The University of Westminster Men’s Basketball Team has been a part of BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) organisation for over a decade. The Westminster Dragons compete in over 25 different sports, where the men’s basketball program has excelled as one of the premier teams over the years.
The team started its university venture under Turkish Coach Bertan Gur in 2005/06. A philosophical coach, in his 5 years with the programme Coach Bertan spent a lot of time and dedication in building the foundation of the Dragons.
Coach Bertan was the first coach to integrate the Westminster University Men’s basketball team into the London Metropolitan Men’s Basketball League.
After a winless season in 2007/08, Westminster dropped down to the 4th Division. The Dragons however bounced back strong earning a well fought 2nd place in Division 4A (08/09) and promotion back into BUCS Division 3 under Coach Bertan.
History was made in 2010/11. Newly appointed Coach Michael Case brought Westminster Basketball their first ever championship (3A), and the teams first ever promotion to BUCS Division II in his first season in charge. His impressive achievements earned him the University of Westminster Sports Coach of the Year 2010/11.
Coach Case was known for bringing a “Warriors” mentality to Westminster University, after growing up with the Westminster Warriors National League Programme. Practices became more physically intense and he soon introduced extra strength & conditioning sessions for the team during the season.
During his 5 years in charge, Coach Case helped Westminster basketball grow internationally. The team competed in tournaments all over Europe including Italy, Spain and Scotland. Also the Dragons continue to compete against a selection of USA collegiate players every summer since 2010. Coach Case officially introduced a Westminster University 2nd Team into the program in 2012.
The program has gone from strength to strength over the years. The Dragons boast a impressive alumnus which include players who have competed internationally, nationally, collegiately and professionally.
The Westminster Men’s Basketball Team currently participate in BUCS Division 2B, one of the few teams in the university to compete at such a high division.
The former Dragon and men’s team captain Clive Castillo took over as Head Coach of the programme in 2015/16.
From 2016/17, Westminster Basketball team now have 3 competitive teams. The programme focuses on improving the players basketball skills and game experience by providing competition and opportunity. The Dragons enter 2 university teams into the BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) competition while also entering one of London’s oldest Men’s basketball leagues, LMBL (London Metropolitan Basketball League).
If you are interested in joining the programme for next year e-mail mens.basketball@su.westminster.ac.uk or visit our programme part of the website for more information.