Andrew Bridge…A Coaches Dream.

Andrew can you tell us a little about yourself, where do you hail from, where you attended school and university etc?

I’m originally from Chesterfield, I lived there right up until I went to University which was in Leeds, I stayed in Leeds for a year before I came back to Sheffield.  They say you make your friends for life at University but I’m still mates with the same guys I went to infant school with.  We don’t all live in Chesterfield at the moment but I think we’ll all be back within the next five years.

What was the first contact you had playing sport?

A school, I joined in with basketball because football was rained off and I wasn’t getting picked up for a couple of hours.  We had a great teacher who was really into his basketball.  This was before the Sharks when it was the Sheffield Forgers, Chris Finch was a player and he came to our school a few times, our teacher Mr Nunn even used to bring us on the school mini bus to see the Forgers games, you wouldn’t get that these days.

What was it that attracted you to Basketball.

I think it was the fact that I wasn’t very good, it was always a challenge.

The first time I saw you play was with Mansfield Giants. Tell me about those days.

Those were great times, I came through the Juniors with most of the guys, once we reached 19 some of the parents organised for us to go into the Senior National League.  It was a lot better standard back then, even in Division 3 most teams had an decent American.  We had a good little set up, we even had you on the microphone for our Play-Off games.

How did you come to join the Sheffield Sharks?

Chris Finch came down and watched our Play-Off games, we had a few lads my age, he could have picked any of us.  I think John Timms had tipped him off about us all, I guess I just played well in the right games and he brought me up to Sheffield.

What was it like playing for Chris Finch? Was he your first Sharks’ coach?

Chris was my only coach during my first stint at the Sharks, he taught me so much about basketball but he also made me grow up over the three years.  Chris was so determined and he wanted to win so badly, I still don’t think I’ve played for or with anyone as competitive.

A lot of people say they want it but Chris showed it and lived it.  It was great, on the 3 or 4 occasions he’d practice during the year everyone went out of their way to hit him but I think he loved that and was using it as a way to fire guys up.

I’m not sure I always appreciated him at time but I do now, I definitely wouldn’t be who I am today without him.

Back in your first stint with the Sharks the team was very successful. What was that like for you as a player?

The club was very successful from top to bottom but on the playing side it meant we had good players so I could obviously learn from them.  The best thing was that they were all good guys, they all had time for me and would help me, even the guys that had left were great.

I remember Roger Huggins would be back in the summer and he would even give me advice and support.

The guys I played with though, it was like a BBL legends team.  I had Todd Cauthorn, Terrell Myers, Nate Reinking, Will Johnson, Lynard Stewart and Justin Phoenix that I can remember off the top of my head.

Those guys were all great but I also had some of the best English players ever. They helped  and meant more to me at the start of my career than I could have hoped for,  Peter Scantlebury, Richard Windle, Mike Payne and Iain McKinney.

Iain was my favourite player because I could see myself in him, he got the most out of what he had and I’d like to think I’ve done the same.  The way he carried himself and how hard he worked, he’s the example I use when I talk to young players.  Ask anyone from back in the day and they’ll all rate him.

It came as a bit of a surprise when the news broke that you were leaving.  What happened that led to that situation?

It was just one of those things, it was in my control, I didn’t develop fast enough and I was getting older which meant I was considered a young player, I was being compared to Iain, Mike and Scants.  If I was Chris I would have picked them to.  It was the best thing that could have happened, all of a sudden I was out of my comfort zone, I was moving away from family and friends.

It was either going to make or break me as a player and luckily I went into a good situation and it turned out great for me.  I have no issue at all with the decision Chris made and I hope he’s proud of what I went on to do.

I’m happy to say that I played for an NBA coach and I think soon I’ll be able to say I played for an NBA head coach.

You went to Newcastle Eagles?  Tell me about you first impressions on becoming an Eagles player?

It was great, they wanted me and it’s always good to feel wanted.  I had a flat next to Canadian Olympian Andrew Mavis and I was excited by the experience.

How different was it there from the Sharks?

It obviously was very different, there was no tradition of winning but where the Sharks were, that’s where we aspired to be.  We had good players when I got there but maybe all the pieces didn’t fit together.  That’s what they set about addressing over those first three years.

The Eagles soon became the top team in British Basketball.  What do you put that success down to?

Hard work both on and off the court.  On the court we were learning how to win as a group and Fab was tinkering with the team to find the winning combination.  He had five players from the first year, himself, Charles, Jeremy, myself and TJ.  He got Darius a couple of years later, Drew the year after and that was us, off we went just changing the last import.

Off the court we were doing more schools each year but that had a knock on effect, we got nice cars, went to openings, dinners and parties and were regulars at the football.  The Geordies love their sport and we were starting to get successful, we had two or three sell-outs at the arena but we worked hard for all of that in the community.

What is it like playing and practising under Fabulous Flournoy?

It was never a big deal for, maybe because I played with Fab as a team mate.  Some players really struggled with it but I didn’t.   Fab comes across as an in your face person during games but don’t let that fool you, he knows the game inside out.  He also has a system that everyone is accountable to, if you’re not following the system you’re coming out of the game.

He held himself to the system to and the players could see that so they had respect for him, I’ve seen player coaches play themselves for the whole game and run the majority of plays for themselves, that will never wash with the player.  Fab is so far from that he’d often sacrifice himself at the expense of the other guys and players respected that.

How have the Eagles managed to remain at the top for so long?

There are so many reasons but I can’t let all the secrets out, you’ve got to have been on the inside to know.

What was it like winning the clean sweep TWICE

The first time it was a little surreal, we were so new to winning and we had so much going on that year with monthly National Team training camps and the Commonwealth Games themselves.  It nearly didn’t happen we were behind in the league and down by 17 to Sheffield at Ponds Forge at half time in a must win Trophy game in February, I luckily hit a a game winning three, played the final a couple of weeks later then left for Melbourne.

We were away for a month but with Fab coaching over the phone.

TJ, Jeremy, Darius, Charles, Perry and John Bryant manage to win all our games I think and it was pretty much job done in the league thanks to them.  In the Play-Off final we were down 16 at half time and won by 16 against the Rocks.  I’m not sure anyone expected us to do it and we certainly put ourselves in some bad situations but I know myself and the other younger guys didn’t really feel the pressure, we were just doing what we loved together, maybe the older guys did feel it but we were just excited.

The second time I personally was just relieved, everyone expected us to do it, and I think we expected to do it, we were also trying to prove a few thing from the season before.

I was happy for the guys that hadn’t done it, it’s tough when people compare you to past achievements.  We’d also come close a couple of years before when we won three trophies so it was great to be able to do it for a second time. I’m not sure how many people have done it twice but it’s a nice feeling to be in that group.

It was another shock when the news broke that you were leaving the Eagles.  Did it come as a shock to you?  Whose decision was it?

It didn’t come as a total shock, myself and Fab sat down a few times and talked for a long time.  As we talked I think we could both see where it was heading.  It was pretty emotional for both of us but we were both trying to hide it, we shook hands, smiled and shared a few words.

I’m not bitter about it and I know that if I ever need him for anything I could pick the phone up and he’d be there.  We’ve not spoken at length yet, I think we both needed time to process it, I don’t think it will be long though.

Just a few months earlier, Fab had been suggesting that you were the man to replace him when he hangs up his boots.  How disappointed were you to leave the Eagles?

Obviously it has had an effect on my life but I was getting ready to move on to the next stage anyway,  I can’t consistently do what I used to be able to on the court which frustrates me and I think that has made me look to the future.  I don’t look at it as disappointing, I’m just looking forward to what’s next.

Is coaching something that you would want to go into in the future?

I’m not sure coaching is something you plan to do at BBL level in this country, if a job comes up and you’re around may be you do it.  I know I’ll either be living in Newcastle or Chesterfield but the two guys in those areas are pretty safe in their jobs but if I didn’t have a job and either club asked I’d think about it.

Paul Blake said some very nice things about you when the news broke that you were leaving.  Were you surprised by what he had to say?

I wasn’t totally surprised, I’m sure I didn’t hear everything but he has said some of those things to me personally, things like that are always nice to hear.  I spoke to him the other day which was good but I’ll always speak to Paul and Sam, they are friends of mine.  They even went as far as offering me a job if I didn’t keep playing, they didn’t have to do that, it was a very nice gesture.

Are you happy with the profile of Basketball at the moment?

I don’t think anyone that loves the sport is happy with its profile but it is what it is.  There have been chances to change it but there are too many people pulling in different directions and I don’t see this changing, until everyone gets on the same page it’s not going to change quickly.

I do think there will be some generational change though, at the moment fathers take their son/daughter to football.  I think that when all the kids basketball engages at the moment get older and they make their own financial choices there will be growth.

We could give this a kick-start by having everybody that’s important singing from the same page, build some venues and get a realistic strategy for all of basketball.

What do you think we have to do to take the sport to the next level?

First I think we need to look at how we grow the game, it seems that we have increased the number of participants from when I was a junior but I don’t think we have the correct structure Nationally to put the kids in.  We have kids looking to play, so parents with the right intentions set up a team but what league do they enter? National Junior League, players that might never have played a game before are playing National League, that’s not right.

We need Central Venue Leagues in all the main towns and cities and from there pick the best players from the areas to play National League. That would increase the quality of National League and make games more competitive, with the knock on effect being improved players.

The second thing we need is basketball specific venues, clubs aren’t going to survive when they have to pay between £35-50 per hour venue hire.  By basketball standards we’ve had a lot of money come into the game, yet none of that has gone into any infrastructure, I think this is a missed opportunity.

How do the Sharks of today compare to the Sharks of old?

There is still the same passion to succeed but we’re in a different time and you’ve got to cut your cloth accordingly.  The most important thing is that we’re still here.  There’s a lot going on to put us in a strong position moving forwards, that’s all you can ask really.  The Sharks time will come again.

The team has had a bit of a difficult start.

Yes that’s right but we’re a young team, we’ve got to learn how to play together.  We we’re always going to struggle with consistency but we’ve managed to get to the Cup semi finals which is great and we’re playing with better fluency which we need.

This next question is a bit tricky but who was the most influential coach you’ve played under?  Which one is your favourite?

I’m not even going to try and split them.  I played for two of the greatest of all time in the BBL.  I needed both of them and they were both influential at different times in my career in different ways.  Chris had me at the start, he definitely kept me grounded and taught me about the greater good of the team.  Fab took the reins off and put me out there to play, he knew Chris had taught me the right things, without him giving me that chance it would have happened for me.

Obviously my best time was at Newcastle, I got to play a lot and win, Fab was my favourite, he developed my game to its highest point and always believed in me.

What was it like playing for the National team in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and winning the bronze?

It was a fantastic two year period, it was a great group of guys that was involved in the larger squad not just the twelve guys that went to Melbourne.

I never really knew any of the guys on other teams but this let me get to know a lot of them a lot better.

The games themselves was a unique experience but I don’t think I embraced it as much as I should have, which I regret now.  There were some great moments though, it was great to win a medal and one of the best things for me was how established house hold names were happy for you.

One of the most surreal moments was the day of the closing ceremony, myself and Fab were in Melbourne picking up some presents.  We were just walking down the street when the drummer from the Bodyrockers stopped us to congratulate us. It was weird that he knew who we were but even more strange because they’d been flown in from the UK to close the Games.

You are married to Vicky, how did you meet and what is she like?

Yes, I’m married to Vicky, we met when I was first at the Sharks through mutual friends, she’s obviously been very supportive of me, she puts up with me not being around for eight months of the year.  I think if you asked any athlete it’s their partners that take the brunt of everything but she’s been a constant in everything I’ve done and I wouldn’t have done it without her.

So what does the future hold for Andrew Bridge in the short term and in the long term?

Everything is a bit up in the air at the moment, I’m trying very hard to get things ready for the next stage of my life.  There are a few people helping me with this and I’m very grateful, I’m hopeful it will be sorted soon.

What message would you like to give to the fans of the Sharks?

They’re great and knowledgeable fans, just stick with us, we’re working hard and we’re giving everything we’ve got.

Photo – Andrew Drinking

Photo – Commonwealth Games Bronze

Photo – Melbourne 2006