"We’re all very excited about the signing of Bilal Clarance," said Davis. "He’s a very versatile and athletic player who can play multiple positions, which fits well with our team."
Meanwhile, Clarance will miss the club’s season opener tomorrow night in Sheffield against the Sharks. His Rocks debut will be on Sunday the 30th against Cheshire Jets at Braehead Arena (5:00pm tip off).
"I am excited to join a respected franchise such as the Scottish Rocks in the BBL," said Clarence. "I trust that my addition to the squad will benefit the club as much as myself. Really, I just look forward to playing with a great group of guys and hope that we will succeed in bringing some excitement to Glasgow over the season. And why not win some games along the way."
Clarance played college basketball in America at Northwest Missouri State and has played professionally in Spain and Germany. This summer, Clarance captained the Danish national team through their Eurobasket campaign.
While Clarence is known as tough and active 3-point sharp-shooter, Davis commented on the other benefits of adding the Dane to the squad.
"I think he’ll be a huge asset to us defensively which we want to be our focus this season. He’ll also bring some veteran experience having come from playing in Germany and Spain which is always a plus for any team. I look forward to playing with him."
The season opener brings cautious optimism for Rocks fans. The plan in signing Davis as player/coach at the close of last season was to keep the squad together and get off to a good start this year. Last season, a very similar squad – under a new head coach – started with 3 losses, but finished very strong by making it to the championship game.
After a strong pre-season friendly showing against USA Select last week, you could say the plan is working. However, the unknown factor is how this tight-knit squad will react against BBL competition with their leader on the floor instead of the sideline. The new system will likely take time to settle in, but we’ll get a good indication on Friday night.
Posted on 20 September, 2007
