Plymouth Raiders season preview
The real news this offseason has not been who has signed, but rather the core group of players who have departed from the club. Coach Gavin Love will run with a seven man rotation, with the rest of the squad made up of the the two community and schools coaches James Burchell and Jay Marriott, and two junior players as part of the clubs new apprenticeship scheme.
Short on depth, this years team will depend on the strength and durability of their starters to carry them through a long and gruelling schedule. This is somewhat different to how Love has run the team the past two seasons; the head coach has previously had the luxury of having an eight/nine strong bench and a high degree of quality in multiple positions in each of his first two seasons in charge. In effect, the Raiders will always be one injury away from jeopardising their whole season.
Last year the Raiders were very much the almost-there club, threatening Newcastle’s dominance but ultimately falling short; the talent was there, but the experience was not. Securing signatures of returning players this offseason was number one priority, and obtaining the services of Ojo, Bell, and Rowe for another campaign was a huge plus. But the news of losing the services of Paul Williams, Lehmon Colbert, Anthony Martin, James Jones and Tomas Janusauskas cannot be ignored; the effect their absences will have on making another run at a Championship should not be underestimated.
Most notably point guard Martin was not part of Gavin Love’s vision. In his bid to run with only seven paid professions, Love could not accommodate Martin on his roster, and the popular veteran will now ply his trade in Newcastle. It is hoped that Drew Lasker will help to fill the void left by Martin, as he proved with his stint at the Heat that his game has matured to a level he can take over lead guard duties, but he is still very much a manufactured, makeshift point guard, his game still much more suited to filling the wings and getting out on the break.
Lasker is still an interesting signing, he will no doubt be a terrific teacher for the up and coming Michael Ojo, and his versatility will help to cover the holes left by Martin’s departure. But most importantly, he has experienced the highs and lows of life as a Raider; both as a champion and as a perennial loser in the clubs early days in the BBL. He might not be the same scoring machine he used to be, but how Lasker approaches this season as a teacher, as a veteran, and as a fearless defender, will go a long way in determining what direction the team heads in.
The relationship between trio Bell, Ojo, and Lasker will need to be nothing short of impeccable if the Raiders are to avoid a crash and burn scenario that they experienced late last season. The fractured on court relationship between Bell and Jones was particularly evident to all that saw the team stumble in the playoffs against a very average Glasgow outfit. Bell is undeniably one of the most talented shot makers in the league, and can create his own offence anytime he chooses to, but he will need to be reigned in tighter and show much better decision making if he is to spend the majority of his time at the point. Having two accomplished shooters to find out on the break in Ojo and O’Reilly should make Bell’s job that much easier, the only danger being that this becomes a team that lives and dies on its ability to connect from deep.
Former Cheshire Jets centre Matt Schneck joins the team to replace Paul Williams and will Raiders number one option in the paint, boasting an impressive 16.1 points per game and also attacking the glass hard with a league leading 11.5 rebounds per game in the 2011/12 campaign. Schneck plays the game differently to Williams who had an arsenal of moves in the low post. Schneck is a tenacious workhorse, who Love summed up best “just goes hard”. Schneck playing at the five frees up Anthony Rowe to patrol the midrange and play as a stretch four, spotting up from fifteen feet and attacking the rim from the perimeter.
Fans will hope American rookie Javarris Barnett will make them forget Colbert’s absence, and will not be another rookie to suffer from Love’s axe. Barnett has very little time to settle in and find his feet, he will have to learn on the fly and provide numbers instantly – especially with Rowe’s current injury status.
There are a lot of questions marks surrounding the team, and plenty of high expectations from the fans for this years team to build on last year and come together quickly. Love will experience some of the pains his predecessor Gary Stronach felt when running with a small rotation, and the frustrations that come with it. This year sees a lot of changes made by teams, and plenty of player movement. The concern with Plymouth at the moment lies with if they have done enough to stay relevant and compete for championships, or whether they are destined to be middle of the pack.