You only have to look at the scoresheets to get a clear indication of Hume City Broncos’ Big V men’s state championship season so far.
There have been some massive wins but also defeats by margins that no coach would be happy with. Throw in two close losses and a couple of close wins and you get a 4-4 start.
Broncos coach Leonard Copeland is the first to admit his side has had an inconsistent debut.
On Saturday night, the Broncos lost to McKinnon 95-89.
“It’s definitely been up and down and a bit shaky,” Copeland said last week.
“Our powerful point guard, Lee Jeka, got injured and missed early games; I don’t have a back-up and it showed our depth,” he said. “He’s only just getting 100 per cent now.
“We’ve still got a side that’s learning together and learning how to win as a team.”
Despite some disappointing results, Copeland is pleased overall with his team’s performances.
“Things will get better for us. I can see what we’re doing in training,” he said. “I’ve heard three or four people say that last year’s team would have easily lost these close games as we would have panicked down the stretch.
“This year, there’s not as much yelling and screaming from me; the boys are doing it themselves on the court.”
The Broncos have plenty of experienced players, but it’s the younger ones Copeland says he’ll be most excited about in the second half of the season.
“Luke [Egan] brings experience to the club and Lee has won premierships in Australia and overseas.
“Add the two imports [Jermaine Maybank and Jamal Brown], and it gives us an experienced line-up,” Copeland said.
“Luke and Shaun [Prendergast] started the season on fire so other teams have been guarding them like they would imports.
“The younger guys make me smile, and we’ll see more of what they can do deeper into the season.” Copeland said Broncos players were primed to perform better in the second half of the season.
He said the side was gelling better than it had last season, when it just missed out on the finals.
“Everything is in place and, barring injuries, we should be in the mix.
“There’s four or five teams all together on the ladder behind the top two, Corio Bay and Ringwood.
“If we can stay with the pack until the middle of the year, I think we’ll get better in that second half,” Copeland said.
… Tara Murray
