Panthers do coach Steph proud with first trophy

Gracemount Panthers basketball club, founded in 2012, have won their first piece of silverware after coming out on top in the first-ever Lothians Masters (over-40) tournament held at Oriam.

A total of five teams took part.

The club is a labour of love for Stephanie Lynch who fills various roles including coach. She says:

“We have 40 players registered and two teams that play in the Lothian League .

“We are currently sitting third in Divisions Two and Four.

“Our Division Two team are through to the next round of the Lothian Cup so fingers crossed we come out with a good result. 

“The club is about having players that just want to play basketball, players that want to learn more about the game and get to play

“We have a large amount of different players from different countries and it makes the team more special . I never go out to win games as a coach which isn’t the normal thought process.

“I want everyone to feel involved in the game and play as a team. That has been the main thing players getting to play and enjoy basketball without the pressure  to win . This has been the reason for the results we get a players get to play and grow on court instead of sitting on a bench doing nothing. 

Last season, 2023/2024, our team got promoted to Division Two which was huge deal for our club.”

The winning Masters squad: Pawel Tabols, Ka Chun Kwan (Chris), Kin hong Lau (Hong), LingFung Thomas Lau (Thomas), Alex Li, Patrick Rose, Paseedy Hydara, Kok Kwan Wong ( Andrew), captain, Chun Chak (Woody), Nip King Yan (Ryan).