Breaking down the Canberra Gunners slow start

By Dan Woods for NBL1.com.au 

Defending a title is always difficult, but the Canberra Gunners couldn’t have anticipated a much more difficult start to their NBL1 East championship defence in the new season of the competition.

The Gunners took out last season’s title over the Maitland Mustangs and completed competitively in the Coles Express NBL1 National Finals.

But this season, they’ve started with just two wins from their opening five games to sit 11th in the NBL1 East  conference. 

All five of Canberra’s games have been decided by less than 10 points, and former Gunner from last season Reece Kaye believes Saturday’s two-point win over Sutherland could prove a turning point after the rough start to the season.

“I think Petey (Herak) has got them going in the right direction,” Kaye said on East Got Game.

“I talk to Pete pretty often and he’s got them playing defence, he’s got them thinking about their d first."

"It’s hard to win shooting 33 per cent from the field but the Gunners managed to do it … it was not an easy game to watch – it was a lot of defence [and] a lot of post play which people of my size don’t really gravitate towards.”

The Gunners’ roster has taken on a drastically new look from the title-winning side of last season. Along with the departure of long-term servant Kaye, key players Akech Aliir and William Mayfield departed for new teams in different conferences this season. Kaye believes that pair of departures has had a drastic impact on the team’s dynamic both on and off the court, but he’s backing his former side to return to form.

“Last season there was a sense of the boys beating their own drum, and we figured out – especially towards the end of the season – that drum circle had a bit of a flow to it,” he said."

"Just trying to add a few of those new additions into the drum circle and see how they integrate; it’s going to take time.

“Seeing the boys in their circle at the start of training, it’s a bit off rhythm at the moment. It’s been a slow start but if you look it’s very similar to last season. It wasn’t perfect straight away, there were a lot of new pieces.

“You lose Mayfield, you lose Akech, I’m not even going to throw myself in there, there were [also] a few other older boys that left."

For the Gunners to improve their hopes and earn back-to-back titles, Kaye has called on guard James Toohey to improve his shooting performances. Toohey opened the season with a match-winning 32 points against Albury-Wodonga.

In the four games since he’s scored just 28 points combined – including hitting just 16 per cent of his shots in the win over Sutherland.

“I think James, once he gets a few more open looks, is going to be a problem for other teams, but it will take time,” Kaye said.

“We call him the shot doctor … if you watch James Toohey in an empty gym it’s seriously impressive, I think it’s just a matter of time until he gets going.

“I don’t fear for the boys even though everyone else is thinking ‘what the hell is going on in that camp’. It’s a positive camp and the boys are still having fun."

"I think they’ll be alright."

The Gunners return to the floor after Easter on Saturday, April 15 when they take on the Bankstown Bruins, live at 6:00pm AEST streaming via NBL1.com.au or the NBL1 App here. 

Feature image via: Grant Sproule