Plymouth Raiders look to stay unbeaten as they host Manchester Giants
This weekend, the Plymouth Pavilions hosts it’s second league fixture in a week as the home town Raiders look to start their season 2-0, when they entertain a resilient Manchester Giants team who are hoping to bounce back from their recent narrow defeat to the table-topping Newcastle Eagles.
Head Coach of the Raiders, Gavin Love, saw his side turn on the style in their opening game, running up a 22 point lead as they beat the London Lions 108-86. The win was punctuated by the performance of shooting guard, Jeremy Bell, who exploded for 40 points, an early season high points total in the league. Bell was ably supported throughout the game by his team-mates with Matt Schneck – who moved from the Cheshire Jets in the Summer – contributing 17 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
In addition to the impressive performance on the floor, there was equally positive news off of it as it appeared Anthony Rowe would not be sidelined for as long as first feared.
Rowe, 26, had surgery on his left knee towards the end of the off-season to clear out cartilage, a procedure which early reports suggested could leave the power forward out of action for up to six weeks.
However, Coach Love told www.thisisplymouth.co.uk that Rowe is making big strides with his recovery.
“”Anthony has come on leaps and bounds in the last couple of weeks,” said Love. “He’s running now and sprinting. He’s still not practicing with the team but I imagine he will next week or the week after. It’s a confidence thing really, but he’s looking stronger every day.”
Manchester Giants UKASF.com beat writer, Juma Ngqobongwana believes several key battles on the floor could decide the outcome of the Raiders-Giants clash:
“The battle at the guard spot should be scintillating as Stefan Gill gets to test himself against the Raiders high-scoring dynamo Jeremy Bell,” Ngqobongwana writes.”Gill has been playing the passing lanes a lot in the past few games and managed to help himself to five steals against the Sharks. He’ll have a much harder task staying in front of Bell though – who did most of his damage against the London Lions from mid-range.
“The battle of the boards will also be highly contested as David Aliu and Morakinyo Williams look to keep the Raiders Matt Schneck off the glass. All three players managed double figure rebounds last week.
“The Giants will be anxious to prove that they can get a result away from the comforts of their home arena and will view this as a stern test that they are more than capable of passing.”
Tip-off at the Plymouth Pavilions is scheduled for 7:00PM on Sunday 7th October.
