Glasgow Rocks Official Website

No Scottish Call-Offs for Wednesday Night [return]

Head Coach Sterling Davis will have a full squad of first-team players on Wednesday night as his SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks take on Milton Keynes Lions in a crucial British Basketball League contest at Braehead Arena.

German national Moritz “Big Mo” Wohlers has fully recovered from an ankle sprain suffered in the Rocks recent win over Birmingham Panthers, and player/coach Davis says he will show no ill effects from the blows to the throat and mouth he received yesterday from team captain Rob Yanders.

The match between the 4th place Lions and 5th place Rocks may likely determine the venue if the two sides meet as expected in the first round of next month’s BBL Playoffs. A raucous crowd of 2,000+ is expected.

SMASH-MOUTH BASKETBALL
Intensity has been high in the Rocks camp and Davis explained how that resulted in his own blood and bruises.

“There’s so much at stake with this game. It’s like a playoff game for us and we want to make sure we’re fully focused. We’ve been re-creating game situations in practice and the guys are taking it seriously.

“Yesterday Rob and I were both going for the same loose ball and he wanted it so bad that he punched me in the throat. Then 5 minutes later in a similar situation he elbowed me in the mouth.

“It’s been like that for the past few practices. Don’t get me wrong, no one is trying to hurt anyone, it’s just very intense… in a positive way. There’s a fire inside the guys, and that’s what I like to see.”

Yanders gave his own explanation of the incidents.

“Hey, we were on the same team at the time!” the American point guard said with a smile.

“It was a full speed scrimmage and we were all playing to win… just like we will on Wednesday. If you don’t practice full-speed, you can’t expect to be fully ready for the game. Sometimes you get banged up a little, but I think Sterl would rather have a fat lip than an unprepared team.”

ABSOLUTELY NOT…
Knowing that the winner of Wednesday’s contest will likely be named host for a rematch in the Playoff quarterfinals, Davis was asked if he would be OK with playing that game at the Bletchley Leisure Centre in Milton Keynes.

“Absolutely not!” said Davis. “We want to play that game at Braehead. It’s our house or yours. That’s what’s at stake here. We’ve got a great arena, great fans, and this is where we want to play. I know we beat them at Bletchley last time, but do I want to go there again? Absolutely not.”

Rocks fans will be thinking the same.

* * *

Posted on 25 March, 2008