ADAM Brown is likely to play for the Cheshire Jets this weekend despite suffering nerve damage after losing his two front teeth on Saturday.
Brown hit the floor and dislodged his front gnashers but simply picked them up and carried on playing.
That act earned a huge dose of admiration and respect from his teammates and fans, although it wasn’t enough to inspire his side to BBL Championship victory at Worcester or 24 hours later at Plymouth.
After visiting the dentist this week for emergency surgery it is still unclear what the extent of the damage is, as he underwent a procedure to reduce the pain for a fortnight and must return for an assessment of the nerve damage.
Despite all that he stood out last weekend and will face Durham Wildcats on the road on Saturday before taking to the floor at the Northgate Arena against Leicester Riders on Sunday (5.30pm).
Colin O’Reilly is more doubtful this weekend as he continues to struggle with a torn thigh muscle, while Matt Schneck has been undergoing acupuncture for the first time in his career in an effort to alleviate the pain and swelling in his right ankle.
But with the Jets now sitting outside the BBL Championship play-off zone, head coach John Lavery needs his players to bite the bullet and leave everything out on the court if they are to retain any hope of making it to the post-season.
“When we went to Durham last time we played badly in the first half and lost the game by one,” he said.
“When they came to the Northgate we dominated the game for three quarters but let them back in in the fourth. So we need to close games out.
“As for the Riders, Rob’s got them playing really well this year, they're a tough side.
“We’ve played them twice this year and lost both games by 21. And with them coming off a loss to MK Lions, I'm expecting a tough game on Sunday.”
Despite this, Riders boss Rob Paternostro is surprised at the Jets form.
“The Jets have been unlucky this season,” he said. “They have been in a lot of games and for whatever reason have come up short.”
