The Bench Units Podcast

Nothing like bringing the podcast back to its roots once in a while. We're very pleased to be joined by a first-time guest and first-season Sheffield Steeler. Abs Taghrest joins Bench Units to talk about a resurgent season for the club where this podcast originated, one that has seen them qualify to the EuroCup 3 Finals and hold the distinction of being the only amateur squad remaining at any level of the competition. Abs takes us through the season so far, and looks ahead to a daunting tournament for the underdog Steelers. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

Who needs a guest when we have our own set of boots on the ground! Ahead of James travelling to Giulianova, we look ahead at each inmate on maybe the greatest Murderers’ Row that EuroCup 1 Finals has ever seen. With at least 6 teams that could credibly win the competition in any given year, we try and plot each team's path through the pool stage and beyond. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

We have been accused of, and admitted to, not giving the French League the attention it deserves. Since this season began, Colin Higgins hasn't left us much of a choice but to take notice. The key off-season signing for Les Aigles du Velay last summer, Colin has helped to establish them as the class of the domestic league and be dominant in their EuroCup campaign so far. The Canadian forward turns up in his jeans, wool socks and work boots, in the hopes that he won't get roped into anything. But we won't let him leave without getting the insider's perspective on a EuroCup 2 Finals that will see his team take on Hannover, Cantù and French rival Le Cannet just to make it into the semi-finals. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

Whether you think the Paralympic wheelchair basketball should have been cut to 8 teams or not, the Repechage tournament to decide the 8 was premium viewing content. After three days of seeding games, we saw Netherlands, Germany, Canada and France qualify for the chance to compete at Paris 2024. We break down the performance of each team, the biggest moments and results of the Repechage tournament, and how this shapes the picture for the big dance this summer. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

A lot can happen between two appearances on Bench Units. Tasked with overseeing one of wheelchair basketball's historic national programs return to prominence, Brad Ness joins us to talk about having already punched a coveted ticket to Paris via the AOZ tournament. From his position as a Roman Emperor watching the gladiators battle it out, Brad helps us to preview the upcoming Repechage Tournament that will see the final four teams qualify for Paris 2024. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

This week, James is joined by frequent Bench Units guest Mendel to go through the Italian play-off semi final deciders, as well as trying to figure out what happened down the stretch of a drama-filled Spanish league game. If you like people going so far into wheelchair basketball games they come out the other side, this might be the episode for you. Available wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

3 days. 3 EuroCup Levels. 7 Groups. 33 Teams. 62 Games. This amount of hoops output can't be broken down in any reasonable fashion, so we've reverted to a Bench Units favourite and chosen to cherry-pick the topics that interest us, so long as they can be phrased like an awards category or meaningless cliché. We cover players we've never seen before, teams who are both a level above and below their assigned competition, and one of the most competitive QF groups we've ever seen. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

He's back, again! Coming off a pair of wins to secure the German Cup this past weekend, Tommy Böhme stops by to catch us up on the season so far and look ahead to this weekends Champions Cup Quarter Finals. RSV Lahn-Dill currently sit at 24-0 across all competitions within the season, and may be about to take on their toughest test as they face off against Albacete and Bilbao. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

DISCLAIMER: This episode was recorded prior to the news that the Ilunion-Amiab game, scheduled for the 2nd of March, had been postponed due to illness. Copa del Rey champion, MVP and now Bench Units Most Accommodating Player. What a week for Pincho Ortega. Poncho stops by to take us through Ilunion’s signature win of the season so far, and how it sets up rematches with Amiab both in the league and potentially in the Champions Cup Final Four. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

Almost as excited as last time, and one appearance away from being forced to intro the podcast, Arinn Young is back! Juice talks about the recent stretch of the season for Wiesbaden, which has seen them rise to third in the standings in Germany and qualify for the EuroCup 1 Finals. They also break down the past weekend's game against Hannover, the Rhinos' official rival. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode: Albacete are able to hold off a feisty Malaga team, including playing a quarter that felt like a choreographed movie fight scene. Lahn-Dill make it 2-0 against their nemesis, Thuringia Bulls, in what mostly felt like a brawl. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

Aaaaand breathe. 5 preliminary rounds, 23 teams, 44 games, all in about 36 hours. Anyone who has been there knows that the true currency of any EuroCup weekend is hours spent in the venue, between your own games, taking a crash-course in a bunch of teams you probably wouldn't watch otherwise. Of course, all of that is worth nothing if you can't show off your newfound expertise to anyone who will listen. That's where the first-ever edition of Courtside Clichés comes in! We pick through the crucial outcomes and storylines of this weekend, entirely framed in surface-level soundbites that can be trotted out to make your teammates believe you know what you're talking about. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

With EuroCup set to begin later this week, we were going to let last weekend slip by without a round-up, but an expansive slate of games left us no choice. In the first ever Bench Units Tasting Menu, we selectively nibble at the best and most meaningful games from 6 (!) leagues across the continent (UK, Turkey, France, Italy, Spain, Germany). Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

If you haven't heard about Oscar Knight yet, you probably don't consume any Bench Units content and therefore won't be reading this. The important thing is that WE have heard of Oscar Knight, and that means that both us and you get to hear from him. This out-of-nowhere rookie sensation, from a competitive AMFIV Vigo squad, joins us to talk about the unconventional path that has lead him from the south coast of England to the northwest coast of Spain. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

As we officially begin the ramp-up to the business end of the season, basketball is taking place on many fronts. As usual, we start out with a few league games that piqued our interest. We then move on to the placement games of the AOZ qualifiers, which has left both the Men’s and Women’s sides of Paris 2024 with 4 teams cemented and 8 teams vying for last-chance qualification via the Repechage Tournament in April. Finally, we look at the three Champions Cup and two EuroCup 1 qualifying rounds that take place on 2-3 February. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

Happy 2024! We kick off our resolution of making the podcast better, first by musing on the feedback from our listeners and secondly from only talking about the games worth talking about. That taken care of, we take a look at the AOZ qualifiers and what we've learned about Austria, Iran & Japan from a highly competitive group stage. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

For the last weekend round-up of 2023, we cover an 11-game schedule across Spain and Germany. There's enough lukewarm musings in this episode to patch you through until the new year, so gather your all-time best and worst teammates, set your back castors on the three-point line and dive in. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

This week, in Mark’s absence, James is joined by Lahn Dill and Dutch national team player, and Bench Units regular, Mendel Op Den Orth. In what was meant to be an off week for the Spanish league, join the guys as they go through 9 games between Spain and Germany, and then answer a few listener questions, before handing out the belt. Listen in to our latest attempt at recording a podcast that Mendel doesn’t feel the need to correct, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

In a week stuffed with 30-attempt games, lopsided quarters and wild +/- numbers, we saw everything from tier-clarifying blowouts to further-mystifying upsets. 5 games in Spain, 5 in Germany, some more in places we don't have time for. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we get a peek at what the world of wheelchair basketball would look like if the Americas didn't exist. Malaga take down Murcia, Munich squeak past Münsterland, other teams beginning with M are also available. Out now, wherever you get your podcasts! Get full access to Bench Units at benchunits.substack.com/subscribe