Tara Murray
The Altona Gators believe they are onto something special in the Big V division 2 season.
Having kept their core group together that went deep into finals last season, the Gators are again expected to be one of the contenders.
Coach Josh Turton said some good pre-season results had shown them that they were heading into the right direction.
“We beat a couple of division 1 teams in the pre-season and we felt like there was something special there,” he said.
“I set a high standard. Whatever happens, happens. Nothing is a given, but we’ll keep working at our best and take it week by week.”
The Gators have started the season with a 2-1 record, which Turton said he’s fairly happy with, knowing they are yet to have their full side on court.
He said there had been some positive signs so far.
“We’ve lost a couple of games against higher up teams,” he said. “We’ve done a good job considering we have not had a full team.
“We’ve been up and down, but if you said we would be 2-1 at the start of the season I would have been happy with it.
“We’ve had a couple of players missing every game. Sunday we were missing four key guys, but no excuses, next man up mentality.”
While Turton is in his first season as head coach, he was on the side lines last season as an assistant coach, giving him head start.
He said they were a lot further ahead than what they were last season.
“We’re slightly different,” he said. “We brought in same pieces in Nick Patel and Adam Anderson
“We’ve changed something with our structure and what we are running. Guys who didn’t play much last year are getting more of an opportunity.”
The addition of Anderson gives the Gators their first import in a number of seasons.
Turton said he really knows how to score and is really professional how he goes about it.
“He missed the first game and got injured in the third game,” he said.
“I feel like the best of him is still to come.”
One area Turton has been working on is building the relationship with the youth league team.
He said they needed to have the two teams connected.
“We’re more connected with the youth league team and we had a couple of players step up on Sunday and did a really good job.
“The pathway has opened up between the senior and youth league team.
The Gators had the weekend off due to the Easter break, which Turton said came at a good time.
He said they would have some time off to help the group recover from some niggling injuries after playing a lot of basketball in the last six weeks.
The Gators next match is on April 16 against the Sherbrooke Suns.
