Coaches Corner: 26th November 2020

Head Coach Matt Newby provides an update on this weeks basketball action with Coaches Corner.

Following a challenging opening week, the BBL Cup campaign took us down to local rivals Bristol Flyers who as you would expect were well organised and well coached and hungry to play, coming of the back of an impressive win in Plymouth it promised to be a another strong contest.

The rivalry with Flyers was amplified by the BBL Cup Final contest in early 2020 and some incredible close and entertaining  games in championship play last season.  Coach Andreas Kapoulas is always well prepared and the Flyers jumped on us early, however in the 2^nd quarter following some adjustments defensively and some outstanding output as a collective we held the Bristol outfit to 4 points in the second quarter.

In the 3^rd and 4^th we maintained our composure and absorbed their runs whilst going to the right place at the right time.  Captain Maarten Bouwknecht was instrumental in this period, he thrives on pressure and did not disappoint; furthermore MBA stamped his authority in the 4^th quarter and Jordan Williams who had been the focus of a very physical defence continued to produce on the interior and the glass.

However, I feel the selfless play from our units was what ultimately got us over the line.

This weekend we face the Plymouth Raiders and Surrey Scorchers as we aim to advance in the best position for the next round of the competition, these two pool games are integral to our progression in the competition.

At home on Friday former Worcester coach Paul James is bringing a formidable Raiders unit to the arena, they have recruited a well-balanced squad with depth and versatility.  Players of note include point guards Andrew Lawrence and Elvis Dusha, the significant interior presences of Prince Ebey and Michael Ochereobia as well as exciting wings GB international Ashley Hamilton and Elliot Sentence who is impressing following his an incredible year 2019-20 season with Solent.

They are playing some great basketball and have starter their campaign with real intent.

On Saturday we will match up with a Scorchers side who will be aiming to bounce back following consecutive losses against Plymouth.  Coach Creon Raftopoulos has retained a strong core with Tayo Ogedengbe, Skyler White and Lovell Cook all capable of huge outputs, coupled with the savvy acquisitions of Connor Cashaw from the Sheffield Sharks and the Veteran Martell Mclemore from Thames Valley. There open style of play is exciting and we will need to be on point from the outset to deliver the result.

I want to personally thank all the fans for their continued support, the messages we receive on a daily basis support the club and the team are very much appreciated in these challenging times.  Thank you for your engagement on our social media channels and for supporting us on YouTube.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Coach