Basketball
Heat Add Dorsey
2 August 2007
The BBL League and Cup champions, the Guildford Heat, have added another big name to their roster after singing former BBL Player of the Season Tony Dorsey.
The 37-year-old former England international adds valuable domestic and European experience as the Heat pursue the ULEB Cup in 2007/08, and joins from the Newcastle Eagles.
The 6'7" power forward was named BBL Player of the Season in 1995/96 whilst in Birmingham, and also in 1999/00 whilst playing in Manchester. He's a five-time BBL All-Star, four-time BBL Championship Playoff winner - twice MVP in the final - and has also lifted the BBL Trophy on one occasion.
Dorsey is a fantastic free throw shooter and finished the 2006/7 season as 3rd best in the BBL, hitting 81% of his attempts. This now means the Heat boast the first, second and third best free throw shooters in Dan Wardrope, Brian Dux and now Tony Dorsey. Dorsey also figured in top 15 stats in both assists (2.5 per game) and offensive rebounds (2.3).
The addition of Dorsey, who was capped 15 times for England, to the Poujoulat-backed Surrey side has given the team and head coach Paul James much needed strength, experience and depth as they prepare for a longer schedule than any other British side due to European games in the ULEB Cup.
In his first comments since becoming a Heat player, Dorsey had this to say, "I'm very happy to be signing with such a fine organisation as Guildford. Having known PJ since I came into the league more than 10 years ago I know the kinds of teams he leads and they are always competitive. He knows how to get the most out of all his players; I remember a play-off semi-final against him when I was at Manchester where he lost his starting star point guard in the first quarter. Everyone thought that was PJ's team finished, but they still won the game. He just knows how to win."
Commenting on behalf of the Heat, Head Coach Paul James added, "It's fantastic that we're able to sign a player of Tony's proven ability. When you talk about players of real quality in the league, past and present, you would find it hard not to talk about Tony Dorsey. He is one hell of a player who has been there, seen it and done it. Tony is a true professional whose experience, knowledge and outstanding play can only make us even better".
When asked about playing in the ULEB Cup, Dorsey added, "It will be great to play in the competition again. As a player you always enjoy testing your abilities, but what I will enjoy most is the overall atmosphere of the games; the intense passion of the crowds can sometimes lift you over the edge."
Dorsey is expected to make his debut in a friendly against London Leopards on September 8th at Bracknell Leisure Centre and in the Cup Winners Cup first leg away against Plymouth on September 9th.
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