The Winston-Salem Wolves remained unbeaten in ECBL play this season with a home win over the SC Upstate Redhawks on Saturday, March 16, with a final score of 120-80. The Redhawks scored first and held the first lead of the game, but a deep three pointer by starting guard Antonio Robinson quickly put the Wolves out in front and the team never trailed again in the game.
The Wolves came into the contest somewhat shorthanded, with shooting guard LePreece Lynch held out due to injury, and forward Ian Gregory out for a family commitment.
Both players had started the first two games of the season.
Joshea Singleton stepped in to pick up the scoring need left in the absence of Lynch and was the leading scorer for the Wolves with 24 points, while Seth Hill added a deep threat with 4-for-8 shooting from behind the arc.
Antonio Robinson continued his efficiency shooting a blistering 71.4 percent from the floor, including 2-for-3 from deep, while handing out 11 assists. The Wolves defense had their best showing of the young season, holding SC Upstate to 44.6 percent shooting on just 65 shot attempts.
Leading rebounders for the Wolves were Dionté Adams with 16 and Zalinor Banks with 10. Banks also notched his second double-double in a row with 17 points.
Point guard TJ Fullwood added a spark off of the bench with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
With the win, the Wolves improve to 3-0 on the season and remain on top of the Northeast Division. They will be on the road for their next game against the Charlotte Tribe on March 24.
The SC Upstate Redhawks fall to 0-2 on the season and are still searching for their first win of the year. The Redhawks will travel to play the Carolina Thunder in Latta, SC on March 30.
March 10, 2019 – The Winston-Salem Wolves remain unbeaten in the 2019 ECBL season after notching a win over division rival NC Coyotes 119-117 on Saturday, March 9th. The Coyotes, based in Durham, fell to 0-2 after their opening day loss to Hickory last week.
Leading the team in scoring was Wolves forward Zalinor Banks, who worked well against the zone to pour in 33 points and grab 13 rebounds. Banks took advantage of the zone defense played by the Coyotes to repeatedly find mid range jumpers on 12 for 21 shooting from the floor, as well as shooting 7 for 8 from the free throw line.
Guard Cory Evans led the Coyotes with 34 points, and point guard Marqui Bunn was particularly effective outside the 3 point line, shooting 6 for 12 from deep to help keep his team close.
Guard Joshea Singleton of the Wolves came off the bench for a big third quarter, shooting 3 for 5 from deep to take advantage of the zone. With 3:40 left in the game, Wolves guard Khadier Fulcher drained a three-pointer to put the team in the lead for good 110-106, although a couple of quick fast breaks by the Coyotes and baskets by big man Raymond McKeithan closed the score to 116-115 with only 35 seconds to play.
With 16 seconds left on the clock, shooting guard LePreece Lynch found himself matched up in isolation on the outside against a Coyote forward, so he was able to put the ball on the floor, drive to the basket and draw the foul. Lynch’s free throws pushed the score out to 118-115 in favor of Winston-Salem.
A quick inside score by McKeithan again closed the gap to a single point, but as the Coyotes were forced to foul with only 6 seconds remaining, Lynch’s free throws to push the lead out to 119-117 and sealed the game. The Coyotes were left with a deep shot attempt to try and win at the buzzer, but were unable to get a good look and the Wolves walked away with the win.
Additional statistical notes for the Wolves include Chris Woods, who scored 25 points and grabbed 12 boards; LePreece Lynch, 20 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds; and point guard Antonio Robinson, with a solid stat line of 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Overall the Wolves committed only 9 turnovers against 35 assists.
With this win, the Wolves currently reside at the top of the Northeast Division, as well as having two division wins which count towards the ECBL playoff race. The team will be at home again on March 16th to face the SC Upstate Redhawks at 2pm.
The Coyotes will be on the road again next week against the East Carolina Cardinals in Greenville, North Carolina.
The Winston-Salem Wolves took on the Gastonia Snipers in their inaugural exhibition on February 24, 2019 and came away with the win, 107-97. The Wolves led for much of the first half before falling behind by as many as 16 in the third period, then put together a late run to race back and take the lead on a jumper by Wesley Hsu heading into the final quarter.
Wolves forward Zalinor Banks led all scorers with 28 points, while the leading scorer for Gastonia was former Parkland High School standout Bobby Scrivens with 21 points. The Wolves were able to get heavy scoring from rookie guards LePreece Lynch and Khadier Fulcher; Lynch scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Fulcher dropped in 21 points and helped fuel the comeback.
The Wolves open their season on the road against the Rowan County Bulls on March 2 before returning home to face the NC Coyotes on March 9. Both games are divisional games and will count towards the Wolves playoff record.
January 29, 2019 The Winston-Salem Wolves, a professional minor league franchise playing in the East Coast Basketball League for the 2019 season, have announced the addition of Kevin Beard to the coaching staff. Beard will join as an assistant coach for head coach David Solomon.
Kevin Beard played high school basketball at Northern Durham High School and was named 1st Team All-Conference as well as 1st Team All-Tournament. As a senior, he averaged 15 pts a game.
Beard attended Greensboro College and played under Sam Hanger from 1991-1995. He is the school’s 2nd all-time leading scorer, all-time leader in assists, steals, number 7 in rebounds and 2nd in all-time 3 point field goal percentage. He holds the single season steals and assists record.
Beard is the only Greensboro College basketball player to have over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists for a career. He was 2 time First Team All-Conference and 2nd team once. He was a 2 time member of the All-Tournament Team and back to back Tournament MVP. His senior year he was 1st team All NABC. Kevin led Greensboro College to back to back Conference Championships in 94 and 95. He led the 95’ team to a 26-4 record, an Elite 8 berth and a #5 final NABC national ranking. He is a 2 time member of Greensboro College’s Athletic Hall of Fame as an individual and with the 93-94’ team. He was also invited to the Toronto Raptors Rookie Camp in 1995.
Beard’s international playing experience include travel teams that toured outside of the United States and he was one of the inaugural draftees for the Korean Basketball League in 1996.
The Winston-Salem Wolves are heading into their first season and will be playing their home games at the Childress Activities Center, a 2,000 seat facility on the campus of Forsyth Country Day School. For more information on the Winston-Salem Wolves, visit WSWolves.com.
The Winston-Salem Wolves, a professional minor league franchise playing in the East Coast Basketball League for the 2019 season has announced the signing of Zalinor Banks, a 6’6”forward who played collegiately at Fayetteville State.
Banks has previous experience playing in the ECBL and is a Winston-Salem native, averaging 20+ points per game over the past two seasons. Banks is the fourth player signing announced by the Wolves leading into the 2019 season, which begins March 2, 2019.
The Winston-Salem Wolves are heading into their first season and will be playing their home games at the Childress Activities Center, a 2,000 seat facility on the campus of Forsyth Country Day School. For more information on the Winston-Salem Wolves, visit WSWolves.com.
The Winston-Salem Wolves, a minor league basketball franchise that will play the 2019 season in the East Coast Basketball League, announced today that David Solomon has been named as the head coach under a one-year agreement for the coming season. Solomon has over twenty-five years of coaching experience in high school, college and professionally with several international teams. He is a FIBA licensed coach with past coaching positions in Denmark, Venezuela and Slovakia.
“Many of the players in the ECBL are actively looking to either go back overseas to play on another professional contract, or in some cases, looking for their first contract, ” team owner Marcus Shockley said, “David has extensive experience in all levels of coaching and knows the international arena extremely well. We wanted to bring someone in who not only had the coaching experience but also the knowledge to help develop players into international prospects. David fits that need perfectly, especially for a team going into the first year.”
In regards to the agreement only being in place for the 2019 season, Shockley stated, “in an ideal world, we’d have David for several years, and we hope that will be the case. But just like the players, a good coach is often presented with opportunities that they can’t pass up, so we’re looking at it as we’re lucky to have a high caliber coach from day one, and build from there. As a minor league team, we want to build consistency but we also realize that one of the goals of our organization is to enable our players to reach their own professional goals, and for some players, that means playing professionally outside of the United States.”
The Wolves announced their schedule earlier this week, but no roster announcements have been made. For more information about the Winston-Salem Wolves franchise, visit WSWolves.com.
Former Wake Forest player and NBA alum Rusty Larue will be joining the advisory board for the Winston-Salem Wolves,
a minor league franchise playing in the East Coast Basketball League this season. The addition of the Wolves was announced by the league earlier this week.
The advisory board will be a key factor for the team to make sound decisions regarding personnel, business development and operations. The team has announced that open try outs are expected in early January, although some closed practices will have started before then. Additionally, the team expects to name a head coach for the 2019 season within the next few days.
Larue played basketball, baseball, and football at Wake Forest University. He later played for the Chicago Bulls team that won the 1998 NBA championship, and has remained involved in coaching at both the collegiate and high school level in recent years.
The East Coast Basketball League, a minor league based in the Southeastern United States, has announced the addition of a new team for the 2019 season, based in Winston-Salem, NC. The team will be operated by Marcus Shockley who is the founder and Executive Director of Neptune Media Group, parent company of NetCast Sports Network, a publisher of sports related programming for broadcast television and live streaming.
Additionally, Shockley’s past experience has been in creating and managing national high school basketball showcases which were featured in SLAM magazine and on ESPN’s Top 10; Producing broadcasts for pre-NBA draft camps such as the Portsmouth Invitational, and financing various elite high school and pro basketball combine events.
“Minor league basketball is tough to get traction in, here in the U.S. Market,” said Shockley, “but I really like what the East Coast Basketball League has done and I didn’t want the Triad (NC) area to be left without a team. We bleed basketball in North Carolina and the Winston-Salem, Greensboro area is no different. Our goal is to be competitive in our first year and create a community environment for fans in the area.”
Kishon Bishop will be working with Shockley and brings the experience of organizing the Triad All-Star Classic each year, which features the top players from the regional high schools, as well as running several events such as the Blue Chip fall league and the Triad First 48, an elite high school event. Bishop also previously played for the national team for his birth country of St. Vincent & the Grenadines and organized the Triad Pro Am summer league for several years.
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In a unique move and as part of the partnership, PUMA is offering an official endorsement deal to any player who competes in TBT and then signs on with an NBA team the following season. Following last year’s tournament, 16 players signed deals with NBA teams during the 2017-18 season. For the ones looking for baskteball systems, Check the Mega Slam Australia (adjustable basketball hoop).
Now entering its fifth season, TBT just released its 72-team bracket consisting of college alumni teams, international basketball stars, ex-NBA players, future NBA players and more competing in the 2018 edition of the single-elimination 5-on-5 tournament. All games will be broadcast live on ESPN networks beginning Friday, June 29, at Spokane Hoopfest and culminating with the $2 million championship game on Friday, August 3 at Morgan State University in Baltimore. This year, 21 games will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2.
“Partnering with an iconic brand like PUMA is a game changer,” said Jon Mugar, founder and CEO of TBT. “Not only do they have a massive global footprint, but they also value creativity, risk-taking and the idea of challenging the status quo. This partnership is perfect in so many ways, and will result in an even more memorable and unique experience for basketball fans and players alike since they will be able to play with the best outdoor basketballs.”
“TBT is a unique concept and a perfect tournament for us to get involved with as we kick off our re-entry into basketball,” said Adam Petrick, Global Director of Brand and Marketing for PUMA. “We want to shake things up within the sport, and this tournament does that and more by providing opportunities for previously unrecognized talent, and giving fans new ways to experience the game.”
In all, 68 players with NBA experience and 27 college alumni teams are set to be involved in the 2018 tournament, as well as multiple former lottery picks and All-Stars with 11 NBA championships between them. In addition, 26 players competing in this year’s tournament competed in NCAA basketball this past season.
Overseas Elite, a team of American stars currently playing in top leagues around the world, won for the third consecutive year in 2017, amassing a 19-0 record, and have taken home an astounding $5 million over three years.
Fans win 10%, or $200,000, of the $2 million prize. Tickets for all TBT game days and events are on sale now. For more information, visit www.thetournament.com.
To learn more about PUMA Basketball follow @pumahoops on social media.
The East Coast Basketball League has announced the 2018 All-Star Rosters as they head into their conference playoff championships this weekend.
Southern Conference
Chris Moore – Prime Time Players
Terell Smith – Prime Time Players
PJ Heath – Prime Time Players
Anton Grier – Carolina Crusaders
Sam Dotson – Carolina Crusaders
Trey James – Carolina Thunder
James Richardson – Carolina Thunder
Alex Brown – Carolina Thunder
Mike Couvson – Augusta Eagles
Daniel Quarles – Augusta Eagles
Octreyvius Roebuck – SC All-Stars
James Murray – Charlotte Tribe
Northern Conference
DeShaune Greene – Hampton Roads Warriors
Caleb Henderson – Hampton Roads Warriors
Robert Pinkston – Petersburg Cavaliers
Kenard Moore – Winston-Salem Certified
Marsharee Neely – Winston-Salem Certified
Jamarr Hardy – East Carolina Cardinals
Kendall Ham – East Carolina Cardinals
Will Griffin – NC Coyotes
Corey Evans – NC Coyotes
Danny Sanders – Hickory Hoyas
Justin Glover – Hickory Hoyas
Avery Patterson – Rowan County Bulls
