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Blog by Cody Toppert
It has been a while since I last updated the Raider nation on everything going on behind the scenes but the good news (or maybe the bad news depending on how you feel about my blog...) is that i'm back. Since my last post we have had an interesting few weeks. After building up some great momentum we were struck with a 2 week break. 2 weeks with no games and as all sportsmen know, when you have momentum and are in form, its good to be playing rather than waiting and waiting and waiting for the next game. At times the days seem to blend together and it is very difficult to maintain your routine. To help us prevent a great deal of rust from setting in, we were able to bring in the CBA or Canarias Basketball Academy for a friendly. A youth team from Spain that helps young players develop to help them achieve their goals of playing in the United States college system or secure a pro contract. This was a good opportunity for the club, the players and the coaches to not only play a game, but learn from each other and build a relationship moving forward, that would allow Raiders to recruit talent from the CBA and also give us the chance to have international friendly matches against well organized and ambitious teams. As it would go, the CBA did good job of executing early on before we were able to get things going and cruise to a solid win against a good group of youngsters who will only improve. From there were had the bus ride to Cheshire for a big game against the Jets. This game couldn't come sooner for the players, who were tired of battling each other and looking forward to playing someone different. Little did we know, mother nature had some interesting plans for us. The weather went from cold to frigid and finally settled at absolutely freezing. Luckily we were on a Bus and eventually were able to get the heating going to a good level. So why would the weather be a problem you may ask. Basketball is an inside sport you may be thinking to yourself. And you would be correct. However the sports hall in Cheshire made it feel as though we were playing outside. It was almost as if we could have played the basketball game at Home Park, it may have been warmer there. Instead we had to fight the elements, playing in tank top jerseys, in a gym where you could practically see your own breath. This added an extra element that I had never seen before in a basketball game. There was no heating and it may have been colder in the gym, than it was outside. The fans were bundled up, seemingly preparing for the snow to fall inside the sports hall. As it were, the game did not go according to plan and we did not come up with the result we were in search of. However, as we move forward with season we find positives and learn from our mistakes. We know that thus far the games we have lost have been to some of the leagues tops teams and they have been on the road. We know that we are getting better every day and that we are not the same team today that we were a week ago. And that we wont be the same team a week from now. We are looking forward to our nationally televised game this weekend and we are looking forward to the amazing support that we always receive from Raider nation. We can certainly guarantee we will continue to work hard to improve and put forth an effort that everyone in Plymouth can be proud of. Best Swishes, Cody |
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The
6th Man We can ask the Woster Wolves, who fell victim to the Pavilions Crowd this past Sunday. These are questions that are often asked and generally the consensus is that a sold out crowd accompanied by an exciting energetic team can lead to a loud environment that will help the home team on to victory. I can certainly agree with this and there is no question that, under the right circumstances (a nice arena, a great mascot, eager fans with drums or fully rested vocal chords), the game of basketball lends itself to creating a great atmosphere for fans and players alike. Why can basketball bring this better than almost any other sport? The reasons are many but to name a few:
In the United States there are many great arenas that create a very tough atmosphere and have that 6th man that can be the difference between a win and a loss. I have had the pleasure to playing in some of the great venues. Ive played against Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) at the Carrier Dome (25,000 spectators), Chris Bosh (Miami Heat) at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum (12,000 spectators), or against Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers) at the Pit (20,000 spectators). From these experiences as a visiting player I can attest to the fact that the crowd can impact the game. In the game of basketball one mistake, one turnover at the wrong time, a missed free throw or a tentative pass can be the difference between a win and a loss. While playing in a great atmosphere as a visiting player is something I enjoy, it is much more fun to be playing at home with your local supporters behind you cheering you on to victory. Having the backing of the crowd is easier than fighting 20,000 people who hope you play terrible. Being that home team, and having that amazing support can give you that extra hop in your step. It ca lead to an extra 3 pointer or in some cases (not my case, but say Otis, Ant or Lehmon) it can lead to that momentum changing slam dunk, which can in turn lead to victory. The Pavilions provides this kind of atmosphere and I feel that we have a team that plays an exciting brand of basketball that the fans can enjoy, we also have Foxy. And with the great job everyone at Raiders does putting on a great show the crowd always seems to have something to cheer for. And cheer they did on Sunday. We had a great crowd, with fans that were incredibly loud and boisterous, helping us to victory. All i can say is that the support from everyone that was at the Pavilions on Sunday, brought the energy of 20,000 people. The noise was deafening at times and it really made a difference, keeping us engaged in the game and keeping the other team on their heels. After what I have seen at most all of our home games, and especially what I saw on Sunday I can say that the Pavilions is fast turning into the hardest place to play in the BBL and us as players plan on continuing to give you something to cheer about as we try to get these wins to pile up. Thanks again to everyone that came on Sunday (we look forward to seeing you next home game) and to those of you who missed be sure to get out to the Pavilions and witness the magic. Best Swishes, Cody
For everyone who came to the Pavilions on Saturday, thanks so much for the support and for all of you who missed the match we hope you will join us at the next home game. The support was fantastic and played a big part in lifting us to a much need victory over the same Milton Keynes we defeated in the Cup only 2 weeks earlier. Getting the first League win is very important, it gets things going and through my career I have realized that winning is a habit. Once you get the first one things can snowball from there. "Losing is a sickness, as contagious as polio." This interesting quote comes from one of America's great baseball movies, The Natural. I'm not sure how many people over here have seen the magic of Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) but if you ever get the chance I highly recommend taking in this picture. As the Kansas City Knights (fake major league baseball team) find themselves in a massive losing streak the manager gets desperate to break the slump, calling in a psychologist to really get into the players heads and leaving us with the above line. The thing is, that as ridiculous as that seems all indications are that it may very well be true. Winning is more than just playing a good game and defeating your opponent. Its more than doing that extra rep in the weight room or putting up those extra shots during the week. Now don't get me wrong all of the above things play a massive role in whether or not you find yourself victorious on the weekend, but winning goes beyond all of these physical things. Winning is a mindset. It is something that can be ingrained in your DNA, some people win and some don't. No matter what you do if you find yourself in a losing streak it can seem like days turn into months and the time between games can seem like an eternity. Having that winning gene in your system gives you that extra bounce in your step. When you walk on the court or the pitch, you just know your going to win. Its as if you know something that everyone else doesn't. Like you've got the hand that will beat the house and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Building this "swager" early in a season can be the difference between middle of the table and a championship team. And getting that first league win just builds the confidence going into the next weekend. If you combine this intrinsic element with all of the hard work we are putting in on a daily basis, then throw in the great fans at the Pavillions and add a little bit of Foxy to the mix and that can be a dangerous combination, a winning combination. As we move forward in the season we hope to keep these winning ways in tact. And we are confident that if we continue to work hard and with the great support we continue to get from the city, and of course with that winning "swager" in our back pocket, we know the victories will start piling up. See you at the Pavilions! Best Swishes, Cody 26th October 2010
Last week was a big week for us facing Milton Keynes, in an attempt to stay alive in the BBL Cup. What an exciting game it was, a fast paced game with a great crowd and in the end we came out on top. That week in practice we are all very focused on what needed to be done to get that Cup win and the best part about putting together a game plan , is when everyone does their part and we execute when the time is needed. It was great to see everyone on the team step up and contribute to what turned out to be a nail-biter. The 4th quarter of that game was about as intense as things can get in basketball. The score was tight, things were getting physical, the fans were on their feet and scoring was coming in abundance. When the buzzer finally sounded we were through in the Cup and everyone associated with the Raiders organization was excited to see us come together and play up to our potential. Coming into this past week the focus was then on to getting our first BBL league win. The main competition is very important and makes up the majority of the season. Mersey and Glasgow were the teams we would face and this was going to be a weekend that either put us on the map or showed us what we needed to work on. We worked hard all week long, lifting weights, getting shots up and practicing at a high level, and when we boarded the bus to Liverpool on Friday our frame of mind was good. We knew that Mersey was a team favoured to be at the top of the league and by the time the game had tipped they wasted no time showing us. They jumped on us early and we were caught playing catch-up the rest of the game. We made a valiant run in the 4th quarter to get within 10 points, eventually falling by 11. Having lost that game it was important to move on to the next one and get ready for a massive game on Sunday. Another great crowd came to support us on Sunday afternoon and our biggest weakness was again on display, as we were unable to get off to a great start. We seem to wait a few minutes at the start of the game and the beginning of the second half to get things going. When we get the first 5 minutes of both the 1st and 3rd quarter figured out we will be a force in this league. Unfortunately we got behind early and spent most of the first half trying to get back in the game. We pulled within 1 point as the half was coming to a close, however some big plays by the Rocks down the stretch lead to a 5 point deficit. Once again the first few minutes of the 3rd quarter put us against the wall. Once we got back into playing our game we were able to cut the lead back to 5 points and get us back to the point where only a few plays would put us in a position for victory. But just as we closed in on turning things around, the Rocks were able to use their experience and keep us at bay until the game got under 2 minutes and forced us to foul. By the end of the game, Rocks had made their free throws and closed out the win, leaving us hungry for the coming week to do what is necessary to get ready for a tough league game next Saturday against Milton Keynes. Having beat them in the cup competition we know they will be coming out with a chip on their shoulder and its our responsibility to prepare for a tough game. We hope to see you all at the Pavilions for a very important game! Best Swishes, Cody
This is my first season in Plymouth and I must say that the people of the city and especially the fans have been more than welcoming for my wife and myself. We are very excited to be here and we look forward to a great year. Just to get everyone up to speed on the season thus far. We won the first 4 games we played, 2 were friendly matches and 2 were BBL Trophy matches. We played well and while we knew there was much work to be done, getting the "Dub" is always most important. In week 2 of season action we travelled to Sheffield for a BBL regular season match and also out to Guilford to attempt to book a spot in the Trophy semi final. The loss on Friday to Sheffield was a tough one (sometimes its just one of those nights), and while we regrouped to be within 5 points with 5 minutes to play at Guilford we were not able to escape with that win. As we approached week 3 of the season we knew we would play a better Worthing team than the one we faced in week 1 and thus we put in an excellent week of work. We trained hard twice a day, lifted weights, got shots up and competed hard to ensure we would be ready. On Saturday we left for Worthing and with the support of some great Raiders fans who, Vuvuzelas in hand, would do their best to help us to victory. Unfortunately the game was played in a "Vuvuzela Free" zone and so eardrums safe, we took the court. After leading by 1 at halftime we were unable to maintain our momentum in the 3rd quarter and despite fighting back a bit in the 4th we were not able to get the win. For any athlete on a road trip the worst part of a road loss, aside from the loss itself, is always the already long bus ride home. I am convinced there has to be a bus ride / road trip mathematical formula that explains it all. While the bus ride to the match may have been 3 hours, after a win, the ride back is sliced in half. Win and that 3 hour bus ride only takes 1.5 hours (this might in actuality be the fact the bus driver, also excited by the win, puts the proverbial pedal to the metal). On the flip side a loss can take that 3 hour ride and turn it into a 6 hour haul that drowns one in the agony of defeat and leaves you to evaluate the coming week and how you plan on improving to ensure success in the next match.
My final comments on the
subject of bus rides:
Thanks for reading and I
look forward to seeing you all at the Pavilions, don't hesitate to
come say hello. |
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UCP
Marjon Plymouth Raiders Basketball Club, New Victoria House, Weston
Park Road, Plymouth, PL3 4NU |
info@plymouthraiders.com | 01752
222205 |
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Cold
Weather, Cold Gyms, and Spain 