American import Mark is set to make his UK debut
RIDERS TRAVEL TO SHEFFIELD FOR FINAL WARM-UP GAME OF SEASON
LEICESTER Riders complete their pre-season preparations when they travel to take on Sheffield Sharks at Ponds Forge tonight (7.30pm).
It is their fifth and final match in a pre-season disrupted by the absence of American returnees Geno Crandall and Zach Jackson, who are held up by visa delays in the US.
One American player who will play in the UK for the first time is shooting guard Mark Loving, who joined the team last weekend in Holland to suit up against Donar in Riders’ doubleheader with the Dutch side.
The Sharks have been formidable opponents over the years, but Riders have had the upper hand in recent seasons.
The hosts have a core of players returning from last season, led by captain Mike Tuck, back for his 13th season with the Sharks.
The Toronto native and dual passport holder joined Sheffield way back in 2009 and has won four pieces of silverware with the club.
The 38-year-old Tuck is joined as a returnee by 6ft 5in guard/forward Jordan Ratinho.
Ratinho averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds 2.2 assists with 42 per cent field goal percentage in his last season with the Sharks.
Multi-purpose American forward Kipper Nicholls is also back.
New signings include British 6ft 7in power forward Marcus Delpeche has spent the past three seasons suiting up for the Bristol Flyers, after playing for the Grevenbroich Elephants in Germany. The Sharks’ new Americans include Aaron Anderson, a 29-year-old point guard from the University of North Dakota. He has spent seasons in Australia with Brisbane Capitals, in Kosovo with KB Trepca, and in France with Besancon Avenir Comtois.
The 26-year-old combo guard Jonathan Williams also joins, and is a graduate of the University of Toledo, where he averaged 19.6 points per game in his senior year.
Williams is experienced in European basketball, having represented GTK Gliwice and Polpharma Starograd Gdanski in Poland, as well as Okapi Aalstar in Belgium.
In Williams’ last season in Poland, he averaged 15.2 points with 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Riders head coach Rob Paternostro said: “I think it will be nice to play a BBL team and get a feel for the competition.
“Sheffield are a team that is always there or thereabouts, and they have some new recruits so it will be interestingly to see what they are like.
“It will be a good challenge for our team, but it is hard to tell where we are with guys still missing.”
“It has been as frustrating a preseason as we have ever had. We have been playing without three of our imports and three very important players.
“To get a good feel of where we are at, we need to see these guys with the rest of the group. It is very frustrating, but it is what it is.”
“At least now Mark Loving has had a chance to settle in and learn the plays and learn more about his teammates so that will be an upside for tonight.”
Leicester Riders: Walker, Whelan, Washington, Ndoukou, Nelson-Henry, Hedley, Makenzie, Adekoya, Jordan, Yapo, Woog, Curran, Love
Sheffield Sharks: Tuck, Montgomery, Baldwin, Nicholls, Koch, Campbell, Ratinho, Anderson, Williams, Mvuezolo Jr, Delpeche