INJURIES, wounds and sickness have time to heal at the Northgate Arena this weekend as the BBL Cup final takes precedence over BBL Championship fixtures.
But while Adam Brown’s concussion, Bill Cole’s flu and possibly even Colin O’Reilly’s pulled quad and injured hamstring may have healed by the time the Jets head to Worcester a week on Saturday, one player who is fighting through the pain barrier is Matt Schneck.
After twice injuring his ankle before Christmas, the big centre – upon whom the Jets rely so much – decided last weekend to return to the court and lay it on the line in an attempt to get his side on track in the BBL Championship.
Looking at the scoring and rebounding statistics you would never realise he was carrying a problem but seeing his frustration with himself on-court reveals the sacrifice the 6ft 8ins centre from Wisconsin is making to try to play.
This week he spoke in an interview with Eurobasket.com where he gave an insight into why he is prepared to put himself through the wringer.
“The Jets were very supportive during a difficult time for me last year,” he said. “I felt in essence that I owed another year to them and to these fans and this community.
“The club hasn’t gotten off to the start which it envisioned. But that allows us to peak at the right time.
“Everyone comes from a situation where they were the most pivotal piece to an equation and it takes effort to balance that. The period of adjustment has taken longer than should be expected for us at this level, but as an organisation we’ve started to take responsibility.
“In the maturity to do that, there is potential for a team here that could make a real playoff push, if we band together and make it there first. As far as from a personal standpoint I am always in search of improvement. It is important for me to meet the club’s expectations after which I can expand my game with the extra time I put in.
“My primary focus for the club is to bring them a double double each game. If I’m not around there in every contest, I’m not earning my paycheck, and out of respect for the organisation that is important to me.”
