Home News Player database Subscriptions About us

Are. You. Not. Entertained?!

Image: SCOUTORY

Caledonia Gladiators win Silverware in Dramatic Fashion

It could not have been scripted any better: After trailing for a majority of the game, Caledonia Gladiators secured the club's first silverware in two decades by coming back to beat a resilient Cheshire Phoenix squad 73-70 on the final buzzer in front of a sellout home crowd at Glasgow's Emirates Arena. The visitors had imposed their defensive-minded style of play on the contest for most of the first half and a Will Neighbour three from the top of the key had them go up by five points with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 

Sloan Things Down for a Moment

But the timely three-point shooting that had helped the hosts to stay in the game and never trail by more than seven points was about to come through in the clutch once again. A long-range bomb and an open layup on a cut by Prince Onwas tied the score at 70 apiece. After a strong defensive stance by Caledonia that forced Phoenix big Tahjai Teague to airball his attempt from beyond the arc, it was time for what will go down into Gladiators history as the David Sloan Moment: the former East Tennessee state playmaker drove to the hoop, dished the ball back out to Onwas through traffic, spotted up in the left corner and waited for his teammate to find him again. He then calmly knocked down the biggest shot of his career to date and it had everything: perfect release, perfect arc, perfect rotation and perfect timing. 6,000 people in Emirates - Sloan included - knew the shot was good from the moment it left his right hand. 

Team Performance

Despite Sloan's last second heroics and Jeremiah Bailey being awarded Final MVP with his 16/8/4 statline, it was a team effort that brought the 2023 BBL Trophy to Scotland's shores. Five Gladiators scored in double figures and Head Coach Gareth Murray found offensive output and defensive contributions in many sources so that the pesky Cheshire defense could never key in on one or two targets. 

Latest News

South of the Border

The Top Young Players in LNBP Mexico 2023

Even with the Mexican national team taking part in the World Cup, the country's domestic competition LNBP keeps on going. We have taken a look at some of the younger prospects in a league dominated by veterans with the emphasis being on players that have not taken their talents to Europe before. Christian NegronPanteras' Puerto Rican smallball 5 might be the most athletic player in the competition. Dunks everything around the basket and offers switchability and rim protection on D. Needs to develop more of a PF skill set to elevate his ceiling. Joao Vitor FrancaCorrecaminos UAT's late-blooming center from Brazil. Comes with intriguing tools. Long, athletic and mobile. Shotblocker w...

Beats by Tray

Boyd bound for bigger Bloom

Less than 24 months ago, Tray Boyd toiled in virtual obscurity. Yes, the former ETSU combo put up big numbers in the alphabet soup of US minor leagues - the TBL in his case - but aside from friends, family and a few nerdy overseas scouts, almost nobody was watching. Not even two years later, the lefty bucket getter finds himself on a rocket trajectory towards the top levels of European basketball. So what happened in between? Boyd's 21/4/5 campaign for the Tampa Bay Titans had him noticed by Aanekosken Huima of the Finnish 2nd division, confusingly called 1st Division. Up north, he dismantled the - granted not overly talented - competition and put up videogames numbers of 35 ppg, 6 rpg,...

Back to the Future

BC Prievidza and SCOUTORY enter into strategic partnership

With six national championship titles (four in Slovakia, two more in former Czechoslovakia), frequent participations in European competitions and more than 75 years of history to its name, BC Prievidza ranks among the country's most storied basketball programs. The last silverware dates back to 2020 when the club won the Slovak Cup. Recently, the going has become a bit tougher, mainly due to post-Covid financial challenges. However, the organization's leadership is determined to restore the club to its former glory. In this context, they have decided to enter into a strategic partnership with SCOUTORY, mainly seeking assistance on the field of roster management and player recruiting. SC...

Draft-and-Stache

Zac again: Seljaas on ProA MVP Trajectory

When in late June 2022 Tigers Tuebingen mentioned that they were still looking for a Ryan Mikesell replacement - the former Dayton forward was off to ProA France after an MVP-like 21/22 - Zac Seljaas immediately came to mind after we had scouted him in Superleague Georgia.Seljaas has since taken the German 2nd Division by storm and is a strong candidate for a Mikesell-esque career trajectory this upcoming summer. He ranks among the most efficient scorers in all of Europe statistically and has shown an impressive arsenal of offensive tools. Plus his coach lauds him for consistent effort and poise. His numbers in the past six games: 24.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.5 SPG, 59.4% 3P (3.2 3PM) - that's...

In-Nate Ability

Nate Johnson can do more than shoot Threes

Sometimes a player's role in college does not allow her or him to show the full skill set. At Xavier, Nate Johnson was a pure off-ball spot-up shooter, low usage, 3-and-D. Almost 60% of his playtypes were catch + shoot, catch + drive or off screen action. In top league Romania with overachieving CSM Constanta, almost 40% of his possessions are PnR ballhandling and iso related. He has proven that he can be used in a secondary ballhandler role while remaining extremely accurate from beyond the arc. He is showing signs of becoming more of a playmaker, averaging close to four assists per game. A development that could change his entire trajectory since he is about to transition from an unde...

Are. You. Not. Entertained?!

Caledonia Gladiators win Silverware in Dramatic Fashion

It could not have been scripted any better: After trailing for a majority of the game, Caledonia Gladiators secured the club's first silverware in two decades by coming back to beat a resilient Cheshire Phoenix squad 73-70 on the final buzzer in front of a sellout home crowd at Glasgow's Emirates Arena. The visitors had imposed their defensive-minded style of play on the contest for most of the first half and a Will Neighbour three from the top of the key had them go up by five points with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Sloan Things Down for a MomentBut the timely three-point shooting that had helped the hosts to stay in the game and never trail by more than seven points was a...