Brixton TopCats
Encyclopedia
Brixton TopCats is a British
basketball
team based in the Brixton
area of London
. Established in 1985, the first team currently compete in the English Basketball League
Division 1, but the club is particularly notable for its highly-rated development programme, which has produced the likes of Luol Deng
, Ajou Deng
, Ugonna Onyekwe and Emiko Etete in recent years. The TopCats are based at Brixton Recreation Centre and since 2009 operate a partnership with London South Bank University
.
The nickname 'TopCats' is inspired by the cartoon of the same name, relevant for its parody of the relationship between young people in the community and the Police. Brixton TopCats is a cornerstone of the local community and has impacted on the lives of thousands of inner city children in the last quarter century. The current development programme attracts over 200 juniors every week and has strong links with local schools and an official partnership with London South Bank University.
The club is particularly notable for its highly-rated development programme, which has produced the likes of Andrea Congreave, Ronnie Baker
, Andrew Bailey
, Paul Mundy-Castle, Luol Deng
, Ajou Deng
, Ugonna Onyekwe and Emiko Etete in recent years. Five of the current men's Great Britain team are products of the Brixton programme;
The club has a high profile nationally and has received visits over the years from HRH Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Michael Jordan
, Allen Iverson
, Robert Horry
, Lennox Lewis
, Ian Wright
and Kate Hoey
MP
. The clubs’ founder, owner and General Manager, Jimmy Rogers is recognised as a community leader and is respected globally in basketball circles. The club has been placing players into educational institutions for over 20 years both in the USA and England, and is proud of its alumni who have been successful both on and off the court.
In addition to developing talent the club has a elite strand and competes in the English National League in the highest divisions in both senior men and women, and junior men and women. TopCats, and Junior and Senior teams that have been league mainstays since 1985, winning many trophies and championships along the way.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team based in the Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Established in 1985, the first team currently compete in the English Basketball League
English Basketball League
The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League....
Division 1, but the club is particularly notable for its highly-rated development programme, which has produced the likes of Luol Deng
Luol Deng
Luol Deng is a South Sudanese-British professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls and the Great Britain national basketball team. He plays the small forward position.-Early life:...
, Ajou Deng
Ajou Deng
Ajou Ajou Deng is a British-South Sudanese professional basketball player. He is the son of Aldo Deng, a former Sudanese politician and is the brother of Luol Deng, an NBA player who is also his teammate on Great Britain's national team....
, Ugonna Onyekwe and Emiko Etete in recent years. The TopCats are based at Brixton Recreation Centre and since 2009 operate a partnership with London South Bank University
London South Bank University
London South Bank University is a university in south London. With over 25,000 students and 1,700 staff, it is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name...
.
Franchise history
Brixton Basketball Club was officially formed in 1984, although its roots are far older than this. The club is arguably the most famous basketball club in England, with a trophy cabinet and alumni to rival any club in the country. Founded against the backdrop of race riots in England in the 1980s, the club’s mission is to provide high quality opportunity for young people in South London, both on the court and in the wider areas of life.The nickname 'TopCats' is inspired by the cartoon of the same name, relevant for its parody of the relationship between young people in the community and the Police. Brixton TopCats is a cornerstone of the local community and has impacted on the lives of thousands of inner city children in the last quarter century. The current development programme attracts over 200 juniors every week and has strong links with local schools and an official partnership with London South Bank University.
The club is particularly notable for its highly-rated development programme, which has produced the likes of Andrea Congreave, Ronnie Baker
Ronnie Baker
Ronnie Baker was a famous record producer, bassist, arranger and songwriter. He participated on many Gamble and Huff recordings and was one-third of the production team of Baker-Harris-Young. He was one of The Trammps, who had a #5 UK/#35 US hit with Hold Back The Night....
, Andrew Bailey
Andrew Bailey
Andrew John Bailey is a British banker, who was the Executive Director Banking and Chief Cashier at the Bank of England from January 2004 until April 2011. He is a member of the Governor's Executive Team, which is the bank's senior management group...
, Paul Mundy-Castle, Luol Deng
Luol Deng
Luol Deng is a South Sudanese-British professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls and the Great Britain national basketball team. He plays the small forward position.-Early life:...
, Ajou Deng
Ajou Deng
Ajou Ajou Deng is a British-South Sudanese professional basketball player. He is the son of Aldo Deng, a former Sudanese politician and is the brother of Luol Deng, an NBA player who is also his teammate on Great Britain's national team....
, Ugonna Onyekwe and Emiko Etete in recent years. Five of the current men's Great Britain team are products of the Brixton programme;
- Luol DengLuol DengLuol Deng is a South Sudanese-British professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls and the Great Britain national basketball team. He plays the small forward position.-Early life:...
(Chicago BullsChicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
) - Ogo AdegboyeOgo AdegboyeOgooluwa Adegboye is a British basketball player who currently plays for APOEL in Cyprus.-Early Life:Born in Nigeria, Adegboye moved to London at the age of three...
(St Bonaventure University) - Eric BoatengEric BoatengEric Yamoah Boateng is a 6'10" British professional basketball player. He is a former player with the Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball team. He attended St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware. Boateng committed to Duke University out of high school, but transferred after one season...
(Arizona State UniversityArizona State UniversityArizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
) - Matthew Bryan-AmaningMatthew Bryan-AmaningMatthew Osei Bryan-Amaning is a British basketball player. He currently plays for Hacettepe Üniversitesi.-College career:...
(University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
) - Justin RobinsonJustin Robinson-Early life:Robinson played for the Brixton TopCats before moving to the United States to attended high school at the Blair Academy. As a junior he would lead Blair to a Mid-Atlantic Prep League title and was named to the All-MAPL first team.-College career:...
(Rider UniversityRider UniversityRider University is a private, coeducational and nonsectarian university located chiefly in Lawrenceville, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States...
)
The club has a high profile nationally and has received visits over the years from HRH Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
, Robert Horry
Robert Horry
Robert Keith Horry Jr. is a retired American basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association , winning seven championships, the most of any player not to have played on the 1960s Boston Celtics...
, Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
, Ian Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
and Kate Hoey
Kate Hoey
Catharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. The clubs’ founder, owner and General Manager, Jimmy Rogers is recognised as a community leader and is respected globally in basketball circles. The club has been placing players into educational institutions for over 20 years both in the USA and England, and is proud of its alumni who have been successful both on and off the court.
In addition to developing talent the club has a elite strand and competes in the English National League in the highest divisions in both senior men and women, and junior men and women. TopCats, and Junior and Senior teams that have been league mainstays since 1985, winning many trophies and championships along the way.
External links
- Brixton TopCats on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Brixton TopCats on Pawprint