History
The programme was launched in September 2001 following the opening of the College's SPACe Sports Centre in Shoreditch in February that year. Construction of SPACe was funded by Sport England as a Centre of Excellence in basketball and cricket. Following the success of the Football Academy set up by Malcolm Williams in 1996, the College's Sport, Leisure and Tourism team designed the basketball programme. A Cricket Academy Programme was launched along similar lines by the same HCC team in 2002.
An athletics academy was established in 2007. The basketball academy has grown and experienced unprecedented success on court and in developing players aged between 16 and 20 (men and women) from all over London, as well as enhancing their life chances through qualifications gained whilst studying at Hackney College.
Operating in an area recognised historically as a hot-bed of basketball development and talent thanks to the work carried out by Joe White at Homerton House School and Hackney White Heat along with the success of East London Royals Basketball Club and Haringey Angels Women, HCCA coaches Tony Garbelotto (co-founder with Joe White of the London Towers Junior Programme in the 1990s), Solomon Ayinla, Andrea Norton and Sam Stiller have helped develop over 250 players since 2001. Players such as Darius Defoe, Perry Lawson, Jeff Danchie and Jean Wakanena have graduated to play professionally for Newcastle Eagles and Plymouth Raiders in the British Basketball League. Eddie Morrison (MK Lions) and Darrell Bethune (Everton Tigers) also went on to play in the BBL in the 2008/09 season. Samuel Toluwase entered the BBL with Essex Pirates (2009/10 season). In 2011/12, Courtney Van Beest joined Worcester Wolves and Albert Margai Guildford Heat. Many others have represented England and Great Britain at junior level and have moved on to US high school/college programmes and British universities.
Read more about this topic: Hackney Community College Basketball Academy
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