Manchester Giants go down to USA Select but there’s no need to panic
September 4, 2017 | ANTHONY JEPSON
Coach Danny Byrne took positives from his side’s opening pre-season game in front of a sell-out crowd.
There’s plenty more to come from Manchester Giants following their pre-season opener.
A disjointed second half followed a positive first as the Giants went down 78-64 to the travelling USA Select squad.
But with two new signings still to come and David Kadiri gamely turning out after a 5am arrival from the States, coach Danny Byrne has reason to be positive.
Kadiri, a wiry, athletic 6ft 8ins presence, showed a few understandable signs of rustiness but enough awareness, vision and determination to indicate he can be a force at both ends of the court this season.
He scored eight points and took 13 rebounds.
And with explosive swingman Austin Rettig still to land from the US and British big man Clayfell Harris recovering from a minor injury, Byrne feels the Giants are in decent shape.
“We played well for 25 minutes and then a bit a tiredness crept in and our offence broke down a bit,” he said.
“You can see the chemistry is coming and it’s better than last season. There’s a lot to work on.
“David was straight off a flight and we obviously haven’t practised with him, but we can see what he’ll bring offensively and defensively he’ll protect that ring.
“Three quarters we were great. That last quarter tiredness crept in and shots wouldn’t drop.”
The Giants took the first half 41-36 and looked slick and structured when moving the ball quickly and breaking on the Americans.
They struggled when the US team pressed them in the second and some wayward passing saw things unravel somewhat.
The Giants have the chance to iron out some of the glitches when they play the Americans – a collection of US college graduates looking to showcase their skills – again behind closed doors on Tuesday.
“By the end of September we’ll be ready to go,” said Bryrne.