Riders complete shock signing of former Raider Anthony Rowe
The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders have today made the shock announcement that they have signed British forward Anthony Rowe, from rivals, the Plymouth Raiders.
The move for 27 year old Rowe was made by the Leicester Riders after it was confirmed that centre, John Fraley, was out for the season with a torn ACL.
Riders Head Coach, Rob Paternostro, is pleased to have the former Raider on board and feels he’s ready to contribute right away.
“Anthony’s representative and Anthony contacted us and spoke about a desire to come play here,” explained Paternostro, whose team currently sit second in the league with an 8-1 record. “Once we found out that he wasn’t playing there (in Plymouth) any more, we invited him to come up.
“We’ve had a look at him this week (and) we’ve really liked what we’ve seen. He does a good job inside, playing defence, rebounding and putting the ball in the basket. He looks very active and like a player that’s ready to make an impact.”
“For us, it made sense, not only that we picked up a heck of a player but that it was also great business.”
Rowe had spent his entire BBL career with the UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders, playing for them in 2004/5 at the age of 19 years old before establishing himself at the club in 2009/10. He had played in over 120 games for the South Coast club in the BBL.
The 6’8 forward and former Raiders club captain has had a muted start to the season following surgery in the summer to clean cartilage out of his left knee. Rowe also suffered a minor ankle issue against the Heat in late October. Neither injury is believed to be bothering Rowe, who was thought to be available for tonight’s game against the Manchester Giants, but it has been confirmed that the Riders are waiting on the Plymouth Raiders to release the registration of their new player and until that is completed, Rowe will be sidelined.
