Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders’ Guard Bradd Wierzbicki believes nothing but the best will be good enough for his team when they face the Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Championship final on Saturday.
Wierzbicki, 26, played his part in The Riders’ 97-72 second leg victory against Glasgow Rocks on Sunday; an assured performance that secured their place in the coveted final.
Wierzbicki is under no illusions of the calibre of their opponents and the difficulty of the task they face at the weekend: “We have to play our best game if we’re going to beat them. If we don’t bring our A game they’ll win. They are a team with the league MVP in Joe Chapman, a great big man in Andy Thomson and they have Charles Smith.” Wierzbicki added: “We need to limit them offensively, and keeping them off the three point line is a key factor. We need defensive intensity and we need to play well offensively. Cheshire struggled to score against them on Sunday, as have to avoid that.”
The New-Yorker also reserved special praise for Great Britain captain, and former Newcastle Eagles forward, Drew Sullivan: “Drew is so smart, and he does everything you need to do to win. He’s been successful at so many levels, and there’s a reason for that. He’s a heady player, he’s smart and talented. He’s a fantastic influence on us, and calms us down. I can’t believe that he didn’t make the defensive team of the year, we were struggling a bit before he got here and he really changed things.”
