The Newcastle Eagles and Marshall MK Lions will both be looking to become the first team into the 2008 BBL Championship Playoff final when they meet at the National Indoor Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The sides have met on four occasions this season, with Eagles winning all the games in the BBL Championship, but Lions drawing first blood in the BBL Cup final where they lifted the first piece of silverware in franchise history with a 69-66 victory.

That Cup final triumph saw Lions’ Kevin Griffin named Most Valuable Player, thanks to his 24 points and five three-pointers, as Milton Keynes made the most of a strong third period to help them to the victory.

Since then Fab Flournoy’s team have exacted revenge on three occasions. The meeting at the MetroRadio Arena in late February saw Eagles win 87-78, and they repeated that victory a month later with an 82-68 success. The only clash between the sides at the Bletchley LC proved to be a thriller as Eagles triumphed 93-86 in double overtime.

With his side having the BBL League championship trophy locked away in the MetroRadio Arena cabinet, Flournoy is keen to make it a double this season, “The playoffs are special for us. It’s the most prestigious weekend of the season, and I always look forward to it,” he said.

The Eagles’ player/coach isn’t expecting an easy ride against a Lions side who finished fourth in the table, “They are tough opposition to play. They beat us last time we met at the NIA, and when we played down there in the league we needed double overtime. It’s always a physical game against them, they are deep and very talented.

“Vince has done a great job with them this season, and winning the Cup will mark the start for them. We won the BBL Trophy [in 2004/05] to start our run of success, and then added the playoffs, I’m sure they’ll look to do similar.

“They went for continuity, and added Yorick Williams as a catalyst that they didn’t have in previous seasons, and they have players such as Youngblood and Windless who have been there and done it before. Every time we play them, different players step up. It might be Jamison, Brown or Heizer, and just when you think you’ve handled them all, Dru Spinks will come good and cause you some problems.”

Flournoy is clearly relishing the chance to meet the Lions again as his team look to avenge their BBL Cup final loss, “It was inevitable that we were going to have to go through Lions if we were going to win the playoffs again, and it’s going to be a great game, so may the best team win!”

As his side prepare for their first visit to the BBL’s final weekend of the season, Lions’ coach Vince Macaulay is stressing the mental toughness they will need if they are to win their second piece of silverware this season, “We need to be focused, and by that I mean we have to focus on our goals.  We are not concerned about Eagles as individuals, we just have to bring our best game from the practice court to the NIA. We have done that well in some games this season, and in others we haven’t.

“We knew it would be tough whoever we played, because play-off games are like that. We knew Rocks would put it all on the line against us in the semi-finals, and we know Eagles will be the same on Saturday. I’ve said before, however, that Fab has done a tremendous job there. His will and determination has driven them forward. Their team’s heart beats as a result of his determination, and they’ll never give less than 100 percent.”

The Guildford Heat and Plymouth Raiders will both be aiming for their first ever BBL Championship Playoff final appearance when they meet in Saturday's second semi-final at the National Indoor Arena. 

The sides met three times in the opening four weeks of the season, with all of the games going Heat’s way. They won the two-leg BBL Cup Winners’ Cup 176-168 on aggregate, and also emerged victorious when the sides met in the BBL Championship in late September. A trey from Raiders’ Alistair Gall saw the home side trail 78-75 with 92 seconds remaining but in an extraordinary twist it was to be the final score of the game. Turnovers from Brian Dux and Dean Williams led only to missed three point attempts from Drew Lasker and Anthony Martin, the latter with just two seconds remaining. 

Raiders gained revenge in November as a strong fourth period paved the way for a 79-67 victory. Guildford looked to have seized control with an 8-2 burst midway through the third quarter but a 12-3 close to the period by Raiders tied the match at 54-54. There was still hardly anything in it deep into the fourth quarter with Heat up one, before Raiders – who were led by 20 DeAntoine Beasley points - went on a 14-1 tear to close out the game and take the points. 

The fifth and final meeting of the regular season came in mid-January, and Heat won what proved to be a key game 89-72, a result that ultimately gave them second place over the Raiders courtesy of them winning the head-to-head series after being level on points. Beasley again led all scorers with 20 points, but it was 17 from Dan Gilbert and 15 from Tony Dorsey that ultimately won the game for Heat.

Heat reached their third straight final four with an 81-72 victory against Everton Tigers last Sunday, and coach Paul James was pleased with his side’s performance, “We took care of the likes of [Richard] Midgley and [Tony] Robertson, and did a great job to keep them under their season’s average. That’s all we wanted to do, and it’s great to get back to the Finals Weekend again.”

Despite having seen his side win four of their five games against Raiders this season, James isn’t underestimating the Plymouth side, “It’s the sixth time we’ve met them, so we both know plenty about each other. We’ll see how it plays out, it’ll be about who takes care of the ball the best and executes well.

“Drew Lasker has had a great season, he’s been improving year-on-year since coming into the BBL, and he’s been exceptional this season. Terrence Durham is a major force under the basket, and DeAntoine Beasley will be keen and excited about the weekend after coming back from injury. But they’ve got a really strong roster, you can’t sleep on any of them.

“It’s the first time they’ve reached the finals, and it’s a great achievement, they are going from strength to strength and improving every year. They are a very athletic side, we need to get into a half-court game and make sure we control the tempo of the game.”

Raiders’ coach Gary Stronach also expects a difficult game when his side make their Finals Weekend debut, “They’ve held the head-to-head over us this season in both the league and the cups, and they’re a franchise I really admire. They’re a great team and in Paul James they have a coach I really admire also. They always turn up ready to play. Along with Milton Keynes, Heat are probably the deepest team in the BBL, and they bring a lot to the table.

“Tony Dorsey and Mike Martin are really strong offensively for them, while James Jones has taken really well to his starting role - he can shoot the three-ball really well. Dan Gilbert is a great shooter who can take the ball to the hole. EJ Harrison can really fill it up, and I’m really pleased that he has made it in the BBL after many years in the EBL. The last time I saw him he was winning the MVP in the Trophy final, and it was good to see him make a success of it. He’s proved he can be a really good player when he has great players around him.

“It’s going to be a great semi-final, but I’m more concerned with how my guys play than the Heat. We have to make sure we do all the right things physically and mentally. Of course we’ll look at game-tape of the Heat, but we’ll be concentrating on our team. If we need to we’ll make some adjustments during the game.”

BBL regular season champions, Newcastle Eagles, start their push for a fourth straight play-off crown when they host Worcester Wolves on Friday evening.

Were they to achieve that, then they would be the first team in BBL history to do so.  Their opponents, by contrast, are entering the post-season for the first time in their BBL history.

Wolves’ Coach Skouson Harker knows that his team are up against it, despite the fact that they are one of only three sides to have beaten the Eagles in the league this season, “We’re looking forward to proving ourselves against them. For us it’s a good opportunity to show that we belong in the play-offs. It’s been a good year for the club, and there’s a lot of positive energy around the club at the moment.

“Everyone has made an effort, and we’ve really appreciated that this season. The whole club needed to bounce back after last season, and it think we’ve been successful. Even with our lack of depth and our poor start, I feel that we should have made the play-offs, and I’d have been very disappointed if we hadn’t.”

Having already won the BBL regular season title, and finishing runners-up in the BBL Cup and BBL Trophy, Eagles’ player-coach Fab Flournoy is excited about the start of the play-offs, “The regular season is over, and only the top eight are left, and we’re just looking forward to playing Worcester on Friday. They will be up for it. They have a lot of fire-power in Anthony Paez, James Life and Skouson Harker. Life’s been on the injured list, but he’ll be back on Friday, and he can certainly score. In Chuck Evans they have an excellent point guard, he runs the team well, gets the ball to the right guy and can hit the open shot. I wish I was as good at the point as he is.

“They also have some good role players, the big guys rebound well and do a good defensive job. It’s going to be a good basketball game, and we will have to battle. We need to set the tone, and play tough defence. They are a team who can score from all angles, and we have to be ready to defend from half court.”

Eagles extended their winning run to five games on Sunday with a 95-84 overtime win against Sheffield Sharks, the fourth consecutive game that they have won in overtime, but Flournoy admitted that he was frustrated that they nearly threw the game away after leading by 11 at the start of the fourth period, “We probably handed them the game in the fourth period. They played exceptionally well, and made some key shots, and forced us to make some turnovers at important times. From my standpoint, we didn’t play well, but they forced us to do some things we don’t normally do. We were close to giving it away, but we made some key stops and important free-throws in overtime to win the game.”

The game saw the return to action of Charles Smith and Jeremy Hyatt after injury, and Flournoy was pleased to have the pair available again, “Charles and Jeremy came back on Sunday, and it probably upset our rhythm a bit. But Charles came good at the end of regulation time and in overtime. It’s good to have them back. They’re not in great game shape, but it gives us more depth when we’re in foul trouble or players need a rest. To be able to bring two of the league’s premier players into the game for a few minutes is a real bonus.”

The three league meetings between Eagles and Wolves have all gone in the home team’s favour this season. Newcastle won 92-73 in November before suffering a shock 100-94 loss in January. However they sealed the season series with a 94-82 victory at the MetroRadio Arena in February.

Newcastle Eagles' captain Andrew Bridge will not be concerned if their BBL Championship Playoff quarter- final against the Worcester Wolves goes to overtime after his side won their fourth successive game in an extra period last weekend. After securing the league title in overtime at Guildford on April 6th, the Eagles host the Wolves on Friday night at the MetroRadio Arena (7.30pm tip-off).

Eagles won at home against the Sheffield Sharks to continue a BBL record for successive overtime games, and despite Newcastle being without Charles Smith and Jeremy Hyatt for the first three games in that run, Bridge thinks his own personal form has improved during their absence, "I'm feeling really good, although with Charles and Jeremy missing some our practices haven't been quite as intense as I would have liked. We could get away with not doing quite as much as we should have.

"Personally, I think the extra court time has taken me back to the condition I was in before Christmas and during January. I played for 48 minutes in the game at Milton Keynes, and I still felt good at the end of the game.

"Perhaps I should ask for a clause in my contract for overtime pay! Having said that, we'll happily take a win in regulation time against Worcester."

However, Bridge was pleased to see the pair of BBL veterans return to action on Sunday, "It's great to have Jeremy and Charles back, but I imagine they'll be coming off the bench. A few years ago they would have expected to go straight back into the starting line-up, but they understand the situation, and are comfortable with it. Having two MVP-quality players coming off the bench is a great boost for the team."

The Eagles finished first, with the Wolves eighth, in the BBL Championship table. Yet that does not tell the story of this game as the Wolves are one of only three sides to have beaten the Eagles in league action this season. The score was 100-94 in the Midlands in January, behind a combined 59 points from James Life and Anthony Paez, and that is reason enough for Bridge and his team to be wary of this opposition, "We need to make sure we slow them down, and stop their key players getting their shots. We need to slow down [James] Life, [Anthony] Paez and Skouson [Harker], make them take lots of shots for their points.

"That doesn't mean we'll look to slow our own tempo down, we'll still look to get out and run, we just need to stop their fast-break. We cannot ignore their other guys, Chuck Evans and Shaun Durant can both hurt us if we concentrate on the other three too much."

The Kularoos Plymouth Raiders stage their first ever home BBL Championship Playoff game when they host Sheffield Sharks on Saturday evening.

Homecourt advantage has proven key in previous meetings between these sides as, on all three occasions this season, the hosts have won.

Terrence Durham led the Raiders’ scoring with 17 points personal as they won the opening game 71-57 in December. The sides met again in the West Country two months later, and a 27 point haul from Drew Lasker helped Raiders wrap up the season series with an 85-73 victory. Sharks avoided a sweep when they hosted the Raiders a fortnight ago as they scored 12 of the final 15 points to win 78-73. Sheffield’s win was inspired by Shelby Chaney's 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks; whilst Atiba Lyons added 19 points.

Raiders coach Gary Stronach expects a tough test as the in-form Sharks visit the Pavilions, “Their starting five have really gelled well, with Alto Virgil and Nathan Neisler at the guard spots, Lyons and White as forward and Chaney as the big guy, it has really started to work for them. They beat us up there a couple of weeks ago, and they seemed a lot more settled than when we have played them at the Pavilions.

“They are playing well defensively, and until they lost at Newcastle on Sunday, they had a nice little run going. Taking Eagles to overtime on their own court is an achievement in itself.”

Raiders go into Saturday’s play-off having gone ten days without a competitive game, but it’s a situation that doesn’t worry head coach Gary Stronach, “We staged out 25th anniversary game on Saturday, and it was a nice little run-out for the players. It wasn’t played at full pace, but they still got up and down the court, and it was great to see such a large crowd. The trick is to keep the players on the boil, without them boiling over.

“We’re playing in front of own fans on Saturday, and it’s nice to have home court advantage. If we win we move on to two more games, if we don’t it’s over. So the players won’t need motivating, and it should be a great game. We did a good job against Milton Keynes last week, and we’re hopeful that we’ll have DeAntoine Beasley back for Saturday’s game.”

The Sharks were a hair’s breadth away from finishing in fifth place, meaning that they would have travelled to the Marshall MK Lions in the quarter-finals instead, but were condemned to sixth after losing that overtime game to the Newcastle Eagles on the final day of the season.  Head Coach Peter Scantlebury said, “Time-wise it’s better going down to Plymouth on Saturday rather than Milton Keynes on Wednesday evening, but I think we’d have stood a better chance against the Lions.”

Turning to the Raiders, Scantlebury believes that they are tough to beat on their home floor, “We played them a couple of weeks ago, so we know what we’re facing.

“It’s a tough place to play, last time we were down there they had 40 free-throws, and they get a lot of decisions. You have to be up by ten down the stretch to win by one there.

“Drew Lasker is their main scorer, and DeAntoine Beasley is underrated, so we’ll need to do a job on both of them. We’ll also need to keep the big guys, Moore and Durham, off the boards if we’re going to get the win.”

The Sharks are on their best run of the season, having won six of their last seven games, and momentum can be crucial when heading into the post-season, “We’re going in there in really good form,” said Scantlebury, “and I’m hoping the Newcastle game has helped us with tough games.

“This is the biggest game of the season, if we lose, it’s all over.”

Beasley Back for Playoff Clash

Kularoos Plymouth Raiders forward DeAntoine Beasley is determined to be back in action when his side meet Sheffield Sharks in the BBL Championship Playoff quarter-finals on Saturday evening at Plymouth Pavilions (7.30pm tip-off).

The 29-year-old former Tennessee Tech stand-out injured his shoulder in a tie-up with Shelby Chaney when the two sides met in league action a fortnight ago, and he admits to being frustrated with the injury, "I'm having physio all week, and I'll definitely be playing. It's taken longer than I expected to get it mended, so it's a matter of how many minutes I'll be able to play."

Beasley missed last Wednesday's thrilling win against the Marshall MK Lions live on Setanta Sports, and also the club's 25th anniversary game on Saturday, "It's been really frustrating not to be out there. I've done my cheerleading bit for the team, but pom-poms don't really suit me, and I'd sooner be playing.

"I have been able to see things from the bench that I would normally miss, and hopefully that will help me improve my game when I return at the weekend."

Beasley scored 18 points in his last game on 11th April, before getting injured, as the Raiders fell 78-73 to the Sharks. Despite that, he feels that the recent meeting will be useful in their preparations for this game, "It was good to play against them recently, so we know what we're facing. They've been playing really well recently, and they ended the regular season in good form. We'll look to jump on them from the start, and hope our depth will wear them down. We need to control the paint and get their big men tired. They haven't got a lot depth inside."

The 6'6" forward is in his sixth year with the club and is looking forward to their second consecutive BBL Championship Playoff campaign, and hoping to make it to the NIA for the first time, "We're really looking forward to the game. Last year was our first time in the play-offs, and this year is the first time we've got home court advantage. We want to make sure we win the game, once you get to the Finals Weekend in Birmingham anything can happen.

"The fans will be crazy to get their first post-season win, they really love their basketball down here, and it's one of the reasons I've been here for so long."

Despite the loss a fortnight ago, the Raiders do hold the regular season series over the Sharks. They won 71-57 in December, and 85-73 in February.

Guildford Heat will be hoping that home court advantage again proves to be key when they host Everton Tigers in the BBL Championship Playoff quarter-finals, on Sunday afternoon.

Heat have visited Everton twice this season, losing on both occasions, before comfortably beating the Tigers 106-82 when they hosted them at The Spectrum a fortnight ago. That first game saw GB international Chris Haslam lead the way with 25 points as Tigers won 91-80, while Richard Midgley scored 25 for Everton as they shaded a close game 95-90 in February. Tony Dorsey once against proved to be the main man with 23 points for the Heat as they gained revenge with a comfortable win recently.

Despite having lost to the BBL newcomers twice during the regular season, Heat coach Paul James doesn’t think that those results are of any relevance come Sunday, “I think the regular season games can be written off, it’s a one-off game and Everton have been a quality team throughout the season. Even though they are a new club, they have done well, and with the likes of Richard Midgley, Calvin Davis and David Aliu they have a wealth of experience.

“Henry Mooney’s done a great job with them as coach, and having lost the head-to-head, we know we can’t take them lightly. We need to concentrate and be focused all week. We’ll be working on some things in training, and we’re looking to get to the finals weekend again.”

Having seen Newcastle Eagles take their league title, Heat wrapped up the runners-up spot with a 99-82 victory at Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders on Saturday before losing at SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks the following day. James was pleased with his side’s weekend, “It was long and tiring, we stated in Leicester than flew to Glasgow from Birmingham, before travelling back the same way. We wanted to get the win we needed at Leicester so that we didn’t have to worry about the Rocks game the next day. They hung around for a while, but we stepped up our defence in the second half, and executed a lot better. I think it was a deserved win, and I’m really pleased we secured the runners-up spot.

“We didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt against Rocks, we started with our main guys and then gave the bench plenty of minutes. They did a pretty good job, and I think it gave them a feel-good factor as we head into the play-offs. There were some happy campers on the way home.”

Mooney Believes Tigers can Take the Heat

The Everton Tigers travel to the Guildford Heat for their first ever BBL Championship Playoff game on Sunday, and coach Henry Mooney is looking forward to the challenge facing his team, who are debuting at Britain's top level this season, "We're really looking forward to it, we've been working hard on it all week, and we've got a game-plan that we believe will work, it's certainly not beyond us to win there," he said.

Mooney's team travelled to The Spectrum, where this game will be contested, a fortnight ago and went down to a heavy 106-82 defeat, but the Everton coach is planning to reverse that result this time around, "We didn't play well when we went to Guildford a couple of weeks ago, but we'll be better prepared this time. We left at 7.30am on the Sunday morning, but this time were going down on Saturday night, and that should work better for us."

Tigers won the other two meetings between the teams this season - both of which were played at Everton's home venue at Greenbank Academy. Amazingly, the Tigers were one of only two sides to beat the Heat twice in the league this season, the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks being the other. They beat the Heat 91-80 in October to record their first victory in the BBL, and repeated the trick with a 95-90 success in February.

Mooney believes his side is ready to repeat those wins, "The guys know what they have to do. It's one and done, if we lose the season is over.

"We match up with them pretty well. Tony Dorsey is still the man to stop, and we need to find a way to do that. Mike Martin's tough inside as well, but they have a lot of perimeter fire-power as well. James Jones, Dan Gilbert, Dean Williams and Dan Wardrope can all hit the three, and Williams can certainly prove deadly if he's left open to spot up.

"EJ [Harrison] has also been playing well, I think he's averaging around 18-20 in the last four games.

"Paul James is a great coach and decent person, and I think it's going to be a great game. They're a good team, but if we play to our potential we can beat anyone."

Mooney is pleased with his side's first BBL campaign overall to date, "We've done okay to reach the play-offs, and we've certainly been better than the other two new teams. We should have won a couple more games, but I'm pleased with the season over all. I think the play-offs are going to be very interesting. Any of the lower ranked teams could win away from home. "

Williams Hopes to Complete the Collection

As the Guildford Heat prepare to face the Everton Tigers in the BBL play-off quarter-finals, British shooting guard Dean Williams is excited about the prospect and hoping that he can add to the BBL Championship, Cup, and Trophy winner's medals that he already possesses, "From my point of view it would be a massive deal if we won the play-offs, as it's the only trophy I haven't won. It's also important for the club as we've been in the semi-finals in each of the last two years, and we want to lift the trophy this time."

Despite Everton finishing in seventh spot, Heat have lost two of their three meetings with the Tigers this season, and Williams admits it is an unusual situation, "It's odd because only Everton and Rocks have won the head-to-head series against us this season, and we've ended up playing them as a seventh seed. It should be great fun, and it'll certainly be interesting. All the games have been home wins so far, but I don't want to jinx us."

Williams can expect to face Tigers' Great Britain point guard Richard Midgley at some point in the game, and he's looking forward to the prospect, "I guarded him last time we played them because Dan Gilbert was sick. I've known him for a long time, and we had a nice little competition. They'll expect Richard to do a lot of the scoring for them, but in the games we've lost against them we've done a good job against him, only to see the other guys step up. The likes of David Aliu and Delme Herriman have shown what they can do when they get the chance, and it's been their scoring that has been the problem."

While Heat have lifted the BBL Trophy and finished runners-up in the league, Williams admitted that he has been disappointed with his own form, "Considering all that's happened this year, it's been a successful season for the club. But personally, I haven't enjoyed it as must as last year. That happens sometimes, I haven't played well enough to get the minutes I want. I'm not happy with that, but that's how it goes some years, I need to work hard all summer and get my spot back."

If the competition goes to form, Williams and his Heat team-mates would face Newcastle Eagles in the final at the NIA on May 4. While the 31-year-old Islington-born player isn't counting his chickens, he admits it would be a massive game, "It would be tough to beat a team such a Newcastle for a fourth time in five games. They've won the league comfortably, and came back from 20 down to beat us at the Spectrum. If we did meet them in the final, I think they'd be the favourites. But the play-offs are going to be fascinating, all seven remaining teams have a genuine chance, and I think we're in for some really exciting basketball."

Rocks Prepare for Televised Playoff Game

Sterling Davis is hoping that his SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks team can build on Sunday's moral boosting victory against the Guildford Heat when they travel to Marshall MK Lions to tip-off the BBL Championship Playoffs live in Setanta Sports 2 on Wednesday (7.30pm).

Rocks defeated league runners-up Guildford Heat 94- 76 in their final regular season game on Sunday afternoon, and Davis was pleased with the result, "We played pretty well. There are still some things to work on before Wednesday, but it was really good to get the win."

If Rocks had lost that game, they would have dropped to sixth in the final table, and would have faced a trip to the Kularoos Plymouth Raiders, but Davis was not overly concerned with who his team played in the playoffs, "We didn't have a preference for either side, the only problem with facing Lions is the quick turnaround in games. We'll be playing our third game in six days and we don't have a lot of time to prepare for them.

"However, we'll need to be ready for them. We're travelling down by bus on Tuesday because we couldn't get the flights, but we'll have the extra day to get over the journey."

Lions took the season series between the sides, winning 97-94 at Bletchley in October and sealing the head-to-head decider in late March with an 85-82 victory in an overtime thriller at Braehead, which was also screened on Setanta Sports. However, in between those two games, Rocks hammered Lions 89-67 on their own court as Maurice Hampton led all scorers with 25 points.

That win gives Davis hope that his team can progress to a fourth successive appearance at the BBL Finals Weekend, "We're starting with a clean sheet, and we have to understand that it will be a high intensity game. We've been close to winning in both the games we lost, and it's tough to play there. But we have to remember we can beat them. We need to control the game.

"They have any number of players who can step up and beat you, not just the starters because they have some real quality coming off the bench as well."
Davis is still sweating on the fitness of former GB international Julius Joseph, who had damaged ligaments in his shooting wrist, "He's day to day at the moment. He didn't play against the Heat and he's still in pain. We're hopeful he'll play some part in the game on Wednesday."

New Not Satisfied With Fourth Place

After the Marshall MK Lions have enjoyed the most successful season in their history, with their highest league finish and first ever trophy, veteran centre Mike New is of the belief that they could have achieved more ahead of their BBL Championship Playoff quarter-final against the SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks live on Setanta Sports 2 on Wednesday (7.30pm).

Another trip to the National Indoor Arena beckons if the Lions were to beat the Rocks, and New took time to reflect upon the season and look ahead to this crunch game. "We think we should have finished higher that fourth," he said, "but it's still a successful season for the club in the whole scheme of things.

"We have the hand we've dealt ourselves, and we blew a lot of chances to finish higher. We've lost a lot of games that have come back to haunt us. That is no one's fault but our own, but we've got to be positive and optimistic.

"It's been a good season, but we're starting all over again on Wednesday, and we need to gain some momentum."

New is expecting a difficult time when the Rocks, with whom he spent two years between 1998- 00, arrive for the game on Wednesday evening, "It's always a tough game when we play them. We need to come out and be ready, and also be very aware of their three-point threat. Almost all of their players are a threat from outside the arc, we need to defend them honestly and not go to sleep on anyone."

New sees point guard Rob Yanders and player-coach Sterling Davis as Rocks' main threats, "Obviously, Yanders is a fantastic player and leader. He's a real clutch player, he's not afraid to make the big plays, or to set them up for other people. Sterling's done an outstanding job in his first year as player/coach; he's found a good balance between playing and coaching. It's not easy to do both, and to get a hair's-breadth away from fourth spot is excellent."

While Lions have won two of the three games between the sides this season, New remembers the 22-point home beating the Rocks inflicted on his side in February, and hopes that they have learned from it, "They caught us flat that day, and shot really well. If they shoot well and we don't, we have no chance of beating them. They couldn't miss that night, and they stopped us getting out and running. We need to be wary of that, and make sure we hustle back and play good defence."

New is the coach of the Lions' new basketball academy, and he will hope that the seniors can emulate the success that one of his teams experienced recently as he coached the u-14s to the national championship after an unbeaten season. Naturally he was delighted with that, "We played extremely well, especially in the semi-final. I think they were a bit nervous in the first half of the final, but we got the game-plan right, and put their big men in foul trouble. It's a fantastic achievement for them."