NEBL   Results / Fixtures Standings BBL More..    Profiles Archive Search Features The News Wire   Interactive   News by Email  Hoopchat  Frequently Asked Questions    Britball.com Front

Towers pack for Lithuanian trip         After a well earned rest, London Towers face three tough NEBL games in the space of four days in Lithuania, against Siauliai [Thursday], Lietuvos Rytas [Saturday] and a Sunday trip to 1999 European champions Zalgiris Kaunas. Towers ranks will be boosted by the return of Eric Burks, who will be eased back after injury, while Randy Duck begins a trial on his return to London. The pair will slot in for Steve Bucknall and Ronnie Baker who miss the opening leg of the trip after duty with England.  “Burks is back from his injury,” explained coach Nick Nurse. “But he’s not match fit. He will play and he will play a lot in this first game against Siauliai, while Buck and Ronnie are gone. We have some other stuff, like guys who have been out sick for a few days, but I won’t whine about it all. It’s no big deal.” Lietuvos Rytas have, so far, won three of their four NEBL games this season, which puts them fourth out of 16 in the standings and although injury-hit Zalgiris have struggled to find consistency at home and abroad, they possess a 3-0 record. “Rytas and Zalgiris are the top two teams over there, so we really need to win the game on Thursday against Siauliai, because it’s going to be extremely difficult for us to win at either one of the other two places," adds Nurse. “To be honest, we are looking to win this first game and certainly win the game in Frankfurt [in the Euroleague next week] and see if we can do our best on Saturday and Sunday and cause an upset.” Lietuvos include two Americans in their line-up – Eric Elliott, who is a 6’0” point guard and Greg Grant, a 6’10” centre. Elliott currently leads Rytas’ NEBL scoring with a 15.75 ppg average and a 57.1% success rate from three-point range. Grant averages 7.25 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.  “Lithuania plays good basketball and it will be just like any European game, it’s tough on the road. I expect this to be a tough trip, but I’m really looking forward to it though. I think we will play a little better.” The third and final NEBL game of the week in Lithuania could reunite Nick Nurse with one of his old players, because John White is currently playing ball for Zalgiris. The American, who played in France for Strasbourg last year is a major doubt with a suspected ruptured disc in his back. "At the moment we are in the anticipation of some medical conclusions. Then it will become clear whether it’s a serious and long-term disease or just a temporary ailment," Ginas Rutkauskas, the General Manager of Zalgiris. Nurse is aware that the Baltic giants have other options. “They also have a guard called Steve Woodberry – he’s a guy that I actually signed over the summer, but they came in and stole him from me for more money.” Woodberry has been averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game in the NEBL so far, while White has hit an average of 12.5 points and 4 rebounds. However, their top scorers in the competition have been Tomas Masiulis and Donatas Slanina, who have averaged 13 points per game each so far.

Copyright Britball. Download is subject to Britball's Terms of Service