To the Essex Sports Arena! …early on Saturday evening for the first home fixture for the Rebs' Division One men of the new season.
And so it begins. That’s my Saturdays booked up pretty much all the way through until the run-in to the playoffs in April.
It was a little weird arriving on campus fashionably early for once. Term time is still a week away.
In the absence of students it seems that the University was holding some kind of conference or gathering for fire officers. I must have counted a dozen fire engines, plus plenty of uniformed fellas walking around. It may have been a health and safety audit.
No such health and safety audit was needed in the Arena. Volume set to max, plenty of energy on the court, fun times only.
It was good to see many familiar faces and the old crowd behind the scenes as part of the Rebs operation.
Meeting and greeting us at the door was Queen B. Spoiler alert for any kids reading: I think Queen B is a new Queen B once again this season. Same costume, slightly different physique, and different vibes when it comes to the dance moves.
The students may not be around just yet but there were plenty of kids turning out to cheer on the men’s Division One team. The Rebs certainly know how to market these games. There’s been a considered push over recent weeks in the run-up to the season opener.
We flashed our season tickets and were immediately handed over a shiny new lanyard for the season, plus the obligatory tote bag with a freebie drink inside.
Tuck in.
We made our way to our usual seats just behind the home benches. Another nice touch this season is that season ticket holders have got their own reserved backrest covering.
It’s been a little awkward for the Rebs Division One team, who are currently coach-less. Joe Hart did a fine job steadying the ship last season. He has gained a rightful promotion to be an assistant up in Caledonia with the men’s Super League team.
The Rebels did announce a few weeks ago the return of the Division Three team, with all-round Rebels good egg Jordan Ashley taking on a player-coach role. He dominated playing in the Division Three team a few seasons ago and has been coaching some of the more junior teams since then.
There’s been a rapid-fire quick promotion for Coach Ashley to look after the big boys in Division One, as the search for a more permanent solution is found.
The bench, meanwhile, looked familiar. There are a few new faces here and there but it’s good to see the core roster from last season being retained by the Rebs.
This includes a well-deserved captaincy role for Tyrese Hudson, who is becoming something of a Rebels legend. He knows his own abilities on the court, but always puts the team first and is a reassuring constant presence.
Recruitment looks decent with pace aplenty. We do seem to be lacking some kind of big bruiser D player to bully around any tricky players that rock up at Our House.
Thankfully Worthing were pretty much similarly matched in terms of physique. I couldn’t see beyond their crappy shorts, which appeared to have a couple of clouds sewn into the design, right on the back side of the players.
Classy.
The game tipped off. Study the buffers. This could have been a disaster for the Rebels. Worthing were all over the home team. No one wants to see that on your own court.
Rebels somehow found their calm and managed to slow down the Worthing charge. The home team played a scrappy first quarter and were fortunate to only trail 27-16 at the first buzzer.
The second quarter was bloody awful viewing for any Rebels fans. Worthing were able to sink their three-pointers whilst every effort from the Rebels fell short. A punishing run by the away team took them to a 25-point lead at one stage.
Some three-pointers were finally sunk by Johnny Mac. Rebels cut out the scrappy approach to play and realised instead that the way to beat Worthing was through pace.
The away team were clearly frustrated on three occasions in the second quarter. They were timed out with the shot clock.
Unlucky.
The halftime break came. We just about managed to dodge the Kiss Cam on the big screen. Our mugs flashed up for a few seconds before the refs blew the whistles to restart the game.
Rebels were trailing 44-36 as the third quarter got underway. They managed to close the gap with some smart moves, with Worthing having their lead reduced to 63-55 entering the final quarter.
This was always something of a slight stretch too far for the Rebels to overcome. What they did well with the new interim coach and new players was to contain Worthing. They made the away team work for their 86-73 point win.
And so not the result we wanted for the Rebels but not the disaster this could have been. Coach Ashley didn’t look out of place and he clearly has the respect of some of the players who are more senior than him.
Up the Rebs.
