Writers’ roundtable: The BBL season so far.
Our BBL team of writers give you their answers to the big questions on the season so far.
1. Do the current championship standings resemble what you would have envisaged before the start of the season?
Damian (Wolves) – I expected the Sharks to be much stronger competition especially as they added Dobbins and Reinking to the squad. Worcester are obviously a surprise package up there after missing the playoffs last season and bringing in a lot of new players and similarly Leicester. There’s been a slight changing of the guard but Newcastle’s consistency has remained and Glasgow I expected to be around the top four.
Dave (Sharks) – Newcastle’s position at the top is absolutely no surprise. They are consistency personified. The Sharks have probably lost too many now to be serious contenders, but the team is now gelling and I am hopeful of a much better second half to the season. Plymouth are ominously placed and it’s great to see Worcester where they are. I think money is talking to a certain extent and that might reflect the positions of Cheshire and Mersey.
Keith (Riders) – For the most part, yes. Where I am surprised is Sheffield. With the additions they made – one of the best bigs in the league in Dobbins and one of the top guards in Reinking – I expected them to fly out of the gates but they are possibly still in a transition period. Cheshire’s poor start would have been surprising but for the loss of Matt Schneck who is as important to his team as any player can be.
Callum (Rocks) – Essentially, yes. I thought that Sheffield would be a lot stronger than they have been thus far. They have a very strong squad yet have been very inconsistent. Worcester have been the main surprise for me but their play has certainly warranted their lofty league position. Leicester are vastly improved from last year, with the addition of Drew Sullivan and Cameron Rundles, so their rise up the table is not as surprising as the Wolves.
OleDJ (Eagles) – At the start of the season I had Newcastle, Sheffield and Plymouth as the top three probably in that order. Two out of three have proved me right but the Sharks have been a major disappointment during the first half of the campaign. Leicester could have finished anywhere in mid-table for me but some astute acquisitions by Rob Paternostro, notably Drew Sullivan, have turned them into genuine title contenders. At the other end of the table the main surprise to me was Creon’s horrendous start at Guildford.
2. Which team has surprised you the most this season – for good or bad reasons?
Damian (Wolves) – I’d have to say the Wolves. They have had the most dramatic change in their league position so far but there is obviously still a long way to go. But no one would have had them in their top four before the season and many wouldn’t have had them in their top six, so to be sitting in second and as the only team to beat the Eagles in the league so far their performance to date has been the most surprising.
Dave (Sharks) – For good, it’s got to be Worcester. It’s always nice in any sport when a side ‘bucks the trend’ so more power to them! For bad, Cheshire look a shadow of their former selves. They have three decent performers in Brown, Cole and Schneck but the rest of their bench doesn’t look as effective. A tough season for Coach Lavery.
Keith (Riders) – Despite their 2-9 record, the Mersey Tigers have surprised me this season. Many expected them to fall flat on their faces after their disastrous off-season which saw the loss of key players but all credit to Garbelotto because his side have kept many a game close during the 2011 season and with him in charge, they’ll always be competitive in games.
Callum (Rocks) – As others have said, the Wolves are certainly the most surprising. If they continue to play the way they have been, then a top four place seems almost a guarantee, something that few, if any, would have expected prior to the season. I’ve seen the Sharks twice and they have been man-handled by the Rocks on both occasions, so I would have to say their inconsistency has been surprising too.
OleDJ (Eagles) – For good, unquestionably Worcester. They are the only team, so far, to beat Newcastle in a genuinely competitive game and one that most people, myself included, had down as mid-table at best. I don’t think they have it in them to challenge for the league title but they’re a great story and hopefully they can hang in there and go deep in the playoffs.
3. Who is the best BBL rookie this season?
Damian (Wolves) – Numbers suggest Green, but I wasn’t overly impressed in the one game I saw him play in this season. He was carrying a knock however, and I am sure many will pick him, but for me I’m taking Cameron Rundles. He has some fierce competition from several players who have a shout for the accolade but Rundles (currently fifth in the scoring tables and second for assists) has really impressed me this term. He also gets the ‘love to watch him play’ vote from me with his energy and enthusiasm and how he plays the game with a smile on his face – that boy loves to ball.
Dave (Sharks) – With my Sharks hat on, I’m loving the work of Jimmy Langhurst so far. Dagostino was a big loss for the Sharks so Jimmy’s enthusiasm and all-action game excites. And talk about deadly from the line! Elsewhere, Bill Cole at the Jets and Ayron Hardy at Leicester have impressed me with their team performances and moments of individual excellence.
Keith (Riders) – Call it bias or call it ‘Riders tunnel vision’ but both Hardy and Rundles have impressed me more than any other rookie I’ve seen this season. Hardy is the epitome of consistency, racking up stats without you noticing. He’s Mr Dependable. Cameron Rundles is the complete opposite of Ayron: whatever he does, you know about it. His enthusiasm for the game is infectious, his ability to take over a game is evident and as Riders captain, he’s doing a good job of leading by example. My vote goes to Cam Rundles.
Callum (Rocks) – If I’d been asked this a month ago, it would have hands down been Mychal Green. He’s been playing with a sore shooting hand for basically an entire month, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for a poor December and still stick with him. I haven’t seen Leicester play yet this season but I can’t wait to see the likes of Rundles and Hardy. Daniel Northern is another impressive rookie. In what is an offence driven game, he’s a rare dominant force on the defensive side of the ball.
OleDJ (Eagles) – A toss up between Rundles and Green for me. Cameron is such a joy to watch with his natural ability, leadership and enthusiasm for the game. Mychal the ‘Green Machine’ has churned out mind boggling numbers at will. I have been lucky enough to see him at his best and Glasgow Rocks certainly hit the jackpot when the plucked him out of the second tier of German basketball. A class act. Green pips it.
4. Who has been the top performing coach in the BBL so far?
Damian (Wolves) – I think Gavin Love gets this one because he is very strong minded and makes big decisions seemingly in the blink of an eye which so far are paying off. I was surprised when he released Ben Smith but his Raiders team with all these games in hand are a big threat to everybody else’s title hopes with the depth of talent in this season’s squad. You have to give Coach James a lot of credit as well as Fab, Rob and Sterling but Love edges it for me. He worryingly seems to handle success and failure equally as well and his unperturbed and confident character is a big shot in Plymouth’s arm.
Dave (Sharks) – I like what Rob Paternostro has developed at Leicester this season. His passion and courtside histrionics haven’t always matched what his sides have produced on the court but this season he has produced a very cohesive unit with a desire to win. Their 99-94 win over the Sharks at EISS was a superb exhibition on the part of both sides and the way the Riders achieved it impressed me enormously. A shout out to Sterling Davis too who is doing a fine job of lifting Glasgow from the doledrums.
Keith (Riders) – My initial thought is to go with either James at Wolves or Garbelotto at Tigers because they’ve both worked wonders with what they’ve got. But for me, purely for managing an injury crisis which would derail most other clubs and still keeping his team at the top of the league, in the trophy semi-final and in the BBL Cup final – Fab Flournoy. Masterful job under difficult circumstances.
Callum (Rocks) – Fab has done a terrific job, but he almost has an embarrassment of riches on his roster. I think Garbelotto has done an outstanding job when you consider the season had started before he could even build a roster. The Tigers are a team that should only get better as the season progresses. Sterling Davis has done a great job at Glasgow too with the amount of injuries he’s had to contend with on his roster, but I’m sticking with Garbelotto.
OleDJ (Eagles) – At the risk of shouts of hang on the record’s stuck again, my call is Fab Flournoy. The Eagles chief slowed down the sands of time with some huge on court performances, plugging gaps in the Eagles backcourt in the absence through injury of fellow guards Gause, Smith and Chapman. He’s also put together a team that could conceivably sweep the board after last season’s trophy drought. Shout out too to Tony Garbaletto for great work under difficult circumstances.
5. Who are you taking to win the Cup, Trophy and Championship?
Damian (Wolves) – As per my previous answer I see Plymouth as very strong contenders for all three, but I have also seen what happens when you shut down their inside game and they have to rely on Bell from outside. They are beatable in other words. Newcastle are still the most consistent performers and it is hard to look much further than them. With the Eagles carrying niggles at the moment though I will give Plymouth the edge in the Cup Final. I have a random suspicion that the Sharks could do something in the Trophy but I have to take the Eagles to lift it as well as for them to finish first in the Championship and win the playoffs.
Dave (Sharks) – A sneaky feeling Plymouth might win the Cup. Newcastle ventured into Europe and picked up a few niggles so they may have just taken their eye off the ball momentarily to a certain extent. However, I can’t see beyond them for the other two competitions. The Sharks, Lions and Raiders are capable of beating anyone on their day but the two-legged aggregate semi-final leads one to put Newcastle in there straight away. As for the Championship, their consistency will see them home. It would be really nice to see someone else win the playoffs though (especially if they were from South Yorkshire!).
Keith (Riders) – The Trophy: I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying to convince myself Sheffield can get it together in time to win the trophy but I just can’t see it. Plymouth will take it – they’re too strong and too deep.
The BBL Cup: It’s Newcastle’s to lose in my view. If they can shake the injury bug, they’ll triumph on Sunday. That’s a big IF though.
The League: So far Newcastle has looked like they could clean sweep everything but their biggest threat is Plymouth. Like I said earlier, they have the talent, they have the depth and they have a tremendous home court advantage with team’s travelling all the way down to the Plymouth Pavilions. It’s going to be a battle all year long between the Eagles and Raiders in every competition but for me, Plymouth will take it because they have the most depth.
Callum (Rocks) – The smart pick would obviously be an Eagles clean sweep, but I don’t think it will happen. I think in the league, their biggest threats are Plymouth and Worcester, but the Eagles have shown a level of outstanding consistency that suggests only a prolonged injury crisis could knock them off their perch at the top of the league. I have a sneaky feeling that Plymouth will triumph on Sunday as the Eagles are banged up and Raiders may have more in the tank come the final quarter. In the Trophy, I expect it to be an Eagles and Raiders final again, but the Eagles will come out on top.
OleDJ (Eagles) – Again I may assume the role of pantomime villain, but I struggle to see past the Eagles for the Championship, Cup and Trophy. The Playoffs – who knows? Newcastle have been plagued by injuries so far, stretching an already thin squad to the limits yet they sit at the top of the table, are in the Cup Final and are looking forward to a two-legged battle with the Sharks in the Trophy semi. The most likely threats to a season of dominance for the Eagles are Plymouth in the knock out competitions and Leicester in the league.
