BASKETBALL: Coach Smith is excited by Thunder

WILL THUNDER play it differently against Worcester Wolves on Saturday? The rubber is dead, and in all games between the two, Wolves lead 2-1 in an extravaganza of run-and-gun shootouts up and down the court.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Jan 2009, 15:52 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 00:55 BST

With Anthony Paez better at that than anyone in the league, Thunder could lose out again if they continue the game of seeing which express train goes the further beyond 100 points.

Since beating Thunder 113-90 on January 10, Wolves have been caged-up four times, and have failed to top 90 points. Greater defensive application is the likely reason and Thunder know they need to improve that against Wolves. Saturday would be the best time to start.

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The second half of Worthing's first BBL championship season will soon be underway and head coach Gary "Chicken" Smith says: "We must turn the Thunderdome into a fortress and make our sixth man '“ the crowd '“ count."

He is looking for several factors in seventh-placed Worthing's bid to finish among the eight play-off spots: "We need intensity and energy from the beginning of games. We need to keep putting pressure on our opponents' offence and defence and take them out of their comfort zones. If we do this we'll continue to improve.

"This is a young team and I am excited by them. They are a good bunch of guys. They are already pretty close as a team, and I want them to stay together on the court. Sometimes we just seem to go up and down the court and show teams we can score '“ without the necessary defensive intensity. They know what each other can do. If they grasp that, and increase their intensity and discipline, I know they can achieve our goal.

"The second half of a new season is like a new season. None of the other teams have surprised me but while we now know about them, they know about us and there shouldn't be any surprises from now on."

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Asked to look at the team's progress a little closer, Smith remarked: "In recent Worthing teams we've had scorers, but this season we've got real shooters. Hopefully, we'll continue to knock down the three-point shot like we are now doing. I hope we will be consistent.

"Our bench now know their roles. I always knew these guys could step up. Dan Wardrope can shoot the three but also play the power-forward role. Ciaran Burns is boxing out and taking rebounds. Ian Berry has pushed me for minutes on court and has done well. James Brame has been scoring and Daniel Hildreth has also been a threat recently - we need that."

The hunt for a centre will not continue. Smith would not turn one away if he became suddenly available, but the coach says he is satisfied with how power-forward Janis Ivanovskis has managed as the stop-gap all season so far.

A niggling back injury forced Thunder's American rookie Colby Bargeman to withdraw from the Assist Slam Dunk Contest at the NIA Birmingham on Sunday. It was won by Newcastle Eagles' Tafari Toney, who beat Worcester's Harry Disy in the final.

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The BBL Cup Final on the same day was a disaster for Plymouth. Only ex-Thunder hero Gaylon Moore made an impression. He got 19 of Plymouth's points in a 103-49 defeat by first-time silverware winners Everton Tigers that produced the most emphatic scoreline in the history of the fixture.

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