The long-awaited return of the British Basketball League’s legendary All-Star Game is over as the event’s 10-year absence ends this Sunday in London and we had the pleasure of chatting to Jamell Anderson, the only Manchester Giants player picked for the roster, ahead of the big day.
A 33-year-old small forward, Anderson has won everything you could hope to during his time in the BBL, lifting two Championships, two BBL Cups and one cup Trophy during his five-year spell with the Leicester Riders, and is now making more history as one of just three Giants in the 2024 All-Star fixture.
Having first moved to Manchester in 2021 and then spending a season at nearby Cheshire Phoenix before returning last year, Jamell remains one of the most exciting and experienced players in the division but was still nonetheless humbled to be picked for All-Star men’s North team.
Also making wholesome headlines as the first husband-wife duo to play in the event and representing the same team, no less, we spoke about everything from Georgia and the honour of being selected for the game, to the home crowds at the National Basketball Performance Centre at Belle Vue and more.
— British Basketball League (@britishbasketm) March 13, 2024
Jamell Anderson is the only male Manchester Giants player for the first All-Star Game in a decade.
So for those who might not know too much about the event, can you give them a taster of what to expect from the BBL All-Star Game?
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“Yeah, I mean, from my standpoint it’s just exciting to be part of such a big event. Like you said, it’s not been happening for the last 10 years, so there’s a lot of excitement around, first of all being a part of it, but also the fans being able to come and see some of their favourite players playing.
“There’s also the dunk contest, lots of entertainment and yeah, it’s going to be great.”
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Good stuff. And, obviously, you’re the only male Manchester Giants player picked for the All-Star North team — how much of an honour is it to be representing Great Manchester on that stage?
“Yeah, I mean, I’m representing the Giants, I’m representing my hometown of Nottingham, representing my family; I’ve got a lot of flags for that game and I’m pretty excited to be there, especially with my wife and daughter.
Absolutely. You’re not the only Giants player across both events or even the only Anderson for that matter. How special is it going to be for your partner to both be playing?
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“Yeah, Georgia [Anderson] is the captain of the women’s team so that’s quite special. I mean, we’ve talked about it quite a lot actually and we’re just kind of like in shock.
“We feel really, really honoured to both have been selected and it’s a unique situation to say the least.”
Definitely, what a moment to soak in. Now what about more of a background about the rest of the team and the season for those who might not be aware of the Manchester Giants?
“Everyone on my team is really exciting. We’ve got guys that can dribble amazingly with their eyes closed and pull off every move you think of; we’ve got really good shooters and guys that can literally rip the rim off. Literally.
“One of our players ripped the rim off the basket right in the middle of practice this year, so we had to stop training and wait to get a new one, I’m not exaggerating. That’s the men’s team for you.
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“But yeah we’ve got a real range of talents and players and at loads of different heights as well. Small, tall, young, experienced — I think if you come to a Giants game, you’re going to tick every single box of everything that you would want from a basketball game.”
How would you describe the atmosphere at your home games over at Belle Vue?
“It’s fast-paced, it’s family-friendly, it’s loud, intense and I think that being indoors in Manchester”, he laughs, “and being able to watch something as entertaining as that is a win-win”.
Now, we’ve obviously bigged up Manchester Giants plenty here but one what about the All-Star event itself, are there any talents or opponents you’re excited to be coming up against?
“Nah, I don’t want to give any players any kudos. These are all people that I’m playing against but I would say I’m pretty excited to take the floor with all of them.
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“To be honest, it’s not very often you get the best players all in one place at one time and I’m just hopeful that everyone stays healthy. Also, it’s a really competitive game.”
Have you ever been involved in any kind of All-Star/mixed game like this before?
Funnily enough, me and Georgia actually played on a charity game once where we were both on the same team and she threw me an alley-oop pass and I missed it, so yeah, I was doing in the bad books for a bit after that one, but nothing like this before so I’m pretty excited about it.
Yeah, I’m sure you were doing the dishes for a while. Well, it might be down in London but for those back home who might want to check it out, where can they watch it?
So I would start by going to the British Basketball League website. Obviously, for anyone who was able to get tickets and make the trip, brilliant, but you’ll find every streaming platform and every television channel that it’ll be broadcasted on there so you can find out what time and where.
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Mega. And lastly, just out of curiosity, who’s your favourite basketball player of all time?
The return of the British Basketball League’s All-Star Game at the Copperbox Arena will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and their YouTube channel. Fans can tune in from 12:15pm on Sunday, 17 March HERE.
The Women’s All-Star Game, where Georgia Anderson will be leading the Northern team out onto the court starts at 12:30pm and will feature a halftime mascot and kids’ skills contest.
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This will then be followed by the Slam Dunk and three-point contests from 2:30pm before the men’s event tips off at 3:30pm and, as Jamell mentioned, you can find out all other information on the BBL website.
We wish the Andersons and their teammates all the best for the action tomorrow and what better way to celebrate the event’s return than by winning it for the North?
Featured Images — British Basketball League/Manchester Giants (supplied)
Sport
Manchester City announced signing of top Premier League defender Marc Guehi
Danny Jones
It looks like they’ve finally got a done deal: Manchester City have finally announced the transfer of highly sought-after defender Marc Guehi.
Man City reached an agreement with Crystal Palace to sign the increasingly established Three Lions star after emerging as a suitor in recent weeks.
Pep Guardiola’s pursuit of the impressive Premier League centre-back ramped up earlier this month, as it became apparent that they were hoping to hijack Liverpool’s prospective move for Guehi.
The Ivory Coast-born England international looked all set to arrive at Anfield back in the summer, but the deal never materialised, and now rivals City have sealed his signature instead.
Finally confirmed and fully announced on Monday, 19 January, Palace and Man City are said to have reached an agreement in principle for a base fee of approximately £20 million.
However, rumoured add-ons are thought take that total closer to £30m; either way, it’s fair to say that it’s an absolute bargain for a player of his quality.
On the other hand, the acquisition will also see Man City’s total spending reach roughly half a billion pounds over the past year alone. Staggering sums for any sporting outfit.
Not that his former London team will mind one bit, of course, as it became increasingly clear that Guehi would be leaving eventually; manager Oliver Glasner – who also seems set to depart at the end of his contract – even addressed the sale ahead of completion in a recent press conference.
Guehi will wear the number 15 shirt for Man City and has penned a deal until 2031.
With Man City currently facing multiple absences, particularly in their backline with both Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias out injured, Guehi’s arrival is no doubt a welcome one.
Although many debated whether or not Pep needed to sign another centre-half, especially with two promising youth players returning from loan, supporters will nevertheless be glad to have snatched him from the clutches of Liverpool.
Over in the women’s team, they’ve also brought in a new member of the squad who could help spur on their title charge.
Can you see any more deals being down befor the end of the window?
Stockport County supporters are calling for the ‘perfect’, ‘common-sense’ transfer this window
Danny Jones
A significant section of Stockport County supporters are calling for the club to do what many are dubbing not just the ‘perfect’ reinforcement this January transfer window, but following recent developments, what some have called almost ‘common sense’ at this point.
The player in question is Isaac Tanitoluwaloba Aduraoluwatimileyin Olaofe, also known as and more affectionately referred to as ‘Tanto’.
It’s fair to say he was a firm fan favourite during his time at Edgeley Park, and most in the ground would have him back in a heartbeat.
With that in mind, given that County are not only looking to consolidate their promotion/playoff prospects wherever possible, but Tanto’s current club seem to have just nudged him another step down the pecking order, there is a suggestion that various moving parts could see him return to Stockport.
Naturally getting a lot of questions on Tanto Olaofe, especially with reports coming around his potential availability (or lack of) from the Charlton Athletic end today.
Understand there's interest in a number of targets, including Olaofe. That's *not* to say interest means a…
As per local football writer and Stockport correspondent, Sam Byrne (who also helps out on co-comms for County TV), there’s been plenty of interest in the Lewisham-born attacker, as it appears he may be available before the end of the month.
That is on loan, at least; although Charlton Athletic FC only recently signed him this past summer, Tanto had to wait until late two-thirds of the way through October to make his debut, even despite the capital-based club going after him quite persistently with a near record fee.
Fans were gutted to see him go, losing both his goal involvements and a big character around the ground – not to mention a great chant, too.
More crucially, perhaps due to the step from League One to the Championship, or simply not having quite fully settled into the rhythm of his new surroundings, he’s struggled to make much of an impact in his 25 appearances across all competitions.
Registering just a couple of assists and a single goal since arriving at The Valley stadium, compared to his best-ever season at County, when he scored 21 times throughout 2023/24, it’s fair to say that while he’s still put in some impressive peformances that, he hasn’t quite had the same return.
Still sitting as the Hatters’ second-highest scorer (37) since their return to the football league back in 2022, he still managed a dozen finishes and four assists last term, as those kinds of numbers could prove to be a key differential in the Greater Manchester side’s season.
IF they were to “bring him home” as many fans have already urged the board to do so, that is.
One user wrote, “Can you please tweet the following: Stockport County have agreed a deal with Charlton Athletic to sign Tanto Olaofe on a permanent deal until 2029. TIA [thanks in advance]”; another simply added: “Room for tanto back at Stockport county please.”
While Charlton manager Nathan Jones insisted that Tanto “isn’t going anywhere”, and the 26-year-old may obviously prefer plying his trade back in London, now The Addicks have completed the signing of another forward in seasoned EFL striker Lyndon Dykes, the 26-year-old could be competing for minutes.
Between the Scottish international, last year’s talisman, Matty Godden, Charlie Kelman and youngster Miles Leaburn, there are plenty of offensive options to choose from.
There has also been plenty of pull for the recruitment team to bring back former loan star, Louie Barry – who hasn’t enjoyed the same kind of form since leaving Dave Challinor’s squad either – with the Aston Villa youth product having also sparked some conversation after a recent profile picture change…
Once again, lots of this remains merely speculation for now, but it can’t be denied that there is a clamour from a sizeable amount of fans to bring either one or both of them back if possible.
Whether or not this affects any potential plans to bring back Isaac Tanto Olaofe as a loanee until the end of the campaign, as rumours continue to hint at, only time will tell. One thing we will say is that a lot can happen in a few days during the transfer window, let alone a few weeks.
Danny Jones -
16th March 2024 
