HAVING LOST a number of players since the start of the season, Oniel Brown, head coach of Urban Knights, said his team will be drawing on their experience as defending champions when they take on St George’s Slayers in the first game of the National Basketball League (NBL) best-of-three semi-finals today at the National Stadium.
Urban Knights, one of the more recognisable names in Jamaica’s basketball community, have been enduring a topsy-turvy season.
This has been punctuated by the loss of a number players throughout the year, for varying reasons.
Brown said while this has had a major effect on the squad, they are still on course to defend their NBL title.
“We’ve lost about seven players from the beginning of the season, key players as well like Jermaine Brown, Romario Senior,” he explained.
“You can see how we started off this year with our ups and downs. We have a younger core that migrated, going on work and travel, but we’re still finding ways to adapt and think we’re going to overcome.”
Despite the challenges, Brown is confident his squad is still strong enough to challenge for the championship title.
He cites their experience as defending champions as being the lynchpin to their title ambitions, and their experience of performing in key games.
“We’ll definitely be drawing on that experience, and I’m sure about that. Despite losing players, we still have seven or eight players who have been here before over the years.
“It is a series, not just one game, so we will be making adjustments; and they will be making adjustments as well.”
Brown is aware, however, that they will not have an easy task ahead when they tip off against mid-season champions St George’s Slayers.
In their regular-season meeting, St George’s Slayers came out victors, defeating Urban Knights 59-55.
Brown said this time around, he is confident his players will get the better of their rivals.
“Slayers beat us this year, I think by five or seven, in a game that I think could have gone either way with two minutes to go,” he said.
“Going into this game, it is not physical any more, it will be mental. We have been there before, and I know that we have the advantage because they have lost players as well. We just have to be ready on the given day, and I’m very confident.”
The first game of the series will be played today at the National Stadium courts, with game two set for Sunday, June 22.
In the other semi-final, last season’s beaten finalists Upper Room Eagles will take to the court against the UWI Runnin’ Rebels.
TODAY’S GAMES
Runnin’ Rebels vs Upper Room Eagles (6:15 pm)
Urban Knights vs St George’s Slayers (7:45 pm)
