The Stanbic Warriors started the 2015 National Basketball League season with seven players. The number of players on game days has since hoovered between six and ten.
The two-time champions got the campaign under way with an 81-66 win over cellar dwellers Diamonds In The Sun. Warriors’ win over DITS was followed by another 15 points victory as they posted an 85-70 win over another lowly side, Sharing Youths.
Warrior’s lack of depth was not exposed until they faced record champions, StarTimes Falcons – a game they lost 73-64 even when Falcons played average.
The thin roster was battered inside out. Warriors were out rebounded 52-32 and so has been the story on the boards in all the three losses. The lack of interior presence for Warriors has led to opposition dominance on the boards.
However, after the 61-54 loss to City Oilers on Friday, Warriors’ coach Gad Eteu sees progress in his team.
“I think we did well compared to what we did last time against Power” Eteu said. “We are in that playoff bracket – the so called top six and that’s how we want to gauge ourselves. How are playing against these guys so we get a better seeding at the end of the regular season” he added
Much as there are a lot of things Warriors have to work on, Eteu is happy with the progress.
“I like the progress” he told Kawowo Sports. “I don’t expect instant results right away because there are a lot of things we still need to work on in our small unit”
“We have to tighten on small ends especially our execution. There are things we need to improve on and play consistently especially on the screens and rebounding”