Leicester Riders are set for their Championship opener on the road to the Surrey 89ers.
After an undefeated Trophy group phase saw them through to the semi-finals, Leicester will look to take that red hot form into the league season, as they face the Niners for the third time.
Meanwhile the Niners, who failed to qualify out of the group, are ready for a clean slate and an opportunity to get one over the Riders for the first time this season.
Undefeated Riders progress in style
Despite ending on an intensive four games in nine day stretch, the Riders achieved a 6-0 record through the Trophy group to quickly establish themselves as one of the premiere outfits in British basketball.
They held their opponents to under 80 points in five of the six games, the exemption being an overtime battle on the road to Bristol Flyers. Leicester are the only team in the league with a sub-100 defensive rating at 96, giving up only 74 points per outing.
Offensively, Leicester have looked like a cohesive unit since the opening jump. Their assist percentage leads the league, and they turn the ball over the least of any team in Super League Basketball.
This has led to a second-best points per outing with 89 points per game, behind only Cheshire Phoenix.
Their play on both ends has left them as the only undefeated outfit remaining in the League, earning them a semi-final clash against Newcastle Eagles in December.
Coachâs wordsâŠ
Despite the Riders’ final group game against London being a dead-rubber, with both side’s Trophy seeding already confirmed, Head Coach Rob Paternostro ensured maximum effort from his team in front of the home crowd.
âWe knew we were going to be first place no matter what, but any time you come out in from of your home crowd youâre going to be fired up. Give London credit, it didnât mean anything to them either in terms of standings but they competed hard. It was a hard fought game and a defensive battle.
âWe did a great job mentally and physically to play all those games and still be effective. It was a great job from our backroom staff to get the players ready. Itâs impressive to go undefeated with that type of schedule.â
It wasn’t all smooth sailing through the group, with the Riders’ away game against Bristol going to overtime, and Leicester’s falling in an early hole in Surrey. But Paternostro was impressed with the team’s ability to adapt throughout games.
âThese guys get locked in on the scouting report. Whatâs been so nice is that they learn throughout the game. Even when we start slow, we learn fast, and thatâs important throughout the season.”
Now, the Riders are ready for yet another battle against the 89ers.
âWeâve played them a lot! Theyâre dangerous, and Surrey is a tough place to play, so weâll have to give the guys a few days to recover- thatâs going to be important before we lock in on them again.â
Familiar foes
Despite being only a month into the season, this will be the Ridersâ fourth game against the newly formed Surrey 89ers franchise. The teams have faced off one in pre-season and twice in the Trophy, the Riders emerging victors on each occasion.
Despite the lopsided results, Surrey have pushed Leicester hard in their last two meetings. They took a 14 point lead in the first quarter in Surrey before Leicester came back emphatically in the third to come away with the win, and kept it close until early in the fourth on the return fixture.
Mervin James impressed in both games, averaging 17 over the two fixtures, but the Niners couldnât compete with Leicesterâs strength in depth. The Ridersâ second unit were the difference, injecting energy into close games to find separation in the scoreline and see wins out late.
Surrey finished with a 1-5 record in the group, looking for a spark in their season by becoming the first side to beat the Riders in Super League Basketball.
Where to watch
This game will be streamed live on DAZN- watch it here!
