Reading Rockets (7-3) will begin 2017 with arguably their toughest weekend of the season to date as they entertain last season’s quadruple winners Manchester Magic (10-2) in NBL Division One on Saturday evening (6pm tip-off) before welcoming BBL Championship outfit Bristol Flyers (4-11 in BBL Championship) to Reading on Sunday afternoon (5pm tip-off) in the first round of the BBL Trophy. Rockets finished 2016 in great form, winning six league games in a row which saw them return to their home venue, Rivermead Leisure Complex, to record a 101-79 victory over Team Solent Kestrels in their final game and lift the Berkshire outfit to fourth place in the Division One table and finish off the year with seven wins and three losses after opening their campaign with only one win from their first four outings.
Rockets Head Coach Manuel Peña Garcés has been pleased to see his team’s change in form prior to the Christmas break and is hopeful they can continue the work that has put them right back in contention at the top of Division One. The new England Under 15 Boys Head Coach said,
“We finished the year on a really good note. After a difficult first half against a talented Solent team where we gave up 49 points, the last five minutes of the third quarter and the first five minutes of the fourth quarter were absolutely brilliant and we played some fantastic basketball and this is what we must build on. I have been pleased with the progression of the team both in terms of individual players and as a group, the latter being the most important to any successes this season. We have much work still to do and now we have got ourselves back in the mix near the top of the league it is now time to continue with this and try to challenge the teams right at the top but we know that isn’t going to be easy as Team Northumbria, Derby, and Manchester have all been in great form this season.”
First up for the Berkshire club will be last season’s NBL Division One champions, who also picked up National Cup honours as well as beating Rockets to the National Trophy and the play-off championship last term. The Magic, who have been the dominant force for the last few seasons, have found the going a little more difficult this season but despite a National Cup exit, the Manchester team are in the Semi-Finals of the National Trophy and sit in second place behind current league leaders Team Northumbria. Reading Assistant Coach Alan Keane, who has also been on National team duty over the Christmas period with the England Under 18s, is all too aware of the threats Manchester pose but knows how crucial it is to continue the rich vein of form his team showed before the break. The Irishman said,
“Manchester has been the team to beat in recent years and Paul (Middleton, Manchester Magic Assistant Coach) has done a fantastic job with the groups he has had and I think this year with a change in personnel it is no different. They have recently brought in an American in Duane Morgan as well as a big talent in Stefan Gill. They have a nice balance to their team and are always well prepared for any opposition they face. Can we beat them? Well yes of course but we know it is going to be a hard task and one that we need to come in really ready for especially after a break for Christmas. We will be looking to keep our good run going as well as learning and improving to fulfil our end goal which is to grow together and win some silverware this year.”
Sunday sees attentions turn to the BBL Trophy, a competition that the Rockets will enter at the first round stage for the seventh time in their history. The Berkshire outfit has not managed to make it past the opening stages to date but might fancy their chances this term against a Bristol Flyers team who had been struggling for early season form but have put a run of three wins in a row to climb to ninth place in the BBL table. Both teams have a lot of history between them before the Flyers made the jump to Britain’s top tier and Sunday’s match-up should provide a real competitive spectacle with the visitors looking to avoid an upset.
In speaking of his pride in entering the BBL Trophy, Rockets Chairman Gary Johnson is once again looking forward to being part of a competition he describes as ‘a privilege to be invited to enter’. The Reading boss said,
“It is always great for us to be invited to take part in the BBL Trophy, and despite not quite making it past the first round yet, we still love to be in the competition and try our very best to cause an upset! We are hoping to put on a great show on Sunday on what is an absolutely brilliant weekend for the fans as they are able to watch us against last seasons champions and against BBL opposition all in one weekend with both games at Rivermead. We are really looking forward to the challenges and hope that both games will be well supported by our fans.”
Rockets have returned from the Christmas break with no injury concerns and Head Coach Manuel Peńa Garcés should have a fully fit squad available for him to select from. Without a trophy in the last two seasons the Reading team are keen to get back to winning ways and will hope their recent form will be able to help them keep up the momentum at the top of NBL Division One.
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