Upper Room Eagles looking to step up - Runners-up face UWI Runnin Rebels as NBL semi-finals take centrestage
Having been beaten finalists last year, before also losing in the mid-season final of the National Basketball League (NBL), Upper Room Eagles' head coach Simon Brown says their goal is to end the season as champions.
They will line up in one of two semi-finals today, against UWI Runnin' Rebels at the National Stadium courts at 6:30 p.m.
In the other semi-final, defending champions Urban Knights will face off against reigning mid-season champions St George's Slayers in the feature match at 7:45 p.m.
Upper Room Eagles were defeated by reigning champions Urban Knights in last season's championship finals, and were also turned back by St George's Slayers, in this season's mid-season final.
However, head coach Brown said the defeats have not deterred his team's goal of claiming the championship title this time around.
"Overall, we play every game to win," Brown said.
"The only difference is that we know that there is a goal that we would have wanted last year but we didn't get it," Brown noted.
"It is a whole new season, a few new players, our core is here, we're here for the goal and our goal has always been to win the NBL."
Brown said the key difference with the team this year is balance.
"I think we have gotten more experience on the team, with players who were there last year. So we have players like Anthony White, De'Andre Forbes, Matthew Dane and Shavair Francis," he pointed out.
"I think with that type of leadership, injected with some youth who are new additions to the squad this year, I think we have a lot of firepower."
Their combination of experience and youth has brought the right results, as the Upper Eagles have only lost one game through the second round of the regular season and the playoffs.
Despite their impressive record, Brown said the objective now will be to get past Runnin' Rebels in their best-of-three semi-final series.
"Right now we are in the semi-finals, so we have to at least make it to the finals first," Brown said.
"There is always more to improve but I think that my team has been getting progressively better throughout the season.
"We've only lost one game, which was a close encounter with the Urban Knights so I think it is a sign that we have gotten better. So now we just want to look forward to the semi-finals and look for a victory."
Game 2 is set for Sunday at the same venue.