Game of the Week: Derbyshire Arrows v Mansfield Giants
25th November 2011
An East Midlands derby is our Game of the Week as Derbyshire Arrows host Mansfield Giants on Saturday.
The two teams are separated by less than 20 miles and have been rivals for a number of years, even when Arrows were based in Sheffield at EIS.
Arrows have had a turnaround in fortunes this season after a finishing 2-18 last season. They are currently 4-2 and in the mix at the top of Division 2 as well as making the semi-finals of the Patron Cup after an impressive 79-76 win at Team Northumbria.
American Import Robert Clyburn III has been a large part of Arrows' improvement, averaging 22.00 points and 9.90 rebounds per game - both good for the top 5 in the division. Clyburn isn't the only threat for Arrows with youngters Joseph Baugh, Andrew Chiguri and Akintunde Lisk-Carew all averaging in double figures.
Coach Pete Kelly is keen to stress the overall age of his team: "It has been a season of promise so far for the young, improving Arrows team. Our two league reversals have been away to Hemel & Northumbria two teams who I believe will secure promotion this season.
"I respect the Mansfield side and they present a very tough task for us, however I expect us to play well on the day and if we do find our best form I think we can be a match for anyone in this league. Our strength is that we have a number of weapons that can hurt teams and that unpredictability is what will concern others.
"We should have everyone available for the game - which is different from when we lost to Mansfield in the National Cup. They have made some additions since then, while we have gained in experience of playing more games. I am sure it will be an entertaining encounter with both sides having some runs in the game."
New addition James Bamfield is also looking forward to the game: "From the squad's point of view, we're pleased with where we are at this point in the season. We've already won more games than last year, won our Patrons Cup group and feel we have plenty of room to grow.
"Last time we played Mansfield we lost in overtime and I'm sure they'll consider themselves favourite as they are very experienced and they've also added a couple of new faces to strengthen their side. But we've been working very hard in practice to improve both as individuals and as a collective. I'm really enjoying being around such an enthuasiastic group who are committed to each other, to defence and to getting better."
Mansfield also struggled last season on their way to a 6-14 league record, finishing just one spot above Arrows. This season they have lost at London Westside and at home to Northumbria, but won their last league outing at Eastside Eagles.
Mansfield's main weapon would appear to be Daniel Watts, younger brother of David of BBL's Worcester Wolves, as he averages a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards per game. His all around game has him with the second best ranking per game in the division at 25.67, behind only Greg Hernandez of Glamorgan. However he recently had surgery for a ruptured appendix and will miss the game.
Player-coach Dan Richards, is also a major player for Giants. The current iteration of Giants has been in the senior national league since 2006, with Richards being the constant in the side since then.
Richards commented: "This is a big game for both teams and neither team will want to lose. I definitely think we will be the underdogs going into the game, Arrows have put in some fine performances this year already. We are still without a couple of key players but feel we are starting to gel together and hopeful we can continue to build on our previous game.
"Robert Clyburn is a great player and will be a tough match up because of who we have missing, but they also have a bunch of other guys that can all hurt you on their day. It's going to take a lot of mental concentration throughout the game for us to keep them under our target."
Giants' two most recent additions are former Arrow Osemwegie 'Semi' Eboigbe and the club's first ever American import JP Marcellus. Marcellus is positive about Giants' future: "I think we have a task at hand with Arrows in this upcoming game on Saturday. But at the same time, we are also coming into stride and full force as a squad ourselves, so I'm sure everybody is going to be up for the challenge."
As mentioned previously the teams have already met this season with Giants coming out on top with a 98-92 overtime win in the Cup despite Clyburn picking up 36 points. Giants also won all three fixtures last season, winning 83-54 at Killamarsh in the Patrons Cup and 86-81 and 94-64 in the league.