STOPPING the attacking threat of former star player Zaire Taylor will be one of the key objectives for Wolves when they face the London Lions tonight (Friday, 7.30pm).
Taylor was a key figure in Wolves’ most successful season ever winning the BBL Trophy and the BBL Playoffs during a memorable 2013/14 campaign and will come up against his former side for the first time since his departure in the summer.
The achievements of the team and top individual displays helped Taylor scoop the BBL’s Most Valued Player at the end of last season.
And that superb form has continued into his early days as a London Lions player – scoring 21 points in their recent win over Cheshire Phoenix.
The American will make the return to the University of Worcester Arena with Wolves director of basketball Paul James looking for a response from his team after their home defeat to Bristol Flyers last week in the BBL Cup quarter-finals.
And James said his side must concentrate on their own game to deliver the right result on the night against the Lions as well keep Taylor at bay who will look to prove the goods against his former team-mates.
“Zaire’s going to be back in the house and he’s going to want to prove what we’ve lost,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll have a game plan that will negate that and we’ll come out with a win.
“Every game he plays, he is out there to make a point and prove that he is the best out there so I wouldn’t expect anything different from him.
“He did that for us immensely well all last season and I expect him to do that for London this season.
“It’s a tough proposition but, more importantly, we need to try and concentrate on what we do and doing things better than we have been doing of late,” he adds.
“London have some very talented, athletic players and I think they are going to be one of those teams who are right up there, challenging, at the end of the season.”