The battle of the undefeated kicks off Tuesday night in Abbotsford as part of a weeknight tilt between the Fraser Valley Bandits and a formidable opponent in the Niagara River Lions.
Here are my Keys to the Game:
Establish an Inside Presence:
Brandon Gilbeck will have to stay out of foul trouble in this one, despite his issues, the Bandits dominated the Rattlers with both their interior defence and interior scoring in the first game of the season.
The Bandits edged the Rattlers 46-26 in points in the paint, which proved to essentially be the difference in the final score. The River Lions also dominated their matchup against the Blackjacks by a similar margin, making them a strong opponent. Gilbeck and his backup Ryan Ejim, plus Shaquille Keith will need to win the glass battle against the River Lions’ frontline in order to allow the team’s guards to get out and score layups in transition and prevent second chance points.
In the half court, the Bandits will need to feed Gilbeck two or more chances per quarter, either through post ups but more likely through hard rolls to the rim. The Bandits ran a steady diet of “Spain” pick and rolls on Saturday and I expect them to feature that early in this one. The big man owns a soft touch and tremendous size and agility to maneuver around the bucket and presents a tremendous threat that can open up the entire offence for the Bandits.
Shutdown Niagara’s Kassius Robertson and Guillaume Boucard:
Kassius Robertson is one of the best shooters in the CEBL, shooting over 40 per cent from three throughout his career. The River Lions also possess arguably the league's best two-way guard in Guillaume Boucard. When I saw Boucard play live two seasons ago I was amazed by the former Carleton grad's ability to take away the opposing team's best perimeter threat while also being a top scoring option. Think Kawhi Leonard.
An ultra efficient scorer, Boucard impacts every facet of the game and will probably be assigned to stop either the Bandits' Malcolm Duvivier or Alex Campbell on Tuesday night. I would assume he’ll lock horns with Campbell and the Bandits would be smart to match Duvivier on Robertson as he may be the team's strongest athlete. Pure shooters such as Robertson would hate nothing more than to have an NFL linebacker shoving and pressuring him for 40 minutes; it could take away his rhythm and limit his open look opportunities. The Bandits matchup well with this dynamic duo and if these two matchups can essentially be a wash, the Bandits have other ways to expose the River Lions' defence.
Special Scenario Execution:
On Saturday the Bandits spun a coaches gem in terms of X’s and O’s. In a game that could be a one possession game in the fourth quarter, out of a timeout, after free throws, and the first offensive possession of every quarter will become critical scenarios. I’ve found in my coaching career that a big dunk or wide open three caused by one of these scenarios are
major momentum swings, similar to an uppercut in a heavyweight bout.
On Saturday the Bandits opened the third quarter with a “Spain” pick and roll that resulted in a Gilbeck traditional three point play. It was a tone setter for the remainder of the second half and clearly gave the rest of the Bandits the confidence to execute down the stretch.
If the Bandits can pull off all three of these game keys, an undefeated start is well within grasp.