Manchester Basketball Center, Matthew Nicholson, says his team are ‘not only representing Manchester but the country too’ as they prepare for their European North Basketball League’s Final Four semi-final..
Matthew Otten’s side face German outfit, Syntainics MBC, on Wednesday the 22nd of April at the Stadthalle Weissenfels in Germany.
The Stadthalle Weissenfels is Syntainics’ home arena so it will be a familiar setting for the German side, however, Manchester Basketball are unfazed by this.
Nicholson said: “I have always said that playing away from home is not as big of a factor as it may seem.
“At the end of the day it is not the fans that play, it will come down to whoever the better team is.”
Manchester Basketball have already been to one final this season in the Super League Basketball Cup which they were beaten by the London Lions 83 – 74.
The final was just a taste for what is to come from Manchester Basketball; their 18 wins so far in the SLB Championship is already an improvement from last season’s 15, with one game still to play.
The disappointment from the SLB cup final loss has not rocked the confidence of the Manchester Basketball team.
Point-guard, Pjay Smith said: “We really wanted that [SLB Cup] but it just adds more fuel to the fire, we just have to build on that and hopefully it can contribute to winning a championship.”
Manchester Basketball’s home arena, the National Basketball Performance Centre, only holds around 2000 fans, however, in the SLB Cup final, the players were able to experience playing in the AO Arena which can hold up to 23,000 fans.
That game will give many members of this squad some valuable experience that they can take into the Final Four.
“It was important as a team for us to get that experience playing in the AO, it will help us get ready for these big events coming up.” Smith said.
That final atmosphere is something the players will not get to experience every weekend and with the Final Four fixtures being played in Germany, the atmosphere is likely to be even more hostile.
Nicholson said: “Coming over here from playing in big arenas, there is a difference; the depth perception, the atmosphere and the noise are just completely different and that can play a factor.
“It can make communication with teammates difficult, so you have to be really connected with each other.”
Manchester will be looking to bounce back after Sunday’s loss to the London Lions, who also got the better of them in the SLB cup final.
Although Sunday’s result was not the outcome that Manchester Basketball was hoping for, there were many positives to be taken from the match.
It was a tightly contested affair as neither team would be able to establish a big lead over the other.
The momentum would shift between the two sides throughout, but neither team were able to acquire more than a 10-point lead at any stage of the match.
One of the biggest positives looking ahead to that ENBL matchup was Matthew Nicholson’s dominant rebounding display, leading the stat with 13 against the London Lions.
Winning rebounds will be a crucial factor is their game against Syntainics who are a high volume, 3-point shooting team.
Center Matthew Nicholson said: “Winning rebounds will be important, we cannot give them two, three, four attempts down the court because that is when they will start making the threes, so we must shut down their second and third option.”
Manchester making it to the ENBL Final Four is a massive achievement as they are the only English team left playing in Europe.
CEO Claire Bradbury said: “As a young club, reaching the Cup final, European playoffs and League playoffs is a reflection of the philosophy and culture we’re building here.”
Getting to this year’s final 4 is the furthest a Manchester-based basketball team has ever gone in Europe, a landmark moment for the franchise in just their second season.
Manchester Basketball are proud to represent the city and its heritage, which is exemplified through their #RepTheCity campaign.
This link to the city and its culture has added further motivation to the players, Captain Zak Irvin said: “We are really proud to be representing this city on the European stage.”
Catch the build-up for the Final Four on Tuesday the 21st of April at 7pm on Manchester Basketball’s Youtube Channel where presenter Mordz and other guests will be previewing Wednesdays fixture.
Featured image via @Mcrbball