BBL Preview: Giants at Lions – 27 September 2013
With little in the way of preseason court time for the new imports it’s hard to know what part Coach Macaulay expects them to play against Manchester on Friday. Although, it may be safe to assume that he will field BBL experience and then introduce them in to the action as needed.
That should see Margai and Rod Brown partnering each other in the back court, and two guys who know each other’s game very well, Julius Joseph and Mike Martin looking to dominate the front court. Former MK Lion Adrien Sturt is likely to get the nod to start at centre.
The big three should make it tough for Manchester’s defence early on, but this Lions’ roster will be tested when Martin and Joseph are rested. That’s when BBL rookies and role players get their chance to shine, and the London fans will get to see more of Freer, Smith and Knutson.
In their final preseason warm-up, London beat the Essex Leopards 85-75 in Brentwood Sunday. Albert Margi top scored with 20 points with Sturt (14) and Joseph, Brown and Martin all registering double figures in the points column.
The Manchester Giants kick-start their 2013/14 BBL campaign against the side that ended their playoff dreams last season. With the agony of being seconds away from a playoff place in their first year back, Manchester will be anxious to start the new campaign on a positive note. Starters James Jones and David Watts are back in the fold alongside the ultra athletic Stefan Gill and Callum Jones who came off the bench to make big contributions last season. New to the side is Keith Page from the Durham Wildcats who worked with Coach Jeff Jones at EBL level. Page has shown during his time in the league that he is a more than capable scorer with a great sense of court awareness and the ability to find his teammates in good positions to score.
They have also added veteran leadership by signing Yorrick Williams from last year’s treble winning Leicester Riders. Williams brings with him vast experience of playing at this level and will no doubt be relishing the opportunity of representing the team that he began his professional playing career with back in 1994. The Giants have secured further firepower upfront in the form of former Leeds Carnegie forward Rob Marsden and Spaniard Iker Amuchastegui. With both players standing at 6’7 and 6’8 respectively they will look to give the side an advantage on the boards while giving good options in the low post alongside the returning Mike Bernard and Dave Aliu.
Last season the Giants beat the Lions on opening night by a single point and will hope to repeat the feat when the two sides lock horns this weekend.