Five games in eight days as Rockets open 2016 with a league and trophy double header
Reading Rockets (6-3) will start 2016 with a baptism of fire as they play five games in eight days in three different competitions starting this weekend with a double header when they travel to the North of England on Saturday evening to take on the Bradford Dragons (2-9) in NBL Division One (6.15pm tip-off) before travelling to the Lancashire Spinners (6-4) on Sunday afternoon for their National Trophy quarter-final game (1.30pm tip-off). Rockets will face BBL Championship side Surrey Scorchers the following Wednesday in the BBL Trophy first round before a pair of league games away at Derby and at Home to Worthing round of a gruelling start to the new year.
Rockets ended 2015 in difficult fashion as they lost both their final two games prior to the Christmas break, going down by three points to rivals Hemel Storm in a high scoring affair 98-95 before also being defeated by league leaders Manchester Magic by 82 points to 93. This leaves them in sixth position in the table but the Berkshire club does have some games in hand which they will be hoping to win to keep up the pressure at the top of the league starting against a Bradford Dragons team who have only recorded two wins from their first eleven outings. This will be the first meeting between the two sides this year with both teams looking to win the game for different reasons. Sunday’s encounter against the Lancashire Spinners is a ‘winner takes all’ game with a place in the National Trophy semi-finals at stake. The teams met earlier in the year in league play and the Rockets ran out winners that day by 99 points to 95.
Rockets Head Coach Manuel Pena Garces is excited about the start of the new year but knows his team will be right up against it from the very first jump ball with a hectic schedule to start 2016. The Spaniard said,
“I am really looking forward to 2016 with my team and we are really positive that after a much needed break we can do some really good things this year. We had a difficult finish to 2015 but we have learnt some really valuable lessons over the Christmas break and we are really excited to get back to work and prove that we are capable of beating teams and ultimately competing for trophies. I have done a lot of analysis over the last two weeks and I think we are ready to take the next step and for us this must start at the defensive end.”
“The next two weeks are going to be really tough with so many games in such few days so we are going to need to manage that well and prepare meticulously for each opponent but I am sure that if we defend hard, use our sets effectively, and play the ‘Rockets’ way then we can definitely have some success and that needs to start this weekend and firstly against Bradford.”
“Bradford is a team that is really well coached and the record they have I believe is a false one because they are better than what their win/loss record suggests. They have had a tough time with injuries and have been very close in a number of games and history suggests that it is a tough place to go and play however, it is important for us to exploit such difficulties and look to add another victory to the win column.”
“Sunday’s National Trophy Quarter Final game against Lancashire is going to be a really difficult one for us too having played the night before and playing against a team that is great on their home floor but these are the games you want to play in and we must remember we have beaten them already this season and that was before we signed Ben (Allison) so that is the confidence we must use in our favour against what is a very talented roster that poses some good threats.”
Rockets will go into their double header weekend without the services of veteran Bulgarian guard Dian Ivanov who has decided to hang up his boots after a long career and has retired from the game with immediate effect. However, the Berkshire outfit has no injury concerns heading into the new year and will be hoping this remains the same for the next fortnight despite five games including three away trips. The Reading team will be looking to rekindle the form they started the 2015-2016 season off with when they won their first ten games but have had a dip in form of late losing four out of the last six as they aim for their first semi-final appearance in the National Trophy in three years.
For all the latest news and information, check out the club website www.readingrockets.co.uk or visit the Rockets twitter page @rocketsreading.