Bigley: “We fail, the city fails” – why the streak MUST end

This weekend really is it then – the last chance saloon for Mersey Tigers to draw their weapons and start shooting from the hip – or at the hoop more to the point – to prevent them claiming one of the worst BBL records of all; the winless season.

And that is what it will go down as make no bones about it for years to come.

The fans know it, the coach knows it and ultimately the players who have played throughout the season, taking defeat after defeat up to this final regular season weekend know it too well.

The weekend is Wrestlemania XXIX in New York, where the Undertaker’s 20-0 streak is once more on the line against CM Punk, but Mersey’s streak on these shores is feared not to be broken.

One man who has been outspoken this year about all things Tigers has been forward Chris Bigley.

From the moment the season tipped off, to now, he has fought for the cause, for the badge, for the honour to play for his home town team. It’s not been an easy ride by his own admission and he’s well aware of the difficulties, the stresses and strains, the frustrations both on and off court, the changes in line-ups.

The prospect of them losing every single game this year came to light with Keith Firmin’s article the day after their first defeat of the 2012-13 season, and Bigley reacted via social media with aplomb and the debate surrounding the credibility raged on for a number of weeks.

Being as local as I can be, and admittedly with the uncertainties that surrounded the Cheshire franchise at the time, I went to scout out Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park to get the full low-down on what was going on with all things Mersey.

Results may not have gotten better, but there have been improvements – the interaction of supporters, the increased promotion, the steps made into pushing the game (and the presence of the team) in the local community, in fact as much as the Tigers’ organisation can do with the resources and help they have – which can only be commended – predominantly from the fans who have endured the high scoring losses both when they attend games.

194 days since that initially 106-45 defeat, I asked Bigley if the criticism then, and to a degree now, was and still is fair and just,  and whether those who said the following:

• “Waste of part of my season ticket”
  
• “This team would struggle in EBL1”
• “They will not win a game and it’s an insult to expect fans to pay to watch D4 team”
• “Well we will find out if the squad is no better than lower league teams as we will be playing Worthing Thunder”(when announced they would play Thunder in the BBL Trophy – which they then subsequently lost)

– were right or just purely ill-informed of the ongoing issues in the background?

“We have yet to win a game – let’s get that straight,” started Bigley in his ever-direct manner, “they’re perfectly right to criticise us. Business doesn’t matter to basketball fans – it’s the end product. And it hasn’t been good enough, let’s face it. I’m not going to live in a bubble and pretend I’m OK with setting record losing streaks. Yeah they’ve [the owners] cut costs a little, but I believe we have the ability to at least compete at this level. We’re two scorers away from being competitive. So we needed to figure out a system that gets easy looks. We haven’t.”

The constant reshuffle of the team has been an issue and, as Chris says, they have lacked two scorers because the points accumulated on the board just are not sufficient; highest game total this season has been 79 – their average is the lowest of all teams at 63.1 ppg; 14 points behind the next lowest from current in-form side Sheffield Sharks.

In other areas throughout the season, a key loss was Frenchman Rudy Etilopy before Christmas. The introduction of Phil Wait, whilst having bolstered the side in terms of height, has not fully hit the mark in terms of rebounds per game that Etilopy secured before his departure.

Nathan Schall has been a revelation since his move from Manchester Giants, akin to his move from Lions to Jets last season, but it seems it may have been another move too little too late in finding the extra firepower required – it has helped reduce the deficit in some games, but it’s never been closer than 11.

With just these last two match-ups due, the first at home against Durham Wildcats (out of the running now for a playoff spot) and the final one away to Glasgow Rocks (who need just one win from their last two games to secure third place), the pressure is on, and in my opinion, forget about who lines up against who, whose form is better or anything like that – it’s down to what is at stake for Mersey Tigers and nothing else.

Dave Elderkin’s Wildcats present the best opportunity to score the W. Glasgow play Newcastle on Friday and even though Eagles are struggling of late, one would still back them at home coming in to the post-season run-in to start showing signs of a revival – therefore I expect, unfortunately, there could be a seeing-to given if the Glaswegians do just need one result this coming weekend.

Knowing what Chris Bigley is like, and I’m sure he would probably disagree with me, every game has a chance at being won; but I’ve also been a betting man this year and when, more often than not they are facing odds set out at 1/100 or 1/200 against them, a game against a side with nothing really to play for is going to be their best shot.

No pressure then to stop the rot and avoid being remembered in such fashion?

“Yeah – of course it’s pressuring me. I don’t know how other people are dealing with it, or what their views on losing are, but I hate it. The apathetic attitude that has been taken toward some games kills me too; the under preparation. Of course it’s another game, and I think in terms of expectation, well, I think everyone expects the worst. So we’ve got nothing to lose on that front. But records? Yeah, that hurts.

“You can’t block it out. It’s there,” he says regarding how it plays out within the team atmosphere, “We haven’t won all season. Explicitly or impliedly, it’s there. Every time you turn a ball over, you think ‘Here we go again’, every missed shot you start to think is the norm, and you question if you’re good enough. So yeah there has been implications of the run. Confidence is questioned a bit, so you have to tackle that head on, on top of having to prepare for each team.”

To keep going is something then that perhaps not many have questioned, but I have wanted to ask Chris for a while. To be knocked down every week, and to still keep coming back. Nobody can criticise that, but how has he prevailed?

“I keep myself motivated by competition,” Bigley by saying, “I don’t motivate other guys the same way I don’t get help from other guys – that’s just our make up.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t like them, far from it. But you have to keep yourself going. Whether it’s the thought of a victory or just getting a little closer. That’s the only way.

“My love for the game too. If I didn’t have those things then I’d have given up a long time ago – I’ve wanted to be in the BBL for a long time, and gotten close, but now I’m here I want to become more prominent, on whatever team gives me the chance.”

Bigley’s pride has also been to represent his home side and this weekend, he feels it can be much, much more than just a game. Does he think his side can they come together and win one, or even both games?

“I’d hope so. If we [the rest of the team] don’t, we don’t deserve to wear the badge, which to me personally, that means everything. If we fail then the city fails. That might not mean much to some, but it does me. If Tigers don’t succeed I can’t see a way back into professional basketball for Merseyside. But if we fail next year the way we have this year on court, regardless of off-court stability, the league will ask questions. I’m not going to ignore that fact. That simple.

Friday and Sunday night then is pure representation, it’s going until the last game, going until the last second, regardless of where he and his other team mates have played at before. It’s eighty minutes of basketball that potentially defines basketball in Liverpool and professional league basketball in this country as a whole – the record may be claimed, but it cannot afford to ever happen again.

Let’s hope for basketball’s sake that it doesn’t – good luck Tigers, I’m rooting for you.