David Aliu says he has never been more excited about the start of a new season ahead of this year’s BBL campaign with the Cheshire Phoenix.
Aliu, 33, joined the new-look Nix from Manchester Giants back in June, becoming the first new arrival of the close season following the arrival of new head coach John Coffino.
Since arriving at the Northgate Arena, Aliu has been joined by a host of new faces, many of whom who have plied their trade in the NBA D-League, with respected American coach Coffino demostrating his strong networks in the game.
With such optimism and excitement surrounding the Nix prior to the new season, and with the club widely tipped to be challenging for honours come the end of the campaign, Aliu says he is more hungry than ever for success.
“To be honest, I’m more excited about this season than I have been for a new season for a long, long time,” said Aliu, who has BBL Championship and Trophy honours from his time with the Mersey Tigers back in 2010-2011.
“I’ve been in constant communication with Coach Coffino and me and all the lads are buzzing and we can’t wait to meet up and get started now, it’s really exciting.”
Aliu believes the appointment of Coach Coffino could proved a masterstroke for the Nix, who are set to move in to a new 1,400 seater arena in Ellesmere Port in 2015.
New Yorker Coffino has brought in a number of high-profile signings including American’s Renaldo Major, Aleek Pauline and Demond Watt, and Aliu believes his side will cope with the added pressure.
“The coach knows basketball inside out and he knows he has put together a team, not just seven or eight talented individuals,” he added.
“We’re all here wanting to win, so we don’t feel like there is pressure on us to win silverware as it is what we joined the club to do.
“With us moving to a new home next year we want to make sure we are a winning side so people will come and see us. There’s no reason why we can’t pick up silverware this season.
“Coach Coffino is coming over this next week and all the rest of the new guys are coming over too. The sooner we all link up and get together, practising and getting in some hours on the court, the better we will be.
“I honestly can’t remember being this excited about a new season. It feels like something special is happening here and it’s great to be a part of it.”
With the Nix making huge strides in the community with their involvement in schools through their Hoops4Health campaign and their wheelchair basketball side, Aliu is aiming to play his part in developing the club and helping them progress both on and off the court.
The Liverpudlian said: “For me, I want to see thsi club develop and grow and continue to reach out to communities, kids and schools.
“This club is doing great things off the court and I want to be a part of that. When I was growing up I didn’t have the opportunities that exist now and it would be great if we could get the kids involved and see more of them come through and play the game.
“I’ve made a career in the game and Devan (Bailey) is in the Great Britain side, I would love to see more kids locally go on and make it in basketball. For me, that would be absolutely fantastic to see.”
The Nix begin their BBL campaign on Sunday, September 28, at home to Leicester Riders (5.30pm).
