Plymouth Raiders - Team Preview

Plymouth Raiders

Point Guard: Raiders had one of the best British point guards in the league last year. Anthony Martin averaged 7.3 assists per game, one of the league leaders. Martin has swapped Britain for Denmark, though, and despite promising early recruitment Raiders now look probably the weakest team at the 1.

Raiders initally signed England international Matthew Guymon who looks a good prospect and could certainly develop into a decent player. But deep into Raiders' pre-season, Guymon pulled out for personal reasons, moving closer to home and signing for EBL side Reading Rockets.

Guymon is difficult to replace as Raiders have already signed three permit players, and there isn't really a glut of BBL level point guards around in the UK. Instead Plymouth now rely on stop-gap solutions including 6'3'' shooting guard/small forward Taner Adu who has good ball-handling skills but not the court vision of a true point. Adu will play the majority of the minutes here and as a player deserves more than the grade I will give for point guard, but he is out of position and would contribute more with a proper playmaker.

Guards Cody Toppert and Brian McKenzie will back-up the point until coach Gavin Love makes the decision to bring someone else in. On Raiders current performances it's clear that even if Guymon was still around, Plymouth would need more.

Grade: D+

Shooting Guard: Raiders have plenty of depth here, in fact if Guymon was still around the depth would be a bit scary. Aside from the aforementioned Adu Raider have signed 6'4'' American swingman Brian McKenzie and American/German shooter Cody Toppert.

Two highly contrasting styles: McKenzie is more of a powerful, athletic player bruising his to the hoop, whilst Toppert is primarily a shooter who can really punish a team if he gets hot. Together they make an intruiging combination especially if a point guard capable of setting them up is brought in.

Experiencd Toppert led German third division side BG Illertal with 18.9 ppg last term and should be a dependable scorer replacing erratic Englishman Ali Gall. McKenzie is fresh out of Providence College in America, where he was known as a lock-down defender and a pure athlete.

Jay Marriott is a better player than he has shown at BBL level. He has proved that, if given the minutes, he can contribute well, but once again Raiders appear to have too much swingman depth for him to see much more time.

Grade: B+

Small Forward: Samuel Cricelli was probably the highlight of Worthing Thunder's last year. He averaged 11 points and 6.8 rebounds playing out-of-position for much of the season. At Plymouth he has the opportunity to move to his more natural small forward, where he can come into his own as a strong defender and a skilled shooter.

He's a difficult match-up for most teams, especially considering the variety of back ups here. McKenzie and forward Lehmon Colbert will get the majority of the reserve minutes, although there may be a chance for Marriott to force his way into meaningful court-time.

Grade: B

Power Forward: 6'6'' American Lehmon Colbert would be somewhat undersized in Europe, but at BBL level he will be fine at the 4. Athletic and strong, Colbert has so far shown to be Plymouth's best player this season. New out of NCAA college Jacksonville, Colbert had 12 ppg and 7 rpg last season, and should be a dominant force inside.

Cricelli will also get minutes at the 4 when Raiders go small (hmmm, Cricelli is taller than Colbert...), likewise Anthony Rowe when they go big.

Grade: B

Centre: 6'8'' Anthony Rowe was a Plymouth junior who took his skills stateside and has returned a highly skilled player. He pulled down an impresive 8.6 rebounds per game last year and added 12.3 points. Admitedly, I haven't seen Rowe since he was much younger. I recall him as being slight but having long arms and a decent touch inside. It will be interesting to see how he has progressed.

Sharing time with Rowe is American Otis Polk. Polk is a big bruiser who has been criticised for his lack of athleticism and speed. He has certainly made a slow start to the season, showing only glimpses of promise, but Raiders have a rich history of powerfully built big-men. Terrance Durham and Carlton Aaron are two of the most memorable imports from their past. If Polk can live up to their standard he wont be shrort for minutes.

Grade: B+

Key Additions: I'm a big fan of free-scorer Taner Adu. He is such a great offensive threat, but would undoubtedly serve Raiders much better without the pressure of being the only player capable of playing the point.

Key Losses: I've said it before, but Raiders need a point guard more desperately than anything else. Anthony Martin would have been perfect, but they'll need to look elsewhere.

Full Roster:

Taner Adu 6'3'' SG/PG/SF
Jamie Burchell 6'5'' SF
Lehmon Colbert 6'6'' PF
Sam Cricelli 6'7'' SF/PF
Jay Marriott 6'5'' SG/SF
Brian McKenzie 6'4'' SG
Otis Polk 6'9'' C
Anthony Rowe 6'8'' PF/C
Cody Toppert 6'4'' SG