SAMG Verve Scottish Rocks

Well, it’s been 72 hours now since our big bash at Braehead, and the dust has finally settled.  After what was undoubtedly one of the most memorable nights in the Rocks recent history, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who was a part of it.

For fear of leaving someone out, I’m not going to mention a single name, but there were so many on the inside - both staff and volunteers - as well as all of you fans who helped make it possible.  You know who you are and I really hope all have a chance to watch a replay of the telecast so you can see how valuable your hard work really was.

Some of you were simply there on the night while others took it upon themselves to enhance the atmosphere or to make sure that friends and fellow fans turned out in force to show the nation that we put on a FAN-tastic show up here in Scotland.  To all of you, mega thanks.

I’m not the only one who appreciated all that hard work.  After a tough and gut-wrenching defeat, Sterling made a point of coming back into the office to tell me what a great job everyone had done in making the atmosphere really special.  I hope we can do that for him on a regular basis going forward.

I’ve also had comments, calls, e-mails and texts from others within the television production around the League who have told me how awesome it all looked on TV.  Some said it was the best production we’ve had yet on TV.  I agree with those who said that.

The overtime loss is going to make it very tough for us to qualify to host a home game in the playoffs.  This League is run by representatives from all 12 team who truly have the best interest of the entire League at heart and I think most of them would like to see another Braehead game on Setanta 1 for the playoffs.  You can’t get a better advert for our product.

It can still be done, but we?ll need some help.  If the guys can pull it off, we’ll coming to you again asking for a repeat performance on your part, and a slightly different finish on the court.  Meanwhile, thanks for giving me and everyone in the organisation a night to be truly proud of.

I’m sneaking off for a week’s holiday now to repay my family for all the time I?ve been away lately.  It’ll also be good to re-charge my batteries with a little sunshine.  For giving me the chance to do that, I have to thank Sarah and Gary who will steer the ship in my absence.  Then I’ll be back to help get ready for the big game on the 13th v. Plymouth.

What the heck, why don’t we fill it up for that one too?  See you then.

-Bruce

On behalf of all the sponsors, I’d like to say a massive thanks to all the fans (all 2,417 of you) that turned out last night to cheer on the ROCKS before a record crowd, and all live on the telly!!

While the end result wasn’t what we all wanted, the game itself was a thriller, and the atmosphere inside the Braehead Arena was simply electric.  The free thunderstix that we gave out before the game did their job…  the noise levels were fantastic, and the executives at Setanta must have been salivating at the intensity both on and off court - simply put - seriously good tv!!

Obviously, as official web partner to the ROCKS, we’ve got a business interest in seeing the team, and indeed the whole BBL do well, especially now the games are hitting a much wider audience through the TV deal, but speaking purely as a fan (and I apologise to anyone sitting near me last night - I got a bit animated!!) - it doesn’t get any better than last night (other than the scoreline!), rivaling any sports event I’ve been at….

Congratulations to the team for putting on a superb event, and also to the fans…  for showing incredible support, and for MAKING SOME NOISE!!!! 

Gary
NSDesign

It’s almost time for the LIVE game against Milton Keynes on Setanta Sports 1, so I decided to take myself along to practice and see how the guys were feeling about it - check if the nerves had set in and see first hand how hard they have been working.

It certainly wasn’t for the faint hearted, as Sterling had the boys work on everything from defence to shooting, running drill after drill, followed by so many sprints, I lost count.

Once they caught their breath, I managed to grab a quick chat with Sterling, Big Mo and Rob to find out just how they were feeling and if the cameras being on them would make a difference to the game.

Mo played it cool, saying he isn’t too worried about being in the spotlight, as he’s done it before with the German team. 

Rob is also feeling confident and says that he’ll be telling the boys to stay alert and play hard on Wednesday.

And Sterling, well all he’s looking for is commitment and focus from his team, and believes that if they can achieve that, then the win is well within their reach.

A quick day off and it was back to work for the team, as they headed out the door before 9AM to run the treadmill, followed by a two-hour practice session, while the rest of us had a lie-in and ate the rest of our Easter eggs. 

There is no such thing as a bank holiday for these boys, just focus and dedication.

For Rob, Mo and Sterling’s full interview be sure to check out Rocks TV.

Well, it’s been way to long since I logged a blog, so I figured there was no better time than today.  It’s the Easter holiday weekend and most of you are hopefully relaxing with family.  I’ve had a bit of that, but today I’m back in the office and I’m a bit anxious.

Wednesday is the biggest day of the season so far and the biggest day for the organisation since our move to Braehead 6 years ago.  Our opportunity to host the first ever BBL game live on Setanta 1 is both an honour and a massive challenge.  I’m very excited and a bit on edge.

 The BBL have had 3 games on Setanta 2 so far this season and each one just seems to get better.  Rarely do you see a crowd bigger than a big game in Newcastle, but Everton really pulled out the stops and filled the Echo Arena.  A fantastic effort that really set the bar high for us. 

 Now, I know we won’t have 5,800 fans like they did - we only have about 3,500 seat available - but I’m really hoping for a good showing.  I keep asking myself; “have we done enough?” 

After a week’s worth of poor sleep and constant pondering, I’ve come up with my answer.  It’s a 3-part answer:

1) Have we done everything?  No.  we don’t have the time, personnel, or money to execute every good idea that we or any of you come up with.  Hopefully someday.

2) Have we done everything we can?  So far, yes.  And we’ve got another couple days to go.

3) Have we done enough? Well, to quote a line from an old Jim Belushi movie; “At this point, we don’t know.”  We’ll find out on Wednesday.

We’ll keep plugging away here in the office.  All I can ask of you is that you remember that it’s never too late to invite someone new.    Tickets are still available and everyone in the building on Wednesday night will definitely have a good time.  Also, keep in mind that if you work with any kind of group (youth, social, work, etc.), why not bring them along?  Call the office and we’ll work out a special deal for this special game.

It’s coming down to the wire now.  This game means so much in so many ways.  Milton Keynes pulled one out of their ______ on Friday, which I guess is the mark of a good team.  Sterl and the guys will do their part on the court and its up to us to do our part off the court.

I’m taking a holiday after this game to catch my breath.  Until then it’s full steam ahead…

P.S.  If we get the win, secure 4th place and get a home playoff game, we just might get that one on TV too.  If so, I can’t wait to do this all again.  C’mon. . . let’s Rock!

An exciting new era in British Basketball began on Sunday with the return of Live TV coverage of the BBL.  We all know the energy, entertainment and excitement of the sport and now the rest of the country will be able to see it too.   

The Trophy Final proved an excellent game to represent the excitement of the sport.  Try telling a football fan that you can be winning 35-47 at half-time and go on to lose the game.  The Heat’s come-back in the second half and the tight score right up to the end made this gripping viewing and demonstrated perfectly how well suited the game of basketball is to the small screen.   

We all know that once you come to one Rocks game it won’t be your last but often the difficulty is in getting people to take that first step and open their minds to a new sport.  The ability then for these basketball newcomers to view the sport on TV will hopefully bring the crowds swarming to Braehead to sample the action and the atmosphere for themselves. 

In watching the BBL Trophy final, which was undoubtedly an exciting game, with top class players and an animated crowd, I couldn’t help but think how much better it could be at Braehead.  We pride ourselves on a fantastic venue, the best pro-dancers in the UK, and an excellent game production; now with a platform to showcase it all, we want to do even better.  Our team, our court, our dancers, our mascot and our fans separate us from the rest and we want to show the whole of the UK that in British Basketball, Scotland is THE place to be.   

The fans have the ability to make Braehead electric, but we need more to make this place really rock.  As Rocks fans we want to show the UK that Rocks basketball really is Scotland’s No 1 sporting event and this is our time to do it.  So Rocks fans spread the word; bring as many friends to Braehead as you can, wear you Rocks gear, wave your foam fingers, bring signs to get yourselves on TV, and lets make the Rocks on TV be the best on TV!

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE RESULT, LOOK AWAY NOW.

Congratulations to Guildford Heat, who beat the Newcastle Eagles to win the BBL Trophy this afternoon. 

It was great to see British Basketball back on live TV, and what a game to be televised!  And yes, I was sitting at home, shouting at the TV.  The atmosphere sounded electric, and both sets of fans did their teams proud. 

I’ll leave the game summary to the BBL, but I have to say - the Heat did have an amazing comeback, especially considering that one of their main players, Tony Dorsey, spent the second half warming the bench after committing a technical foul in the second quarter - his fourth foul of the game.  It was also good to see ex-Rock Mike Martin play well for the win.

Hopefully we can hand Newcastle another defeat on Friday.

LET’S GO ROCKS!!!

Lauren Heenan