TJ WALKER believes BiG Storage Cheshire Jets can put their barren opening weekend behind them by claiming a win in Glasgow this weekend.
Jets take on Scottish Rocks on Sunday and coach Walker is confident of returning from the Braehead Arena with two points in the bag.
He said: ‘It’s only a small monkey at the moment, but we need to get the monkey off our back and get that first win.
‘I expect to win on Sunday, and it’s important we get the win.
‘We don’t want to fall away from the pack at this stage. We’ll lose some games early in the season, so we need to steal some wins as well.’
Walker’s BBL coaching career began with a double defeat as Jets lost at Plymouth Raiders last Friday and at home to Sheffield Sharks on Sunday.
The Rocks were beaten by the Sharks over the weekend – meaning they too are still waiting to open their account for the new season.
Rocks’ play-caller Sterling Davis said: ‘We’re looking forward to playing at home, and winning our first game. We don’t know too much about Chester, apart from TJ Walker and James Hamilton, but if we play our team defence, we’ll be okay.’
Davis should have a full complement of players available for the match, with Danish international guard Bilal Clarence having flown into the country on Sunday.
Walker is anticipating an interesting game. He said: ‘I always enjoyed playing against the Rocks when I was with Newcastle, and I’m looking forward to going there with Jets. We’ll be in better shape than we were last week.
‘One of the plus things was that we got to run up and down in a five-on-five situation. A lot of it is down to preparing properly, but they’ll be a tough side to beat. It’s another interesting game.’
While Walker has been among the BBL’s top point guards for many years, he rates the man he will be guarding on Sunday as the best in the league.
‘If I needed to sign a point guard, I would want Rob Yanders to be playing for me,’ said the Californian. ‘I rate him very highly, and think he’s probably the best in the league. He really knows how to run a team.’
