Rocks prize quest starts at home

By Mark Woods

Davis has given British talent a chance to shine at the Rocks

The Scottish Rocks start their quest to end a spell of six years without a major trophy on Saturday at the outset of their BBL campaign.

Forward Chi Lewis-Parry believes the Kelvin Hall outfit, who face Worcester, have the depth to pursue honours.

"You look at our bench and it's as strong as any in the league," said the Londoner.

"You have a lot of guys who are hungry to get out on the floor and prove they deserve a starting role."

After five weeks of pre-season training, the trip to the Wolves will be the first competitive outing for Sterling Davis' line-up, which has undergone a considerable revamp over the summer.

Out have gone long-serving trio Maurice Hampton, Moritz Wohlers and Julius Joseph. Arriving from overseas are American guard Blake Shelton and Virgin Islander Randy George.

The home-grown contingent includes Scottish pair Gareth Murray and Scott Russell, along with English pair Marc Pratt and Lewis-Parry.

Even though many of their rivals have stretched the limits on imported recruits, the Rocks - under second-year coach Davis - continue to cement their reputation as one of the strongest employers of British players.

That, asserts Lewis-Parry, is one of the prime reasons why he was attracted to Glasgow.

"There is so much talent in Great Britain and I think it just needs an opportunity to be showcased," said the 6ft, 8in swingman. "And the BBL is doing a good job of providing that platform.

"The main thing is you shouldn't be saying 'I want to be better than the Americans or whatever'. You just need to go out and play your game to the best of your ability. because the coaching and training sessions here are just as intense as any I've endured in America.

"We're on our way. We may be a couple of points behind them but the competition level is getting better all the time."

Redemption is one of the keys for the 24 year-old, who is on his third BBL club in as many years after being abruptly jettisoned by Guildford Heat last term.

It was a blow, he concedes, after fighting his way back to form after four years on the sidelines through injury.

"Things didn't work out exactly how I wanted in Guildford" he confirms. "But I hoped to bring what I did learn last season to the Scottish Rocks and hopefully win some silverware.

"Already, I've noticed that I'm working well with these guys after such a short period of time.

"And the style of coaching with Sterling, it differs to how it was at Guildford. So I'm very comfortable. And I hope to bring that passion that I'm known for to Scotland."

So can the Rocks finally shake off their tag as the nearly men of British basketball between now and next May?

"The Scottish Rocks are going to win everything," Lewis-Parry laughs. After six years of suffering, anything would be a plus.