Around the Perimeter: Tough road sched ahead
The Lightning didn’t set a record for wins to start a season, but they’re 3.5 games up on KW Titans in the standings. Those foes will face off Wednesday. That, plus accolades, new signings and more from our hoops columnist Jason Winders …
(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
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STARTING FIVE
1. Scoring a perfect 10. On Tuesday, Garrett Williamson was named the first member of the 10th Anniversary NBL Canada All-Time Team, comprised of the 10 greatest players in league history. Playing six seasons with the London Lightning (2013-2020), Williamson won the Canadian Player of the Year Award in 2013-14 and was a two-time NBL Canada champion. A postseason standout, the 6-foot-5-inch Canadian-American is the all-time leader in playoff points and field goals. The countdown of players No. 9 to No. 1 will continue one per day through April 14. You gotta expect a few more Lightning strikes on that list.
2. On the road. London will play seven of its last nine regular season games on the road, including six straight road games between April 9 and May 1 – starting with a Michigan trip to Lansing (April 9) and Flint (April 10) this weekend. It will be a grind, but it’s one that Lightning brass welcome. “Heading into playoffs, I would much prefer to have a harder schedule on the road to prepare us for the grind of the playoffs than a lightweight schedule and allow complacency to slip in even further,” Lightning head coach Doug Plumb said. “In my mind, the schedule is perfect for us.”
Continued Plumb: “I know the league, and I know it’s gonna get better. I know how good Sudbury is gonna be down the stretch; KW is improving; Windsor is always going to play you tough. All teams make the playoffs, and if all they gotta do is win three games, anybody could get lucky in that situation. We need to start to peak in the next three weeks and start to build towards the playoffs and keep ourselves healthy. There has been too much inconsistency from a day-to-day standpoint of general execution and buy-in from 1-12 on the roster. We’ll see how the next week goes.”
3. Still time to grow. Remember when we talked about the Lightning roster feeling set? Forget that. The league has now set April 15 as the deadline by which players need to be added to a team’s roster (as well as play in four regular season games afterward) to qualify to play in the playoffs. The league originally set April 1 as the deadline when the season was set to start on Feb. 5. When the opener was pushed back to Family Day, the player date should have been updated, but it was overlooked.
4. Shoot their shot. The Lightning’s search for shooters has led them to a familiar former foe.
Now-former Lansing Pharaohs guard Lance Adams inked a deal with London on April 5. Adams has only averaged 7.1 points per game in seven games against TBL opponents, but he has saved his best for playing against the NBL Canada. In three games against interleague foes, Adams has averaged 22.7 points per game, including a season high 28 off the bench against the Lightning on March 6. It might be of interest that he also shot 8-of-13 that night in The Bud.
“He’ll be good for us. I’m not expecting him to come in to be a world-beater,” Plumb said, “but I do think he’ll be a difference-maker in a shooting capacity.”
Not to be overlooked, guard Marcus Ottey also signed with the Lightning on April 2. In his first two games with the Bolts, he has posted 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists – with 10 points and all 11 assists coming in Sunday’s 113-83 blowout win against Flint United. The change in the player add deadline means that both players will be playoff eligible after their fourth game with the Lightning.
Throw these two into the mix alongside rookie guard Josiah Mastandrea, who scored 21 on six three-pointers in his coming-out party Sunday, and you have the makings of a bench that can put a lot of pressure on defenses from beyond the arc. That’s not something we have seen from this team yet this year.
Lightning coach Doug Plumb was named Coach of the Month — and also won an appeal to avoid a one-game suspension for too many technical fouls. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
5. Dynasty continues. Congrats to Carlton University who won its third straight USPORTS men’s hoops crown with an 85-72 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies on Sunday. The Ravens have won * double-checks notes to make sure numbers are correct * 16 of the last 19 national Canadian university championships (2003-07, 2009, 2011-17, 2019-20, and 2022). Only the Brock Badgers (2008), Huskies (2010), Calgary Dinos (2018) and a global pandemic (2021) have managed to interrupt this streak. Yes, USPORTS has a serious competition problem (Have you watched OUA football?), but that shouldn’t keep you from marveling at a reign like this. In case you are wondering, the Western Mustangs have won only one national title (1991) since the first national championship was held in men’s hoops in 1963.
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LIGHTNING NOTES
Lightning head coach Doug Plumb was named NBL Canada Coach of the Month (March) after leading London to an 11-1 start. … Looks like everything is coming up Plumb, as he will not serve a one-game suspension since the team won its appeal of one of the technical fouls attributed to their head coach. After conversations with the league about officiating, the team has discussed “taking it down a notch” when it comes to complaints that lead to technical fouls. … Albany so shocked the NBL Canada in handing the Lightning its first loss of the season that the league gave Patroons guard A.J. Mosby an honourable mention nod as NBL Canada Player of the Week. The 6-foot-2-inch Mosby scored 37 points and dished out 5 assists in Albany’s 97-90 victory over London March 31 at the historic Washington Avenue Armory.
BEYOND MY BYLINE
Have mentioned it before, but HBO’s Winning Time keeps hitting me hard with memories of my young NBA fandom. One of the cool things the series has done is shine a light on the contributions former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Jack McKinney made to the Showtime Lakers dynasty of the 1980s. This sad-yet-beautiful piece by Jeff Pearlman (upon whose book the series is based) from 2018 revisits the turning point in McKinney’s life.
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Natalie Thirsk, a para athlete, has become a Canadian record holder in three short years. Her cerebral palsy doesn’t define her, but she’s a passionate advocate for persons with disabilities. Will she one day compete at the Paralympics?