Friday 25 September 2009 (7.30pm) @ Bletchley LC. The Marshall MK Lions entertain the Worcester Wolves at Bletchley Leisure Centre on Friday evening in the first BBL Championship fixture of the 2009/10 season. The Wolves secured a BBL Championship victory in the last meeting of the two sides at Worcester University Sports Centre, running out 90-83 winners back in March 2009.
Lions Coach Vince Macaulay is admittedly unsure about the team that his Lions face on Friday: 'I have no idea, apart from Skouson Harker, Harry Disy and Vidmantas Uzkuraitis, about their team this year. I expect we will see a different type of Worcester team under Coach Evans, so we will learn as we go along.'
Despite admitting having little knowledge of the new Wolves players, Macaulay is in no doubt that his opposite number will put a competitive team on the floor. He added: 'I think Coach Evans has recruited well. I would expect him to have many connections in Europe, where he has played for many years, and as a point guard he will know exactly what he wants on the floor, so it will be interesting to see him put his stamp on things.'
Evans takes the helm at the club after playing for the club back in 2007/08, and spells at Cheshire Jets and Everton Tigers last year. The former Euroleague point guard, who has dual German/American nationality, is raring to go with his new team for the upcoming campaign: 'I believe my team is prepared to play hard and play together. The main thing I demand is that they play smart. I think it will come over time, hopefully sooner than later but my plan during the game is to focus on the players. It is a player's game and I will always look to put them in the best position possible to succeed.'
In the Lions, Evans sees a team that will push his players for the full forty minutes. He added: 'I think the match up against Milton Keynes will make the guys work hard for every point over forty minutes. All five of our players will have to help with rebounding because they are a tough, physical and now more athletic team. I think the strength of the Lions this season will be their experience and their know-how in terms of winning games in the BBL. With EJ (Harrison), Mike (New), Robert (Youngblood), Yorick (Williams) and Dru (Spinks), they have a wealth of experience, but to Vince's credit, he has added some athleticism to compliment the experienced players.'
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
