VICTORY at holders Scottish Rocks 10 days ago has given TCS Chester Jets the chance for glory in the BBL Championship Play-Offs in Birmingham this weekend.
After steering the club to a fourth straight BBL Trophy success in his first season in charge, rookie coach Paul Smith must again overcome league winners Brighton Bears, the team Jets defeated to retain the trophy, if he and his side are to progress to the Play-Off final.
If Jets can put one over on the country's best team on Saturday like they did in March when they edged out Bears 68-66, then either Sheffield Sharks or London Towers will lie in wait for Sunday's final.
Consistently the most outstanding outfit in the BBL year in-year out, Sheffield, now Jets' closest geographical neighbours in the league, have built up a fiercely-contested rivalry with Chester.
If the sides were to meet in the final then it would be a repeat of the 2002 decider, when Jets came out on top at Wembley Arena to complete their historic clean sweep of domestic honours.
A clash with London would unite Jets with former coach Robbie Peers, the man who led the club to the legendary 'Jet Wash' and their first six pieces of silver-ware before heading south a year ago.
Jets clinched their place in this weekend's showcase with an 86-83 success in the first round at Scottish Rocks.
The result marked a change in fortunes from 12 months ago when defending champions Jets were dumped out by a Rocks side containing Billy Singleton and Ryan Huntley, who have both since switched to the Northgate Arena.
Coach Paul Smith was delighted that his team were once again able to get the verdict in a tightly-fought match.
He said: 'We have a lot of experience and character and our players don't make mistakes in those situations. We were seven points down towards the end but I told the players to be patient and look around them and they'd see other big-time performers who they could trust.'
Saturday's semi-final is a repeat of the BBL Trophy final played six weeks ago but Smith reckons that this encounter could be quite different.
He said: 'In the Trophy final, we tried to make it messy and tight because we had some tough injuries. It was ugly but that's what we needed to do. We're in better shape now but while I can't see us blowing Brighton out like they did to us at the Northgate, when Bears step up they can be unstoppable.
'But if we do beat them then it will give us the platform to finish the job in the final. Momentum is certainly something that exists in this sport and you can almost taste it at Jets when we get on a role.'
With 26 BBL medals between them, Jets' locker room is the most decorated in the country, but Smith is convinced his players are still hungry for silverware.
He said: 'Having acquired British citizenship, John McCord has the opportunity to play in continental Europe next season. We'd love to keep him but it's a great opportunity for him to make his family financially secure in the future, plus it's a fresh challenge.
'This weekend is likely to be the last we'll see of John in British basketball for a while and he'll be determined to go out on a high.'
