Division 1 Men opening weekend preview
28th October 2011The Division 1 Men's regular season begins on Saturday with five games scheduled on opening weekend.
Bristol Academy Flyers v Reading Rockets
29 October, 7pm, Filton College
At first glance the match-up between Bristol Academy Flyers and Reading Rockets appears to be one of the top bills this weekend.
Both teams head into opening weekend with solid Men's Trophy records and are through to the National Cup third round games on Sunday. The clubs are also coming off successful seasons in 2010/11, with Bristol taking the league crown and Reading winning the playoffs and Men's Trophy.
Reading's perfect record to start the season came to an end last weekend with a Trophy loss to Derby, but Rockets' coach Samit Nuruzade remains positive:
"It has been important for us to address where we went wrong last weekend and then immediately build on that this week as we prepare to play Bristol," he said. "The game this weekend will be another tough one and it will be interesting to see where we are at against last season's champions, but these are the kind of tests we want at this stage of the season."
Rockets will also give a debut to their newest signing, 6'7" forward Michael Matzeder, who is studying at the University of Reading. Rockets Director of Coaching Matt Johnson was impressed with the 24 year old German:
"Michael is the type of player we like in that he is smart, wants to learn, and will definitely help the team and when I first saw him play I felt this was the case straight away. He is a good addition to our Division 1 roster and I hope his contribution will help the team as well as be beneficial to him during his time with us."
Bristol have started the season well despite niggling injuries to top players such as Greg Streete and Doug McLaughlin-Williams and with these men returning to fitness and playing on their home court, they will be a tough opponent.
Medway Park Crusaders v PAWS London Capital
29 October, 5pm, Medway Park
Two teams who have really struggled to open the season meet at Medway Park on Saturday when Crusaders host PAWS London Capital.
Neither team have advanced in the Cup or Trophy competitions, but they did meet last weekend in their final Trophy pool game and Medway ran away with their first win, 77-40.
Medway's star player Adrian Fenyn makes his return on Saturday, having missed the last two weeks due to a foot injury, and his teammate Kalil Irving is looking forward to the rematch with PAWS:
"It's great being back from injury, and with Adrian coming back next week our team will be at full strength. Playing against Capitals will not be an easy task. We have to continue to work harder than them and play smart if we are to be victorious."
Irving was amongst three Crusaders who top scored with 13 points last weekend, along with Canadian Joe Schow and captain James Harris.
Bradford Dragons v Worthing Thunder
29 October, 6:15pm, Bradford College
Bradford Dragons and Worthing Thunder are coming to Division 1 from different directions this year (Bradford being promoted from Division 2 and Worthing dropping down from BBL) and the teams meet for the first time on Saturday.
Both clubs are through to the next stages of the Men's Trophy and National Cup and look to have a promising season ahead in the EBL's top division.
The teams also have tough National Cup third round games on Sunday, with Bradford again at home to rivals Leeds Carnegie and Worthing again travelling, this time to Bristol Academy Flyers.
Leicester Warriors v Brixton Topcats
29 October, 3pm, Braunstone LC
Leicester Warriors and Brixton Topcats meet for the second time this season, with the first encounter going the way of the London club, 68-62, in their opening Men's Trophy pool game.
Brixton are comfortably through to the Trophy quarter finals with a 5-1 record, but Leicester will be sweating on the outcome of Leeds Carnegie's final two games (one of them versus Warriors) as wins for the West Yorkshire club could push coach Karl Brown's team out of the competition.
Derby Trailblazers v Tees Valley Mohawks
29 October, 7:30pm, Moorways LC
Tees Valley Mohawks will travel to the EBL's only unbeaten team on Saturday when they face Derby Trailblazers at Moorways Leisure Centre.
With their mix of national and international talent, coach Jamie Maudsley and the Blazers look to be the team to beat this season, boasting a 5-0 record in the Men's Trophy and through to Round 3 of the Cup.
Import player Troy Whittington has been a force for Derby so far this season and in Rishi Kakad, Martyn Gayle and Dave Attewell, they have a solid British talent base.
Tees Valley, on the other hand, are winless against Division 1 opposition this season (0-5 in the Trophy) but have advanced in the National Cup with tight wins over Division 3 opponents Huddersfield Heat (64-63) and Manchester Magic (66-64). They again face a lower division opponent in round 3 in local rivals Team Northumbria.
Coach Maudsley, however, is not taking the Mohawks for granted:
"I'm pleased that we are finally starting the league season after seven Cup and Trophy games. Tees Valley have made some excellent additions over the past few weeks. They've added two exceptionally talented American guards who have made their squad even more potent. Eric [Milambo] was there at the back end of last season so we'll be utilising the knowledge he has of their personnel to try and gain any advantage we can.
"They have a number of weapons that could hurt us with numerous guys who can shoot the 3, they had a very impressive 15 made threes against Worthing on Saturday. Their captain Ike Attah is a strong post player who is capable of putting up big numbers. They pushed a very strong Worthing side to the wire yesterday with only