“We’ve improved in some areas, but we have some growth yet to happen.”
Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Home isn’t where the wins are — not yet, anyway.
The Saskatchewan Rattlers, winners of two games on the road, are still searching for their first victory on home-court for the 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League season.
They’ll look to secure a ‘W’ on Friday when they host the Scarborough Shooting Stars. Game-time is 7:30 p.m. at SaskTel Centre.
“We played Scarborough tough in their own building (91-84 loss last week),” Rattlers first-year head coach Eric Magdanz said following a 101-76 defeat at home against the league’s top team, Vancouver Bandits, on Sunday.
“I think the key, really, for us, is finding a way to control Donovan Williams (who had 34 points, five rebounds and two assists against the Rattlers). He was a big part of what they did. Being able to throw some bodies at him and bring a level of physicality that we didn’t see last time.”
Magdanz feels the Rattlers, who fell to 2-5 with their loss to Vancouver before a franchise-record attendance of 3,518, need to play an aggressive and physical style of play to find success.
“Vancouver played physically, and we didn’t match the physicality right from the start,” he explained. “That put us behind. With a good team, whenever you get put behind, you’re in for a long night. The last three quarters, we lost by eight. We win the third quarter (18-16). We played within our tempo. We played physically defensively, and that let us get out in transition. There are things to build off, but it definitely means we’re going to get back to the drawing board on this one.”
Magdanz would like to see his team attack the rim and dip into the paint more.
“Absolutely. I think that comes down to the physicality part of it,” he said. “It’s about being able to assert your will on the other team and a lot of that is getting into the paint, collapse the defence and create plays for others. I think we settled a lot for the pull-up jump (shot).
“We’ve improved in some areas, but we have some growth yet to happen … We (have) found success by playing together, playing as a team, and we lacked that (Sunday).”
Jamir Chaplin is leading the way for the Rattlers on the score-sheet as the team’s top scorer. Point guard Nate Pierre-Louis is the true engine that gets the team going, but he struggled against the Bandits. Aussie import Grant Anticevich has had his moments, too.
The return of Cody John and Jaden Bediako, along with the addition of Jordan Bowden, has helped. But the team is looking for more consistency.
The Rattlers are home Friday before heading onto the road with three straight games against the Winnipeg Sea Bears, Brampton Honey Badgers and Montreal Alliance, respectively.
“The road trip (last week) was good for us in terms of building some team camaraderie, and that’s helped,” Magdanz said. “It helped us work on a couple of things with the benefit of all being together on the road. I don’t think it’s anything specific (missing) at home, but we have a week of practice here that we’re excited to get back to.”
dzary@postmedia.com
