Around the Perimeter: Lightning 4-0 but still searching for offensive identity
It’s a busy three-game week — all at home — for the Lightning, who are still coming into their own. Columnist Jason Winders has all the latest news and notes.
Lightning guard Marlon Taylor during London’s home opener Saturday night at Budweiser Gardens. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
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STARTING FIVE
1. Foreign relations. London picked up its first victory in franchise history against an American opponent when they defeated the Lansing Pharaohs 104-90 on Sunday. Early on in the NBL Canada-TBL rivalry, the Canucks are dominating, going 6-3 so far. The Lightning (1-0), KW Titans (3-0), and Windsor Express (1-0) have gone a combined 5-0, with all three rivalry losses attributed to the Sudbury Five. The Five are 1-3 against the Americans, including three straight losses south of the border to the Indiana All-Americans, Toledo Glass City, and Syracuse Stallions. That trip also cost the team two games when they returned north with a COVID-19 outbreak. The Lightning’s next American opponent will be the Syracuse Stallions on March 19 in London – and then the Albany Patroons on March 31 when the team makes its first trip south.
2. Defensive measures. The Lighting are still sorting through their talent to find a clear offensive identity. This is perhaps best highlighted by the fact that no Bolt currently appears among the league’s Top 10 scorers. But there is a nice defensive identity taking shape. After quieting the home opener crowd by surrendering 34 points in the first quarter Saturday night, the team clamped down, holding the Titans to 16, 19, and 21 the rest of the way. Steals have been a heck of a weapon for the squad, with the team leading the league in takeaways per game, and three London players (guards Chris Jones and Jermaine Haley and forward Cameron Forte) sit among the Top 5 thieves in the league.
3. Terrific week for Terry Thomas. Lightning guard Terry Thomas was named the Canadian Player of the Week for the week ending March 6. He averaged 20.0 points per game off the bench in London’s two victories over the weekend; he also finished with a 6.0 rebounds per game, along with a 40 per cent (8-20) 3-point accuracy level. The veteran is only 88 points away from entering the Top 10 all-time NBL Canada scorers list.
4. Coaching debut. With Lightning head coach Doug Plumb out of town, lead assistant coach Michael Provenzano will pilot the Bolts against the Windsor Express at Bud Gardens on Sunday. A current development coach with London Basketball Academy, Provenzano is a former HB Beal star athlete and NCAA DII player who owns/operates Chaining and Training, a local elite skills development and camp program.
5. If you build it ... Maybe hoop fans aren’t ready to be in crowds yet. Maybe the release of single-game tickets 48 hours before game time wasn’t ideal. Maybe two years is a long time to be away from the team you love. But, wow, those were some pathetic crowd numbers over the weekend. The home opener had an announced attendance of 1,126 to see the 104-90 win over the KW Titans, but I am glad the person who did those headcounts isn’t doing my taxes this year. All I know is that T-shirt cannon projectiles were finding a lot of empty seats. “Obviously, there wasn’t as many people as maybe we were anticipating, but tickets just went on sale,” Plumb said. “I’m hopeful that over the course of the year that it’ll grow. And I have no doubt that it will, our marketing team is good and we’ll see.” The Sunday matinee crowd didn’t look much better, although no official attendance numbers have been reported yet. Since capacity restrictions lifted on March 1, the London Knights drew 7,131 on March 2 and 8,008 on March 4. The Bud has been known as the toughest place to play in the NBL Canada, in part because of the team’s league-leading support. Gonna have to up your game, Bolts fans. Only 12 chances to see the squad in the regular season – down to 10 now. The Titans are back in the city Wednesday night …
Terry Thomas, the NBLC’s Canadian Player of the Week (20.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 8-20 from three-point range).(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
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LIGHTNING NOTES
Interesting double-double this week when the Lightning won back-to-back games by identical scores of 104-90. The Bolts’ two victories – claimed against the KW Titans and the Lansing Pharaohs – slid them to the top of the NBL Canada standings at 4-0. … Cameron Forte and Terry Thomas were the Bolts’ top scorers this week, averaging 21.5 and 20 points, respectively. Forte was also London’s leading rebounder with 8.5 boards per game, with Amir Williams’ 7.0 rebounds per game not far behind.
BEYOND MY BYLINE
I am a sucker for music oral histories, and I got hit by two awesome ones this week:
When Prince Did the Batdance: Batman is an eccentric hero with a cape, so when it came time to pick an artist to make the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s 1989 film, the choice was obvious.
‘We’re Gonna Take This Somewhere!’: The Oral History of Against Me!’s Reinventing Axl Rose.
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Around the Perimeter: London and KW are the final two teams standing. It’s experience vs. youth; Will Lightning match the Titans’ energy?; Will defense decide this matchup? Read our series preview …