JUST because we picked up an impressive 113-111 win over Leicester Riders, it doesn’t mean to say I’m a happy coach.
Yes, for three-quarters of the game on Sunday we dominated them, but we have to remember that the match isn’t played for just three-quarters.
It was that final quarter of the contest where we nearly let ourselves down.
You cannot relax against a side like Leicester, or against anybody for that matter, because they will keep fighting until the end.
We have to remember that when we go to their place on Saturday for a BBL Cup quarter-final clash.
You cannot let a side like Leicester score 111 points on their own court and expect to win.
We were good offensively, but we gave too much away defensively. They are a good side and we cannot make it even easier for them.
We are improving each match, but we will keep being critical of our performances so that we can become a finely tuned machine.
Harry Disy put in a fine performance on Sunday, scoring 30 points and he was rewarded with a place in the British Basketball League team of the week.
He has been playing extremely well over the last few weeks and has adjusted to the way that I want the game to be played.
He may not be having as many minutes on the court as he may want, but he is effective and efficient — that is what I want from a professional basketball player.
As you may know, we secured the services of forward Nerijus Karlikanovas last week.
Unfortunately, we were unable to have all the paperwork completed in time for Sunday’s match against Leicester and at the moment we are still awaiting his clearance.
Nerijus is a big Lithuanian who is going to add another dimension to our offensive plays.
At 6ft 8ins he can hit three-pointers, but also he will draw the opposition’s defence out and that will allow us to try and get in behind them.
After having had eight games in charge as head coach, I feel that I’m better prepared than I thought I would be.
It has been tough and very demanding, but I’m very focused on what I have to do.
There are no lingering thoughts of me playing again, that is something I can assure you.
The job, as I expected, is taking up a lot of time. I’m up early and in the office analysing tapes of matches and training sessions.
I guess you could say I am quite a hard task master too.
I have a philosophy of how I want my team to play the game.
The guys are buying into that and I believe that we are becoming a better team for it.
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