Phantoms Basketball celebrate 2026 season with Awards Night
Earlier this week the Phantoms Basketball Club celebrated the 2026 season in style, with junior and senior players joined by friends and family for the club’s annual Awards Night.
Find a full list of Award Winners below:
U17 Players’ Player of the Year: Baris Clarke
U17 Coaches’ Player of the Year: Connor McGraw
U17 Most Improved Player: Ollie Richardson
Senior Players’ Player of the Year: Rory Macnair
Senior Coaches’ Player of the Year: Charlie Gee
Senior Most Improved Player: William Parsons
Phantoms Values Awards Winners: Albert Knott, Victor Borovina, Ellie, Alan Benn
Congratulations to all of the winners, and to everyone who represented and supported the Phantoms in the last year!
Phantoms U17 show potential to close 2025 season
The Phantoms U17’s finished their YBL (Your Basketball League) season with a 4-6 record, recording a dominant 81-38 play-off quarterfinal victory over Swadlincote Lasers before falling to an impressive Leicester Dynamite side in the semifinals.
During a season packed with high-effort performances and team-first basketball, Coach Alan’s side put together a host of memorable highlights. After doing the double over the Rutland Thunders, the Phantoms repeated the feat with a 103 (!) - 69 road victory over the Lasers. 22 points from Baris and 19 from Albert capped off an outstanding display against the local North West Leicestershire youth basketball rivals!
As usual the Leicester Dynamite flexed their muscle on the division, but the Phantoms took those competitive basketball opportunities in their stride, battling out close and entertaining match-ups with the Dynamite and Kettering Phoenix throughout the league season.
Onto the off-season!
Phantoms upskill Coalville school referees
Phantoms Basketball coaches support Coalville teachers to delivery school basketball competition.
After supporting the delivery and officiating of the NW Leicestershire School Sport Partnership basketball tournament at Castle Rock High School in Coalville last year, the Phantoms senior and U17 head coaches returned to upskill the school’s teachers to run their own basketball competitions.
Phantoms lead basketball coaches Piotr and Alan spent an afternoon with the local school teachers, brushing up on rules, processes and other fundamental basketball skills to support future delivery of junior and youth basketball around Coalville, Ashby and Leicestershire.
Thank you to Castle Rock for again welcoming the Phantoms, we look forward to seeing the growth of local school basketball and the new players coming through!
Phantoms u17 fall just short in YBL Cup
Phantoms U17 put up serious fight in Your Basketball League Cup defeat to Walsall.
The Phantoms U17’s put up a serious fight in the YBL (Your Basketball League) Cup in November, falling just three points short in a thrilling 80-83 road contest with the Walsall Wizards.
Coming back from a heavy defeat at the hands of the Wizards earlier in the season, the Phantoms responded with strength on the basketball court, with exceptional point-scoring performances from Baris (29), Victor (14) and Ollie (12).
The Phantoms return to league basketball action now with the chance to qualify for the YBL Group Two playoffs in the Spring.
Phantoms support Coalville school to deliver BASKETBALL
Phantoms support Coalville school to deliver junior basketball tournament.
Earlier in November members of the Phantoms Basketball Club joined forces with teachers at a local Coalville School, Castle Rock High School to deliver and officiate the NW Leicestershire School Sports Partnership Boys KS4 basketball tournament.
Two schools entered the Year 11 competition in Castle Rock and Ivanhoe School, with Ivanhoe running out convincing winners 67 - 17. In the Year 10 competition, Ashby School entered the fray, coming out on top 64 - 13 over Castle Rock. The winners now progress onto the county rounds of the competition.
Thank you to the NW Leicestershire School Sports Partnership for the opportunity for our members to improve their basketball refereeing skills, and congratulations to the tournament winners!
Phantoms make winning start in 2025
Phantoms Basketball make winning start to 2025 across YBL and LBBL.
The Phantoms Basketball Club made a winning start to Leicestershire league competition in 2025 with wins for both the U17 YBL (Your Basketball League) and senior LBBL (Leicestershire Basketball League) teams.
The Phantoms U17 put on a dominant display in their first game of the league season, defeating the Rutland Thunders 78-20 on home turf at Ivanhoe College in Ashby de la Zouch. The Phantoms new corps of young players from across Ashby, Coalville, Donisthorpe and Burton were decisive with possession, as vice-captain Alex, Jacob and Tomás all put up double figures in points, Tomás leading the way with 16.
In the Phantoms Seniors’ opening game of 2025 they took on Melton Kings B, defeating them 65-54 in the heart of Leicestershire. The Phantoms’ guards went to work on offense, with individual scoring performances from Fabio (21) and Harry (19) leading the way.