Rundles and Riders on the up

Leicester could be on the verge of something very special in the BBL – that’s if Cameron Rundles’ post game comments at the weekend are anything to go by.

Rundles was speaking after the Riders’ emphatic 102-67 victory over MK Lions at the weekend, which is sure to make the rest of the league sit up and take notice.

Coach Rob Paternostro has been quietly building a team capable of competing in the higher reaches of the BBL, and his bench now boasts Great Britain captain Drew Sullivan, and fellow recent signing Brett Royster.

Rundles told the club’s official website: “We’re a little group man. We’re so loose but we hold each other accountable and we’re serious when we need to be. I think we need that. You can’t be uptight all the time but you got to have that professionalism.

“Like I said before, Andrew Sullivan came in right away and showed us how to be a pro. He and Flinder showed guys like myself, Ayron and Brett how to be a pro. So when you combine that youth with the mind of those guys, things come together…it’s fun.”

“When you’re winning by 20, 30, 40 points and you still got Rob going crazy…we’re up 30 and he’s going crazy, that’s passion right there. You got to love that out of a coach. He’s never sitting down, he’s yelling at me because I turned the ball over late. He’s on my case – that’s great. He loves to win. He’s the biggest competitor in the group.”

And if his post-game enthusiasm didn’t showcase it enough, Rundles expressed his delight at playing for the Riders at the John Sandford Centre.

He added: “I love playing here man. It’s a great atmosphere. With everyone screaming, I love it. So when you hit a shot, everybody goes crazy so you feed off it. They’re like a sixth man.”