Troopers' Run Over Spartans
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday August 5, 2019 13:38
Troopers led 3-0 in the first few minutes of the game. Troopers coach, William Nyangu told Sport Monitor that he was aware that he was going to play against a team that has older players while his side has the youth. He said the idea was to use speed.
“It was key to run them out of the game and I knew it was going to be a close game especially in the first quarter. From the jump ball I put in a young squad and there was no traditional centre on the court. I did that to push speed. My charges executed the first quarter very well. I realised that Spartans were getting tired in the second quarter, I made changes introducing fresh legs and it was clear our opponents had run out of steam,” Nyangu said.
He said despite the win, they could have picked up more rebounds and in some instances they did not box out enough. The coach was impressed by the performance of Sianang, who was making his debut. He said the player passed a couple of turn- overs and it was learning curve for him. He said the focus now should be on training because the next match is not going to be easy against Dolphins. Spartans captain, Sylvester Noke said the league just started and they took long to prepare for it. He said at the moment they are trying out new players and see how they adjust to the new system.
“Most of the new players are from the lower division leagues and youngsters. The second quarter we were trouble and our players were tired. Troopers were fitter than us because they have long been training. We made mistakes and lost the ball easily,” he said.
Teams: Troopers: Kirim Shehu, (Mbaki Pitso), Ramoshebi, Maikutlo Lempaole, (Liberty Chakanoinakira), Yaone Badisang (Sianang) and Yaone Moremetsi
Spartans: Thato Mekwe, Tinashe Mutambara, Kago Masisi, Noke, Peter Ubakar, Wailer Motse, Guru Kalayane.