Scoochie must step up against league’s MVP

WITH the reigning MVP of the league up next twice in a row, Cairns Taipans’ import guard Scoochie Smith needs to bring his A-game.

This is do-or-die for the Kings right now and his opponent tonight, Jerome Randle, knows that.

He is from the Bronx, like me, but I have to say Scoochie needs to perform at a higher level on a more consistent basis and this is a perfect opportunity to step up against Randle twice in a week.

After Cairns’ big win over Illawarra before the break, I had Scoochie at four in my top-five point guards in the NBL and he will need to again show he deserves to stay there.

Cairns plays the even opportunity style game and at the end of the day, they need their point guard to create.

These two games are going to come down to the one-onone match-up of Scoochie against Randle.

It will be interesting to see how Cairns look to defend Randle, being the league MVP.

Randle is coming in with more of a chip on his shoulder than what he did before because he is coming in with his team down the bottom.

Randle is elite and this will be real test for Scoochie and the entire Cairns defence on how they shut him down.

For Sydney, the window of opportunity for them to make playoffs is slim to none. But, it is not over yet. If the Kings beat Cairns twice, they are back in the picture, but two losses and it’s almost over. Randle has to come in and get wins. Sydney are a danger team. They are going to beat somebody at some point with the talent they have.

I came into Melbourne Tigers when they had lost the first six games of the season, in a similar position to what Randle is in now. We improved to a 10-18 record that season but did not make the playoffs. It is a tall order for Sydney. Can Randle lead this team to an unlikely playoff spot?