The Riders’ Matador
Whilst he may have only averaged 21.6 minutes per-game in his first BBL season, the influence that classy Spaniard Jorge Calvo has had on the Leicester Riders this year has been huge.
In fact, when you look at his averages this season, it could be said that they’re eclipsed by the impressive contributions made by the likes of Jay Couisnard, Zaire Taylor and league MVP candidate, Drew Sullivan.
However, when you see what Calvo does on the floor when in attendance at the John Sandford Sports Centre – you understand why the 6’3’’ point guard is valued so highly by his head coach and team-mates.
When Calvo has the rock in his possession, the tempo of the Riders offence almost runs in Matrix-like ‘bullet time’; calm, composed – yet with the same edge that you would expect from the BBL Champions-elect.
But its defence that has helped guide Leicester Riders to the summit of the BBL Championship. Tough, imposing, relentless – yet at the same time meticulous in both its planning and execution; and who is at the centre of it when on the floor? Jorge Calvo.
“It’s hard to talk about who the most valuable player on a team is; especially a team that has played together like ours,” says Riders head coach, Rob Paternostro.
“When you look at what Jorge does for us, he is valued on our team as much as anyone. It’s not just what he does on the court, because what he’s done on there, coming off the bench, has been brilliant.
“What is an underrated skill in basketball is being able to come off the bench and being able to play less minutes, but still have a big impact. Jorge has done that this season. He’s able to come in and make a significant impact in short periods of time, but what has also been nice about him is that he’s ready to close the game out and he’s done that in many of our games on both ends of the floor, where he’s handled the ball or played the tough defence that we need.”
Character off the court is just as important as influence on it, an attribute that the incredibly-likeable Spaniard possesses by the bag load. However, such has Calvo’s consistency been this season, it’s a key attribute that was present from day one.
“His personality, from day one, set a tone on our team,” admits Paternostro.
“We had a lot of new guys coming in, Jorge was one of them, and I think that every player that we had this season – when they first saw Jorge play and we able to practice with him – they all commented on how much they liked playing with him and I think that’s the greatest compliment you can get as a basketball player.”
There can be no shortages of compliments towards Leicester Riders this season; however their incredible season undeniably goes beyond players’ stat lines – and Calvo’s sizable contribution is a perfect example of this landmark season being more than just numbers.
