MVP Cast with Mark Woods

Andreas Kapoulas of Bristol Flyers is our guest on the MVP Cast.  He details the protocols surrounding Covid-19 as he prepares for the upcoming British Basketball League season, the start of his love affair with the game in Greece and his coaching education, the Bristol Sport grand plan and his hopes for the forthcoming Flyers campaign, starting with the BBL Cup. More at MVP247.com. Sponsored by T...

Sheffield Sharks guard Mackey McKnight joins the MVP Cast to talk about whether LeBron is now the G.O.A.T., why his life was changed by Hurricane Katrina and its impact on his family, the perils of playing overseas and the mentality it requires, and how signing in the British Basketball League came as the ultimate relief after his dark year out of the game. More at mvp247.com. Sponsored by Total E...

Jennifer Leedham, currently associate head coach at St Francis College in Brooklyn, tells us about her path from Cheshire to New York City and onto the benches of college basketball, her closeness with sisters Johannah and Kirsty and their route into the game, the mental challenges which come with the job and her enthusiasm for nurturing the next generation as Great Britain Under-16 coach. More at...

Ahead of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat, we're joined by The Athletic's senior NBA writer Sam Amick to talk the realities of life inside the 'Bubble' for both players and media and its disjoint with current life outside in the USA, the "sadness and joy" of the Lakers ride toward a championship and the impact it might have on LeBron James' legacy, and the comfort l...

Great Britain and Goettingen guard Luke Nelson joins the MVP Cast to give us an insight into settling into a new situation, running with the psychological ups and downs of injuries and personnel decisions, his Dad Steve's influence, player investment in the GB basketball programme - and his gaming prowess. More at mvp247.com. Sponsored by Total Environmental Compliance. 

Mike Martin joins the MVP Cast to talk about his battle with brain cancer and the effect of the tumour on his life and family, the relief of dunking again and the drive to play basketball once more, the distressing theft of 52 pairs of shoes from his collection and the fundraising campaign that's been set up, and why he believes the sport needs to do much to bring through future generations of tal...

Andy Thomson comes on the MVP Cast to reveal why he decided to retire after 20 major trophies and the emotional process that took him there, the learnings he takes away from the sport, his best teams, coaches and team-mates from stops at Leicester Riders, Newcastle Eagles and elsewhere, his new career as a therapist and why he hopes a players union can finally arrive in the BBL. More at mvp247.com...

Great Britain forward Ashley Hamilton joins the MVP Cast to talk about building a basketball brand on social media and the pitfalls for players, his foundation's work in Sierra Leone, the influence of new fatherhood, his choice of a team for next season and the business side of contracts, his view on the demise of the London City Royals. More at mvp247.com Sponsored by Total Environmental Complian...

Former Great Britain women's head coach and British Basketball performance director Mark Clark joins the MVP Cast. He gives us a state of the nation on how the strategy for its growth has evolved and where its potential remains untapped, his disappointment at not leading GB all the way to the London 2012 Olympics, the secret of the success of the old Crystal Palace programme and polishing the roug...

In the second part of our extended conversation with British basketball legend Alan Cunningham, he tells the MVP Cast about great nights with Portsmouth FC, London Towers and Worthing Bears, road trips overseas, his early connection to Masai Ujiri, and why he wishes the legends of the domestic game were still connected. More at mvp247.com. Sponsored by Total Environmental Compliance.

In the first of a two-part conversation with the MVP Cast, British basketball legend Alan Cunningham takes us through his start with the Harlem Globetrotters, dealing with racism in his youth in California, his arrival in the UK with Doncaster Panthers and his high-flying ambitions from the off. More at mvp247.com.   Sponsored by Total Environmental Compliance.

Krumesh Patel joins the MVP Cast to talk about his path through Leicester Riders to his new job as coach of Swedish side Wetterbygden, building a programme that caters to the needs of girls and young women at Charnwood, the dire lack of Asian players and coaches in British basketball and what can be done to access them, and his outreach work in India that opened his eyes. More at mvp247.com. Spons...

New London Lions arrival DeAndre Liggins joins the MVP Cast to talk about his move to the UK and his ambition to put the reigning British Basketball League champions on the map in the Basketball Champions League. He tells Mark Woods about his journey from the tough environment of the south side of Chicago to the NBA, of playing along side Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden at the Okl...

Tim Lewis joins the MVP Cast to talk us through his current role as a scout in the NBA, his journey from teacher to becoming a coach and his rise through the ranks in the UK before expanding his horizons overseas and then, the gain and pain of former BBL club Essex Pirates. He also tells us about the learnings from being around Chris Finch and Nick Nurse as their assistant for Great Britain, why t...

ESPN's Tim Bontemps joins the MVP Cast to talk about the re-start of the NBA within a tightly controlled bubble in Orlando and the challenges that presents. With the playoffs forthcoming on site, we look at the likely contenders for a championship in isolation and the sub-plots in the mix. More at MVP247.com.   Sponsored by Total Environmental Compliance.

Glasgow Rocks guard Jonny Bunyan joins the MVP Cast to talk about the unique role of local rotation players in the BBL in maintaining the culture of each club and why Gareth Murray is amply qualified to be his team's new head coach. The Scot gives us an insight in how Falkirk Fury, founded by his father John, has been one of the most prolific producers of Great Britain internationals in recent tim...

Renowned player agent and former Kingston Kings star Danny Davis joins the MVP Cast to give us an insight on how he represents his clients at PTI Sports, the pitfalls when cutting a deal and how they can break down and the market change that coronavirus is set to bring. He also recalls his glory days winning MVPs and trophies galore at Kingston and Glasgow Rangers and the joy of playing under Kevi...

Great Britain guard Melita Emanuel Carr joins the MVP Cast to discuss how experiencing the death of a friend led her to set up an initiative to address street violence in the UK, her experience of racism on both sides of the Atlantic, dealing with long-term injury and her plans to make a difference after her basketball career is done. More at mvp247.com Sponsored by Total Environmental Compliance.

Kyla Nelson joins the MVP Cast to give us her perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement and growing up as a mixed race female in the UK and the USA. She reveals the peaks and troughs of her current battle with cancer, her decision to transfer universities from Pitt to Florida International, and her ambition to be a coach - of men. More at www.mvp247.com Sponsored by Total Environmental Compli...

Tony Garbelotto joins the MVP Cast to tell us about coaching during the aborted attempt to re-start the Japanese Basketball League during coronavirus, the pitching process to obtain jobs overseas, the parallels between the boom and bust of Mersey Tigers and London City Royals, and he reveals what arose from his abrupt exit from leading Great Britain after only two games in charge.

In the latest edition of the MVP Cast, we're joined by former top referee Alan Richardson to talk about his officiating career at home and abroad and the perils of being caught in the middle, his experiences with FIBA and EuroLeague, and what it takes to reach the top. Sponsored by Total Environmental Compliance. 

In the latest edition of the MVP Cast, we talk to Great Britain and London Lions forward Ovie Soko who tells us about coping (well) with the instant celebrity from his Love Island tour, his process for basketball self-improvement throughout his career and the contrasts between playing overseas and at home, his desire to be a role model, and his future ambitions on and off the court - including his...

In the latest edition of the MVP Cast, we talk to Chris Harris about his place in history as the first Brit to ever play in the NBA, life in the league as it was in the 1950s, his friendship with Chuck Cooper and living through racial segregation in America, and why he gave it all up for the love of a good woman. More info at MVP247.com - Sponsored by Total Environmental Compliance @ tecompliance....

In this edition of the MVP Cast, we talk to Pat Burke about the significance of being the first and only Irishman to make the NBA, the difference with even the biggest clubs in European basketball and his journey between the two sides of the Atlantic, the power dynamic between stars like Michael Jordan and the role players on their teams, the curious disappointment of being part of the Phoenix Sun...

In the latest edition of the MVP Cast, we talk to legendary Scotland and Great Britain international Bobby Archibald about his storied playing career, the Auld Enemy hoops rivalry, his pride in the amazing rise of his son Robert to the NBA and the tragedy of his death, aged just 39, and why he and his wife Heather have launched a foundation to address the mental health issues incurred by athletes....