Cheshire Phoenix head coach John Coffino praised his sides resilience and character ahead of tonight's league encounter with BBL heavyweights London Lions at the Copper Box (7.30pm).
Coffino's men bounced back from their 91-84 BBL Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Sheffield Sharks on Friday by putting in a dominant display to beat BBL newcomers Bristol Flyers by a convincing 92-72 scoreline at the Northgate Arena on Sunday night.
The Nix, who are now 3-4 in the league this season, travel to London to face a tough Lions side that have three wins from their opening four games and boast a roster that includes last season's league MVP Zaire Taylor and talent including veteran point guard Rod Brown, Great Britain's Drew Sullivan and the impressive Adrien Sturt.
But New Yorker Coffino says his ever-improving side are ready to mix it with the Lions and is looking forward to the challenge.
"The guys are excited to go to London and play at the arena and we are hoping we can go down there and get the win," Coffino told the Chronicle.
"It will be a tough game as the London Lions have a star-studded cast and have the likes of Zaire Taylor and Lovell Cook on their roster, but we have great players on our side too.
"After the loss in the BBL Cup to Sheffield the guys showed tremendous character to bounce back on Sunday and get the win. We had more options off the bench than we have had in recent weeks and it paid off. You need depth to win games of basketball.
"The energy in the second half against Bristol was great and it showed what we are capable of, but we are still growing as a team and we will get even better."
The Nix, who last week added former NBA star Julius Hodge and 6ft 10ins British Virgin Islander Lester Prosper to their squad, have no fresh injury concerns ahead of tonights trip to the capital.
"The guys are in good spirits and we're ready to go," added Coffino.
"We're prepared for tonight but we know it will be tough as the BBL is a really competitive league and there are a lot of strong teams we have to face."
