Ahead of the Leicester Riders British Basketball League Trophy Final Four clash against Cheshire Phoenix on Saturday, captain Kimbal Mackenzie reflects on the campaign so far, and looks ahead to the matchup…
Thank you to everybody for your incredible support during our Trophy run so far. We’re all excited that we’ve been able to pay our fans back with another trip to Birmingham this season.
I’m proud of the team for how we’ve played during the group phase, and that we’ve booked our ticket to the Final Four.
Personally, I’m really looking forward to going back to Birmingham. I love that city, and I love that arena. It’s always a great atmosphere, and it’s cool to have a new format with the Final Four being played out over the weekend.
Hopefully, we can take care of business on Saturday and have the opportunity to play there again on Sunday in the Final.
We’re really looking forward to the opportunity to play Chesire again in the semi-finals. They have gotten the better of us so far this season, so we will really be looking to play well and get the win.
We’ve put together a good month of basketball so far, and most importantly, handled business at home during the group phase. Of course, we didn’t get the result we wanted in London, but they’re a tough team to play, and we knew that winning 3 games should be enough.
Going on the road and beating Newcastle was a great response. It was a fun game, and those are the games you remember, win or lose. It’s always a good atmosphere there, so adding a win-or-go-home scenario to it created a playoff-esque environment.
It was great to get the win, and it was important to get a big game under our belts before heading to the Final Four.
The arrival of Teddy Allen has been a great boost for us over the last month. Of course, the thing that stands out with Teddy is his ability to score the ball, but he has also provided us with added depth and an overall confidence and swagger.
There is no doubt that he is a winner. It’s simple to say, but he cares about winning. You can tell throughout the week at practice- he always wants to play more, and he works hard on both ends. He’s been great to have around.
And beyond Teddy, we’ve had guys stepping up all the way down the roster. We’re definitely more locked into the game plan, and locked in on defence, and a special shout goes to TJ Lall, who has been playing excellently over the last stretch.
TJ is a high-level, all-around threat. He can score the ball to a great standard, he is an underrated passer, and his defence, length and athleticism are special. I’ve gone against him many times in practice, and he can be tough to shake.
Another shout-out goes to Sam Idowu, who has also been playing excellently recently. He’s given us a spark off the bench which is so important, he’s been shooting it well and finishing around the net effectively. His activity level, blocking shots, rebounding, and overall energy have been amazing for us.
It’s also been great to add Duke to the roster!
Duke has fit in seamlessly, and he’s a true professional. He came in and learned the sets quickly, and understands our concepts really well.
His length and athleticism and his ability to finish above the rim have really benefited us on the court, and just having a great guy around who wants to win is always beneficial. It’s been great to have him and has been a brilliant addition to our team.
Having guys up and down the roster who are locked in and playing with confidence and energy has been great and it’s something we’re going to have to fall back on going into Birmingham.
We’re hoping to be playing games in back-to-back days, and part of what has allowed us to have a good group stage is getting contributions from all over the place.
And as usual, we’ll have to lock in on defence, rebound and take care of the ball. When we’ve done those things well, we’ve been on the right side of the scoreline this season.
We’re hoping to do that twice this weekend and bring some silverware back to Leicester. We can’t wait to see that Sea of Red in Birmingham!
See you there!
Your captain,
Kimbal Mackenzie
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