The 2007/8 season on court illustrated the major
transition period that the Crusaders were going through with the
introduction of new players and the appointment of former Crusaders’
player Scott Neely as Head Coach and Director of Development.
All but three players were new
members of the Crusaders team, and among the changes two American gems
were captured by the club.
They were clinical shooting Guard
Ryan Luethy and Keith Sudler, who would go on to dominate the team’s
top two match scoring slots in 11 of the 16 games they played
together, and rack up a phenomenal combined 721 points while both on
court together until Sudler’s mid February departure through injury.
Luethy would also take up the role
of a development coach for the club in the community, being the
perfect role model for children with his undisputed talent with a
basketball that was demonstrated by his consistent presence on the
score board.
“Lethal” Luethy, who played for
Evangel University Crusaders in the US between 2002 and 2006, boasted
more than 1,348 career points and 213 three pointers at the time, as
well as being the USA’s leading free throw shooter in the 2004/2005
season, went on to score 538 for Coventry Crusaders during the season,
proving an invaluable asset that would be hard to keep for the future.
The club also made its basketball
presence known to global drinks brand Coca Cola, with two of the
club’s community spirited league matches sponsored by the company.
The season began with ever present
club owner and coach Dip Donaldson handing over the Head Coach reigns
to the rookie manager from Indiana in the USA. The Guard prolonged his
two year stay with Coventry to oversee a new revolution of players.
Neely’s playing career boasts no
less than 10 playing honours, and Donaldson hoped that Neely’s winning
mentality would be replicated onto the court in the years to come.
Neely’s side got October off to the
best possible start by recording their first ever win in the National
Trophy against Derby Trailblazers 82-77 at the Sports Centre. An
exciting American partnership was there for all to see between Keith
Sudler and Ryan Luethy, with both complimenting each other to add a
combination five 3’s.
Despite three straight losses form
the next three matches that were all away from home , the American duo
were consistently setting the basket on fire, scoring an overwhelming
170 points between them in the first four games.
Come the end of the month, the
Crusaders had managed just one win in four of their National Trophy
games, and subsequently missed out on progressing to the latter
stages.
The Coventry Crusaders Under 18s
demonstrated their potential and quality in the early season by
beating off the country’s second city team City of Birmingham II in a
89-56 away victory.
The Under 18s would only lose one of
their remaining other five games of the year, putting them in an
advantageous position in the New Year to challenge for the Premier
Midlands championship with just over half of the season to go.
November brought a sphere of winless
misery for the senior team.
Coventry looked to the trip up to
Sheffield for the start of their league campaign as a fresh start from
their disappointing National Trophy exploits that brought just the one
win out of a possible four. Crusaders lost 83-78 that night, but the
Coventry’s potent American attacking force continued to improve, with
Sudler and Luethy the top two scorers for the team.
Pieces of individual brilliance
don’t always save a team from defeat though, and Crusaders were denied
a place in the quarter final of the National Cup when Luna Mansfield
Stars dumped their second First Division team out of the competition
at the Sports Centre, with Head Coach Neely trying out Under 18
players Dave Edden, and another of Dip Donaldson’s sons Tim Donaldson
joining his sibling Sydney on the court for some first team
experience.
By the end of November a newly
formed Under 14s team had participated in their third tournament, and
although they occupied last place in all of them, they were learning
the game of basketball and improving all the time against midlands
teams such as Black Country Wolves and Shropshire Warriors.
December brought a league double
header with Derby Trailblazers, with the first tie away from home,
followed by a return match at the Sports Centre. Coventry let a 1st
quarter 28-15 lead slip to go down 89-75 to prolong the long awaited
first league win of the season.
A week later Coventry would have
revenge on Derby’s comeback to claim a home victory over them on
unfamiliar territory. Crusaders had to play at the North Solihull
Sports Centre, after there had been a long withstanding booking before
the season’s fixtures were released.
It was a blessing in disguise
though, as the Crusaders recorded their first league win by showing
quality through a scoring American duo of 64, added with confidence
and determination as a team in holding out a tight lead in what was a
high scoring match, ending 92-90.
The team then went into the month
long Christmas break due to the postponement of their game against
College of West Anglia Fury on the 15th December. Giving
the team time to partly reflect on why they had only won two out of
their nine games so far this season.
The Crusaders still had time to turn
things around in the all important league campaign though ,with it
being just four games old with one win under their belts, Coventry
would look to fresh start in the new year to build on their first
league win of the season and last game of 2007.
2008 started off with a recurring
theme for the Crusaders, as they started off positively in the home
game against Bristol Academy Flyers with a 1st quarter
28-22 that stretched well into the 2nd as well, but only
for the opposition to edge ahead just before half time.
During the second half the Crusaders
slowly slipped away from the Flyers, and even three 3 pointers and an
extra 11 from “Lethal” Luethy in the final quarter wasn’t enough to
stop the Flyers condemning Coventry to defeat.
This home loss didn’t help
Coventry’s cause the next day when they had to travel down to title
challengers Reading Rockets, where the Crusaders battled bravely
against the home side to limit the deficit to no more than 10 until
the final quarter in a 93-76 loss.
The Crusaders participated in one of
the most pulsating matches of the season the following week at the
Sports Centre against league newcomers Taunton Tigers, in what ended
up in a mere 3 point loss for the Crusaders, 77-74. The teams drew
level twice throughout the game, with no more than 4 points separating
the teams throughout the four quarters. The scores were tied with 2
minutes to go, until Tigers’ Kevin Anderson launched a clinical 3
pointer into the basket to cancel out Crusaders’ Under 18 star man
Dave Edden’s basket to make it 74 all.
The Crusaders colourful character
and gritty determination was improving their performances on court
game by game, and they pushed another title challenging team
Manchester Magic all the way at the Sports Centre in an 81-75 loss the
following week.
Crusaders were closing the gap on
Magic all the time due to their tactical awareness of Magic’s potent
forwards, who were major contributors to the league’s highest scoring
team with 1,676 in 18 games, an average of 93.1 points per game, yet
their versatility was unstoppable with 8 players getting on the score
sheet, and 43-34 second half Crusaders victory still wasn’t enough to
repair the damage done by Manchester’s magic.
Coventry’s persistence and never say
die attitude finally paid off when they travelled to the Lynnsport
venue to record their second league win, and their first away in the
league against College of West Anglia Fury.
The Crusaders managed to reverse a 3
point deficit after half time thanks to top scorer Luethy,
Baynes-Clarke and the owner’s son Sydney Donaldson racking up some
welcome points in a win that would set the team on their way for their
first back to back victories in the following game against Sheffield
Arrows at the start of February.
The Crusaders took a stranglehold of
the game in the first quarter and would have the Arrows chasing the
game for the remaining three quarters, demonstrating Coventry’s
increasing confidence and ability to see out games as the season went
on.
Ryan Luethy scored his biggest match
in a Crusaders jersey, with 39.
The next fixture with Reading
Rockets at the Sports Centre wet the appetite for everyone associated
with the club. Having just strung back to back wins together, and with
on court performances finally swaying results in their favour,
Crusaders would be looking to make Reading their 3rd
victims.
Coventry gave them a scare. The
Crusaders took the lead three times in the game, winning the third
quarter 20-14 to take a 53-52 lead into the final ten minutes. However
Reading’s expertise finishing from their accumulated free throws gave
them a 14 point win, ending 76-62 to the eventual league runners up.
The team was hit with a bombshell in
the following game against league champions Worthing Thunder however,
with the intermediate withdrawal of Keith Sudler, who up until this
point had scored a commendable 333, and was pushing his American
counterpart all the way for top point scorer.
Unfortunately that was Sudler’s last
appearance in a Crusaders jersey, as he was unable to recover from
injury to make a cameo appearance in any of the remaining games.
The American combination would be
sorely missed, but any fears that the relinquishment of the
partnership having an effect on Luethy’s performances were quashed
when he rallied the team in their next game at London Leopards with a
37 point haul in order to keep their faint play off hopes alive.
Unfortunately Crusaders lost 87-74
down in London.
With a depleted squad through the
absence of Keith Sudler and “Big Dave” Edden, Coventry returned to the
North Solihull Sports Centre to give Worthing Thunder a run for their
points in the 80-68 defeat, as Coventry kept on their tails all game
until midway through the 4th to indicate a progression of depth to
their squad with Ed Bayne-Clarke taking the scoring role by claiming
21 among seven other scorers.
Before the Crusaders lost their last
three away league games against Bristol Academy Flyers, Taunton Tigers
and Manchester Magic in March to kill off any play off hopes and
finish a lowly 9th place in the league, the club had a
fantastic end to the season at the Sports Centre with a highly
publicised sponsored match against College of West Anglia Fury.
Coca Cola Enterprise ltd sponsored
the Crusaders experience that day with the “All Star Game” before the
match, which was put on by the Warwickshire Basketball Association to
demonstrate the area’s basketball talent.
The match also provided plenty of
entertainment and was a good advert for the club when such an
illustrious sponsor present, with the Crusaders hammering Fury 103-55,
with 16 year old Sydney Donaldson flourishing his potential to top
score with 30.
Coca Cola Enterprise ltd was drawn
to the Sports Centre on two occasions this season, with the other
being the home game against London Leopards in November , after the
Crusaders participated in their unconventional organised event of
“Basketball vs Football”.
Overall the season was disappointing
on court, although understandable as the season was all about
transition and building a foundation to improve for the next season,
with 23 games in total brining 5 wins, with 4 out of 18 in the league.
The formidable partnership between
Sudler and Luethy never rekindled, and both left the club at the end
of the season.
The
Under 18s had the best success, winning 50% of their games, and the
Crusaders were also competing in another format in the Under 14s,
providing the club with wider opportunities from an earlier age to
find and unearth talent for the future.
Season summary courtesy of Adam
Manning
.gif)
