Friday 18 October 2013 – Worcester Wolves vs Manchester Giants

Worcester Wolves will take part in both league and cup action this week. First up will be a BBL Cup matchup against Manchester Giants at the University of Worcester Arena this Friday (tip off 7.30pm). On Sunday afternoon the Wolves will look to extend their unbeaten start to the season when returning to league action, facing their Midlands rivals the Birmingham Knights at North Solihull Sports centre (tip off 3pm).

Wolves’ Alex Owumi believes his side gets more intelligent as they tire, a worrying prospect for this Friday’s BBL Cup first round opponents, Manchester Giants.

The Wolves came through two overtime tussles against London Lions and Cheshire Phoenix last weekend, with a number of players playing big minutes. Giants however have slipped to a 0-4 start.

But if the Giants were hoping to capitalise on any lingering tiredness, Owumi feels they will be out of luck against the Wolves, saying: “With these tight two overtime games I think mentally we are right where we want to be,” said Owumi, who is averaging 17.3 points in 37.5 minutes of play.

“Most of our players play heavy minutes and I think as we get fatigued we get smarter.”

The BBL Cup can often present a different challenge to that of the Championship with a Play-off atmosphere accompanying the ‘one-and-done’ set-up. But, unsurprisingly, given their red-hot league form, the Wolves will simply look to ‘keep on keeping on’ in the Cup.

“The same game plan will be in place for the Cup game on Friday, so nothing will change,” added Owumi. “We are going into the game to win like we do any other game. I expect Manchester to play a strong game and come to beat us on our home court.”

Wolves’ coach Paul James had this to say: “For me, I need to keep on working hard to get a performance out of every player to help the team move forward. We have plenty more to come and even though we have made a really good start to the season we cannot let up in what we have been doing.”

Meanwhile Giants’ coach Jeff Jones said: “Worcester have had a great start and are playing with a great deal of confidence that comes with winning. From our perspective we have to continue to work at getting better defensively. It will be a tough test, but we will hopefully raise our game and with it being a Cup game it is a one and done so you never know.”

Friday’s game will also be the first chance for Wolves fans to see the club’s latest exciting signing, ex-Plymouth Raider’s stalwart, Andreas Schreiber.