By Mark Schadenberg
LONDON -- Lightning is electricity in the atmosphere.
At Budweiser Gardens in Downtown London, Lightning has been captured and all sports fans should attend to witness the downpour of points in person.
Winning a championship at any level of team sports is a difficult task.
Management must assemble a cohesive and accomplished group of athletes.
What if winning a league title was only the starting point? It would seem this is exactly what the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada are manufacturing – consistently getting better through the assembling of talent.
A team must learn to believe in itself. The Lightning did that last March 25th when they capped a 28-8 regular season with a playoff win, claiming the decisive fifth game of the finals, 116-92. Their domination of the NBL seemingly began that day in the fourth quarter when outscoring the Halifax Rainmen 35-15 over the closing 12 minutes.
London’s love affair with the Lightning grew stronger.
Advance seven months and the Lightning have leapt out of the gate 10-0 on the new season with an astounding average margin of victory of 23 points.
The statistics and hard court results would indicate the club’s spark is from Morgan Lewis, who London had obtained in a pre-season trade from Oshawa. Lewis is third on the club in points per game (12.9), and second in rebounds (7.2). The balanced score sheet also features Jermaine Blackburn (13.3 ppg) and Tim Ellis (13.2). In an eight-team league, Blackburn is 19th in NBL scoring – every player on the floor is a factor.
Basketball is a sport with a starting five obviously, but the bench is key in dominating all 48 minutes in the key and beyond the three-point arc.
NBA Experience
The Lightning’s most impressive resume -- with NBA time with Miami, Philadelphia, Memphis, Sacramento and New Jersey -- belongs to Rodney Buford, but he averages just 20 minutes per game and 11.1 points on a club that distributes significant time to 10 different players.
The signing of Canadian Osvaldo Jeanty has ignited even more thunder in the Lightning. Jeanty, who was the Canadian university athlete of the year among all sports in 2006, was a star guard for the OUA’s Carleton Ravens and played pro in both Germany and Romania before joining London.
The Lightning active roster features just two current regulars from the championship squad in DeAnthony Bowden and Tim Ellis. When you factor in Jeremy Williams, Adrian Moss, Elvin Mims, and DeAndre Thomas, it’s easy to see how this squad can boast having seven players averaging double-digit production per contest.
Coach Michael Ray Richardson has to juggle a lot of talent.
Busy December
If you have yet to discover the Lightning, now could be the time with four home dates before Christmas in December (13th, 15th, 20th and 22nd).
The Budweiser Gardens is the venue and ticket prices are a value, beginning at $18. You can purchase tickets through www.budweisergardens.com or at 1-866-455-2849. For more details on the NBL and the Lightning, including a schedule of all home dates see: www.lightningbasketball.ca
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