Lightning to strike twice this weekend

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Edmonton’s revamped pro hoops franchise opens season in Los Angeles against star-studded opponent

By Chris O’Leary, Special to The Edmonton Journal May 2, 2009

The debate had been growing throughout the week.

With the Edmonton Energy’s final two players rounding out the professional basketball club’s roster in the last few days, the topic of this year’s team versus last year’s Edmonton Chill seemed to be resurfacing at an increasing rate.

Energy head coach Paul Sir decided to share his thoughts on the issue with his team during the middle of Wednesday’s practice, telling the group -- including recent arrivals Steve Sir and Skouson Harker -- that the team in front of him had a better collective basketball IQ than the one he coached a year ago in the International Basketball League.

"I think we are a little more talented than we were top-to-bottom last year," Sir said before his team took to the court earlier this week.

"We’re not as athletic as we were last year with Rashaun (Broadus) and Steve Parker not being there, so we’ll miss that.

"It’s so hard to judge without having played a game yet. I think we’re a little better than last year and I think we’re going to be a lot better in the middle of the season and a whole lot better by the end of the season.

"We’ve got the right mentality; I like their attitudes. I think our goal is to be better than last year and I think, at this point, we’re on track." The team found itself off that track a week ago after playing its first exhibition game. Although the Energy downed a select team of local university-level players 102-75, the pros looked out of sync and, for most of the night, played down to the level of their opponents.

Edmonton-based guard J.R. Patrick -- last year’s team MVP with the Chill -- walked off the court that night shaking his head.

"It was the first time we were playing with everybody," Patrick said. "That’s just me being the kind of guy that I am. I put a lot of pressure on myself to have a better game. We’re all professional basketball players and I was expecting a lot out of myself." "That was one of those games that it’s tough to get up for," added centre Lee Scruggs, who will join Patrick and Steve Sir as the team’s captains this season.

"Coach is expecting you to play well, you’re expecting yourself to play well and you don’t perform up to your talents and it gets frustrating. At the same time it kind of humbled us a little bit and let us know we’ve got work to do." A solid week of practice and the arrival of the sharp-shooting Sir, the son of the head coach, and Harker, a 31-year-old player/coach in Britain, has the team optimistic about its chances as it heads to Los Angeles to open its 2009 campaign against a Lightning roster with some big names.

Thirteen-year National Basketball Association veteran Bryon Russell will suit up for L.A., as will former Toronto Raptor and Cleveland Cavalier Lamond Murray. Former UCLA standout point guard Toby Bailey is expected to join the team mid-season.

Patrick is especially looking forward to seeing Russell on the court.

"It’s awesome," he said. "These are guys that we used to watch as kids. Byron Russell, he was the guy guarding Michael Jordan on the final shot (in 1998) when the Bulls won the championship.

"It’s going to be a really good test for us and for me personally, just to see how I compete with them.

I’m really looking forward to the competition and it’s going to be a lot of fun." A Georgetown alum, Scruggs has already seen his share of big names on the hardwood. He played pickup ball with none other than Jordan when His Airness was playing for the Washington Wizards in the early part of the decade.

"It’s only basketball," Scruggs said. "(The Lightning) put their shoes on the same way we do. We’ll go there expecting to win and we’re going to see what happens." The Energy face the Lightning tonight and Sunday, and return to Edmonton for their home opener against the Vancouver Titans on May 8 and 9.

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