To the Essex Sports Arena! On Sunday afternoon, as Essex Rebels were hosting Hemel Storm in a Men’s Div One Championship match.

Much has been made of the supposed rivalry between the Rebs and Hemel Storm. If you squint ever so faintly then you can possibly just about see it, but I fail to get excited about a matchup with a team based over in Hertfordshire.

What was a little more concerning was that new Rebs head coach Joshua Perkins is still looking for his first dub. That’s not to say the team is playing badly. They have pushed all their competitors in the previous matches incredibly close but just can’t get over the line.

It didn’t look too promising ahead of tip off when the Rebs bench was only half-dressed. They were incredibly short on options and it looked like it could be a long evening ahead.

Storm had bought a sizeable away following. A battle of the drums took place with the right old racket being made by two sets of supporters.

I would say SHOUT OUT to the incredibly enthusiastic young kid sitting in front of us, but he was doing his own shouting out. Fair play for all the effort and energy. We’ve sat with him behind us before. We had to move after five minutes. We thought we would try and stick it out on Sunday afternoon.

Making his home court debut for the Rebs was a new number 12 Melchi Egbeyemi. He saw plenty of court time with such a short bench in the first quarter. Some wild shooting from the Rebs was a little off target. They left the court after the first quarter, trailing Storm 22-17.

The atmosphere was half-decent for a Sunday afternoon Rebels match. The new MC is doing a fine job and is warming up well into the role.

The Rebels were superb in the second quarter. Tyrese Hudson overcame some of his personal demons and managed to sink three free throws in a row. Good effort fella.

Tre Baumgardner III dominated showing all his style and skill as he set up a superb backboard pass for one of his teammates, with the Rebels then moving slightly ahead, 36-34.

Controlling things for Storm was a former Rebs playmaker Victor Olaerin. He was full of energy out there as ever.

Once a Reb, always a Reb, etc.

The halftime buzzer came with the scores at 48 all. The last thing I wanted after last weekend was another overtime session.

We took the strategic move to shift away from the incredibly loud young kid. Christ that boy’s got a right old screechy pair of lungs on him.

The third quarter kept it tight for both teams. Rebels edged ahead by one point, taking a 69 to 68 lead into the final quarter.

The Kiss Cam appeared on the big screen. I had to move once again, shuffling four seats to my left, so we were both singletons. You’re not going to get any kiss cam action out of me.

Some huge back to back three-pointers followed in the fourth from Rebs star shooter Kyron Martin. I then got even a little more paranoid when the Lookalike Cam appeared on the big screen and Mr Bean’s smiling face appeared.

What are you trying to do to me here?

Storm were incredibly strong towards the close of the game. The Rebels just ran out of energy. With fifteen seconds left on the clock, the Rebels were trailing 91-88.

Some set plays failed to bring the scores level and Storm left the building with a well-deserved 93 to 88 victory.

The second game in the Essex Rebels' double header at Our House on Saturday evening saw Loughborough Riders rocking up at the Essex Sports Arena.

Also present were two ex-Rebels coaches in the building, as well as new Head Coach Josh Perkins.

It was great to see Ross Norfolk doing his snapper duties, as well as Jordan Ashley on the officials' bench, keeping order with everything taking place on centre court.

Both ex-coaches are always welcome. Ross managed to steer the club through a very difficult time during his period in charge.

Only last week Jordan Ashley was leading the men’s Div One team to a fantastic home court win against Newcastle. It would be good to see him back one day coaching the Div One men.

Loughborough Riders weren’t quite as exciting. They took to the court wearing their dull grey kit - think Man United away at Southampton vibes back in the day.

It didn’t help that one of their players insisted on wearing the most ridiculously long pair of shorts. They were basically down to his ankles. He looked a bit of a dick, to be honest.

The two teams came out. Home hero Tyrese Hudson was clearly pumped up for this.

Also impressing was Kyron Martin, who sunk a couple of massive three pointers, leading to the first time out in the game being called by the Riders.

Still filing into the arena was a steady procession of student latecomers. Never change.

A hard fought first quarter led to the Rebels taking a 29-16 lead into the second. I didn’t keep track of how many points Tyrese Hudson struck up but he was working hard under the basket with his rebounds and making them sink.

A bit of house business then took place with some messages on the big screen for the students. We were surprised to see Fresher’s Fortnight being plugged. Hang on, FORTNIGHT? When do they actually start studying?

The action returned in what was always going to be a high scoring game. Both teams were resilient out there, taking no prisoners in both offence and defence.

The Kiss Cam then appeared on the big screen. This was my cue to go for a brief toilet break.

MWAHHHH

Rebels were always ahead but they just couldn’t quite get enough space between them and their visitors. A well executed set piece three pointer right on the buzzer allowed Riders to trail by only 7 points at the halftime break.

The third period was incredibly strong for the Riders. They could see this game was far from gone. SHOUT OUT to the dude sitting in front of us who insisted on playing FIFA on his phone throughout the whole game.

Rebels took a 76-63 lead into the fourth. Riders had to be praised for pushing it but Rebels even more so for not allowing them to catch level.

Then we come to the fourth quarter. Oh boy, where to start?

Basketball is a physical game. You don’t see the petulance often on show in professional football, and there’s none of the fisticuffs associated with sports like ice hockey. But it still is pretty intense out there, with plenty of rough and tumble.

There was clearly some beef between Tyrese Hudson and one of the Riders players. I have no idea if there’s any backstory to this.

What can be politely described as a friendly tussle led to the Riders player being tripped by Tyrese, and then around ten seconds later, both were squaring up after a separate incident, eyeball to eyeball.

Oh dear.

There was something of a minor bench clearance. Three Rebs players left the bench to stand up for their teammate. I actually quite like this even if the basketball laws of the game might disagree.

What then followed was endless deliberation by the referee. This went on longer than any usual VAR crap in the Premier League. Almost ten minutes passed before the judgement came.

The outcome was two Rebs players being ejected from the game and somehow Riders having an incredible six free throws from the line.

WTF?

Five of these were sunk with ease. Fair play to the dude but he kept his cool and did the business, taking Riders level with the Rebs. We were heading into overtime with the scores at 90-all.

There was only one way this game was going to go. The Rebs were clearly rankled by the scuffles and then the bench clearance. The six free throws were just taking the piss.

Riders time managed the game extremely well, took their shots, went ahead, and then killed it off.

A final score of Loughborough Riders 101, Essex Rebels 99 seemed a little unfair.

To the Essex Sports Arena! …on Saturday afternoon.

This was the first double header of the new season for the Essex Rebels. It also coincided with the students finally being back on campus. As ever the Rebs organisation had put in a fine effort in marketing the games to both students and local families.

My first obstacle to overcome was the return of the student mediaeval jousting thingy. This is weird, but each to their own. It takes place every Saturday afternoon in one of the University car parks. We’re talking full on mediaeval garms and massive fuck off battlements with plenty of sticks flying around.

This all meant that the pre game Fan Zone outside the Essex Sports Arena was a little more sedate. I still wasn’t quite in the mood to go ahead with a full on Rebs face painting experience.

The Women’s Super League team were up first with a home court game against what is usually a very strong Leicester Riders. It was great to see Megan Haines back wearing a Rebs jersey after a few seasons away. Once a Rebs, always a Rebs, etc.

There’s been plenty of change over the summer months up at Our House. The women have a new Head Coach in young Tor Freeman. I say young coach but I’m not exactly sure of his precise age. He certainly brings a youthful feel to the organisation.

There were also new faces making their home debut on court alongside some more familiar Rebs fan favourites.

It’s always reassuring to see Captain Claire Paxton leading the line on court. She’s the Ryan Yates of the Essex Rebels. Coaches may come and go, but each and every one of them always puts their faith in picking Paxton. She’s something of a Rebels legend these days.

Rebels got off to a storming start. It looks like new coach Freeman is continuing with the same style of play, which basically involves pace and plenty of attack.

Rebs' mascot, Queen B, was out at the front entertaining the family crowd. And then out of nowhere, a cow in a full on mascot costume suddenly appeared. I have no idea what was going on there.

Rebs put in a fine first quarter performance, with all of their three pointers sinking. They took a commanding 31-10 lead into the second quarter.

Riders then managed to settle in the second. They were still finding it tough to come to terms with some of the new Rebels' tactics.

One of these was a really effective set play involving four players taking on a Gareth Southgate style train line formation, before then all peeling off and the ball being delivered to the final shooter.

Rebels were still out in front come the half time buzzer, leading 48-26. The challenge for the third and fourth was not to let such a strong lead slip.

The third period was much of the same. SHOUT OUT to Cerys Leach, who sunk a fantastic three pointer right on the buzzer to give Rebels a 68-43 win into the final quarter.

Having started the game so fast it was inevitable that the home team couldn’t keep up the pace. The final quarter was all about game management and making sure a home win was achieved.

A final scoreline of 94-62 to the Rebels seemed about fair, in what was a very decent home debut for new Head Coach Freeman.

To the Essex Sports Arena! …on Saturday evening. The Rebels Division One men had their home season opener of the regular season, with Newcastle making the long journey all the way down to Our House.

It’s a long old stretch of a season, all the way to the playoffs in April of next year.

And so it begins.

The Rebels were short benched. Three players weren’t dressed, making decisions a little tricky for interim Head Coach Jordan Ashley.

Oh yeah, let’s talk about that interim Head Coach. The longer the season goes on, the more difficult it must be to recruit a full time Head Coach.

The longer the season goes on and the longer interim Head Coach Jordan Ashley continues to deliver, the more comfortable he looks in the role. Saturday evening at Our House was no exception.

Sitting behind us by many of the men’s Div 3 team. I like their enthusiasm; I like their freshness. I kind of like the collision of different aftershave smells that were lingering around us all evening.

The Rebels got off to an explosive start. It’s clear that their tactic under Coach Ashley is to play an incredibly fast paced game. The ball was moved around the court at tremendous speed.

Newcastle were just about able to match the tempo. Rebs had the slight advantage, taking a 23-21 lead into the first buzzer.

Dominant for the Rebels was Tre Baumgardner III. He needs to be with a name like that and he managed to live up to his reputation. He completely controlled the game, starting and finishing off moves, showing great awareness around the court.

The second quarter got a little crazy. Newcastle managed to pull ahead. It’s around this time in a game that the Rebs usually collapse. They somehow got their act together and managed to take the lead once again.

At one stage the home team had a 15-point lead towards the end of the second quarter. Tyrese Hudson rose to the occasion, coming off the bench putting in a fantastic performance.

Half time came. Let’s Go Crazy by Prince and The Revolution sounded bloody amazing being played out in full over the arena PA. I made a mental note to try and watch Purple Rain uninterrupted sometime next week.

The third period could have been a little cagey for the Rebels but it wasn’t. Some superb defending meant they didn’t buckle. They knew that a victory was within their sight as long as they kept the same team mentality together.

Come the final buzzer they had stretched away with a 94-79 home win. The celebrations were superb.

It was clear that all the players have the complete respect and trust in the young rookie coach. Ashley Jordan was singled out as the players pushed him forward to take all the acclaim.

Also a massive SHOUT OUT to Tyrese Hudson. He absolutely stepped up in this game, showing great vision and also finishing. He’s becoming something of a Rebels club legend.

To the Essex Sports Arena! …on Saturday evening. This was the first double header of the season for the Rebels, with the recently reformed men’s Division 3 team on court first, followed by a men’s Division 1 game.

Football commitments kept us away from the Div 3 men. We rocked up and took up our seats at the arena to see the final couple of minutes in the 4th quarter.

At first I thought the scoreboard was borked. It said the Rebs were leading 117 to 34. Hang on, that can’t be right.

A few friendly conversations with some Rebs folk then confirmed that this had been an absolute walkover. The visitors from Bedford had come with only 5 players. There was absolutely no one on the bench.

The atmosphere in the arena was flat but a win is a win. Some within the organisation were a little concerned that the sizeable crowd might not hang around for the main attraction, given what they had just witnessed.

It’s a little awkward for the men’s Div 3 team. They’ve had to drop down a year after taking a sabbatical last season. It looks like the season ahead might be something of a stroll for them, with few competitive matches.

Any concerns about the arena being half empty once again for the Div 1 men were soon put aside. Even with England international football on the telly, there was still a half-decent crowd.

Once again coaching for the Rebels was Ashley Jordan. He has stepped up to the role in an impressive manner as the organisation still looks to recruit a full-time coach.

The early exchanges didn’t look good for the Rebs against a really strong Reading Rockets team. The visitors outmuscled the Rebs on their home court in the early exchanges.

We also had our own little tussle with some kids sitting in front of us. They had a right bloody annoying mouth reed-type instrument thingy. One of the young fellows kept on squeaking away in a most annoying fashion.

The Rebels were impressive in the first quarter. They moved the ball around the court at some pace. It would always be a challenge to keep up this level of commitment.

It was a great team effort as they took an 18-14 lead going into the start of the second quarter. They had to work for it, with Reading pushing them all the way.

Reading came out strong in the second. This was a key game as both teams looked to progress in the Trophy. It was pretty much winner takes all to see who would come out on top for the next stage of the knockout competition.

The Rebels' strategy of relying on sharpshooter Kyran Martin to hit his three-pointers won’t win you a game. This isn’t a one-man sport. Martin did remarkably well with most of his shots but not everything is going to sink.

Some great coaching though did take place from Ashley Jordan. With 3 seconds left in the second quarter, he brought on two subs and set up a move which got the three-pointers needed. This left the Rebels trailing 40-42 at the buzzer.

The game got back underway in the third but the scoreboard started to slow down. This then became a low-scoring ball game as Reading started to get away. The shots just wouldn’t sink for the Rebels.

The comeback never really seemed on. They were always chasing the game. The home team rallied in the final couple of minutes but the gap was already too big. Reading left Our House with a well-deserved 88-76 road win.

To the Essex Sports Arena! …early on Saturday evening for the first home fixture for the Rebs' Division One men of the new season.

And so it begins. That’s my Saturdays booked up pretty much all the way through until the run-in to the playoffs in April.

It was a little weird arriving on campus fashionably early for once. Term time is still a week away.

In the absence of students it seems that the University was holding some kind of conference or gathering for fire officers. I must have counted a dozen fire engines, plus plenty of uniformed fellas walking around. It may have been a health and safety audit.

No such health and safety audit was needed in the Arena. Volume set to max, plenty of energy on the court, fun times only.

It was good to see many familiar faces and the old crowd behind the scenes as part of the Rebs operation.

Meeting and greeting us at the door was Queen B. Spoiler alert for any kids reading: I think Queen B is a new Queen B once again this season. Same costume, slightly different physique, and different vibes when it comes to the dance moves.

The students may not be around just yet but there were plenty of kids turning out to cheer on the men’s Division One team. The Rebs certainly know how to market these games. There’s been a considered push over recent weeks in the run-up to the season opener.

We flashed our season tickets and were immediately handed over a shiny new lanyard for the season, plus the obligatory tote bag with a freebie drink inside.

Tuck in.

We made our way to our usual seats just behind the home benches. Another nice touch this season is that season ticket holders have got their own reserved backrest covering.

It’s been a little awkward for the Rebs Division One team, who are currently coach-less. Joe Hart did a fine job steadying the ship last season. He has gained a rightful promotion to be an assistant up in Caledonia with the men’s Super League team.

The Rebels did announce a few weeks ago the return of the Division Three team, with all-round Rebels good egg Jordan Ashley taking on a player-coach role. He dominated playing in the Division Three team a few seasons ago and has been coaching some of the more junior teams since then.

There’s been a rapid-fire quick promotion for Coach Ashley to look after the big boys in Division One, as the search for a more permanent solution is found.

The bench, meanwhile, looked familiar. There are a few new faces here and there but it’s good to see the core roster from last season being retained by the Rebs.

This includes a well-deserved captaincy role for Tyrese Hudson, who is becoming something of a Rebels legend. He knows his own abilities on the court, but always puts the team first and is a reassuring constant presence.

Recruitment looks decent with pace aplenty. We do seem to be lacking some kind of big bruiser D player to bully around any tricky players that rock up at Our House.

Thankfully Worthing were pretty much similarly matched in terms of physique. I couldn’t see beyond their crappy shorts, which appeared to have a couple of clouds sewn into the design, right on the back side of the players.

Classy.

The game tipped off. Study the buffers. This could have been a disaster for the Rebels. Worthing were all over the home team. No one wants to see that on your own court.

Rebels somehow found their calm and managed to slow down the Worthing charge. The home team played a scrappy first quarter and were fortunate to only trail 27-16 at the first buzzer.

The second quarter was bloody awful viewing for any Rebels fans. Worthing were able to sink their three-pointers whilst every effort from the Rebels fell short. A punishing run by the away team took them to a 25-point lead at one stage.

Some three-pointers were finally sunk by Johnny Mac. Rebels cut out the scrappy approach to play and realised instead that the way to beat Worthing was through pace.

The away team were clearly frustrated on three occasions in the second quarter. They were timed out with the shot clock.

Unlucky.

The halftime break came. We just about managed to dodge the Kiss Cam on the big screen. Our mugs flashed up for a few seconds before the refs blew the whistles to restart the game.

Rebels were trailing 44-36 as the third quarter got underway. They managed to close the gap with some smart moves, with Worthing having their lead reduced to 63-55 entering the final quarter.

This was always something of a slight stretch too far for the Rebels to overcome. What they did well with the new interim coach and new players was to contain Worthing. They made the away team work for their 86-73 point win.

And so not the result we wanted for the Rebels but not the disaster this could have been. Coach Ashley didn’t look out of place and he clearly has the respect of some of the players who are more senior than him.

Up the Rebs.

Obligatory Basketball Coaching Dilemma post to follow: you know how it goes. There are less than weeks to go before Essex Rebels tip off the new season at the Sports Arena. The men have a home court game on 12th September. The women start their season in early October.

And whaddyaknow? Both teams now are Coach-less.

It was announced a few weeks ago that Ashley Cookson would be stepping down as Head Coach of the women. Good luck to Coach Cookson and his young family as they start a new life back home in Canada. He leaves Our House with the women’s team in a better position than when he arrived.

But the bombshell announced today, if indeed you can call it a bombshell in local basketball terms, is that men’s Head Coach Joe Hart is also stepping down. There’s no succession in place, with the Rebs urgently looking for someone new to lead the team in just over a week’s time.

I think it’s all good news - that is if you can call two head coaches leaving, with no one else to replace them, good news. Coach Cookson has made no secret of wanting to head back to Canada with his family; Coach Hart, meanwhile, has landed himself a coaching role higher up with an as yet unnamed men’s Super League team.

Good luck to them both. It does leave something of a dilemma for the Rebs with the new season counting down. They’ve also advertised recently for a new game announcer plus also a game day experience person to hold it all together.

I often feel that the Rebs both benefit but are also hampered by the university status of both teams. It’s great to attract young players who can combine their studies with playing basketball at an elite level, But once their time on campus is up they disappear. Likewise for a lot of the support staff.

It’s far too early in the season to get concerned. In fact the season hasn’t even started. I was feeling positive with the resurrection of the men’s third team after taking a sabbatical for a couple of years. I can’t help think on the court things will be a little stretched before all three teams get to settle down as we enter the winter months.

I’m kind of used to this now, Back in the day and it was always the same with Elite League ice hockey. You would get familiar the roster of players and the head coach, and then come the end of the season they would all disappear and it would be all change a few months later when the puck drops once again.

Come to think of it after a batshit transfer window, Premier League football isn’t a million miles away from this right now.

A chance encounter as we turned around one corner of a beautiful garden in Brightlingsea on Saturday and we bumped into M and family. Woh. I wasn’t expecting that. Conversation flowed about gardening, bicycles and then inevitably basketball. M let it slip out that his under-18 team are already in training ahead of the new season, which starts in October. That’s keen I thought.

And then this morning, whilst up at the university for pickleball, I left the sports hall and bumped into Coach Hart. Ah so he’s back at HQ. I thought the whole coaching staff was on some long sabbatical over the summer months; they certainly deserve a rest after a really hectic schedule travelling up and down the country for the best part of eight months.

We exchanged a friendly smile. I even called him Coach. I think he was slightly more embarrassed than I was. Never meet your heroes, etc, even if they are from a local basketball team that nobody else has heard of.

Back at base and I fired up the emails. It’s season ticket renewal time for the Rebels. Talk about getting in there early. We’re talking an early bird price. There’s been a slight increase this year but still at £110 for a season ticket, which covers all the men’s and women’s basketball, as well as the volleyball, that’s exceptional value for money.

I really miss our Saturday evenings up at the Essex Sports Arena. Sure it can get a little demanding. Thankfully the treble header games seem to have been lost with the AWOL men’s second team.

Heading up there every week for a couple of games from October through until May can wear you down, but once you’re there it’s bloody good fun. The cheque is in the post for the season tickets etc.

Oh yeah - I really did want to watch the NBA series. I know little of the Knicks but I got suckered into the whole Knicks hype train of perennial losers who are about to pull off something special.

Up the Rebs, up the Knicks. That sounds all wrong.

To the Essex Sports Arena! …on Saturday afternoon as the Rebs women tipped off against London Lions in a home court play off quarter-final. Having secured a regular season fourth placed finish - the highest in the club’s history - the reward was to welcome Ldn Lions to Our House.

And what a welcome. The theme for the afternoon was black out. Rebs fans were encouraged to wear all black to create an intimidating backdrop for the arrival of Ldn Lions. It was a good opportunity to air my black shorts for the first time this season.

The Rebs organisation had done a great job in mobilising the fan base with such short notice ahead of the game. There were queues stretching out of the Arena and towards the Sports Centre just ahead of tip off. The women’s team has managed to build a strong family following around Sunny Colch.

Rebs were a little short-benched. Not dressed for the home team were Nat Chau and Leah McDerment. Both are experienced players who have plenty to offer with such a young team assembled.

Tip off came, and the Rebs game plan soon became clear: Shock and Awe. Rebs raced to an impressive 30-14 lead, come the first buzzer. The challenge would be to keep up this relentless pace throughout the rest of the game.

Ldn Lions came out for the second quarter playing a more physical game. They tried to counter the pace of the Rebs by roughing them up. It didn’t work. There’s a reason why the Rebs have a home court record this season of P9, W9: the speed in which they move the ball around is unplayable at times.

Rhema Ogele was superb, having her best game so far in a Rebs jersey. A huge three pointer from Captain CP gave the Rebs an impressive 61-27 lead at the break. The players were cheered off after what had been one of the most dominant halves of basketball that I’ve ever seen. Outstanding.

The aim after the break was to reach 100 points, and not to allow the Lions back into the game. The pace of the scoring slowed down slightly in the third, with Rebs leading 84-44 at the end of the third.

The fourth quarter was all about keeping calm, but continuing to take your chances. A play-off semi was within reach. SHOUT OUT Coach Cookson who used his bench wisely. The home crowd reacted strongly when the final finishing five players were the youngest in the club. They didn’t let the team down, either.

And so a very, very impressive 93-72 home court win for the Rebs. The women have been a joy to watch this season with their speed, skill and blend of experience and rookie players. A home record of P10, W10 is well deserved.

Up the Rebs!

To the Essex Sports Arena! …on Saturday afternoon for what could be the final home game of the season. The Manchester Mystics rocked up at Our House. A come court win would guarantee a top four finish in the regular season, and a guaranteed home court quarter-final.

Overcoming Manchester would be no easy task. Their bench is full of BRUISERS. It soon became clear that the away team had come to beat up the Rebs.

In response, Essex relied on their trademark quick on the break game, punishing Manchester with their speed. SHOUT OUT Quinesha Lockett, who kept her cool under the basket. The Rebs trailed 18-20 at the first buzzer.

The home team managed to edge ahead in the second in what was shaping up to be a very tight game. At one stage the gap was 44-33, but Manchester were far from done.

Rebs made no mistake in the third, controlling the game and putting some extra pressure on the scoreboard, showing 66-54 at the end of the third.

This was still a very tense game, with so much at stake. The final buzzer saw Rebs celebrating a hard-earned 85-72 home court win. There was something of a LIMBS moment - both on the bench and in the stands.

Rebs' have a proud home record of P9, W9 at home this season, finishing fourth in the league. London Lions are next up at Our House in the play-offs. The home form favours the Rebels.