PLAYERS CHOSEN FROM BIRMINGHAM QUALIFIER (AUGUST 5th)

RANK NAME POSITION POINTS
1 DARREN SUTHERLAND PG 71
2 FRANK BATIMBA PF 61
3 WAYNE ROBINSON PG 56
4 LADI BROWN DF 54
5 KEHUNDE ROBERTS SG 42
6 RYAN LEWIS PG 33
7 DANIEL MONTAGUE SF 31
8 RONADLO EDMONSON SG 29
9 JESSE MEADE F 27
10 DENNIS PREWAR G 23
10 KEITH JARRETT PF 23
  • Darren Sutherland
    Darren finished top of the leaderboard after having to earn his way onto the elite court as a Wildcard selection. Focused and determined to book his place in the finals, Darren used his superior leaping ability and quickness to devastate defenders. At times it seemed as if some of the seeded players were stuck to the ground, as Darren racked up points by driving past them and dishing to team mates for assist after assist. He finished the night with an impressive 12 dimes. However, the key to his overall success was his impressive run of 10 wins against just 1 loss. Team victories will always be the most important stat in this competition.

  • Frank Batimba
    Frank also benefited from a strong run of wins against just 2 losses all night. Add his 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 made 3’s to the mix and it is easy to see how his all around game placed him second on the night. Another unseeded player who finished amongst the leaders on the night.

  • Wayne Robinson
    The highest placed local baller. Wayne is Birmingham through and through, sometimes flamboyant – but always hard working. At 4:30am he was not even in the top 15 – but a strong run of wins and a string of difficult shots game after game, propelled the Birmingham baller into the top 3.

  • Ladi Brown
    A product of the legendary Joe White (R.I.P) and Tony G Hackney program, who travelled up from London in search of a spot in the finals. Ladi brought great rebounding and athleticism to Birmingham, and was rewarded with a top 4 finish for all his efforts.

  • Kehunde Roberts
    Without doubt, the best baller of the night. A local Birmingham based player, Kehunde was taking some of the London guards (who shall remain nameless…for now….) to night school, with a crash course in how to shut up players who talk too much trash without the game to back it up. He buried jumper after jumper with hands in his face, pulling on his arm, waist…it didn’t matter. The bigger the challenge, the better he played. Surprised everyone with how well developed his game has become. If he had not sustained a slight ankle sprain (which happened when one player had run out of ideas on how to stop him, so tackled him to the ground) he would have definitely finished atop of the leaderboard. Managed to finish 5th despite playing half as many games as the top 2.

  • Ryan Lewis
    Surprise finalist, who earned his way through to Brixton the hard way. A wildcard player from Birmingham area, who made his impact felt on the boards, while throwing down one of the best dunks of the night.

  • Daniel Montague
    Long and athletic, D-Mont earned the nickname ‘Brixton Or Bust’ on the night because of his focused determination to make the finals. Another player who made the trek up from London in search of a spot amongst the top 40. Playing a more strategic game, D-Mont realised he wasn’t on the best team so proceeded to rack up individual stats across the boards, scoring baskets, stealing the ball, rebounding and even finding time to make some assists. Definitely worked hard for his spot in the finals.

  • Ronaldo Edmonson
    Surprise Birmingham baller who got onto a winning team, made very few mistakes, played hard on the boards and now is on his way to the Brixton finals! A great example of what the competition is all about – hunger over privilege. If you work hard and stay focused, you CAN win your way through to play in the spotlight at Brixton.

  • Jesse Meade
    Another unexpected finalist, who benefited from making few mistakes and contributing in valuable ways to his teams 5 victories against just 1 loss. Jesse grabbed 10 boards and made 40% of his shots to earn his way through to the finals. Will find it tough going in the finals, but has proved he belongs with a strong showing at the Birmingham qualifier.

  • Dennis Prewar
    Another local baller who rode a hot shooting streak from 3, all the way into the finals. Part of the team that went 5-1 on the night, Dennis made 4 3’s at a high percentage to accompany the winning in padding out his individual score. Will now find out what it is like at the top when he gets to Brixton.

  • Keith Jarrett
    Used to go by the name of ‘Jumping Jarrett’ for his ferocious dunks, but is now known as ‘Kool Keith’, as he lays in more than he dunks nowadays. Still able to catch a put back slam, for those who sleep Keith made his way to the final mostly from his extra effort on the boards. By far the best rebounder on the night, Keith grabbed an impressive 34 boards to secure the last guaranteed finals spot from the Birmingham qualifiers.