Caledonia Gladiators return for the new season this week and head coach Gareth Murray has set his sights on winning all four trophies up for grabs domestically.
The East Kilbride outfit will be back at the Playsport Arena on Friday night for the big tip-off against Manchester Giants in the new-look Superleague, following a revamp of the league structure over an uncertain summer that saw new license holders brought in to run basketball in the UK.
Gladiators finished joint-second in the league with Cheshire Phoenix last term, well behind runaway champions London Lions.
But after strengthening over the summer, Murray believes they can go for glory in the division, the play-offs and the two cup competitions up for grabs.
He told Lanarkshire Live Sport : “We are looking forward to the season starting. There was a bit of unpredictability over the summer but it is great to have all that sorted and we can focus on the games ahead.
“We are looking forward to going back to Playsport because the fans last season, and the atmosphere, was amazing.
“The players really enjoyed it and they are excited to play in front of them, so we are looking to repeat that again this year, and get that atmosphere again.
“There are four opportunities to win things throughout the season. You have the cup, the BBL Trophy, the league itself and the play-offs at the end of the season. And I believe we have a realistic opportunity to win all four.
“We want to be in the running to win all four. Maybe we won’t do that, but we want to be in the running to win all four and that is the goal.
“I think we have a team that has the ability to do that, but I know other teams have upgraded, increased their budgets, increased the level of talent they’ve managed to bring in as well.
“London were way ahead of everyone last season but they are alongside us this season in terms of similar spend and level of players, so I think the league should be very balanced.
“There’s nine teams that can all compete. It is not going to be easy but the goal for us is going for all four trophies – and we will be disappointed if we are not.
“The league has improved and there are similar budgets across the league now so that makes for a very exciting season. It is very unpredictable where teams will finish. In previous years you had a good idea who would go where, but this year will be different.”
Fans will be keen to get their first glimpse of new players Toto Fagbenle, Tanner Stuckman, Theo Hughes, Trevond Barnes and Isaiah Hill, who come in to support the returning Patrick Whelan, Prince Onwas, Fahro Alihodzic, Fraser Malcolm and Kyle Jiminez.
And Murray believes his summer signings have helped bring a good mix to the squad. He added: “We retained a few players from last season but we’ve also brought in some new players.
“The guys are playing well together right now. The chemistry is good and they are a real team. The guys are raring to go after six weeks of pre-season.”
Gladiators found themselves up against Manchester Giants in last season’s opening game as well and Murray admits they are also in a similar situation in terms of preparation.
He explained: “I’m not too sure what to expect from Manchester. They have only announced a few players. They got new owners over the summer so there’s been a lot of changes there and it will be a bit of an unknown for us.
“A similar thing happened last season when we played them in the first game of the season as well, where they hadn’t announced many signings.
“We don’t know what they will be like but we only want to worry about ourselves, and how we are playing.
“We will make sure we are doing the right things and if we are doing that, it shouldn’t matter what team we come up against.”
Friday night’s match is a 7.30pm tip-off at Playsport and the Women’s team will also begin their league campaign on Sunday, tip-off 4pm against Newcastle Eagles.
Tickets for both games and season tickets can be purchased on the FanBase app. See the club’s social media pages for more details.
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