Formal partnership for Myerscough Basketball & Lancashire Spinners

Myerscough College have a formal partnership with Lancashire Spinners

The idea of the partnership with the Spinners – who play in the top flight of the English Basketball League - is to further develop a pathway for students to play the sport at an elite level.

The agreement will run from the start of the forthcoming season, starting next month, and will run through the 2018-19 season and prioritise the development of student athletes as a key area of focus alongside required studies to pursue advanced educational degrees.

In return for the use of Myerscough’s training facilities, including the College’s brand new High Performance Centre for Sport, for training and occasional games, the Spinners will reciprocate with substantial advertising across the website, social media channels and on game days, as well as recruitment and opportunities for Myerscough students to become part of the first-team squad.

Neal Hopkins is Head of the Myerscough College Basketball Academy, as well as being Head Coach of the Lancashire Spinners. He said: “The significance of the Spinners working with Myerscough College is huge.

“The development of a pathway in which talented junior players have a chance to play at a level that suits their ambition is key for their success. Ken (Masser, Spinners General Manager) has fully supported what I hope to accomplish and we’ve already been fortunate to have great talent play under the Spinners name.”

Ken Masser said: “Bringing Neal on board early to see if we could ultimately make this work was important.

“He’s a visionary, who has already taken the Myerscough Academy to exceptional heights in a relatively short period and we know he’ll continue do the same as our head coach.”

Lancashire Spinners had five players on its roster last season from Myerscough, including Alex Roberts, Cian Hickey, Zion Tordoff, Kyle Carey and George Darling, with latter two signing athletic scholarships to attend NCAA Division I institutions in the United States.