UEL Women’s basketball first team ended their 2018-19 season with a well-earned third place finish in the BUCS Premier South division. After claiming 21 points, they narrowly missed out on second spot to Hertfordshire on points difference.
The women’s impressive third-place finish came after promotion from BUCS South Eastern 1A to the Premier South division. Their outstanding performance consisted of seven wins and only three losses with some strong displays against Hertfordshire, Cardiff Met and league winners Essex.
With four more victories, two against London South Bank and a further two against Oxford, this growing UEL side have surely made their mark on the basketball sector this season.
Raw Talent
Reflecting on last season and their subsequent promotion, head coach Tope Alli-Balogun stated:
“We had a great group of players last season, which allowed us to really play at a good level across the roster. We shot the ball really well the majority of the season and had some dominant inside play.”
UEL definitely took advantage of their talented squad last season, winning all 10 games with a stomping goal difference of 251. The powerhouses swept aside the likes of Queen Mary, Imperial College, Brighton, Middlesex, plus a walkover against Royal Holloway who failed to provide a team.
This year, Alli-Balogun recognised the step-up in standards between the divisions:
“The biggest difference is the quality of players you see every week. Last season wasn’t the greatest challenge, but now every week we know the games are going to be a tough one.”
Boss’ Plaudits
It would have been tough for the team to replicate their perfect form however, clearly the UEL women have carried that dominant play into this season despite the challenges faced since promotion.
Proudly, Alli-Balogun acknowledged his team’s accomplishments against sides whose qualities they were unfamiliar with:
“In all honesty we have achieved at a higher level than I anticipated. This isn’t because I doubted the level of the team we have, but mostly because for the first half of the season you go into most games blind as to what the other teams have to offer.”
Character Building
Two defeats to start the campaign plus injury setbacks meant it was a difficult start to life in the Premier South for Alli-Balogun and his team:
“The level of competition is good enough to punish mistakes that you make, too many mistakes translate to a loss, so early in the season we made too many mistakes.
“The only thing we have really struggled with is injuries which hurt our depth but even then, players have stepped up and taken bigger roles.”
However, the UEL women displayed grit, determination and team spirit to climb back up the table and produce a stomping five wins on the trot.
Inspired Revival
Things were looking up for the east-London side following a 23-point win away from home against Oxford University, followed by four more consecutive successes including another 65-point victory against the same opposition.
The University of Hertfordshire also fell victim to UEL’s successful form who came out on top with a six-point victory. UEL’s success didn’t stop there as they went on to claim two consecutive wins against London South Bank both home and away.
As the squad returned to full fitness and the team began to find their feet, Alli-Balogun believes UEL’s surge in form happened through gradual progression:
“The wins came by just getting better and better every week, players as individuals finding their feet in the league and players recovering from injury, so we had a stronger team and better choice.”
Gold Standard
Looking ahead to their ambitions for the future, Alli-Balogun was clear in his vision for the team moving forward:
“The goal is to be the best team in the country without exception.”
If the UEL women’s team maintain their good form next season, meeting their goal of becoming the best team in the country will no doubt be a realistic target for this talented side.
