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Saturday Feb 14, 2015 in General by Bryer MacPherson () comments
For the first official Mill Rats blog post, we thought we’d start by taking the opportunity to discuss a topic that runs deep into the Saint John and surrounding area.
By Ben Morrison
For the first official Mill Rats blog post, we thought we’d start by taking the opportunity to discuss a topic that runs deep into the Saint John and surrounding area.
Many basketball experts in the US, Canada and overseas are talking about the success of this Mill Rats squad and their incredible ability after the holidays to claw their way back up the standings in the NBL of Canada. Often, we can take teams like the Chicago Bulls during the Jordan era, the Lakers with Shaq and Kobe to think about what it takes to win championships in the NBA. Even more exciting is to discuss this Mill Rats team that is deeper with talent than ever before and looking for their first title in team history.
Many experts would look to the stat sheet and be able to explain the success of this team by the numbers. Whether it be the league leading perimeter shootings percentages, increased offensive and defensive rebounding or their ability to break down teams on defense causing turnovers and breakaway lay-ups and highlight dunks. But for those living in Saint John and passionate about the game, the success of this Mill Rats team goes beyond the basketball court.
Early this season, a strong group of local owners came together to say that they wanted this team to be here for years to come and that a “community” environment will actually give players and coaches more incentive to win. Since this change in philosophy around building a strong team, piece by piece, we have seen this team come together and experience what team chemistry and strong support feels like when you’re playing in a Canadian city like Saint John. If you speak to players, coaches, game day operations, harbor station staff, volunteers, management and local coaches and youth across our great city, the message has been clear. You can assemble a great team, which Ian McCarthy has done but much like it taking a community to raise a child, it takes a strong community to build a strong team and bring home a championship.
Fast forward to February12th, 2015. The Mill Rats are taking on a top team in the Atlantic Division, the Island Storm. Much like all of the home games we have seen since the holiday season, the Mill Rats have used their core strength as a “family” to make this one of the toughest teams to battle in the 4th quarter. A huge win over the storm sent the home crowd and team into celebration mode last night and all because of the shared enthusiasm for these wins. Coach King has used the key pieces of this family along with great strategy to use the fundamentals of the game and confidence to pull out big wins in the 4th. Free throw shooting and scoring late in a game 99% of the time comes down to mental toughness. This team has it.
This Mill Rats team, which has a very good shot at a title, win or lose will go down in history this season for something other than winning games, being part of a strong family. Family comes first and that’s what makes this team incredible. Stay tuned for more updates and thanks to all of the community for the support!!
