Luck is a coveted ingredient when it comes to sport and the Whittlesea Pacers are hoping some falls their way soon.
With a new squad and new coach, the Pacers were always expecting a tough Big V state championship season.
But with only one win from their first 11 matches, it’s been even harder than coach Brian Vaughns expected.
“I knew we were up against it,” he said.
“We’ve basically taken our youth league squad and are playing them in men’s state championship division, which was always going to be a stretch.
“That’s a jump of four divisions. You’ve got players who were playing against 18,19 and 20 year-olds now playing against professionals.”
Not helping the Pacers is a lack of continuity – they have yet to have their full squad available for any one game.
Vaughns said it had was one of the biggest issues.
“We haven’t had our full squad for a single game, with change of imports, player’s commitments and injuries,” he said.
At the weekend, the Pacers had seven players available for matches against Werribee Devils and Diamond Valley Eagles.
On Saturday night they lost 81-56 to the Devils, before losing a close one 86-78 to the Eagles on Sunday.
Despite the losses, Vaughns said there were good signs to come out of the games.
“On Saturday night, we couldn’t make a shot but limited their possessions,” he said.
“We got the margin back to eight points, but ran out of legs.
“Yesterday, the Eagles had five more possessions than us. We couldn’t hit free throws and we lost by eight points.
“I said to the boys that if we had extra set of legs we could have had some success on the weekend.”
Jonathan Maybank was the star for the Pacers, hitting 66 points across the two games.
Vaughan is hoping that once they get their full team back, they will continue to develop.
Taane Samuel should return this weekend after returning to New Zealand on the weekend for a junior Tall Blacks camp.
Aaron Kearing and Aidan Zeverona are likely to spend a few more weeks on the sidelines.
“The guys aren’t shell-shocked by the league anymore,” Vaughns said.
“We’re still not settled with our side, but we’re doing the best we can each week.
“The last couple of weeks have illustrated how we’re growing.
“The most important thing is growth and development with this group
“I believe we will make a run, not for finals, but we will establish ourselves in this league.”
The Pacers’ had a 73-59 win against Camberwell Dragons in women’s division 1.
Jessica Scannell top scored with 16 points as five Pacers players finished with double figures.
