late run for a play-off spot which sadly ultimately failed as MK Lions snuck home in 8th spot.
If Ervin had been around from the start maybe things would have been different?

After leaving Leicester at the end of the 04-05 season, Ervin went back to the States and was trying to get in the 05 NBA Summer League.

Troy Coleman

2005-12-26T11:35:00.000Z

Name: Troy Coleman
Height: 6'3
Position: Point Guard
College: Lincoln Memorial
Signed: 1999/00

6'3 Troy Coleman arrived with Coach Darling for the 99-00 season but he only showed his better form once Darling had walked and Billy Mims took over, he gave Troy more freedom and it paid off with some fine games at PG. Troy was susceptible to injury however, his Yorick Williams esque skinny legs probably didn't help!

The Beast.................

2005-12-26T11:19:00.000Z

Name: John Smith
Height: 6'8
Position: Power Forward
College: Virginia Commonwealth
Signed: 2003/04 and 2004/05

The Beast eh? One thing you could not fault 6'8 John Smith for was effort, but he wasn't the most intimidating big guy we have had by a long way. John's speciality move was a laboured spin move on the low block, followed by an attempted lay up which would usually end with John doing a huge star jump up to the backboard with the ball halfway back down the court in the hands of an opposing player..........

A nice guy, and a true "gentle giant" now playing back in Finland i believe.

Purnell Perry

2005-12-24T16:40:00.000Z

Name: Purnell Perry
Height: 6'5
Position: Small/Power Forward
College: Voorhees
Signed: 1999/2000, 2000/01 and 2002/03

Purnell Perry, probably one of the best finishers to have played in the BBL. He consistently shot around 60% from the floor in his time as a Rider and boy could Purnell dunk......

On his televised debut on Sky Sports v Derby, Perry threw down two absolute monsters to announce to the league that he was for real and he crashed the boards as well.

Despite being only 6'5, Purnell could leap and he was "put together" as well, if he went up for a rebound, he generally got it!!

There would have been no Purnell Perry if it hadn't been for Tim Darling who plucked him from the Icelandic League, which is the only thing you could commend poor Darling over his calamitous stay at the helm......

Purnell was a big cog in the Double team under Mims and he left plenty of memories.

Purnell had another brief stay [2 games] in the 02-03 season but the lure of a bigger pay packet in Korea saw him off on his travels again.

Perry is pictured here playing in New Zealand.

King Ralph Blalock

2005-12-24T14:02:00.000Z

Name: Ralph Blalock
Height: 6'3
Position: Shooting Guard
College: Towson State
Signed: 2000/01 and 2001/02

King Ralph, Riders talisman from the Double team of 2000.

Signed mid season to replace Freddie Cole, Blalock was an instant fan favourite with his sweet dribbling, deadly three point shooting and nerveless free throw style.

In the Cup Final, Ralph was too much for the Leopards to handle and he was a menace in the play off run at Coventry, making a mockery of the Skydome's tight rims. Wembley held no fear for Blalock either as he made the Sharks pay in the final.

Ralph returned for the 01-02 season but due to the constant chopping and changing of the roster, his form suffered and he departed to the Brighton Bears at the end of the season. He then signed for the Towers in the 03 season.

Jonathan Holmes

2005-12-24T13:12:00.000Z

Name: Jonathan Holmes
Height: 6'0
Position: Point Guard
College: North Carolina
Signed 2003/04

An early Karl Brown signing to replace the enigmatic Mike Wiatre, Jonathan Holmes had a short career in Rider blue, standing 6'0 and coming from a top program [UNC] in the States, Holmes wasn't a big scorer but could stick the three and dish out plenty of assists. Just as he was settling into the starting five, Holmes injured his ankle driving to the basket in a league game at Loughborough and that was his last action in a Rider uniform.

In 16 appearances, Jonathan shot 40% from 3pt land and averaged 6pts and 4 assists per outing.

After leaving Leicester, Jonathan played a season in Denmark.

Larry Johnson

2005-12-24T11:45:00.000Z

Name: Larry Johnson
Height: 6'2
Position: Point Guard
College: St Augustine
Signed: 2000/01 and 2001/02

One of the main reasons behind Riders run to Championship glory in 2000 was the form of this man, Larry Johnson.

Larry was the Riders floor general and his array of spin moves, head fakes and aggressive drives to the basket made him tough to stop. During the play off games he was unplayable at times despite carrying a shoulder injury.

Larry came to Leicester after being cut from the Leopards by Bob Donewald who clearly didn't rate him. LJ had the last laugh though, beating Donewald's Leopards to take the National Cup and then after winning the Play off final, proudly shouting at the TV camera "This one is for you, Donewald".

A good point well put Larry.

LJ came back for a short spell in the 01-02 season but he couldn't recapture the explosive form of before.

Larry has since played in Saudi Arabia and in the Lebanon.

Billy Mims

2005-12-24T10:16:00.000Z

Billy Mims, the most succesful unsuccesful coach in Riders history.

Billy joined Leicester in late 1999 after being released by the London Leopards where he had enjoyed many triumphs. He came to replace the hapless Tim Darling who had got off to the worst start in the clubs history [0-8 league, 0-6 Trophy, 1 win in National Cup].

As fate would decree, Mims' first game would be against the Leopards with none other than Bob Donewald at the helm. What happened that night would go down as one of the great games at the Granby, Billy even made the Riders change in the "away" locker room to try and change the mentality from losing to winning. Riders played in true run and gun style, the shackles were off and Donewald was blowing gasket after gasket as his Cats had no answer to the muscle of Purnell Perry [37pts, 12 boards], the guile of the hitherto unimpressive Troy Coleman [double double] and the presence inside of an unrecognisible Rob Wilson.

We missed the play offs as we couldn't dig ourselves out of the Darling inspired hole but the next season was unbelievable.....

2000-01 saw Mims' first full season in charge and it had many twists and turns. In came Larry Johnson, Billy Singleton, Freddie Cole and a host of others. The season started with 3 losses but the turning point came in an overtime win in the cup at Birmingham. The season picked up momentum, Ralph Blalock was picked up and well, the rest is history.

Sunday 7th January, Sheffield Arena National Cup Final v Leopards. Mims v Donewald part II.

LJ and Blalock saw the Riders home to their first trophy in a tense scrappy game , the final points were fittingly scored by Karl Brown and Riders were home and dry, cue mass hysteria and Cinderella at the ball stories........

Riders were in fourth place in the conference at the season end but were the team in form, a great run to close out the regular season saw a play off trip to Coventry and a match up with Nigel Lloyd's MK Lions. Riders squeezed home by 2pts to set up tie against Mr Peers' Jets with Loren Meyer et al. Riders blew the Jets away to win 90-71 and now the bookies were revising their prices.....
Next up was a semi final vs London Towers and Nick Nurse. a tight game was blown open in the 3rd quarter by some pampant Riders fast break play, the highlight being a two pass break finished by a flying Perry dunk. The Towers were sunk and Mims had done the impossible, guided the lowest seeded team to a Championship Final at Wembley.

Wembley Arena was the setting for the 00-01 Championship Final and Riders started nervously with Sheffield handling the pressure better. As in the semi, the Riders blew out of the traps in the third to blow the Sharks away, Blalock and Malcolm Leak hitting from long range to put a lead together, Sheffield tried to answer from the arc but Reinking, McKinney and Myers had a nightmare, Myers fouling out in the 4th as Riders took the trophy. Amazing scenes indeed.

Billy himself said that he had created a monster and so it proved. The next season [01-02] saw only Blalock and Singleton return, along with Jon Gaines and Jermaine Brown with Mike New joining later. It was a struggle, players came and went, "chemistry" was missing and the play offs never looked like being attained.

It only got worse in the 02-03 season, in came Antoine Sims, Jamal Faulkner, Mo Robinson, Kenya Capers etc but a humiliating defeat to Teesside saw a decline start that the club would struggle to emerge from under Mims. Out went Sims, in came Tim Winn, Leak returned, out went Faulkner, in came "Super" Mario Porter, Robinson was eventually cut for mysterious reasons and the wheels had come off in some style. Mims would oversee 1 win in 40+ games and Riders were at rock bottom.

Season 03-04 surprisingly saw Mims retained but things were no better, another poor start came as Mims signed Mike Wiatre, Mike Pegues, John Smith, Gary Durrant etc. Things came to a head after an 0-12 start and Billy was fired.

A sad end to a rollercoaster ride that at the start had everyone on the edge of their seats, but at the end had people vacating them........

Billy is currently coaching back in Florida at US college level.

Reservoir Bob

2005-12-24T09:57:00.000Z

Signed: 1996/97 and 1997/98

Ah, Mr Donewald Jnr.........

Where do we start?

Bob joined the Riders for the 96-97 season and he soon made a name for himself with his sideline strops, ref baiting and a minging collection of suits from Nickleby's. With a glass of Coke in one hand and a rolled up programme in the other, many fans didn't watch much of the actual game, spending more time laughing at Bob's "style" on the bench, or total lack of it in many ways. If i had a quid for every time Dan Routledge announced "Technical foul called on Riders Coach Bob Donewald" i would have retired from work long ago........

His recruitment brought in some fine players such as McGee, Reinking, Havrilla, Boone, Ford, Phoenix, Singleton, Hawley, Gayle etc etc.
He also got us to the 1998 Cup Final where we lost to Thames Valley and Gene Waldron broke his leg just as Riders were gaining the upper hand. Unfortunately we didn't make the play-offs that season so Bob left and did what only he could do, join Derby!

He also coached at Leopards and has been an assistant at Cleveland in the NBA.

Bob is pictured just about to erupt at a referee, probably Keith Bruce..........

Justin Phoenix

2005-12-24T09:05:00.000Z

Name: Justin Phoenix
Height: 6'8
Position: Forward
College: Manhattan
Signed: 1996/97

Justin Phoenix was Bob Donewald's go to guy inside during the 96-97 season. He had an array of smooth inside moves, could also throw it down as well as hit the three if required. Justin also played for Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield in the BBL, he is shown here jamming one home for Giessen in the German Bundesliga.

Sean McCaw

2005-12-24T00:39:00.000Z

Name: Sean McCaw
Height: 6'7
Position: Forward
College: Southern Utah
Signed: 2003/04

Sean McCaw first came to Riders fans notice while playing for CAB Madiera against Leicester in a pre season game at Loughborough in 2001. He looked really good and fans were pleased when Billy Mims signed him. Sean was made captain and he always gave 100% even though you could see his frustration at some of his colleagues shortcomings. He wrote a regular column in the match programme which revealed Sean's thoughts on a number of topics, this endeared him to the supporters as he usually told it like it was....... An all round good guy now playing back in Switzerland for the Geneva Devils.

Mike Pegues

2005-12-24T00:29:00.000Z

Name: Mike Pegues
Height: 6'5
Postion: Small Forward
College: Delaware
Signed: 2003/04

One of the few bright spots of Billy Mims' 2003 squad, Mike Pegues carried the Riders on his back for an entire season with manful displays of scoring, rebounding and the odd block too. Mike played his college ball for Delaware, where he was described as perhaps the best player that the program ever produced.

Mike could hit the three, score off the dribble and had a trusty jump shot too. It was a pity that Mike was on a poor team while he was with us, as he certainly could fill it up. Just as well really when you had John Smith and Chris Webber in the starting five too...............

Nate Reinking

2005-12-24T00:06:00.000Z

Name: Nate Reinking
Height: 6'1
Position: Shooting Guard
College: Kent State
Signed: 1996/97

With the shot clock running down, which former Rider would you like to see with the ball in his hands? Answer-Nate Reinking.
Nate was probably one of the best shooters to have pulled on a Riders vest, either from three point land or with a pull up jump shot.
My favourite Reinking memory was from a BBL game v Manchester, Bob D called a timeout to run a play for Justin Phoenix to get inside and snatch the win. The players came out, the ball was passed around the perimeter and landed with Nate who launched a LONG three ball, much to Donewald's disgust/amazement, SWISH. GAME OVER.

Nate has since turned out for Derby and Sheffield in the BBL and he now plays under Chris Finch for Euphony Bree in Belgium.

Geno Ford

2005-12-23T23:21:00.000Z

Name: Geno Ford
Height: 5'7
Postion: Point Guard
College: Ohio University
Signed: 1997/98

Probably the most unlikely looking PG to play for the Riders, Geno Ford made himself a legend with his performance in the Cup semi against Kevin Cadle's London Towers. His stunning long range shooting that night sent Riders into their first Cup Final under Bob Donewald. Ford came to Leicester via Ohio Uni in the States after continually haunting Donewald's teams with his shooting and passing skills at college level.
Coach Donewald once remarked that Geno "couldn't guard a sliding glass door", but his 3pt range and clinical foul shooting soon made him a fan favourite.

Geno is currently assistant coach at Kent State in the NCAA Div 1.

Havrilla the Gorilla

2005-12-23T23:09:00.000Z

Name: James Havrilla
Height: 6'11
Position: Centre
College: Western Michigan
Signed: 1997/98

Bob Donewald's "Big Man", James Havrilla.

Big Jim was a presence in the paint that the Riders had been missing, although perhaps not playing to his maximum potential while at Leicester, Havrilla certainly left some memories, as well as some bruises. Ask Bryan Balser, who unsuccessfully tried to hang one on Jim at the Granby v Derby, Balser jumped three feet to try and make contact, but soon ran for the locker room as Havrilla decided to retaliate.........

Jim is pictured here playing for Trier in Germany.