Cheshire Jets: Office junior Matt Schneck confident in Jets ability

Oct 26 2011 by Alec Doyle, Chester Chronicle

SUCCESS breeds pressure, particularly when it takes fans by surprise, so when centre Matt Schneck returned to the Northgate Arena this summer you could feel the expectation.

He burst on the scene as a rookie last term and seemed instantly able to bully the opposition.

So as John Lavery’s side have gone through a process of gelling together as a team, it has been Schneck – no longer a rookie – who the fans have looked to for a spark.

That spark finally became a flame last Friday as the 6ft 8ins Wisconsin native helped his side grab their first win, in their final BBL Trophy group game at Mersey Tigers, earning a spot in the BBL’s Team of the Week in the process.

The Jets are on the road again on Sunday at Guildford Heat (3pm) in the BBL Championship but Schneck does not believe that will adversly affect the team.

“I think it’s good for us,” he said. “It’s nice to face adversity and opposing fans and get that adrenaline pumping. The Northgate is great to play at but we shouldn’t be playing any different on the road.”

Schneck returned in the summer having spent time with NBA side the Milwaukee Bucks, giving their prospects a big man to train with.

“The main thing I took from the summer with the Bucks was the skill set, the basketball intelligence,” said Matt.

“To pick up from them the IQ they have at that level was important to me and I that has been helpful.”

The Jets’ lack of silverware last year left Schneck feeling there was unfinished business here and his return, helped by a sponsorship/work experience deal with club sponsor AVC, was partly dure to head coach John Lavery’s winning mentality.

“The way that Lavo (Lavery) and this organisation recruited was to be a winning club,” he said. “I need to keep doing what I was doing last year, make the hustle plays and rebounding and trying to get everybody involved as much as I can

“It’s been incredible working with AVC. It’s not quite the real world yet, I’m working three days a week Monday through Wednesday and I have time to wind down and mentally prepare for the weekend.

“However far down the road I need this experience, it is positive and they are a great sponsor for me.”