CRUSADERS FINALISE SQUAD TO CHALLENGE FOR TOP FIVE FINISH
By Adam Manning
Coventry Crusaders Basketball Club have completed their player recruitment for this season by drafting in two new players to the first team squad.
They are 6'6'' American power forward Casey Crawford and another 6'6'' power forward Dave Edden to take head coach Roger Payne's squad to 16 members as Crusaders go in search of a top five play-off finish in National League Division One.
Edden makes a return to the club after a short and unsuccessful spell at the start of this season with last year's National League Division One champions Derby Trailblazers, while Coventry kid Kane Hudson has left the club to pursue teaching ambitions.
Crusaders assistant coach Marcus Garvey was particularly enthused by the capture of Crawford, labelling him a "workaholic" which was a statement that wasn't far wrong as he top scored 26 points in the 79-80 defeat to Reading Rockets.
Garvey said of the 25-year-old: "He wants to get the team into the habit of being successful, even if it means he has to take fifteen shots rather than him sharing the ball."
"He's a very good medium to long range shooter and very strong around the basket, so he's got a very good all-round game. He's very much what I call a workaholic."
As for the return of Edden, who was a mainstay in last year's Crusaders side under ex-head coach Scott Neely, Garvey explained: "Dave has come back to us because of the travelling he had to do and the limited court time he was getting - so it made more sense."
It has been a frustrating time for the team with postponements against Manchester Magic and Derby Trailblazers preventing the team from amending a 1-4 win-loss league record.
Crusaders' last league outing saw the dramatic 79-80 home loss to Reading Rockets, when a last second missed free throw from Coventry forward Siman Stewart wasn't enough to force overtime in a game that was in Coventry's favour until they surrendered a ten point lead with five minutes of the game left.
Coventry's fully assembled squad return to action against Leeds Carnegie on Saturday 8 January at 7:30pm at the Coventry Sports & Leisure Centre. Tickets are £2 for adults and £1 for concessions.