Devan Bailey hailed the Cheshire Phoenix fans as the star peformers after a packed house roared their team to a win over Durham Wildcats on Sunday.
Bailey, 25, proved the hero for the Nix on Sunday after he made a vital two-point jump shot, drawing the foul and draining the free throw with just five seconds left to seal the 83-79 win.
But Bailey, who hails from Helsby, was modest in his role in the victory and praised the vocal home crowd for their contribution in securing the Nix fourth BBL win of the season.
“The energy on Sunday was just incredible,” said Great Britain international Bailey, who was named as the Nix MVP by fans last season.
“The place was rocking and they had loads of kids in as well which made for an amazing atmosphere.
“It was so loud. It was like playing in a big arena and it really helped us push on at the end and get the win. They were a massive part of it and, hopefully, those who hadn’t been to a Nix game before enjoyed it and will come back and see us every week.”
Bailey, who penned a two-year deal at the Northgate Arena on at the end of last season, believes that progress is being made on the court under the stewardship of head coach John Coffino but admits the Nix face stiff competition in their quest for silverware this season.
“Our target at the beginning of the season was to try and win some silverware and that hasn’t changed, but we are still gelling as a team and there are a lot of quality sides in this league,” said Bailey, who hit eight points from the bench in Sunday’s win.
“Only the other day me and Dave (Aliu) were talking about how the BBL is stronger than it has ever been. Newcastle, Worcester, Leicester, London, Sheffield, they are all top sides.
“We have had players come and go at the start and things take time to gel, but if we can keep the core group of guys we’ve got at the moment then I think we’ve got a really good chance of success as we’ve got some quality players here.
“On our day, if everything clicks into place and we play our best basketball then we know we are capable of beating any team in this league.”
Head coach Coffino echoed the sentiments of his point guard and praised the vocal support of the home crowd on Sunday night and expressed his desire to see the same atmosphere created on a weekly basis.
“The atmosphere on Sunday, wow, it was just unbelievable,” said Coffino.
“It was great to see the place so packed and I wanted us to win that game more than anything for those fans and we did that.
“It was an exciting game and I hope that the fans thought so also and that they’ll come back again next week.”
The Nix face two games this weekend in the BBL, travelling to Bristol Flyers on Saturday (7.30pm), before facing Plymouth Raiders at the Northgate Arena on Sunday (5.30pm).
