| Glasgow Rocks | 86 |
| Guildford Heat | 75 |
Silva, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, arrived in Glasgow this week and will travel with the Rocks to Plymouth for their game against the 4th place Raiders Saturday night.
“I’m very excited to have joined such a great organisation and a talented team. I’m looking forward for the challenges that are coming ahead. Sterling is a great player and I’m here to help him succeed as a great coach. I already know I will learn a lot from him.
“I’m also pleased that the Rocks have showed the confidence in me and in what I can bring to the team. I’ll replay them with a lot of hard work, and hopefully a few extra victories,” said Silva.
Silva has knowledge of the BBL having worked with the Worcester Wolves since 2005 as a performance analyst while completing his coaching degree. He also practiced with the Wolves and has extensive contacts and knowledge of the European game. Davis looks forward to having a side-kick on the bench.
“We are all very excited about the arrival of Rafael. He has come in motivated and enthused about the organisation and the team which is always a good thing. I feel he has the same visions as we do about the potential of this team and what we want to achieve this season. We’re happy to have him here," he said.
The Plymouth game will be a logistical as well as a basketball challenge for the Rocks. Due to limited flight availability, the team must fly to Cardiff Saturday morning and then transfer by coach into England and down to the coast. A more direct route via Bristol or Exeter was not available.
If the Rocks can conquer the taxis, planes and busses, they’ll have a chance to prove themselves against a strong Plymouth team that has lost only to Guildford and Newcastle this season. Davis commented on the game,
“This weekend will present us the opportunity to take steps forward in our season and get us back on track to our ultimate goal. It’s always a great atmosphere in Plymouth so hopefully that will feed our fire. We want to get out to a good start and make our stance defensively. Our main priorty is to come back to Glasgow with a win."
A win would be a nice birthday present for the American playcaller as he celebrates on Saturday. The game tips off at 7:30pm at the Plymouth Pavillions.
Posted on 26 October, 2007
