NOTHING is going to spoil my first season as head coach at TCS Chester Jets having won the BBL Trophy, not even the second heaviest defeat in the club's history!
We went into denial as soon as the final buzzer went on Sunday with the scoreboard showing a 50-point defeat at the hands of champions-elect Brighton Bears who were determined to avenge that Trophy defeat.
We have since become philosophical about the loss and while I am reluctant to make excuses there is no denying, not even by Brighton, that we were suffering from our injury worries.
Ryan Huntley had to sit out his second successive match and with only five other professionals to carry the burden against a team with a choice of eight it was little wonder the rest of the squad became very tired.
We couldn't buy a basket in the end and while the defeat hurt us if I had been asked a few weeks ago if I would swap a BBL Trophy final victory for a league win against Brighton it would have been no contest.
Yes, it was a bad performance, but I know this was a one-off. Mike Nurse, for instance, struggled to find the basket from open play on Sunday, as did James Hamilton, but Mike, in particular, has been carrying us during our spell of injuries and it was probably a game too much, particularly after playing the night before at Thames Valley Tigers.
It's all about how we bounce back. Unfortunately, we could hardly have a bigger test than tomorrow's game at Sheffield Sharks.
I am sure our fans will appreciate my motives if I decide to rest some of our professionals in the remaining matches of the regular season if it means we can go into the play-offs at full strength. If we have to sacrifice a couple of wins, it will be worth it.
Once the season is over we can start to think seriously about our next campaign. Having decided to concentrate on coaching the Jets full-time I will be able to put more time into recruiting and we have already opened talks with our existing squad.
However, I have to be realistic and resign myself to the fact not all the players will be staying.
John McCord, having acquired his British passport, is sure to be in big demand in Europe where he could command up to 10 times the salary he gets in Britain.
He could earn up to $250,000 a year and if he can play at that level for three or four years it would set his family up for a long time. Who could blame him for chasing that crock of gold?
