Rutherglen star Gareth Murray admits he can’t wait for Glasgow Rocks to see the team he has assembled, as they head into a new, optimistic season.
Last term was a nightmare for Rocks and for Murray, in his debut season as a coach, with Covid restrictions, lack of fans and loss of form that saw them finish bottom of the British Basketball League.
However, fans are back in the Emirates from this weekend, restrictions have been greatly lifted, and Rutherglen man Murray is optimistic for the future.
He said: “The way everybody’s coming together so far, I think we’re a good, versatile team and I think we’ll do well.
“I pretty much have put last season behind me.
“Last season was what it was, there was Covid, there was restrictions on everything else, so I’ve kind of put that in the back of my mind and I’ve not really thought about it.
“We’re on to something new, we have a solid base, and we have four new Americans coming in, so we have to get them up to speed with us, and us get used to the way they play, and just trying to put everything together.
“Having fans back will be a big improvement.
“We have a fairly decent team this year, the fans are back in there, it will be a good atmosphere and the fans will enjoy the team we’ve put together, so I’m looking forward to it.
“This is a new season, we’re looking to the future.”
Rocks enter their BBL Cup campaign at Newcastle Eagles on Friday evening, before hosting Sheffield Sharks on Sunday.
They warmed up for that by taking part in the Mike Burton Invitational tournament in Cheshire, with a win and a defeat each against hosts Cheshire Phoenix and Bristol Flyers.
That was useful for Murray, however, as he gets his players used to each other and the style of play.
He said: “I thought it was a good weekend. We played some good basketball and it’s just trying to get everybody used to playing with each other, getting used to the style of basketball and getting used to the refereeing over here.
“I thought in terms of those things it was beneficial for us, for sure.
“The level wasn’t maybe what we’re used to in the BBL, but when we play Cheshire or Bristol it’s perfect for us, these are teams we’ll be competing against every week.
“It’s proper games now – Newcastle are always tough. We’ll be going down there on Friday night, see how we get on against them, then we’re at home to Sheffield, opening us back with fans at the Rocks, so we’re looking forward to that as well.”
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