Riders looking to close gap against Rocks
Last time Rob Paternostro’s side tasted league defeat was back on December 4th in an 84-62 loss to the Plymouth Raiders. That loss brought an impressive winning streak to a screeching halt but didn’t have any long term effects for the Riders who responded by reeling off four wins on the bounce, including a road game to the high flying Wolves.
Paternostro will be looking for the same kind of resiliency in his squad this weekend as his side face off against the Glasgow Rocks on Saturday at the John Sandford Sports Centre.
The good news for Leicester is that the Rocks have lacked consistency this season, with key players spending time on the sidelines. But when the stars spend time on the sidelines, it gives the role players a chance to shine, which is exactly what has happened.
Paternostro observed:
“The Rocks have been unlucky with some injuries. I think EJ Harrison is a solid, effective back up player, (he) went down and I think that right there hurt them and also Sterling has struggled with some injuries so I think that they haven’t really been complete this year.”
“All in all I’ve been impressed by some of their reserves who have stepped up into more significant playing time and had some really good games. I think Mychael Green has been one of the better players in the league so far this season.
Green has garnered a lot of attention in his rookie year in the league and Saturday may well be decided by which first year point guard – Green or Rundles – gets the better of his opposite number.
The Riders are still learning to live without the back court duo of Flinder Boyd and John Griffin who both exited the club due to personal reasons and Saturday’s affair will also see Tom Sherlock on the sidelines, the victim of ankle issues.
With the departures of the aforementioned players, the early season identity of the ball club has also gone.
“We’re a different team,” pointed out the Riders coach. “The team that played in the Cup-semi final against Newcastle is not the same team now. Obviously we have the same starting unit and core players and they continue to progress but we’ve had to adjust and look at our game plan because we don’t have that depth any more. But we feel like we can adjust and were excited about moving forward with these guys.”
