Ararat Redbacks will step onto the court in their first game of the 2018-2019 Country Basketball League South West Conference season this weekend.
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The Redbacks season started with a bye which enabled the team to have a week off last week and observe the competition.
Marcus Jenkins has committed to coach the Redbacks for the season, something he said he is really excited about.
“I am really eager to work with these players, some might have never experienced the intensity or structure that I have set during pre-season training," he said.
With pre-season done and dusted and practice matches out of the way, Jenkins said he is looking forward to game day.
“We have worked hard leading up to tip off on Saturday. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the courts and creating a fortress like atmosphere within the stadium for the club,” he said.
The Redbacks will host Warrnambool on Saturday night and Horsham on Sunday.
Both clubs opened their campaigns last weekend, with mixed results.
Horsham was able to hold off their opposition in Portland 80-52 while Warrnambool went down to Bellarine, 52-115.
Jenkins said both games will be a great contest for the Redbacks to put practice into game day.
“On any given day, any team can knock any team off. I would love to start the season two and two,” he said.
Jenkins will be setting team goals during matches and measuring success not only on the scoreboard but performance among the team.
“It’s about everyone digging in and giving their absolute best. On the day it doesn’t matter if results go our way but as long as everyone is going out there to play for their teammates, that’s a big bonus to me,” he said.
Jenkins said he is looking to get some early wins on the board which will set the team up for the back half of the year.
“We want to keep things simple and stick to our structures and put in place what we have worked on during pre-season,” he said.
Jenkins said he has set expectations on himself and the team to play finals this season.
“We are a young side, but I believe we will be there and this is what we have been building to and what we will continue to build on throughout the season,” he said.
Although Jenkins has committed himself to the club for this season only he said he will be looking at setting the team and club up to have a competitive future in basketball.