CITY of Birmingham Rockets captain Martyn Gayle sets the scene for Saturday’s play-off battle with London Cavaliers – you can buy tickets HERE – and looks back on becoming the first player in NBL1 history to hit 500 three-point shots during last weekend’s crucial win in Essex.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
THIS has been a huge week for the Rockets – with a big win on the road and a personal milestone that I’m really proud of.
First, victory at Essex Rebels has kept us in the play-off race ahead of Saturday’s massive game at home to London Cavaliers on Saturday evening.
But, as well as that, I became the first player in NBL1 history to hit 500 three-pointers.
And, for me, that’s something I can say is the result of the commitment and sacrifice I’ve made during my life in basketball. Because if you want to do well in the game, that has to happen.
When I started out, I never said, ‘I want to achieve this, or I want to achieve that.’ I just love playing basketball. I’ve always loved it and, I’ve hit this milestone now.
Huge congratulations to City of Birmingham Rockets’ Martyn Gayle on his amazing milestone 🎯
First player in NBL1 history to hit 500 threes – swipe for the moment he did it against Essex!
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/01y68l69dq
— NBL (@NBLengland) March 13, 2025
It really hits home when you sit down and you see how many different people are proud of you. Then, I sit with myself and understand how much dedication has to go in to reaching any kind of milestone – it makes me feel proud of the journey that I’ve been on.
So, you know, there are plenty of songs out there that talk about basketballers or sportspeople working hard. But it literally goes down that line, the sacrifices you make, your friends, your family, having to miss out on some stuff, because your whole weekend is dedicated to traveling up and down the country.
People don’t always comprehend that. That’s why there’s so much love when you speak to other basketball players that have gone through the same sacrifices and have the same dedication as you and passion for the for the game.
Maybe there’s a game on your birthday or something similar. People might say: ‘Why don’t you just miss it?’ – but that’s not the way it happens.
I gradually saw the record coming up. A few seasons ago now, when I played in Newcastle, my dad was the one that told me that I was one or two shots off the top spot when I reached 350. I took over from Stefan Hill, who’s a good friend of mine.
🏹 The first player in NBL Division One history to make 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ three pointers!
👏 An incredible accomplishment by Rockets captain, Martyn Gayle.#WeAreRockets pic.twitter.com/kmG9JBpy2R
— City of Birmingham Rockets (@cobrockets) March 10, 2025
I didn’t give it too much thought after that. But my dad then mentioned he’d checked the records and said: ‘You’re four shots off 500’ – and I was like ‘Oh, wow’.
He asked if I could get them in the Bradford game – and I got three.
So, I was one away and I think the whole club knew about it at that point. I knew it was just a matter of time so when I hit that shot in Essex it just blew up.
The league have kind of made sure that everyone knows about it, the team knows about it, everyone knows about it, it’s a big thing.
I didn’t think it was that big, but yeah… it’s a big thing! I’m the first player in history to ever do it. It’s not just a personal milestone; it’s actually an outright record,
When it went in on Saturday, it was a double celebration at the end. I got my shot early on in the first quarter, so I knew I’d done it – but the most important thing was the win.
Going for personal achievements is not how I play. It would have been a bittersweet moment if I’d hit that shot and lost the game.
The focus was always on winning the game. Once we’d done that, it was: ’We’ve celebrated the win. Now let’s celebrate the milestone.’
🚀 Rockets take a crucial win in Essex to keep us right in the playoff mix!
Join us next Saturday as we host London Cavaliers in what could prove to be a decisive matchup in the postseason race…
Tickets are available now!
🎫 https://t.co/asbFGMc4G4
#WeAreRockets pic.twitter.com/xBDgeELCj0— City of Birmingham Rockets (@cobrockets) March 8, 2025
We understood the severity of the game and what was at stake. We want to make the playoffs. To do that, we had to start winning games. It looked close, and yes, it was squeaky bum time near the end – but we had control of the match.
We knew we had to stay focused and locked in – and there were some fantastic displays of talent on our side
I’ve seen a change in the guys – and it’s going to be about maturity now. It’s about learning the game and going through these experiences. I hope it sticks with us that, when you stay locked in and focused on the task at hand, you get good things from it.
We also saw good displays from two of our 19-year-old players Nektarios Papadopoulos and Larry Duru.
🚀 Congratulations to Larry Duru who made his first team debut in NBL Division One against Essex on Saturday!
We are incredibly proud that seven of the eleven players who took to the court in Saturday’s win came through the club’s youth ranks! pic.twitter.com/PYLTqrfAaX
— City of Birmingham Rockets (@cobrockets) March 10, 2025
These are two players who’ve come through the academy system, from our junior programme. It was fantastic to see them out on the floor and it’s a sort of full circle for me, because, when I started playing Division One, I was 19 as well.
Now I’m seeing someone else’s journey begin. And who knows where they may go and where this game may take them? It bodes well for the team’s future as well.
🚀 It’s a playoff showdown this Saturday night as your Rockets host London Cavaliers!
With specially discounted student tickets returning and a number of local schools set to join us, make sure you get your tickets ahead of time!
🎫 https://t.co/asbFGMc4G4#WeAreRockets pic.twitter.com/PbBcZDMsy6
— City of Birmingham Rockets (@cobrockets) March 12, 2025
All of which sets us up nicely for the London Cavaliers on Saturday. We’ve had a great week of training and we’ve been excited for what’s ahead.
We’re in eighth place, two points ahead of London, so we know how important this game is.
But now we have to start thinking about the things that we’re doing and making sure that we’re doing them at the right moment – and putting the right amount of energy at all times.
We’ve got a big crowd coming, and it should be a great atmosphere.
