[22 JAN 10] CRUSADER NEWS

 Tees Valley Mohawks Match Preview

Coventry Crusaders vs. Tees Valley Mohawks

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

When: Saturday 23rd January 2010

Tip Off: 7:30pm

Competition: EBL Division One

By Adam Manning

COVENTRY CRUSADERS are facing a crucial double header this weekend which could see them reach as high as fifth come Sunday evening.

Scott Neely’s men play two teams in and around them in the league, starting with bottom side Tees Valley Mohawks at the Sports Centre this Saturday evening (7.30pm), before heading south to 8^th placed Reading Rockets on Sunday (4.00pm), who are one place higher than Crusaders yet both are level on six points.

And Head Coach Neely has stressed to his players ahead of the Mohawks game that they “can’t afford to take them lightly” as Crusaders look to turn the Sports Centre into a fortress by successfully protecting home court for the third time in a row against a side desperately looking who haven’t won since their 105-52 National Cup victory Middlesbrough Lions on 27^th September.

“They are hungry for their first league win and we do not want to slip up after last week’s quality performance, so we cannot take them lightly and look past them” said Neely.

Tees Valley see the return of three of their starters this Saturday after Paul Douglas’s side suffered a 105-41 humiliation at second placed Derby Trailblazers last weekend. Top scoring forward Steven Leven, American point guard Tony Doyley and former Newcastle Eagles guard Brian McCotter all return from injury for Mohawks.

However Neely dismissed suggestions that it’s a good time to play Mohawks after they experienced a confidence crushing result, and expects to see a stronger side this weekend even if coach Douglas fails to secure an American import in time for the game.

He said: “They were without three of their starters last week so I do not think that is indicative of the basketball they are capable of. They’re also attempting to strengthen their squad, but I'm unsure if they will have done so by Saturday”.

Crusaders face no respite after the home duel with Tees Valley Mohawks, as they travel down to face Sasa Punosevac’s Reading Rockets side whose fans are experiencing unfamiliar sights at the lower end of the league following their 36 game unbeaten run last year which earned them the quadruple.

This time around Crusaders will be looking for a better showing than their previous league meeting at the Sports Centre, where Rockets ran out 78-54 winners with Neely conceding that Reading were “more aggressive than we were”.

Yet the coach believes the Crusaders’ rebounding abilities will be key in this game, with top scoring forward Ryan Lohfink claiming a “monster haul” last November.

“We need to handle their pressure much better than we did previously and keep Ryan Lohfink off the offensive rebounds” Neely explained. “He had a monster haul in 16 offensive rebounds last time we played them which is outstanding, but was a killer to us”.

As for the unfavourable prospect of two games in two days, Neely admitted that it would affect his tactical thinking in both games as he has to take his players’ fitness into account, not to mention a challenge of focusing them on one game at a time.

“It is certainly not ideal” said the 36-year-old former guard. “In past seasons we have had more two match weekends before this time of the year, but it lies with the England Basketball First Division”.

“The guys need to be focussed first on Saturday and give everything to try and get the win. I will give rest to the guys when I feel it’s our best interest for the Saturday match, as well as the Sunday match”.

Meanwhile, Neely said Kane Hudson is “improving daily” from a sprained knee he picked up last Monday whilst participating in a basketball match. Last Saturday prior to his scan, the guard told Crusaders news he was expecting to be out “for around six weeks”.

This news plus last week’s double departure of Will Bastin and Tim Donaldson hasn’t sparked any knee jerk signings from Neely though, who when asked if any singings would be arriving before the transfer window closes at the end of the month, simply replied: “Not necessarily, but it depends upon who becomes available”.

Coventry Crusaders team to face Tees Valley Mohawks & Reading Rockets:

4 Joe Francombe (guard); 5 John Olinger (c) (guard); 7 Matt Smith (power forward), 9 Dan Taylor (guard/forward);

10 Simon Payne (guard/forward); 11 Stephen Danso (guard); 12 Dave Edden (forward); 13 Ryann Samuel (forward);

15 Ben Timms (centre/forward).

Tees Valley Mohawks side to face Crusaders:

 

4 K Wright, 5 C Colmer, 6 S Leven, 7 T Thomas, 8 T Doyley, 9 R McQueen, 10 B McCotter, 11 M Thompson,

12 U Khalid, 13 I Attah, 14 A Moore, 15 L McLoughlin.

 

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