BRENDON EGAN

April 1 2015

Canterbury Rams coach Mark Dickel is keeping his powder dry on the eve of the National Basketball League season.

The former Tall Blacks standout was a yappy point guard in his playing days, never afraid to let a referee know his opinion.

Reclining on a chair in a Christchurch coffee shop a few days out from his first game in charge of the Rams, Dickel isn’t giving much away.

The Rams have recruited well in the off-season and with centre Mickell Gladness – who played 26 games in the NBA during the 2011-2012 season – possess a dominant shot blocker and rebounder.

Unlike many Rams teams of the past, this year’s squad has genuine depth. Seven players are effectively fighting it out for five starting spots.

One of the team’s strongest assets is their versatility

Players like American swingman Kyle Coston, Ethan Rusbatch and Richie Edwards can cover multiple positions on the court and guard different players in the opposition.

Expectations are high at the Rams this season. They tip off their campaign against the Manawatu Jets at Cowles Stadium on Friday night.

Last year, a Christchurch-based side competed in the NBL for the first time since 2010, following the earthquakes.

The squad was assembled at relatively late notice and the focus was more on having a Canterbury team in the league again, rather than being a playoff contender.

They struggled for consistency, losing 10 of their first 11 games, before finishing with a flourish to end up ninth in the 10-team league with a 6-12 record.

Dickel isn’t keen to talk the Rams up. The reality is, this is their most talented side since the American duo of John Whorton and Terrence Lewis lit up the league in 2002.

He expects they will need to win 11 or 12 of their 18 games to make the finals.

“If we can make the playoffs this year, it would be awesome,” he said.

“We’re going to have to bump some really good teams to do that. Anything less [than the playoffs], that would be disappointing.”

After a successful playing career that saw him spend eight years playing professionally in Europe, the 38-year-old Dickel has transitioned into coaching.

Last year, he was player-coach of the Otago Nuggets, who won’t feature this season due to financial issues.

When the Rams opted to advertise for a full-time coach after last season, he put his name forward, landing the job over a talented list of applicants.

Dickel bleeds blue and gold, but knows basketball is a business. He won’t have any issues coaching the Rams, who he loved to beat, during his career.

If the Rams are to make the top four in a competitive eight-team league, their tall timber will need to lead the way.

Canterbury boast one of the most formidable frontcourts in the NBL in Gladness, Marques Whippy, Coston, Edwards and schoolboy star Sam Timmins, who Dickel said is a genuine starting option.

They have four players over 2m tall [Gladness, Timmins, Coston and Edwards] and should be able to assert their authority in the rebounding and shot blocking departments.

Dickel hopes the Rams can be a force defensively after giving up 92 points last season, the second most in the NBL.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re going to present ourselves defensively and that will allow our offence to come.

“That to me will be the key whether the games go successfully or not – how we can present ourselves defensively. If we do that well enough, games should go according to plan.”

Rusbatch and Whippy will co-captain the Rams, which will allow experienced point guard and last year’s skipper Jeremy Kench to focus on his own game.

Kench, 30, is the most successful basketballer to come out of Canterbury this decade and has played 120 games for the Rams since debuting in 2003.

He averaged a pleasing 12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists last season, but often played massive minutes and was burdened with too much responsibility.

Dickel wants Kench to worry about what he is best at – being the floor general and making his team-mates better with his pinpoint passing ability and vision.

“He played really well last year. With him being able to play shorter bursts that will get him playing at a higher tempo.”

Getting the Rams back to the halcyon days of the late 1980s and early 90s, where they won four championships and were the hottest ticket in town, spurred Dickel and the squad on.

“It’s no secret, it’s more fun when you’re winning. It’s a huge advantage at Cowles. Traditionally, the Rams never lost there when I was growing up. It’s definitely possible to get back to that.”

AT A GLANCE

Rams 2015 schedule:

Friday April 3 v Manawatu 7pm

Monday April 6 @ Wellington 3pm

Friday April 10 v Southland 7pm

Saturday April 18 v Manawatu 7pm

Friday April 24 @ Nelson 7pm

Saturday April 25 @ Manawatu 7pm

Monday April 27 @ Southland 2pm

Saturday May 2 v Super City 7pm

Friday May 8 @ Wellington 7pm

Saturday May 9 @ Southland 7pm

Friday May 15 v Hawke’s Bay 7pm

Sunday May 24 v Hawke’s Bay 2pm

Sunday May 31 v Taranaki 7pm

Sunday June 7 @ Super City 3pm

Sunday June 14 v Nelson 2.30pm

Friday June 19 @ Taranaki 6pm

Sunday June 21 @ Hawke’s Bay 2pm

Friday June 26 v Wellington 7pm

SQUAD

Guards: Jeremy Kench, Ethan Rusbatch, Tony Tolovae, Marty Davison, Joe Cook-Green, Shou Nisbet.

Forwards/centres: Mickell Gladness (USA), Kyle Coston (USA), Richie Edwards, Marques Whippy, Sam Timmins.

Development players: Jackson Stent, Toby Gillooly, James Cawthorn, Taylor Britt, Sam Smith, Josh Petermann, Quinn Clinton, Richard Rodger, Jaiden Manera, Barclay Miller, Ben Harris.

Coaches: Head: Mark Dickel. Assistant: Caleb Harrison

Major gains: Mickell Gladness (US), Kyle Coston (US), Marques Whippy, Tony Tolovae, Sam Timmins, Joe Cook-Green (all Otago).

Major losses: Glen Dandridge (US), Matt Rogers (US), Marcel Jones.

 – The Press