Paternostro appreciates strength of ’11-’12 Eagles

Nearly 12 months ago, the Newcastle Eagles and Leicester Riders met in the 2012 BBL Play-off Final with the Eagles winning the game and claiming their fourth trophy of the season, a domestic clean-sweep.

Fast forward to late-April 2013 and while the two teams are clashing in the Play-off Final again, the fortunes of the two clubs are greatly reversed with the Eagles trophy-less during the 2012/13 campaign and the Riders on the verge of winning their third trophy of the season.

Riders coach, Rob Paternosto, who has forever written himself into the Riders’ history books with his achievements over the past two seasons, now has a better understanding of Sunday’s opponents having walked a mile in their shoes during the ’12-’13 season.

“Being around the league for as long as I have been, I’ve always understood what it means to be so dominant in this league,” explained coach Paternostro, who has seen his side play with a target on their back for the majority of the season. “There’s a lot that goes into it. It’s not just about having the most talent or playing hard, there’s a lot along the way that you’ll have to deal with in order to keep going. Anybody that is able to do that over the long haul, you immediately have respect for.”

To win two trophies and reach another two finals, the Leicester Riders have needed to play the maximum number of games possible (only 46 for Riders before Sunday’s final, due to their first round bye in the BBL Cup) this season, a feat which coach Paternostro says, requires a healthy squad.

“We have players who are in great condition this season. These guys, from the minute they got here, were committed to getting in good condition. We’ve had our fair share of injuries but we’ve been able to recover from them. Our medical staff has done a tremendous job but we’ve fought through a lot as well.

“Any coach will tell you, when one of your players in your rotation is down, you don’t feel like you have as much flexibility and as much talent going into the game. Injuries are always a factor and I think part of doing well for so long is trying to stay away from as many of them as possible.”

Apart from the season-ending injury to American centre, John Fraley (torn ACL), the Riders have succeeded in avoiding major injuries, although a number of players all missed time at varying stages.

By contrast, the Eagles have found themselves cursed by injuries this season, unable to play their desired starting five together until late in the year. Those early season personnel losses translated to game losses and ultimately left the Eagles coming up short in the race for trophies. A league record of 25-8 though, only serves to strengthen the argument that the Eagles are resilient, even without being healthy.

“Any time I watch them, I come away with the thought that they have a lot of talent and that they’re a bunch of guys who know how to play the game,” praised Paternostro “They had 25 wins in the league this season and when you’re able to do that, you know the team is good and with the experience that they have, you know they know how to play.”

The Leicester Riders take on the reigning play-off champions, Newcastle Eagles at Wembley Arena on Sunday 28th April. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00pm, and you can watch it LIVE on Sky Sports 3.