Martelle McLemore hopes to return to action in the next couple of weeks and believes that Surrey Heat are good enough to win the league.
The American has been sidelined with an ankle injury since his side’s BBL Cup quarter-final defeat to Plymouth in late October but is pleased with his current recovery.
“The ankle is coming along good. I’ve been having physio and started rehab last week so it’s feeling better everyday!” said McLemore.
Surrey are in a good position in the league with an 8-2 record bettered only by Leicester and Newcastle and McLemore is refusing to rule out his side’s chances at challenging for the championship.
“If we come to play, I like our chances against any team in the league. Consistency is a major key for a chance at the title,” the 24 year-old added.
Martelle McLemore in action against the Rocks in October
McLemore also pinned the aspirations of a league championship on Chavis Holmes after praising his team-mate, who tops the league charts in both steals and assists.
“Chavis (Holmes) is a very good and versatile player, who can do so much more than score. He does a lot of things that don’t show up on the stat-sheet and I enjoy having him in the backcourt with me”
“He is vital to the team and any hopes of a title,” added McLemore.
In his absence, Surrey Heat have acquired the services of Chavis Holmes’ twin brother Travis but McLemore expects to be back in a few weeks.
“I’m hoping to return now but in reality it will be a few more weeks before I’m back to 100%”
The timing of McLemore’s injury was unfortunate as the American had just began to hit top form. McLemore had been a consistent scorer for Surrey and averaged 19.6 points per game before suffering the ankle blow.
“I was happy with the way I was playing but it was the collective team performance that I was pleased with. My personal play was a direct correlation of how good we were playing as a team.”
Surrey fell to their first home league defeat of the season two weeks ago and McLemore admits to being frustrated having to watch from the sidelines as opposed to playing.
“It’s been very frustrating having to watch the team take to the floor and not be out there! In a win, I want to part of the fun and in a loss, I feel I could have helped get the W.”
Surrey will have to continue to cope with the loss of McLemore for at least a few more weeks as they look to keep up the pressure on the top two as they take on Manchester this Saturday at Surrey Sports Park.
Image courtesy of AD Bowler
