Category: Malta Basketball

Starlites announce Peter Shoults as women’s team coach

Former Malta international Peter Shoults is Starlites’ new women’s team coach, the club announced this past week.

Shoults, who was on the court as a Valletta Fighters player last season before an off-court injury forced his retirement from the game, now makes the shift to mentorship as he replaces last season’s coach Fatih Dedelioglu to lead the team that finished second in the regular season.

“Join us in welcoming the new head coach of the Senior Women and U23 Women squads for the upcoming 2024-25 season – former national team captain Peter Shoults,” a club statement read. 

“He needs no introduction with the local basketball community after winning four Divison One Championships, one Finals MVP award, and one MVP award, amongst other domestic trophies and awards. 

“He has also won several medals with the Senior Men national team, including the Gold medal in 2018. The club is confident that Peter’s vast expertise and work ethic will be a key tool for the upcoming season.”

Last season under Dedelioglu, the team started in fine fashion as they won the Women’s Super Cup and their early push saw them take a quick leap to the top spot of the MAPFRE MSV Life Women’s League standings despite falling to Caffe Moak Luxol in the John Tabone Shield final. However, this momentum began to die down and it began to indicate that it would not be their season.

With a new coaching route, Starlites will be hoping to turn things back to winning ways. Speaking to the club’s socials, Shoults said he expects his side to remain competitive.

“I’m honoured to be given this opportunity by the Starlites committee and eager to get started,” he said. 

“(I’m) Looking forward to working with some of the best young talent on the island. I expect us to be competitive but since a lot of changes have happened to the roster, we’ll take it one step at a time and build up slowly. 

“The objective is to keep on building on our team chemistry and strive to achieve the goals we set out.”

The Shoults announcement was the first ‘good news’ for the club this summer after losing out on three key players –Steffi De Martino, Maria Bonett, and Andie Saliba – who all moved to Hibernians to play under new coach Winnie Buhagiar. 

One will be eager to see what replacements, the Naxxar-based side bring in to cover for the three local players.

Starlites sign Trevon Reddish-Rhone

Ahead of their summer journey to the FIBA Europe Cup qualifiers, Starlites announced their first signing of the summer when they named American guard Trevon Reddish-Rhone to their squad on Monday.

“We are excited to welcome Trevon Reddish-Rhone to the Starlites family,” a club statement read. 

“The 23-year-old American joins us from Presbyterian College in South Carolina and will surely be an important addition to our VisitMalta Starlites Naxxar Senior Men squad for the upcoming season.”

The Georgia native joins the Malta champions as a replacement for captain Alec Felice Pace who departed the club early this summer ahead of a move to Germany, and brings with him National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) experience after his time at South Carolina’s Presbyterian College. 

“I’m most excited to help this winning program in any way I can and add more championships to the collection,” the new recruit told Starlites’ socials. 

“I’m also excited to build great connections and relationships with my teammates, staff and the incredible Starlites fan base!”

The 6’4 guard moves to Malta after his time in the NCAA Division One where he started every one of the 33 games he played at Presbyterian College last season. Reddish-Rhone averaged 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists throughout the past campaign.

This move for Reddish-Rhone brings to the club a guard after many years of signings being mainly forwards and is surely going to be a boost for the side that is looking to make a name for itself overseas after a magical season which saw them win every domestic trophy available. 

Expectedly, the new import player is just one of a number of players Starlites are set to bring over to the club in preparation for a gigantic step in September. 

Depiro’s Aquilina set for Division One switch

After over a combined decade at the club, Depiro captain Andrew Aquilina will be suiting up for a different BOV Division One team this coming season after getting his release from the Mtarfa club this summer.

Last season, under coach Ruben Baldacchino, Aquilina returned from injury to help his side win the final playoffs berth before the team fell to Mellieha Libertas in the semifinals. 

The veteran guard started every one of the 21 games he played across all competitions for Depiro last season, averaging 6.6 points, four assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. 

Now under new coach Sasha Dimitrijevic, Depiro seem to have a different direction in mind, having already brought over David Bugeja and Luca Stefanovic from Mellieha and Athleta respectively, while also extending the contract of US-import guard Cameron Cornelius for a third consecutive season. 

Sources close to Depiro told Malta Basketball that despite the club wanting to keep hold of the senior team captain, it was Aquilina’s wish to have more minutes on court, so it was only fair to allow him to move clubs.

While his next destination has not yet been made official, it seems likely that Aquilina will be Starlites’ answer to the loss of back-court duo Alec Felice Pace and Matt Attard, after the pair left the Naxxar-based club to pursue overseas basketball this summer. Felice Pace has already signed with German Regionalliga West side CityBasket Recklinghausen, while Attard is currently in negotiations with clubs in Australia.

Such a move would come in handy for Starlites as they prepare for their debut in European competition in September when they play Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta in the FIBA Europe Cup qualifiers with Aquilina providing the experience within a roster that is mostly based on youth.

Kousidis laments Hibs’ lack of communication leading to dismissal

When Christos Kousidis was announced as the new Hibernians coach, many would have thought it was a strong push for the title from the Paolite club after the FIBA-Licensed Greek coach had taken Athleta to the playoffs last season. However, after just a month into the collaboration, both parties parted ways in a shocking turn of events.

Hibs issued a statement on Saturday, saying that they had decided to dismiss Kousidis “due to differing views on the direction and management of the Men’s Senior Team”. 

While they thanked Kousidis for his efforts, they stressed that the clash of ideas would not work saying that “it would have been unfair on the players if this was done later on in the season”.

Hibernians, Kousidis part ways after just one month

At the other end of the story, Kousidis believes he was left in the dark about these views and that while he acknowledged the fact that his bias was solely towards the success of the men’s senior team and not the entire club, he told Malta Basketball it was an issue best settled with discussion rather than simply dismissal.

In an email seen by Malta Basketball, Kousidis had highlighted a list of player-related requirements he wanted the club to meet to push for a title race which included the addition of three import players subject to the club’s budget, two or three specific local players (or local foreigners), and the opportunity to choose youth players for promotion to the senior team while shifting some of the non-performing players to the clubs’ Division Two side. 

Kousidis remarked that all of his requests were accepted by the club after their first meeting. 

While Matthew Gouder, one of the players requested by Kousidis, went on to sign with the club later in July, the Greek said he never managed to have a discussion with the Hibernians committee about the rest of his requests, saying the club changed their idea about things and went as far as to avoid him after he admitted with the Hibs’ head of operations Mario Tabone that he felt he didn’t have the trust he needed, simply asking him for time to discuss internally before they eventually handed him a letter of dismissal on Friday.

“Regrettably, your attitude towards the setup of our technical board has been very unprofessional, even bordering on arrogant. It has always been our club’s policy not to interfere with our coaches’ decisions, but likewise we do not accept our coaches interfering with the running of the club as this is beyond their competence,” the letter read. 

Opportunity to discuss

Kousidis lamented the fact that he had only made a gentleman’s agreement to take over the role with the club delaying his contract’s signature and that when he spoke to the players about the issue, the problem escalated. 

“They told me it would be better the end our collaboration because of my communication with the players – I asked the players and they all said everything was fine and that they wanted me to stay on as coach,” he said.

He admitted that being in the dark about the club’s overall goals meant he may have been too biased towards his senior men’s team and said he apologised if that may have been arrogant, however, he believes that given an opportunity to discuss the issue, both parties would have ironed it out.

“If they would have told me what had to change, I would have adapted. Telling me we have an agreement on something and then coming up with an alternative because of club decisions is something that happens – they could have set up a meeting and told me ‘Christos, you cannot bring A, you have B to work with – if you like it, ok, if not, you can leave’. But at least, we should have discussed.”

Ultimately, Kousidis said he had joined the Hibs project as he felt they wanted to change things for the better, now questioning the reasoning behind them hiring him in the first place.

“I had an offer in Austria to be an assistant coach in the First Division and I regret that I rejected that to stay here and lost that position. Now I need to wait for an opening which could be in December – it is disrespectful.”

“If (Hibs) don’t want to change things, why hire me? If they want me to bring them two Americans and just play ‘coach’, it doesn’t work like that – I want to build a good team with eight to 10 players that can compete. When a player is afraid of competing for his minutes, he will never work hard. But this is my mentality.”

Hibernians, Kousidis part ways after just one month

Hibernians’ collaboration with coach Christos Kousidis is no more, both the club and coach have confirmed.

In the beginning of July, Hibernians announced their latest appointments as part of a restructuring of the club ahead of next season which brought to the Paolite club the former Athleta mentor who managed to secure playoff basketball for the side after several years in the shadows.

However, Hibernians will be in search of a new coach ahead of next season after terminating the Greek coach’s contract after internal issues regarding Kousidis’ roster additions.

When contacted for comment, Hibs said it was a case of things that did not align with the club’s views. 

“When we signed him as a coach, we agreed that we would improve our team – in fact, we got Matthew (Gouder) immediately, however, we did not want to change a lot of the players,” a club spokesman told Malta Basketball. 

“This, for us would have been unacceptable because the team we had last season missed the playoffs simply because of import-player-related issues. So, we already have a good team.

“Our conversations with the coach had been for him to let the committee know about any potential players but we also had to focus on the rest of the club. We want to stress that it has been a professional working relationship throughout and really wanted it to work out. We wish him good luck and hope he manages to sign with a new club soon, however, we figured the clash of ideas would not work – it would have been unfair on the players if this was done later on in the season.”

‘Competitive with both men and women’

After confirming Gouder and extending the contract of local foreigner Ivan Demcesen, Hibernians last week announced the signing of three female players – Steffi De Martino, Maria Bonett and Andie Saliba – to push their women’s team out of what looked to be a rut in the MAPFRE MSV Life Women’s League.

“We were in discussions to strengthen our women’s team as we feel we’ve had a vacuum – in the last 40 years, last season was the worst we’ve ever finished as a club so that was unacceptable for our team to be at such a low point,” Hibs explained. 

“Our moves for new players in the women’s team came because we want to be competitive with both teams, but we have always felt that the men’s team is good enough already, so we did not feel the need to make a lot of changes.

“The coach has a big say in what players he deems fit to play at the club but ultimately, it is the committee that decides if contact with potential signings takes place or not. It is simply the system of how the club operates – the next coach will have the same conditions. If it’s feasible it will be done, but we have to think of the entire club – we don’t just have the senior teams, there is a whole system of basketball taking place.”

Next steps

In a statement, Hibs said that they had parted ways “due to differing views on the direction and management of the Men’s Senior Team”. 

“We thank Christos (Kousidis) for his efforts and contributions during his time with us and wish him the best in his future endeavours,” the statement read.

“As we move forward, our priority is to ensure that the Men’s Senior Team is aligned with the club’s vision and values. We will provide further updates regarding the coaching position and the team’s future direction in due course.”

Sources have told Malta Basketball that former Mellieha Libertas coach Christian Narciso is top of Hibs’ shortlist to replace Kousidis with the club looking to confirm his replacement ahead of preseason which is set to start in the latter part of August. The Italian mentor had been out of a contract since the end of his stint in the Italian Serie B with Orlandina and while rumours had pitted him as the returning Mellieha coach, the Northern club opted out of the new Division One season earlier this summer. 

Asked about a possible return for Mario Tabone in the role, Hibs denied last season’s coach would get back to the Ta’ Qali bench this coming season and confirmed that Hibs would have ‘an entirely new coach’. The Paolite club confirmed Tabone would remain in his new role in charge of development within the club. 

Cameron Cornelius extends Depiro stay for third season

American guard Cameron Cornelius has re-signed with Depiro for a third-straight season, with the club confirming an earlier Malta Basketball report. 

Cornelius, who was a vital part of Depiro’s run to the playoffs and the Knockout final last season will be looking to go one step further under new coach Sasha Dimitrijevic.

“Depiro SC is proud to welcome back Cameron Cornelius to the club,” a club statement read.

“Cornelius has enjoyed his past two seasons with the club, in which the men’s senior team had qualified for playoffs, however, he hopes to finally bring silverware and success back to Depiro, an aim his teammates and club have been putting the work in to achieve. Welcome Back, Corn.”

In fact, Cornelius averaged 17.2 points per game across all competitions, going 73% from the line, having started all but one game he played as Depiro made it to the postseason as the league’s fourth seed. They were eventually eliminated by Mellieha Libertas in the semifinals. 

A strong playmaker for his side, Cornelius averaged 4.3 assists with only 2.5 turnovers a game. 

On defence, the US import guard averaged 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, finishing as the team’s leader in steals.

Cornelius was also named BOV Player of the Month in March after finishing the month with a 25-point-per-game average.

The American guard originally joined Depiro in 2022 after a stint with Focsani in the 2019-20 season before the COVID-19 pandemic, together with fellow American import Kameron Rooks. The pair extended their contracts for a second season last summer with Rooks departing the club at the end of this past season. 

Depiro Women sign Jensen Caretti

MAPFRE MSV Life Women’s League runners-up and Knockout winners Depiro announced their first signing of the summer when they confirmed American forward Jensen Caretti.

In a club statement on Thursday, the club welcomed the former Ohio State player.

“We’re delighted to welcome Jensen Caretti to our Senior Women’s Team!” The statement read. 

“A graduate of Ohio State University in the USA, Jensen had an outstanding season last year, winning both MVP and Player of the Year in Division One Basketball Ireland. She also played for iSecure Swords Thunder and finished second in scoring across all competitions. Welcome to Depiro, Jensen!”

The 6’2 Ohio native was last plying her trade in Ireland with Swords Basketball where she won the Division One Player of the Year award. She completed the season with a 22.4 points-per-game average and 9.9 rebounds per contest. Her Swords club celebrated the league title in April as Caretti was named Most Valuable Player.

Now she joins a Depiro side led by new coach Julian Naudi who will be looking to maintain last season’s solid showing which led to them finishing as the top seed at the end of the regular season. More importantly, the club will also be defending its title as Knockout champions after they beat Caffe Moak Luxol in the final in March. 

Aaron Falzon returns to France as BesAC’s ‘missing piece to the puzzle’

After a stint in the Japan B3 League with Tachikawa Dice, Malta international forward Aaron Falzon is set for a return to France to join NM1 side Besançon Basket on a one-year contract, the club confirmed on Wednesday.

Calling him the “piece that was missing to complete the puzzle of the BesAC 2024-2025 squad”, the club said in a statement that Falzon had ticked most boxes in their search for a new player ahead of the coming season.

“Laurent Kleefstra and the recruitment team eventually found this final piece, in the ‘four’ position, after exploring a very large number of leads,” the statement read.

“The coach was attached to a certain interior profile that was particularly able to respond to his defensive philosophy, but also in attack that could deviate from the circle and be effective behind the line at three-pointers.”

This is the third time Falzon will play in France after a short stint in his rookie season as a professional player with Etoile Angers, and more recently with Mulhouse following stints in the UK with the Leicester Riders and in Austria with the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions. 

BesAC said they had gotten ‘excellent information’ about Falzon from former Mulhouse coach Lauriane Dolt, facilitating the decision to go with Falzon as their new forward.

Last season, Falzon was plying his trade in Japan where he averaged 10.7 points from a 52.9FG%, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in 39 games played.

Following that, negotiations began for his next move which will now bring him back to Europe. The club said Falzon would be heading to Geneva on August 7 and would meet his new teammates the next day to “blend in as soon as possible” in the season’s preparation.

With the signing of Falzon and other players already announced by the club in recent days, the team will be working towards improving on a troubled campaign last season where they finished in the penultimate spot of Group B in NM1 with a record of 7-19 after the 26 games of the league campaign.

Kurt Cassar extends Rieti contract

Malta international centre Kurt Cassar has extended his stay with NPC Rieti, the club has announced. This means Cassar will remain in the Italian Serie B for yet another season, sticking with the Lazio-based club for a second season after having joined last July.

In a short club statement, NPC Rieti showed their enthusiasm towards Cassar’s extension.

“Kurt Cassar and NPC Riet, together again,” the statement read, “Kurt Cassar will wear the amarantoceleste shirt again for the season 2024-2025!”

Speaking to the club’s social media the Malta centre rallied for an improved season after a rough previous season.

“I am glad to be able to continue this project with the NPC Rieti,” he said.

“There is a great desire to improve on last season, both for the fans and for us players, it was absolutely not easy. Staying united and acting as a team throughout the year will be very important.”

Last season, Rieti finished in the 16th spot of the Serie B Nazionale Girone A. Cassar closed the regular season shooting 25% from three-point range, 53% from two-point range and 77% at the line. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and one assist per game.

Following the end of the club season, Cassar was again with the Malta National Team to play under coach Duncan Fenech at the FIBA European Small Countries Championships in Andorra.

In a silver-medal finish for Malta, Cassar averaged 11 points on 47FG%, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game as a starter in all of Malta’s fixtures.

Cassar was NPC Rieti’s second confirmed extension of the summer after the club announced the stay of Mattia Melchiorri earlier on in the day.

Hibernians women sign former Starlites trio 

In a summer transfer coup, Hibernians secured another set of signings, this time for the women’s team, on Tuesday when they announced Steffi De Martino, Maria Bonett, and Andie Saliba to their roster.

In a short statement on the club’s socials, Hibs expressed their enthusiasm for the three players’ move.

“We are excited to officially welcome Steffi De Martino, Maria Bonett & Andie Saliba to Hibernians!” The statement read.

“These dynamic players are bringing their exceptional skills, passion, and dedication to our team, and we can’t wait to see them team up with our players and shine on the court.”

This upgrade to new coach Winnie Buhagiar’s squad means they now have one of the MAPFRE MSV Life Women’s League’s top scorers in De Martino, a defensive powerhouse in Bonett and a speedy, young guard in Saliba to add to their nucleus.

While it is still to be understood how Hibs will utilise these three players it will surely be a boost on the court for the Paolites who suffered these past few seasons, with a chance of a playoff run looking more likely this coming season. 

While Saliba remains available for the team’s Under-23 side, De Martino and Bonett will be banking on their experience both in the league as well as Malta National team players. The pair were part of Charles Bonnici’s squad that finished with a silver medal at the FIBA European Small Countries Championships in June.

In Kosovo, De Martino started all of Malta’s games, averaging 16.2 points per game as one of the team’s best players with a tournament-high of 30 points against Georgia in the group stages. She added a 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists average.

Bonett was one of the lesser-used players on the Malta side but was an essential element for the team particularly on defence inside the paint.

This move comes after a somewhat disappointing season for Starlites as the then-title holders were unable to retain their crown despite leading the regular season for most of the campaign. Finishing second below Depiro, the team led by coach Fatih Dedelioglu fell to eventual champions Caffe Moak Luxol in the playoff semifinals to end the season with one trophy – the Super Cup.

With the Naxxar side losing such a trio, questions might arise as to whether this spells a new era for Starlites, or if will it be trouble for the team ahead of next season. Malta Basketball hears it could also be the end of Dedelioglu’s run as coach of the women’s team with former Malta men’s international Peter Shoults said to be a frontrunner for the job.