Whatever he touches turns to gold, it would seem.
The Leicester Riders, the London Lions and the Seriös Group Newcastle Eagles – that’s the extent of Josh Ward-Hibbert’s British Basketball League resume.
If you were going to pick three teams to play for in the last 10 years, could you ask for much better in terms of success?
In the Brit’s first season with the Eagles, after trophy-laden spells with Leicester and London, we sat down with JWH to discuss his new challenge and how he hopes to help Marc Steutel take Newcastle back to the top of the tree.
“My first conversation with Marc this summer was very positive,” Ward-Hibbert said.
“I’d heard nothing but good things about him from former teammates and coaches, and my experience with him in that first conversation and since has definitely lived up to that. He’s honest, direct and respectful and together we want to help him build something special here.
“I’ve been very fortunate to play for the biggest teams in this country, joining the most successful team in League history this summer after playing for two other great teams in London and Leicester, and I feel like I’ve earned those opportunities.
“I like to think I have a positive impact on each of the teams I’ve played for and there must be a reason some of the most successful clubs have wanted to have me as part of their rosters.”
Building back better
If anybody stole the headlines this summer, it was the Eagles, who announced blockbuster signings one after the other on what felt like a daily basis – with Ward-Hibbert amongst those amazing acquisitions – after a disappointing 2022/23 campaign.
Some of the biggest stars in recent times of the British Basketball League flocked to Marc Steutel’s nest in Newcastle as the next generation of Eagles became comprised of the likes of Tajh Green, Larry Austin Jr., Jordan Johnson, Rickey McGill and more.
With all of that star power, though, has come some teething problems, as an all-star cast of talent has taken some time to come together, and Ward-Hibbert dissected the team’s progress so far.
“I don’t think people fully appreciate how difficult it is to bring an entirely new team together.” The 29-year-old said.
“Even with three or four changes to a roster there can be growing pains, but we’ve got a whole new roster, so it was always going to take time.
“Marc has had to build a culture and a style of play in no time at all, and we’ve had to learn how to play together in so many different situations for the first time, so with the level of competition there is in the league this year, it was always going to be a process.
“We’ve had a strong couple of weeks in terms of results, but there is so much room for us to improve. We’re only just scratching the surface of what we’re capable of. There’s a special group here and as the season goes on, we’re going to show that more and more, playing our best basketball come Playoff time.”
One of Wimbledon’s finest
As well as being a bucket on the basketball court, Ward-Hibbert was an ace with a racquet in his hand, as the Nottingham native mixed it with some of the best in the world of tennis as a junior player.
Holding the record for the fastest serve at the Wimbledon Junior Championships from 2011 to 2023 – a huge 133mph – the Eagles star routinely traded winners with the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Dominic Theim and others as a youngster.
“I took both sports incredibly seriously, to be honest, and I could have pursued both of them professionally. Tennis was my first sport, and it wasn’t long afterwards that I started basketball, but I have a lot of love for both of them.
“Both have given me incredible life experiences and memories that I’ll cherish forever and there were a lot of transferrable skills between the two as well so my love for one of them definitely helped the other and vice-versa.
“As a junior I was playing against the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Theim, as well as some of the top British guys on the circuit, and I still keep in contact with a lot of those guys. I still play recreationally now when I get a chance, and have had a game with Will Neighbour – who also played tennis at county level – since we both came to Newcastle.”
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