From the game program 20 October v Plymouth Raiders II.
Crusaders lost a tough one at home by two to Leicester two weeks ago, and lost to a very good Northampton team last weekend by 32. Now, a 32 point loss sounds like a lot, and it was, but it was also a game where we learned a lot.

For the second game in a row we got into foul trouble, because we insist on using our hands and jump with the shooters. Northampton , on the other hand, had learned their lesson from their Division 1 campaign last year. They played tough defense, especially off the ball, where they bumped us a lot, which made it tough for us to run our offense. That’s one of the things we have been working on in practice, and the players are starting to understand that defense is not only something you play on the ball, it’s just as important what you do off the ball to disrupt what the other team is doing.

That said, Northampton is a very good team at the Lings Forum, which is one of the best small arenas I’ve seen in a while. They remind me of the Derby team we lost to twice last year, as they are big and athletic. They will be very, very good at home, but as several players struggle to travel, they might loose a few games on the road. Right now I have them as favorites to win Division 2 this year.

A very positive thing from the Northampton game was that we had four players scoring in double figures (10+ points). As we made our runs (we were ahead in both the first and the second quarter, and made a run in the third too) Northampton singled in on whoever was hot, and some other Crusader was ready to take over. First Robbie Parker made some fantastic shots, then Steve Findley got hot, and finally Mike Webber and Damian Lyons stepped up. We need that to be competitive this year.

Tonight we’re looking to get our first win against Division 2 competition. We’re also competing against the England Rugby team’s World Cup final, so while the crowd might be small, I’m asking you to be twice as loud to help us get that win!