Paternostro claims coach award

Leicester’s Rob Paternostro has been named Molten BBL Coach of the Month for November.

The play-caller never lost a game during the month with five wins and that truly magnificent tie last weekend with Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Cup semi-final first leg when Riders came back from the dead to preserve their unbeaten status.

Paternostro guided his team to three vital BBL Championship wins during November and they are yet to lose in the league although they had to really work hard to emerge victorious in tight games on the road at Guildford Heat and One Health Sharks Sheffield. Things were a little easier against defending champions Mersey Tigers as they cruised to a home floor success.

Having also won comfortably at London Leopards in the BBL Trophy, perhaps the most important result was a superb 95-74 success at Cheshire Jets in the BBL Cup quarter-finals.

Paternostro has really had his team firing on all cylinders and playing some exciting basketball. The likes of Ayron Hardy, Cameron Rundles and Drew Sullivan have all featured regularly in the BBL Team Of The Week line-up and more recently Brett Royster also booked a spot.

Paternostro will now try to further enhance his reputation by coaching his team to a win at Sport Central against Newcastle Eagles which would punch their ticket for the BBL Cup Final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham next month.

He will once again pit his wits against Eagles’ player-coach Fab Flournoy, the winner of the October accolade who just like Paternostro, ensured his team were unbeaten during November.