Wednesday 19th January (7.30pm) @ Plymouth Pavillions. Despite having struggled early on in the season, Airwaves Plymouth Raiders will be going into their game with the Worcester Wolves, a re-arranged BBL Trophy fixture, full of confidence. The Raiders have beaten Worcester in nine of their last ten matches, and the Wolves have never got a win against Plymouth in BBL Trophy action.
During his time at Guildford Heat, where he won every honour available in the BBL, new Wolves coach Paul James had many fascinating battles with the man in charge at Plymouth, Gary Stronach, and he clearly rates the Newcastle-born playcaller highly. James said: 'Gary is an excellent coach, one of the best in the BBL. His team had a slow start to the season, but all good coaches eventually find a way to get their team going and Gary has done that. I think we should match up pretty well with Plymouth – they are now a well balanced team and this has shown in their recent results.'
That respect was reciprocated by Stronach towards James, as the 45 year-old, whose side also face Glasgow Rocks this weekend, explained: 'I have the utmost respect for both Paul (James) and Sterling (Davis, Glasgow Rocks coach). Obviously, they are in different positions, with Sterling being a player-coach. Paul has vast experience as a Head Coach and he always has his team 'bought' into his system. Sterling has had a winning record since taking over at Rocks and his teams are always very well prepared.'
At this point in the season, the strength in depth in BBL teams, or lack of it, is beginning to show, as in- season injuries and personnel changes have started to take effect right across the league. Stronach, who this has put out almost a completely fresh-faced team compared to seasons before, said that whilst he recruited enough playing staff this year, the injury plague has not been kind to the Raiders. He added: 'Our bench is deep, but the problem I/we have faced since day one of the season is dealing with injuries. There have only been one or two games where we have been at full strength and without a doubt it hurts not being able to field a full team.'
On form at the moment for the Raiders is Andrew Lasker, who having returned to the franchise just before Christmas and has averaged 20.7 points in his six outings since. Florentino Valencia has put up an impressive 19 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this term, and Anthony Martin, who also came back to Plymouth after starting the season with Worcester Wolves, is fourth in the league in assists, with a notable 4.9 per game. For the Wolves, Danny Gilbert has marked his return to the BBL in stunning style, averaging 19.5 points per game, and former Buffalo Bulls team mate, Rod Middleton, has also made his mark, with 20 points per game.
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
