As Scotland’s only professional basketball team, the Rocks feel the fever for Scotland’s Euro qualification game against Italy on Saturday and will be rooting hard for the home team.
More than half of the Rocks squad is foreign, but most all are pulling for a Scotland victory and subsequent qualification, including American player/coach Sterling Davis:
“As the only BBL team in Scotland, every night is Scotland v. England for us, so we all feel a bit of Braveheart in us. We’re proud to wear the saltire on our uniforms and we’ll be supporting Scotland on Saturday… Even JJ, I think.”
JJ is the Rocks’ co-captain Julius Joseph, the lone Englishman on the Braehead side. Joseph has been a Scottish resident for nearly three years now and says he is at least partially on the tartan bandwagon.
“Yeah, I’ll be rooting for Scotland. I may be English, but Scotland has been good to me and I hope they qualify,” he said. “As you can imagine, I also have an interest in the Croatia game on Wednesday. I’m trying to lure a few of the guys to support me for that one in return. We’ll see.”
With a three-game winning streak going, the Rocks travel to Everton on Friday to face the Tigers at Greenbank Sports Academy. In the only previous meeting between the two clubs last month, the Rocks were victorious by 6 points at Braehead Arena.
Although the Tigers sit second bottom in the BBL Table, they are not to be taken lightly as they are one of only two teams to topple the defending League champions Guildford Heat this season.
“I keep saying it because it’s true. There are no easy games in this League,” says Davis. “Every team is dangerous, so we need to be ready.”
On Sunday the Rocks return home to face Sheffield Sharks, the former team of Davis and team co-captain Rob Yanders. The Sharks started the season with a narrow victory over the Rocks on 21 September and quickly shot to the top of the table.
However, the Sharks have slipped up lately losing 3 of their last 4 and now find themselves just one place above the Rocks. With much at stake, this is likely to be another nail-biter for Rocks fans now accustomed to thrilling finishes.
Hopefully Sunday it will be the thrill of victory.
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Posted on 14 November, 2007
