Coach Bernsen calls for patience
TRALEE Warriors coach Mark Bernsten has suggested that a degree of patience will be required from basketball fans before Kerry’s newest Superleague team might be able to compete consistently and start winning matches.
“(Preparations) have gone well, we have been working hard, we have got some extra days to get everybody up to speed. Because we haven’t been able to get everybody there on every night, we have had a double duty sometimes and, of course, Kieran (Donaghy) has been involved in football,” Bernsen said at Monday’s launch of the team.
“Some other guys are involved in football, some others are working, we have just got some of the imports in, so it’s been a kind of a mix match of things. Finally last week we got things sorted, and if we can get some things done in the next couple of days we will be ready. We need to play.”
“The (opposition) are good. The Demons are good, they’ve got great experience, they brought in a great American. Templeogue with Jason Killeen, they’re always good. U.C.D have a new point guard in Scott Kinevane whom I coached with the Eagles, he is a nice player. The Saints will be good, Killester, it will be a good League.
“It remains to be seen who will win it, but I think the League will be a little more balanced than just having like last year when the Templeogue team and the Demons were doing most of the damage. Swords in Dublin are really talented so it’s going to be a hard League, night in and night out, so everybody will have to play every night they come out.
“I don’t think there will be many twenty, twenty-five point wins. I would say it will take a half of a dozen games or so before we get our team in any kind of form, and hopefully some guys will step up early, and maybe we will get some spectacular games out of a few people, maybe steal a couple of wins early until everybody comes up to speed.
“It’s hard with Goran (Pantovic) missing the first four games and, of course, Kieran (Donaghy), Paul (McMahon), Michael O’Donnell coming off football, so these guys have to catch up. And not alone have they to catch up, the other guys have to figure out how to play with these guys, and when that happens it will take a dozen games or so before we can really see what kind of club we have, but in the meantime hopefully we can do some things.”
In terms of the wonderful support which Tralee provides Bernsen said: “That’s why I am back. The Complex, I have been there when it is just hopping and it’s a great, great venue for attendance and support. It’s brilliant, and of course people in Tralee love basketball. Terry O’Brien, the sponsors, it was great when Donal (O’Brien) was running it, and Terry was working with him back in 2006, 2007. It was brilliant. So we are going to try and get that back, and I think we are going in a step in the right direction.”
At Monday’s launch in the Tralee Wetlands Arena, Club Chairman Terry O’Brien thanked all the sponsors who have contributed to the sporting package that has brought top flight basketball back to Tralee and Kerry.