The Medway Park Crusaders National League basketball team will get an early start to the season as they host the first England Basketball match of the new season, a week before any other matches are played. The guests in the National Cup match are Team Solent from Division 3.

The early start to the season means that the Medway side will not have a full team available, as only the English players will be available. The team is expecting to sign a European and an American player, but are still waiting for the last immigration issues to be sorted before any announcement can be made.

Crusaders head coach James Vear doesn’t think the lack of import players will put the team at a disadvantage: “I am not worried about playing without our imports. We haven’t had a chance to play with them yet and I have complete confidence in the players we have. Pre-season has gone well and we are close to where I think we should be.

“It’s unfortunate our imports haven’t been in over the summer but this is something we had no control over. I am sure when they do come in they will fit in very well, and now I get to see which of our local players will step up in an important match. In the end it’s about the team, not the individuals.”

Elaborating on the team coach Vear is excited about the mix they have of veterans and youth players at the moment. “I have looked to bring back some of the veteran players who have played in seasons past. Not only do I think they can still bring something to us on the court but they are great to have around our young guys as they have been there and done it all before and can give some great advice.”

Veterans

Vear made it a priority over the summer to bring back the core veterans of the team he led to the first round of the National League playoffs last season. Vear succeeded in his feat, re-signing his entire UK core.

The veterans coming back are led by captain Sam Betts, [age], an experienced wing-player. Betts is in his fifth season with the club, and his second of being team captain. He joined Crusaders from the professional British Basketball League side London Towers and after struggling to shake off the effects of micro-fracture knee surgery. In his first couple of seasons he occasionally had to sit due to the after-effects of the injury, but has made significant contributions as a scorer and leader every season since joining the club.

Betts is looking forward to the first season in the re-developed Medway Park Sports Centre, and he thinks the can create some excitement about basketball in the area: “We have a balanced team of speed, athleticism, youth, experience and outside shooting. This partnered with a strong defensive philosophy means we should have a very successful season”.

The second key veteran Vear has signed is defensive anchor, 6’6” big man JP Dimandja, [age]. The ever-improving Londoner is back for his fifth season with Crusaders, and is looking to continue on the path that has seen him become the leading rebounder in Crusaders history. Dimandja’s leaping ability and improving positioning has helped him get more than 100 rebounds per season in the last three seasons, with an amazing 190 two years ago.

Also coming back is vice Captain Damian Lyons. Lyons is in his fifth season with the club where he has excelled as a tenacious defender. Having him back means the club has someone who can get in the head of opponent’s with the star player’s regardless of what position they play. Over the last few years Lyons has defended every kind of player, from 6’6 American import players to 5’10 quick guards, and his bruising style of defence usually gets under their skin.

Lyons has played more than 117 games for the club and leads the club in career assists at 188.

Lyons is pleased to be signing with crusaders for his fifth year with the team: “With the move to Medway Park it’s a very exciting time to be part of the club. With the mix of returning players and new guys coming in i think we are in a strong position to challenge at the top of the division”.

Sharp shooting guard James Harris has also decided to be back at the club for another season. Harris will begin his sixth season with the club, having played 125 matches. Harris has one of the best shots in the National Leagues, and he holds several club records, including most three point shots made in a game with eight and most three pointers made in a season with 86. Harris’ 1351 career points makes him the second leading scorer in club history.

Harris echoes his captain in looking forward to playing at the new venue and the new season: ” We are very lucky as well to be playing at Medway Park with the great facilities there  We’re looking forward our a new start at Medway Park. It’s Coach Vear’s first full season in charge, which we are excited about considering the turnaround towards the end of last season. We have a lot of exciting players coming in with some good young players pushing for minutes. ”

Young Talent

Crusaders have also got a lot of young, home grown talent coming through the ranks, as the three year old Elite Academy at Canterbury High School is starting to pay off.

The youth invasion is led by Disraeli Lufadeju and Andy Chiguiri who both earned limited minutes on last year’s team, but looks to feature more heavily in the rotation this season. Lufadeju is a very athletic guard who is quickly improving as a player after never having played an organized basketball game two years ago.

Chiguiri has the makings of becoming one of the best defenders to come out of Kent for years. He’s got great quickness and strength, which saw him feature in 11 men’s games last season.

Also looking to make an impact are Charlie Thomas, a 5’11 quick shooting guard who is back with the Crusaders after a year in Bristol, and Ryan Palmer, a 6’6 versatile big man. Both are graduates of the Academy.

Season Outlook

With the current player situation coach Vear is confident about the upcoming season: “Our expectations for the year are to compete for the League 2 title come the end of the season and be pushing for promotion.  We know how tough that will be but I believe in the group of players we have and believe we can be successful.

“We have spoken as a team about taking it a game at a time. Every team we face will be competitive and we will need to prepare each week for a new challenge. That’s all we can do and will see where we are by the end of the season.

“One main key to success this season will be our consistency, there are a lot of games this season against lots of good teams and we need to make sure we turn up for each one with the same mentality.  We have a good group of veteran players coming back, youth players who have come through our youth squad and academy setup and we will have some proven players from abroad.  The other key to success will be how we perform on the defensive end. I have tried to make us a difficult team to play against and I want to continue that this season”

Game Preview

Competition: National Cup

Date Played: Sunday, 12-September-2010, 3pm

Home Team: Medway Park Crusaders

Away Team: Team Solent

Venue: Medway Park

Coach Vear is taking the Division 3 side Team Solent very seriously: “This is a very important game for the team. It’s our first game of the season and we want to get off to a good start. We want to take the cup competitions very serious this year and approach every game with the same mentality.

“I don’t know too much about our opponents. I have spoke to a few coaches who played the team last year and they said they are a very well coached and drilled team and we will need to play well to beat them”

Crusaders are facing Team Solent with a full squad, except for the imports who have yet to arrive, as no injuries have surfaced so far.