Dynamite had another great season in 2019-2020. I was very pleased with the progress every player made, and they should all be very proud of how hard they worked throughout the year.

The season started out with a loss against Derby Trailblazers. I think we were over confidant as looking back to the 2018/19 season we easily beat Derby.    

After holding a team meeting the players realised that no opponent should be taken lightly, as team’s structures/abilities change. The boys were hungry and ready for our next match against Rutland Thunder; we came out with a victory in a great team performance.

The next game was against local rivals Leicester Warriors. Again the players were focused as they know these games are always tough. The game was close all the way until the end of the third quarter when we took a double digit lead and never looked back.

Another win against Mansfield Giants made it 3 wins in a row. Our next opponent was Northants Thunder, which turned out to be a very close game, with both teams trading baskets throughout the first 2 quarters. In the second half of the game, Dynamite’s pressure defence stepped up and allowed us take a 20 point lead which we maintained until the end of the game.

With wins against Ilkeston, Leicester Riders, and Leicester Warriors II we built a 7 game winning streak, and the team’s confidence was high. Our next game was against Nottingham Junior Hoods would prove to be one of our biggest tests of the season. The boys were once again focused for the game and played out of their skins. At the end of the first quarter, Dynamite were up by just six points, in the second Nottingham managed to cut the deficit and the score was going back and forth. At half time we were only up by seven, but in the third quarter, both Dynamite’s offense and defence stepped up and by the end of the third we had stretched our lead to 11. In the fourth quarter Nottingham started in a full court press; however, we handled the pressure well and finished the game with a 7 point win, in front of our rowdy home court crowd.

The New Year started well with another win over Rutland. Our next opponent was the only team that had beaten us so far, Derby Trailblazers, the team was excited to get their revenge. In the first quarter, the team seemed to be trying too hard and playing too uptight; although, in the second quarter the team relaxed and took a 15 point lead going into half time.  In the third quarter, our defence and fast break offence got even better, with some good outside shooting. Dynamite pulled through with a win and another boost of confidence, and players saying “no one can stop us now” (little did we know COVID-19 was on the way). We won the next two games against Leicester Warriors and Mansfield Giants, and with two games left, surely the league title would be Dynamite’s, and had the season not been abruptly halted due to the pandemic, it would have been.

The best part of the season for me was the training sessions where the players had so much energy. I had to find different drills and skills to keep them focused and engaged. Yes, we did win a lot of games, but to me it’s the hard work, enthusiasm, effort, and determination they put into all of the training sessions that was outstanding and it is a shame that the season ended the way it did. We all know who the real champs were!

Dave Harris
Head Coach