Basketball
Wardrope returns
30 June 2007
Guildford Heat Basketball Club is pleased to announce the return for a second season with the Surrey side of Scottish International shooting guard Dan Wardrope.
Wardrope was a key member of the Double Winning BBL club's season and quite possibly earned lasting fame with Heat fans for making the dramatic 3 point shot which harpooned Sheffield Sharks on New Year's Day this year. The epic victory saw Wardrope make the last basket of a game which ended with a score of 84-83. It was the only time during the entire game in which the Heat had the lead, having been down by as many as 18 points in the second half.
Wardrope led the BBL in the crucial free throwing shooting category, completing an incredible 89% of attempts, narrowly beating team-mate Brian Dux's 85%. The two combined to score 293 points from the line in the 2006/7 season, nearly 10% of the club's total points scored. Wardrope's other key offensive threat was his ubiquitous snap shot 3 point attempt, which he completed more than 34% of the time, good for 15th overall in the BBL.
Wardrope's finest basketball performances may have been saved playing for Scotland in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games when he scored an incredible 99 points in 5 games, leading all scorers in the entire tournament.
This will be Wardrope's third season overall in the BBL, having played the 2005/6 season for the Scottish Rocks. Prior to that Wardrope turned out for Edinburgh Kings and Troon Tornadoes of the Scottish Men's National League. Wardrope began his playing pro career with Sydney Kings after graduating from the University of New South Wales, where he was a College National All-Star.
Commenting on behalf of the Heat, Head Coach Paul James had this to say, "Dan Wardrope is an important signing for the club and I am extremely pleased he is back with us for another season. Everyone knows Dan is a great free throw shooter and on his day a deadly 3 point shooter too. The huge three he made on New Years Day against Sheffield to win us the game you could say ultimately won us the BBL League Championship. But the Dan I also think of is a tenacious floor battler who will chase down any loose ball and throw his body to the floor for the good of the team. He is a ferocious battler and a smart player that I can trust out on court late in the game to keep his head and play the role required of him. People wont realise this but Dan played most of last season hurt so I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do when in game shape."
For his part the Brighton resident added, "I am so excited about playing this season for the Heat. There is so much going on at the club, all of which I see as just the beginning in what will be a golden era for the Heat and British basketball. I am simply thrilled to be a part of it."
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