American imports on their way for Giants
MANCHESTER Giants are on the verge of adding American reinforcements to their BBL squad for 2017/18.
Coach Danny Byrne has confirmed three further returns from last season. And he is set to bring in a couple of American players – believed to be a guard and an athletic forward.
Byrne has brought back Harold Trobo, Sam Lane and Usman Baba to take his roster to nine – and the arrival of the two imports following visa approval will all-but complete his group for the new season.
Trobo, 34, came into his own in the second half of the 2016/17 campaign to earn the Most Improved Player award.
He scored 20 points in the overtime loss to Bristol Flyers on the last weekend of the season and averaged 18 minutes and 6.5 PPG.
Byrne said: “Harold had a great second half to the season. He’s very agile and athletic, and really unpredictable. He’s clever on the court and is very good defensively. We’re hoping he can push on even further.
“Once we let him go and stopped restricting his movement he really became a key part of the team. You’ve just got to let these players do it.”
Veteran Baba, 38, has been around the Manchester basketball scene for years and has proven to be a steadying influence on the bench for the Giants in recent seasons.
Byrne added: “You know what you get with Ussy. He gives you good, steady minutes.
“He comes off the bench and contributes points, rebounds and protects the other guys.”
Youngster Lane, who has been backed by Byrne to step forward in 2017/18.
Lane, 23, was Byrne’s Player of the Year as the Giants II team won NBL Division 4, while he also featured in 22 BBL games, averaging nine minutes per game.
Byrne said: “Sam is going to step up this year and prove that he can be a capable understudy to Callum Jones.
“We can’t have Callum doing 40 minutes in games, he is a great player if he does 25-30 minutes, so to have Sam on the bench to take that pressure off will be key.
“I’m no stranger to Sam, I know how he plays and he knows how I coach.
“He had a great season in Division 4, he’s a good defender and I know what he can and can’t do.”
With Jones, Jerelle Okoro, Anastasios Traianos and Richard Bell returning alongside Trobo, Baba and Lane and new faces Clayfell Harris and Mark Rangeley already signed, the Giants are stepping up their pre-season training.