| James Kon |
IMPORT Lyndon Gudez, the Beruang Blazers’s top scorer in the 2nd Yuwang EBL Basketball League, is expected to recover from a sprained fingeron his shooting hand and will be in action against Labuan Wasps in the first game of the Kota Kinabalu Circuit that will start on September 9, 2016.
Gudez was injured trying to rebound against an opponent and overstretched his finger in the game against KK Eagles on September 3.
In the following game against Labuan Wasps, the Filipino import started from the bench but managed to contribute nine points.
On the sidelines of Tuesday’s training, Coach Ryan of Beruang Blazers said, “Hopefully Lyndon can play on Friday. He is our top scorer and has played well in both circuits.”
Comparing the team’s performances in the first circuit in Kuching with the second circuit in Labuan, Ryan said, “We played much better in the Labuan circuit. However we were unlucky, most of our shots didn’t fall in while the opponents kept draining shots.”
He pointed that one of the deciding factors was fatigue. The team had played games on three consecutive nights which affected the players’ performance.
Coach Ryan (R) of Beruang Blazers with a player during practice. – JAMES KON
Another factor was the adjustment to the environment of the venues, he said. “The Labuan venue was really cold because we played on an air-conditioned court, while the Kuching court was OK.”
He said, “Our players are trying their best. It’s the adjustment to the EBL’s standard of play where it’s very physical and the referees are letting go of calls. Even the imports who are used to the physical games are finding it hard to cope. The players’ focus gets lost when they don’t get those foul calls by the referee.”
He added, “The defence of the team is getting better, while the turnovers have also decreased. We just need to score. If we play good defencebut we can’t score, we will lose.”
In the Kota Kinabalu circuit, he hoped that the team will finally be fine-tuned and make their shots.
He hoped that the local players will try to get all the experience they can during the Beruang Blazers debut in the 2nd Yuwang EBL Basketball League and when the league comes to Brunei, the team will further improve.
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