Coachs Corner
(From SLATE 08/09 Issue 1 - Oct 08)
First of all hello and welcome to yet another season of Scottish Rocks basketball. It’s hard to believe that we have already reached another year, while looking forward to what’s in store for us in the 08-09 campaign.
As many of you know we have had major changes to the organization over the summer months, from the look of the team, to the move to a new venue, to changes in office structure. We have had an extremely busy but productive summer in trying to put together an organization that will carry over from years past and continue to be successful on and off the court.
Looking at the makeup of the team this season, you will see many new, but familiar faces suiting up for us this year. Bringing in this many new guys was a very stressful and time-consuming duty but as I’m continuing to learn amongst other things, it’s the nature of the job.
Up to this point though, I have been extremely pleased with each one individually, for not only their talent, but their work ethic on a daily basis. There has been a lot of information thrown at them over the last month and a half but they have handled it beyond my expectations. I have to give a lot of the credit as well to the returning players from last year in bringing these guys along. Rob, Gareth, and Scott have really been a big help to me both on and off the court getting these guys settled in with our system, helping the new guys to understand me, and also to life in Glasgow. These three have been through the battles with me so understand what we need to do as a team to be there in the end.
We are now two games into the season with two wins under our belts. We as a team are very pleased with our performance at both Worcester and Plymouth and hope to continue to work hard and build on the initial success we have had so far. Both opponents were quality teams and we should be proud of the way we approached the games but also not get too optimistic, understanding we have a long journey ahead.
As our journey begins here at Kelvin Hall we want to make sure that you, the fans, embrace this as our home just like we did Braehead. Together with our hard work, and your consistent support and backing, we can make this one of the toughest venues to play in the BBL. This is an exciting time for all of us in hopes to bring home some long-awaited silverware to Glasgow.
Sterl.
(From SLATE 08/09 Issue 2 - Nov 08)
Welcome back to another issue of SLATE magazine and Scottish Rocks basketball. We are now well into the season within the league but with the start-stop schedule we drew for the beginning of the season; it still feels like we really haven’t gotten into the swing of things.
The team is really starting to come together and understand each others roles. This is never an easy thing for any player when they have to come into a system where their teammate is also the coach but the guys have really been receptive to what we want to accomplish as a team and that’s a big hurdle to overcome.
It has been another learning curve for me as well with the new additions coming in as far as me trying to figure them out; what makes them tick; when encouragement is better than constructive criticism; trying to understand each individual as a person as well as a player. Also with me trying to get them to understand me and how I am on and off the court; making them realize the two of them are separate. All those things go through your mind and present a challenge when working with a new group. The difference from last year is that those guys were all solely my teammates at one point so they knew one side of me completely and understood where I was coming from and why I was like I was on the other side. Slowly but surely we as group are getting to that point which will in turn lead to great performances on the floor.
Kelvin Hall. For a while there I’m sure you thought, “will they ever win in this building”. Well it finally happened and who better for it to be against than our biggest rivals, and probably the only true rivalry right now in the BBL, the Newcastle Eagles. Its always great games between the two teams when we meet, whether we come out on top or not; I have always walked away and thought, “man, that was a good game”. And as we saw once again, it was another nail-biting performance by both teams. I’m just glad we came out on top not only because of the rivalry but to show our home fans that Kelvin Hall is and will be our home and we will and have always tried to treat it as such.
Now that we are in the swing of things are far as games on a week to week basis, hopefully we will be more consistent with our performances night in, night out. I am very happy with each and every player we have here this season and hope you the fans are just as excited and can see the visions I have of what we can do this season. Continue to stand behind us as we all explore this new journey together in hopes of bringing some silverware back to Glasgow.
-Sterl
(From SLATE 08/09 Issue 3 - Dec 08)
Welcome back to another exciting afternoon of Rocks basketball. We are now in the swing of things with the season in full throttle after the slow start to the schedule. The guys are really starting to come together and understand what it takes to win games as none of our wins this season have been anything close to easy. In a way, that’s good for us right now because it teaches us how to get over humps and close out games that maybe we would not have been able to before.
A successful team is predicated by one that believes in each other, has a common goal, and knows what it takes to achieve that goal, and up to this point I believe we are really going by these laws in hopes that it will equate to silverware. I feel we are really out there for each other and will do whatever it takes individually for the better of the team. In saying that, I would like to congratulate Rob on getting player of the month for November. As we have all witnessed, Rob has stepped up in so many way for the team this season and absolutely deserves the long over-due accolade. I say that not only because of his performance on the floor but also for his leadership and passion that we see everyday as a team. I’m sure if you spoke to all the guys they would have the same things to say about him. Credit also goes to all the guys for the hardwork they have put in to receive any kind of recognition at all. When you win games good things always happen; individually, and more-so for the team so we want to continue to remain focused.
I’m sure you have all noticed now that we have a new addition to the team in ‘Big Will’. If any of you have gotten the chance to speak to him you will see why he was so important for us to bring in. He is what you call a “people’s person”, in that he can get along with anyone at anytime and always do it with a smile. He will play with passion and also animation at times, so I’m sure you will find it somewhat entertaining, while I think he’s just an idiot! Hopefully we can continue to incorporate him into our system where we can get the most out of him. He’s been around the game, and the league a long time so I’m sure the transition will be fairly smooth.
Christmas is right around the corner now, which I cant believe. “How time flies when your having fun”. Hopefully the state of the economy won’t hit you all too bad and Santa will still be able to provide you with a fruitful holiday season. On behalf of the team, we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! After a tough 2008 I’m sure we are all looking forward to new beginnings in the New Year.
- Sterling
(From SLATE 08/09 Issue 4 - Jan 09)
Welcome to 2009 and the second half of the season. I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. For those of you who have set goals and resolutions for this year I wish you the best in achieving them and hopefully they have not already been broken before getting a chance to read this. It seems like everything is moving way too fast at the present. With the holiday season already gone we have nothing but business ahead of us for a while.
We have now begun our trophy phase of the season intertwined with the regular season schedule and those of you who were here on the 30th of December against Sheffield, witnessed a great night of basketball. First of all, credit goes out to all of you for showing your support and giving us that home advantage we needed to push us over that difficult hurdle.
There was a lot of hype going into the game because of the links between the Rocks and the Sharks and the fact that many of us on this years team has at some point played for Sheffield. There was a lot of pride on the floor that night and it showed through the almost inseparable battle of the two teams for the whole game. It seemed neither team wanted to concede, which is how every game should be, but we were able to pull out a game that I question if we would have been able to do earlier this season. The guys really came together and made the plays, in particular defensively, that we needed to come out on top. It was also a game with a lot of emotion, as we could see by my “rare explosion” on the refs that would elude to me being given 1 technical, not 2 as some report, which would be my 5th foul and my exit from the game. It was a little different to be confined to only the sideline for almost half the game, but I guess that’s how a normal coach feels. I found myself at times almost near the free throw line forgetting I am only coaching and couldn’t be on the floor anymore.
In looking forward, there will be ample opportunities for Sheffield to seek revenge as we see them twice within the course of 7 days including tonight. The scheduling is a little awkward right now as we also see our biggest rivals Newcastle Eagles twice within the month, and as we know that’s always a great game with inconclusive endings. I’m sure if we continue to get you behind us as you have all of 2008 we will have a good chance of coming out of these games on the positive. Keep us going in our quest of bringing some silverware back home to Glasgow.
-Sterl
(From SLATE 08/09 Issue 5 - Feb 09)
Welcome back to Kelvin Hall for another night of Rocks basketball. We are well into 2009 now and I can say things have not started off on the best note for us as a team with our early exit from the trophy. It would have been nice to get over what seems to be the curse of the Rocks and the trophy competition. The Rocks have never been a team renowned for doing well in it but hopefully one day we as an organization will get over the hump and advance.
Our trophy hopes ended with a disappointing loss to whom else, the Newcastle Eagles. Newcastle came in and played extremely well from all aspects and we just didn’t match them on the night. It was a tough feat to try and achieve being that we had to win the game by 32 points in order to move on. Our beliefs before the game were that nothing was impossible and that we would play until the final buzzer. I think Newcastle were able to have a much better focus than we did from the opening tip, after which they never looked back.
We have been facing some sicknesses and injuries lately; myself (quad), Blake (knee), Chi (flu); which definitely showed in our performance and has shown pretty much since the New Year. When guys are sidelined, it can be very unsettling for a team and affects every aspect of the team chemistry. Knowing you don’t have all your teammates who you go to war with on a daily basis can take a little out of you which I think it did for us; its almost like something is missing and its not the same without it.
With Kelvin Hall now officially our home, and I say that because it took some getting used to for all of us, it has quickly become one of the toughest, most exciting places to play. The fans new and old are coming out in swarms to be a part of a new beginning and its really proving to be a big boost for the team. I personally have never been a player that notices and hears the crowd when I am playing just because I’m focused on the job at hand on the court, but now I seem to find myself looking to see who it is that’s making all this noise. The atmosphere here is second to none, and the distance from the crowd to the court makes things that much more difficult for the opponents but encouraging for us. The Kelvin Hall staff have done an excellent job of meta-morphisizing the place to make it a high standard for each game.
Looking ahead from this point it will be a very busy rest of the season for us. Everything from this point is league competition for us in our quest of staying in the running for a league title. At this point in the season it gets very exciting because right now the title race is so close and no team can afford to slip up or it can definitely cost you. We have to remain focused on our end goal while taking one game at a time.
Keep up the support!
-Sterl
(From SLATE 08/09 Issue 6 - Feb 09)
Hello and welcome to another edition of Slate Magazine and Rocks Basketball. It seems like we are doing these instalments every week now but in actuality the season is just moving that fast. Its seems like just yesterday we were moving into Kelvin Hall with the lead up to the first game, and to imagine the season only has 2 months remaining is unbelievable.
As of late we as a team have kind of been up and down with performances and also in league standings. The race this year is so tight that no team can afford to slip up in any way and if you do you will definitely pay. League positions are changing every day it seems, but that is a true indicator of just how close it is with teams this year and how balanced and competitive teams are as compared with seasons past. I think this title race is excellent for the league and for the spectators of their perspective teams. We are glad we are a part of that group but have to realize we have to perform to a certain standard every night because those teams who are not far off, will come after you with all they have.
As we have gone through this season I have realized that the hard part of being a good team is not getting to that first place position but maintaining it. When you are in first place the discipline has to really take hold of your team to continue to work hard during the week and perform on the weekends. I think that has been the main reason for our inconsistencies up to until now. We always take care of the first part of the equation in working hard during the week, but we have to do a better job of the latter.
Every game right now is a championship game for us and everyone is fighting for those top four spots. We have some important top of the table clashes happening this month which will be interesting to see how they turn out. We have to make sure we do all we can do to try to contend for the league title. Continue your support and help us in trying to make Kelvin Hall one of the elite atmospheres in the league.
Sterling
