|
 Kularoos
Plymouth Raiders have added their second new player in a week,
with the announcement that 6’7” forward James Noel has signed
for the team for the coming season. He was in high demand this
summer, with a number of BBL and European teams chasing his
signature, but he decided late last week to come to Plymouth
and bolster the Raiders front line.
Noel played for Worcester Wolves in the BBL last season, and
in a twist of fate, actually made his BBL debut last September
against the Raiders. He began the season with a bad foot
injury and only played in just over half the team’s games, but
in that time he averaged 8.5 points per game and 8 rebounds a
game. On a number of occasions, he showed just what he can do
when fully healthy, putting up some fantastic numbers against
other teams in the BBL. Against Scottish Rocks he had 22
points and 16 rebounds, against Leicester he contributed 19
points and 14 rebounds, against Guildford 16 points and 13
rebounds and against Milton Keynes, 24 points and 14 rebounds.
“James is going to inject the team with a lot of hustle,
enthusiasm and hard work, and a huge amount of talent,” said
Coach Gary Stronach. “He’s going to be great for us, and will
really help the team. He’s very keen to work on his game and
improve and loved the set up we had here in Plymouth. I’m
really looking forward to working with him, and I’m sure the
fans will love him. He showed he can really play against some
top class players last season, getting 24 and 14 against Shaun
Jamison of Milton Keynes, 19 and 14 against Andrew Alleyne at
Leicester. I’m excited to have him here, there was a lot of
interest in him from other teams, but he believes in what
we’re trying to achieve here and wants to be a part of it.”
Noel attended The Masters College in
Southern California before joining the Worcester Wolves last
summer for their inaugural season in the BBL. Once he shook
off his injury, he quickly became a fan favourite with the
Wolves, with his displays every week of hard work, great
technique around the basket. He shot an average of 54% from
the floor last season, which ranked him 7th of all
players in the BBL, where he was also ranked 10th
in rebounding.
 Link:
2007/08 Player Roster |
