Ladi Brown Returns To Face Old Team

Interview by Joseph Fitzpatrick

Brixton Topcats’ small forward Ladi Brown will face off against his former team, Leeds Carnegie, for the first time on Saturday. Ladi spent two seasons with Carnegie helping the Yorkshire team gain promotion from Division 2 and last year challenge for the Division 1 title. Hoopsfix caught up with him to see how he was feeling about going up against his former mentor Matt Newby.

Hoopsfix: This weekend sees you venture up north with your new team, Brixton Topcats, to face your old team Leeds Carnegie for the first time since you left, what are your feelings ahead of this game?

Ladi Brown: It’s the biggest game of the season, until it’s over. Then we have a home game against London Capitals, which then becomes our biggest game of the season.

Hoopsfix: You enjoyed a lot of success playing for Leeds, winning Division 2 and the Patrons Cup, and Patrons Cup MVP, why then did you decide to leave Leeds Carnegie?

Ladi Brown: It was a tough decision. I spent the whole summer there working out, but after talks with coaches, advice from family and team-mates, I decided to take up a new challenge elsewhere.

Hoopsfix: You also won the BUCS national championship with Carnegie last season, what do you make of their shocking 0 and 4 start to the season? Do you think they’re missing you that badly?

Ladi Brown: (Laughs) They don’t miss me; they are 0-4, but it’s a tough league. If you aren’t at full strength, that can happen, but for a team that has such ‘depth’ of players, I was expecting better.

Hoopsfix: How has the season gone so far with Brixton?

Ladi Brown: It’s been a positive season so far, second in the league and through to the quarter finals of the National Cup. An area of improvement for us is chemistry. We rotate through all 12 guys at the moment, but once the chemistry is in place, we will be a lot tougher.

Hoopsfix: What are the differences between Leeds Carnegie and Brixton?

Ladi Brown: The major differences are the focus on a specific end of the floor. At Brixton we are a defence orientated team and that creates offence for us when we aren’t in a half court set. In Leeds, the focus is offence. Then scouting in terms of who does what for each team, Brixton have 6 guys who can end up in double figures but with Leeds the damage is done by a specific player.

Hoopsfix: How do you think your Brixton team will match up with a Carnegie team that is currently unbeaten in national league this season?

Ladi Brown: We match-up well with them, as they are a good team, well-drilled and similar to Derby, just slightly younger. So if we do what we have been doing, competing for 40 minutes, it should be a good game.

Hoopsfix: Predictions for the weekend…?

Ladi Brown: I’ll go with a Brixton win, by 1 or 20 I don’t mind.