Inverness City Lions roaring pride with excellent start in national basketball
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INVERNESS City Lions remain confident they are on course to make it to the top flight of Scottish basketball in their first season playing at national level.
Head coach John Kerray says the club are in a good position to carry on their impressive form during the second half of the campaign.
Lions finished 2019 in second place in Division Two with a record of eight wins and two defeats.
They are two points behind leaders Stirling Knights but with a game in hand.
They were denied the chance to go top of the table after their match against Heriot Watt University was postponed last weekend due to student exams.
Kerray was always confident his players could cope with the demands of national basketball despite being newcomers to the league.
“I expected this season to go well and was positive from the beginning,” he said.
City Lions aimed to go through the entire season undefeated in their bid to be promoted to the top division.
After winning their first seven games, they went on to lose their next two matches before turning it around with a 96–67 win over Glasgow University B.
Kerray said the defeats were a reminder they can’t take anyone for granted.
“We can’t get complacent,” he said.
“Those two matches that we lost we were complacent.
“Everybody in the league is improving which means we need to keep improving throughout the season.”
Inverness City Lions play their home matches at Millburn Academy and despite being a new team, attendances are on the rise.
“We are being watched by more and more people every time that we play,” said Kerray.
“In our first game there was only a few people, but at our last game there was around 80 people watching.
“Unfortunately there is a lack of seating at Millburn Academy.
“But there is definitely an increase in people who are coming along to watch the games.”
Kerray says Scottish basketball is taking notice of the success of Inverness.
“The club has been put on the map in terms of senior basketball. A lot of central belt teams have taken notice,” he said.
“And it has given the guys locally and especially the guys that play at under-18 level something to look forward to once they have finished school.”
