History will be made on Saturday, when Chester Jets and Kinder London
Towers clash in the BBL Trophy Final at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield.
If
Towers win, they will join Thames Valley Tigers as the most successful
club in the history of the competition, as Towers have lifted the
Trophy on three previous occasions (1996, 1997 and 2000).
However,
if Jets win, they will join an elite group of only three clubs ever
to win the competition three years in a row. Chester won in 2001
and 2002 and are looking for a memorable treble this season.
Jets'
Head Coach Robbie Peers remarked, "It was our first trophy
that we ever won and we were lucky enough to win it last year too,
but winning it three years in a row for a club like ours would be
unbelievable. It really would be quite an achievement. If we are
lucky enough to do that, it would be sensational!"
Peers
has four of his starting five players back from last season's BBL
Trophy Final and in their New Zealand born captain Pero Cameron,
Jets also have the MVP of the 2001 Trophy-winning squad.
However,
Towers team is a relatively new team - none of the current squad
were at Towers when they won their previous Trophy titles and Towers'
boss David Lindstrom thinks that takes the pressure off his team.
"Traditions
are great if you have all the same players, but we don't. I don't
think the tradition means anything to these players. It might be
different for Chester, because they have the nucleus of the same
players back and they have won the Trophy back-to-back, so there
is a tradition and a confidence, they will be thinking, 'This is
our trophy! Let's go get the third one in a row!'
"We
have quite a few rookies and two things can happen - either they
come out and because they don't understand the pressure they just
play great or they come out and the pressure gets to them for whatever
reasons and they aren't ready. I think our guys will be ready to
play."
Towers
hope to be able to pick from a full squad for Saturday's big game,
with long-term absentee Terrell Myers making his comeback in midweek.
Meanwhile, there are doubts of Chester's Kenny Gregory [knee cartilage]
and John Thomas [ankle].
The
BBL Trophy Final tips-off at 6.00pm at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield.
Tickets are available, by calling 0845 345 7890 or by booking online
at www.bbl.org.uk.
Tickets cost £10-15 for adults and £7-10 for children.
Source:
BBL
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