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Kick It in Gear Time

February 8, 2011 - Premier Basketball League (PBL)
Rochester RazorSharks News Release


It is kick it in gear time for the Rochester RazorSharks. Having lost their last four Premier League basketball games on the road, the team is at home for the next seven.

"We're home on Saturday," said Coach Rod baker. "We can't win seven until we win one. We'll see what happens against Kentucky and work our way from there."

There is reason for hope. Rochester played competitively for most of its game at league leading Lawton-Fort Sill last week. The Cavalry hasn't lost a home game since coming to the PBL last year. Guard Keith Friel didn't make the trip with a hamstring pull. Until Tuesday morning, he hadn't even practiced in over a week.

"You don't even feel like you're part of the team," said Friel. "You're not on the road trip. But I knew after talking to the trainer and the coaches that it was in my and the team's best interests with all the travel, to take this rest so I'm able to go full throttle."

Mike Williams will play his first home game as a member of the RazorSharks. Williams came over from Vermont, where he was averaging a league best 20.8 points per game, in the dispersal draft. He was still assimilating himself into Coach Baker's way of doing things when he burned his heel with a chemical ice pack. Mike missed most of last week too.

"I've used the pack before on my knee without anything on it and it never burned my knee," said Williams. "But I guess that area (the heel) is more sensitive, and it burned me. So next time I know to cover it up first."

The return of Friel, Williams, and the addition of forward Sammy Monroe, who scored 17 in his season debut at Lawton, makes the RazorSharks much more dangerous.

"We need to really concentrate this week on taking care of the basketball," said Baker. "We turned the ball over too many times on Saturday and that was the difference in the game. We have to value possession of the ball a little more."

Rochester hosts Kentucky at the Blue Cross Arena Saturday. Tip off at 1:05.

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