Cheshire Phoenix head coach Colin O’Reilly wants his side to have an identity and a ‘winning mentality’ in the BBL this season.
The 32-year-old was hired by the Phoenix to replace former head coach John Lavery at the end of the season and arrives at the Cheshire Oaks Arena following a trophy-laden spell as head coach of the UCC Demons in his native Ireland.
O’Reilly, a former player with the Nix when it was under the guise of the Cheshire Jets, knows the BBL well from his time in England and is confident of putting a product on the floor that the fans want to see.
“Last season was a season of transition for the club after moving to the new arena and now what we are wanting to do is develop the basketball side of things and improve what we are producing,” said O’Reilly.
“The aim for us is to have an identity and for us to develop a way of playing basketball that the fans can relate to and know that they will see whenever they come and watch us.
“You have to be competitive in every game and beat the teams around you. That’s something that we will be looking to improve this season and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
“We are wanting a winning mentality and to take the basketball side of things to the next level and to give the fans a team they can be proud of and feel a real part of.”
Having signed experienced BBL players Josh Wilcher and Jamell Anderson and the addition of centre Kaj-Bjorn Sherman during the off-season, O’Reilly revealed he has completed his roster but is awaiting work permits for his American imports before announcing them.
But the Irishman is pleased with how his recruitment has gone so far and believes he has the pieces in place to make Cheshire a competitive force.
“We’ve completed that side of things in terms of getting our professionals signed up and I’m really pleased with what we have done,” said O’Reilly.
“I was focused on making sure we got the players who could best fit into our system and contribute than simply chasing the best individuals that were out there.
“Getting guys like Josh and Jamell on board was key as they are players who know the league and what it is about and they have proven quality at this level.
“We will probably be going deeper than has usually been the case and I’m confident that we have a group that will buy into what we are wanting to do and stick around and help us get some stability moving forward.”
