[19 NOV 09] CRUSADER NEWS

 Reading Match Preview

Coventry Crusaders vs. Reading Rockets

Where: Coventry Sports Centre , Fairfax Street, Coventry, CV1 5RY.

When: Saturday 21^st November 2009

Tip Off: 7:30pm

Competition: EBL Division One

 

By Adam Manning

Reading Rockets visit the Coventry Sports Centre this Saturday as Crusaders look to be the fifth team to defeat last season’s undefeated league champions.

The Crusaders are still in search of their first win of the season at the ninth attempt, and Crusaders in form guard Stephen Danso believes Coventry have what it takes to score a rare win against a team that seems to be in a transitional period.

Reading have signed five new players and let four go, and have Serbian Sasa Punosevac as their new manager after Dave Titmuss resigned last season having taken his side on a 36 game undefeated season, collecting the Coach of the Year award in the process. This season has begun very differently to last, as they have lost four out of their opening seven competitive games, and like the Crusaders are yet to win in the league.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it” said Danso, the Crusaders’ free throw specialist, who says he knows some of the personalities that he will be facing on Saturday evening from his time playing in London for the Barking and Hackney academies.

“It’s the first time I’ve played a lot of these teams because I haven’t played in Division One before, but I know a lot of the players. I know Reading had Dan McKay who I’ve played against before; I played against him at a Great Britain training camp before. So I know a lot of their players and I know what to expect and I don’t know what to expect at the same time”.

He added: “I expect Reading to be an organised team. I know over the years they’ve won a lot of championships, National Cups, Trophies, so I’m expecting them to be organised and to be a strong team, but I still feel that if we execute and defend I still feel we can win the game”.

Being aggressive and focusing more consistently at both ends of the court is what Coventry need to do to progress and win on Saturday night according to Coventry Head Coach Scott Neely after consecutive away defeats at Derby and Taunton.

And Neely sees this Saturday’s game as the perfect time to get one over one of Coventry’s bogey sides, and kick start their rise up the league.

Ahead of the game he said: “We hope the fans will come out to support as it would be great to get the first win in front of our home fans”.

“It adds some extra spice but not necessarily because they are league champs, but because we have yet to beat them in 4 seasons” he said ahead of the game.

The last time these two sides was back in March when Coventry gave Reading the biggest scare of the season when they threatened to end their historical run on the very last league game of the season. Coventry held a nine point half time lead, only for Reading to show their unforgiving class to edge the lead at the end of the third by two points and hold out for a three point 85-82 victory.

Danger men

Reading’s 6’7 American forward Ryan Lohfink has been the champions’ most prolific player to date, netting 111 competitive points in seven games. While Crusaders captain John Olinger still leads the club’s scoring charts with 194 after another 29 points away at Taunton last week, having been top scorer in six out of eight games this year, as well as being the league’s third top free throw shooter.

Top 3 Scorers this season:

Coventry	Pts	Reading	Pts
John Olinger (c)	194	Ryan Lohfink	111
Stephen Danso	117	Sayers	76
Dave Edden	64	Robbie Parker	46

Pick up a match night programme for a more in depth look on Saturday night’s opponents, as well as the Crusaders last two away games and on how the Crusaders’ Shoot-A-Thon went on Friday 13^th November

Crusaders team to face Reading: 4 Joe Francombe (guard);

5 John Olinger (c) (guard); 8 Will Bastin (guard); 9 Dan Taylor (guard/forward);

10 Simon Payne (guard/forward); 11 Stephen Danso (guard); 12 Dave Edden (forward); 13 Ryann Samuel (forward); 14 Kane Hudson (guard); 15 Ben Timms (centre/forward).

 

Reading team to face Crusaders: 4 Louis Sayers (guard); 5 Lukas Aleksandravicius (guard); 6 Jon May (guard); 7 Fenny Falmagne (guard); 8 Simon Kearney (guard/forward); 9 Robbie Parker (guard); 10 Adam Thoseby (guard/forward); 11 Steven Vaughan (centre); 12 Dan McKay (guard); 13 Ryan Lohfink (forward); 14 Jason Sayers (forward); 15 Jamie Ashwin (power forward).

                         

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