Plymouth City Patriots

The Plymouth City Patriots is a professional basketball team based in Plymouth, England. The team debut was in 2021–22 in the British Basketball League, the country's premier basketball competition.

Plymouth City Patriots
2021–22 Plymouth City Patriots season
LeagueBritish Basketball League
Founded2021 (2021)
HistoryPlymouth City Patriots
2021–present
ArenaPlymouth Pavilions
Capacity1,500
LocationPlymouth, Devon
Team colorsTeal, Black, White
     
Head coachPaul James
OwnershipCarl Heslop
WebsiteOfficial website

History

The club was founded in 2021 following the demise of the Plymouth Raiders, the city's basketball team founded in 1983 and which had competed in the top-flight British Basketball League since 2004. The Raiders had withdrawn from the British Basketball League for the 2021–22 season due to increasing rental costs of their home venue.[1] In July 2021, it was announced by the league that the city of Plymouth would have a franchise in the league for the 2021–22 season, led by local businessman Carl Heslop.[2]

On 9 August 2021, it was announced that the new franchise will be called the Plymouth City Patriots for the 2021–22 season. The new organisation could not secure the transfer of the naming and branding rights from Plymouth Raiders 1983 Ltd, the previous owners.[3][4]

On 10 August 2021, it was announced by the Patriots that Paul James was appointed as inaugural head coach[5] whilst, on 27 August, former Plymouth Raiders Shooting Guard Denzel Ubiaro was announced as the team's first player signing.[6] Patriots played their first competitive game on 25 September, a 84-75 loss at Bristol Flyers in the opening round of the BBL Cup. On 17 November, Great Britain international Kofi Josephs scored 46 points in a home defeat to Manchester Giants,[7] a record for the most points scored in a BBL game by a British-born player.[8]

The Patriots' first competitive victory came on 9 January 2022, when they defeated Basketball Wales 113-66 in the first round of the BBL Trophy. The following week, on 14 January, Patriots claimed their first regular season win after defeating Surrey Scorchers, 82-73, at the Plymouth Pavilions.[9] Patriots' form in February saw the team finish the month with a 5-2 win record, earning both head coach Paul James and Point Guard Antonio Williams the Coach and Player of the Month awards respectively.[10]

Home venue

Plymouth will play their home games at Plymouth Pavilions for only one season due to high rental costs.[4]

Season-by-season records
Season Division Tier Regular Season Post-Season BBL Trophy BBL Cup Head Coach
Finish Played Wins Losses Points Win %
Plymouth City Patriots
2021–22 BBL 1 8th 27 12 15 24 0.444 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Group Stage Paul James

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Plymouth City Patriots roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
PF 0 King, Cameron 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 26 – (1996-01-17)17 January 1996
C 4 Adekunle, Deji 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 29 – (1992-06-04)4 June 1992
G 5 Fawell-Molloy, Daniel 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 82 kg (181 lb) 20 – (2001-07-20)20 July 2001
PG 6 Williams, Antonio 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 25 – (1997-01-12)12 January 1997
SG 9 Simons, Troy 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 87 kg (192 lb) 25 – (1996-07-03)3 July 1996
G 10 Ubiaro, Denzel 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 25 – (1997-03-18)18 March 1997
SF 11 Walker, Isaiah 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 22 – (1999-06-17)17 June 1999
PG 12 Dusha, Elvisi (C) 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 27 – (1994-07-15)15 July 1994
G/F 13 Hart, Joseph 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 28 – (1993-10-06)6 October 1993
SF 17 Langridge-Barker, Liam 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 23 – (1999-04-12)12 April 1999
SF 21 Graham-Bell, Rowell 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 97 kg (214 lb) 27 – (1994-08-08)8 August 1994
F/C 22 Hassan, Rashad 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 32 – (1989-09-23)23 September 1989
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • None
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured
Updated: 3 April 2022

Depth chart
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Rashad Hassan Deji Adekunle
PF Rowell Graham-Bell Cameron King
SF Joseph Hart Isaiah Walker Liam Langridge-Barker
SG Troy Simons Denzel Ubiaro Daniel Fawell-Molloy
PG Antonio Williams Elvisi Dusha

Notable former players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club.
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time.
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

See also

References
  1. "Plymouth Raiders pull out of BBL". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  2. "Plymouth confirmed to compete in 2021-22 season". 30 July 2021.
  3. "New chapter for Plymouth as Patriots join BBL". bbl.org.uk. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  4. "Plymouth Raiders replaced in BBL by new basketball team Plymouth Patriots". plymouthherald.co.uk. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. "Patriots announce first major signing". bbl.org.uk. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  6. "Highflyer Denzel is Patriot's first player signing". bbl.org.uk. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  7. "Plymouth City Patriots 93-99 Manchester Giants". bbl.org.uk. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  8. "Kofi Josephs drops BBL record 46 points vs Manchester". HoopsFix.com. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  9. "Patriots make Plymouth proud with a two-win weekend". Devon Live. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  10. "February Awards Double for Resurgent Patriots". bbl.org.uk. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
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