MERSEY REWARDED WITH XMAS BREAK
Mersey Tigers coach Tony Garbelotto has given his troops a fortnight’s break as they aim for a four-trophy haul in the New Year.
The Tigers rounded off 2010 with a hard-fought 87-78 victory over Leicester Riders on Sunday night, and the coach has rewarded his men with 14 days off in a bid to get them refreshed for the second half of the season, including the BBL Cup Final against Sheffield on January 16.
Garbelotto said: “The players need a mental break. There’s a lot of stuff that’s happened off the court and they need to be totally refreshed and then we’ve got to come back and work treble hard. We’ve got a lot of big games to play in the new year.”
The coach and his players have made it clear that they want to sweep the board this year, and The Tigers have lost just once in the league to date, which sees them top the BBL Championship having played 11 games, six points clear of closest rivals Cheshire Jets.
“I think there’s a long way to go. There are some twists and turns in this league and we could take an injury to a Drew Sullivan or a Nate Reinking and become a completely different team.
“These guys play harder than most of the teams in the league, we play more together than most teams in this league and we’ve got good players. We’re still on track to do some special things, but I always say we cannot beat the basketball gods. Lately we’ve not done good practice and we need to come out after the Christmas break and be really ready to go.”
BBL play-off winners last season, the Tigers have their sights on the Championship, which they lead, and the BBL Trophy, but the first leg of their quadruple bid takes place in Birmingham next month.
And Reinking is looking forward to some time off before returning ahead of the New Year rush.
He said: “I’ll be going back to the USA to relax, rest the body and hopefully come back for the second half of the season refreshed. We are going to be working hard and trying to get everything right that we’re not quite doing right now and make sure that we are ready for the final.â€
Moses says Rocks now rolling
Glasgow Rocks guard Moses Mubarak believes his side have now proved they’re a match for anyone in the British Basketball League.
With a full-strength line-up for the first time this season, the Kelvin Hall outfit overcame title-challengers Cheshire on Sunday for their fifth straight BBL win.
And their French star says that their enforced three-week break due to the weather has helped Sterling Davis’ men become even more dangerous.
“We’ve started to get some chemistry,†Mubarak said. “I know how to get the ball to Mike Copeland. I know where Sterling will shoot from. Same with EJ Harrison. That’s improved a lot and having three weeks of just practice helped that. Our problem is staying consistent on defence for 40 minutes. On offense, we’re now always the same.â€
However Rocks forward Rory Petrie is set to be out for a month with a broken hand.
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