PJ Warns Players Ahead of Trophy Final
Guildford Heat coach Paul James sent out a warning to some
of his roster as they prepare for Sunday's BBL Trophy final
against the Newcastle Eagles at the Plymouth Pavilions.
Despite having arguably the deepest bench in the BBL, James
used only six players in their 84-72 victory against SAMG
Verve Scottish Rocks at the Braehead Arena last Sunday evening.
Coach James explained his motives,
"I'm hoping it's the kick-start that some of them need,"
he said. "It's not something I've done out of choice
before, and I couldn't do it if we had back-to-back games,
but sometimes you need to let players know that their minutes
are not guaranteed.
"The crucial thing was to get two points, and it's a
tough place to do that. I'm pleased with how they adapted,
and the first half was our best performance of the season
domestically. We had the game won by half-time."
EJ Harrison, James Jones, Daniel Gilbert and captain Mike
Martin played all 40 minutes, with Tony Dorsey given a couple
of brief breaks by John Notley as the rest of Heat's 12-man
roster remained sat on the bench.
Rookie Jones had a fine evening as he sunk all five three-pointers
he attempted on the way to 21 points, while Martin matched
him offensively and Gilbert added 14.
Coach James is now turning his attention to Sunday's final
at Plymouth Pavilions, and he knows they face a tough challenge,
"We're going in with confidence, but we respect what
they've achieved over the years. We couldn't have had a better
preparation than by winning at the Rocks, and I think it's
going to be a great final."
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