AFTER plenty of movement throughout the week, the Mount Gambier Pioneers will turn their focus towards the South East Australian Basketball League grand final rematch against the Dandenong Rangers at the Icehouse tonight.
The Pioneers claimed a seven-point win in the championship match in 2017 and will hope to repeat that performance in Round 9 tonight, despite some serious player movement.
Brad Hill announced his retirement from the sport this week due to a chronic ankle injury, which has changed Mount Gambier’s roster once again.
The Pioneers will welcome athletic American wing player Alex Marzette to the team, providing his clearance is approved in time.
Dandenong and Mount Gambier are outside the top eight and both are pushing for a chance at the play-offs.
Sitting in 11th on the ladder coming into tonight’s match, coach Richard Hill said it was a must-win game for the Pioneers.
“This is an opportunity for us to beat a team which is right up the ladder,” he said.
“We expect a tough opponent, Dandenong historically are a very good team and they are in the battle.
“They will certainly be looking to win and we desperately need to get a win.
“We had a great win last weekend, but if we can get ourselves back to 5-5, it would be a lot better than 4-6.”
Hill said the Pioneers have had more players hit the floor this season than in the previous three years.
“We have had 17 different players in the nine games we have played this season,” he said.
“It has not been easy building chemistry with the massive changes we have had.
“But to the guys’ credit we have not played a bad game.
“We have played pretty well and been in a winning position in almost all of our games
“We have been able to maintain our consistent performance even though it has not always resulted in wins.”
A victory is needed tonight if the Pioneers are to have any chance at the play-offs, but Dandenong’s finals hopes are also on the line and as a result the Rangers will come into this clash with the same hunger.
“They have a terrific team, but it has changed a lot since last years championship,” Hill said.
“They do not have an import, they have got two NBL players in Anthony Drmic and Rhys Vague.
“Drmic is a scorer and is averaging 21 points a game.”
While both Drmic and Vague are the Rangers’ two key players, their depth does not stop there.
Dandenong captain and point guard Lucas Barker is another the Pioneers will need to shut out of the game, as is Tim Lang.
The Rangers’ young talent is another key to their success.
“They have some outstanding young guys and two are Australia junior representatives who are coming through and playing great basketball,” Hill said.
“They are always strong and they are pretty deep, they have a lot of talent in their region.”
However, Mount Gambier does have plenty of skill itself and has proven that through its ability to push some of the top sides in the competition, despite their lack of numbers.
Hill said he does not expect Marzette to contribute too much to the game, providing he is cleared in time to play.
“I would not be expecting Alex to play an awful lot tomorrow night,” he said.
“He has just come off a 30-hour trip from West Concern, so his head will still be spinning I would imagine.
“He would have had one training session with the guys, so that will not be enough for him to be up to speed with much of our stuff.
“He may hit the floor for a period of time, but we still have to get his clearances and all those things through, we are not 100pc certain we will have that, but we are hopeful.”
The Pioneers welcomed Sam McDaniel last week, who put together a classy double-double and will only be more settled on the floor tonight when supported by the likes of Luke Jamieson, Erik Burdon and captain Tom Daly.
“Sam really settled in last week well,” Hill said.
“He would have had four training sessions with us, plus a game, so he will be more comfortable.
“But it has been really difficult for the group, it is not just about those guys feeling comfortable, it is about the guys that have been playing consistently, they have had ins and outs, comings and goings, it has been a difficult time for us, so we are trying to settle that down.”
Hill said the upcoming two-week break will be crucial for the Pioneers.
“We will have two weeks of solid training and get to know each other,” he said.
“Certainly winning tomorrow night is the first thing we need to tick off the list.
“Hopefully we can get that done against a good opponent and then settle down for some really tough couple of weeks of work to try and integrate these new guys into the team.”
Before the SEABL game, the Mount Gambier development players and some of the Pioneers’ bench will play off against Adelaide Division 2 District side, Western Magic.
The game will begin at 5.45pm and act as a curtain raiser to the SEABL grand final rematch, which tips off at 7.30pm at the Icehouse.
Mount Gambier side – Junior Development: Mitch Hunter, Malok Makoi, Matt Black, Oli Thompson, Josh Berry; Pioneers’ bench: Lachie Hunter, Josh Murphy, Dellon Brown, Chol Luk.
