Reading Rockets will begin 2012 with back to back games as they take on Leicester Warriors for the first time in the 2011/2012 season on Saturday (6.30pm tip-off) in the league before welcoming BBL Championship side Plymouth Raiders to Rivermead on Sunday (6pm tip-off) for a friendly game.
There is a special offer for tickets for this weekend - £10 for an adult for the 2 days, and £7 for a junior - and two exciting games in store.
Rockets finished 2011 with two losses as they were defeated at home by Medway Park Crusaders 59-72 before travelling to Brixton and coming out on the wrong side of a 63-73 scoreline. The Berkshire club were without no fewer than five players over that weekend due to injury/illness.
A new face for the Rockets contingent to see will be the new signing of Kastytis Normantas who put pen to paper over the Christmas period. The 6'3 guard originates from Lithuania and played for BBL Championship side Worcester Wolves last season and joins the Berkshire club off the back of the departures of Matt Guymon and Tryston Lawrence. In speaking about his slightly new-look team, and the prospects for 2012, Rockets Head Coach Samit Nuruzade is excited as he looks to settle his squad early in the new-year and continue to build to achieve the goals set out at the beginning of the season. He said, "I am pleased we are getting the squad how we want it and with the right personnel in to challenge for honours as we originally set out to do at the start of our campaign. We have some really exciting times ahead of us especially with the emergence of our younger players who have made a massive contribution to our team so far this year. These are the players I want to work with and develop as well as the core of players that have provided the quality and experience that we need. 2012 promises to be a great year and I am optimistic as to what we can achieve. That may well end in silverware which would be great but my goal is to make sure all my players have had a great experience and developed their game whatever stage of their career they are at."
Rockets first opponents of 2012, Leicester Warriors, visit Reading riding high in the EBL Division One table as they currently sit in fourth place with a record of six wins and three losses but only two points off the top-spot. After the Berkshire club's two defeats before the Christmas break, they slipped to seventh in the table with five wins and four losses but Rockets Performance Analyst Ben Fisher knows that league position at this stage still doesn't mean too much as the top eight teams are in only a few points of each other. He said, "Leicester provide us with a new test as we haven't played them yet this season. I have been impressed with the start they have made but I'm not really surprised as Coach (Karl) Brown always has his team well prepared and always fighting for everything in every game. Since last season they have also brought in some new faces in addition to the core of the team from last year. American forward Eugine Pettaway has come in and been a significant contributor at both ends of the floor as well as British forward Mansour Mbye after his spell in the BBL. With Carl Pearson and Emile Hopkins returning and the emergence of the young English talent of Elliott Sentance, coupled with a couple of former Coventry Crusaders players, they will certainly be a handful and a team that is capable of beating any - the story of the league this year! I think if we can match their intensity and take away some of their scoring threats as well as attack their weaknesses defensively we have a good chance of coming away with a win but as always preparation is key and execution on the day is a must if we are to do so."
The new-look Rockets team will be hoping that come game time on Saturday, they have no injury concerns heading into 2012. Four of the squad will however be heading out to Sweden on New Year's Day to play in a Rockets Under 18/20 team in Lundaspelen. Harrison Gamble, Steven Vaughan, Sam Simon, and Luke Nelson will all make the trip accompanied by Rockets Assistant Coach JP Campbell who believes the tournament will be a great experience for the whole squad and set them in good stead for the second part of the regular season. He said, "We took a team to Sweden last year and it was a really great experience so to be able to do it again this year and take our under 20 players is a real bonus for us and a great opportunity for these guys to get some European exposure as well as some extra preparation as we head into the second part of our season. They will play a lot of games over the four days and will be back in time for the weekend's preparations so it promises to be a a tiring but fantastic week for everyone involved."
Doors open at 6pm on Saturday and Rockets fans will to be treated to a new year's special as they can watch both games for only £10 adult (and £7 for juniors).
