Mersey Tigers v Worcester Wolves preview
BBL CUP – Friday 11 November 2011
Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park (19:30)
Mersey Tigers and Worcester Wolves meet at Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park on Friday evening with a place in the BBL Cup semi-finals at stake.
The winner of Friday’s tie will meet UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders in the two leg semi-final, with a place at the NIA on Sunday January 15 the ultimate reward.
Tigers completed a five game sweep in BBL Championship and Trophy games between the two teams last season on their way to a treble winning campaign, and they are 8-2 in the all-time series between the two clubs.
Wolves’ coach Paul James is excited about competing in the Cup on Friday: “The Cup is important as is every other competition. I have been fortunate to have won the Cup it as a player and a coach with different clubs. It would nice to believe that it can be achieved with the Wolves some day!”
The Worcester play-caller admits to having only limited knowledge of the Tigers team: “I don’t know too much about them, but I know that they will be really well prepared by their coach Tony Garbelotto and will give us a lot of different looks for us to overcome.
“Kris Douse is playing well for them and Devan Bailey I have worked with through the GB under-23 Futures programme and is a good player. David Aliu gives them some experience and continuity from last season.”
Tigers coach Tony Garbelotto is impressed with the Wolves’ line-up: “Paul has recruited a strong and balanced team and they have had a good start to the season. They seem to have a good balance of inside and outside players.
“Sharrad Prezzie-Blue has had a really nice start to the season. Tommy Freeman looks like a great shooter and Richie Gordon looks like a real force inside. Added to some really strong role players they have a very strong team.”
Garbelotto isn’t sure whether the week off will benefit his team, and he is still looking to strengthen his roster: “I hope it will do us good. I’m not sure. We have practiced well but I still feel we are not really in sync with each other yet. We are starting to get to know each other’s tendencies but only real games develop it to the limit.
“We are always looking to improve the roster. Every team we face plays with three import players. That means we are starting with a disadvantage straight away. We know that but we need to maximise every possible situation.
The teams go into the game having both sat out last week’s action, but the previous week saw contrasting results for them with Tigers on the wrong end of a 30-point game against visiting Glasgow Rocks while Wolves defeated Guildford Heat in both the Cup and Trophy.
James was pleased with how his side reacted to a week without a game: “We had a good week last week and although we did not have a game we still put in some good sessions on and off the court.”
Garbelotto knows his team must improve their home form if they are to challenge this season: “We played poorly but were hamstrung by illness to David Aliu and the Rocks shot and played great. I was disspointed in the second half with the way we allowed them to run away with the game. I think the biggest concern yet though, is that this was the third game in a row at home we have been beaten badly. Our two road games we have played well. We really need to work out what is going on and how we can give our best effort at home.”
