Urban Knights gear up for strong 2023 NBL season
Published:Saturday | April 15, 2023 | 1:23 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
Urban Knights, the 2012 and 2013 National Basketball League (NBL) champions, will be looking for a third hold on the title when the season tips off in the final week of May following a three-year stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Head coach of Urban Knights, Oneil Brown, is excited about the resumption of the league as he believes this year could be the charm for his charges.
“I’m excited because the last time we played was back in 2020 when corona (COVID-19) stopped the league. I remember at the time the league was halted we were doing well. Two unbeaten teams, including Urban Knights, were on six-game winning streaks, so I’m excited for the return and I can’t wait,” said Brown.
The experienced coach said that preparations as a unit have, however, not started as yet due to the fact that his players are currently playing in the ongoing Division One league. Coach Brown stated that the team will be together by the first week in May and preparations for the league are expected to start soon after that.
“All of our players are playing Division One at the moment so we waiting until the league concludes to get our players together. We are looking at the end of April, when the Division One ends, so by first or second week in May I think we will be raring to go,” he added.
Historically, the Urban Knights team has been a unit known for their fast-paced game but coach Brown believes his well-rounded team which is littered with young players will be using former players as motivation for the younger crop going into the 2023 NBL season.
“We are all-round players, we can shoot, we can run the floor because Urban Knights as a brand has always banked on the youths and we would use some former top players to nurture the younger generation coming up, so we are raring to go. Some things may not work like they used to in the past but as coaches we have to be willing to adapt,” Brown stated.
Coach Brown who last tasted title success some 10 years ago (2013) when they defeated Tivoli Garden Wizards 2-1 believes he can take some things from that championship run to fuel this year’s title aspirations.
“I’ve won the NBL twice, 2012 and 2013. The NBL hasn’t been won by a lot of teams just the Rebels, Slayers, Wizards and the Knights. From the inception, those four have won it but then again it’s a different generation now so you have to adapt to the style of play which is important,” coach Brown added.