Kings must tighten defence to prevent fade outs, says Kings coach

KINGS coach Joe Connelly says his team can’t afford to serve up more poor defensive performances if they want to finish their season on a positive note.

Joe Connelly the new Sydney Kings coach

SYDNEY Kings coach Joe Connelly says his team can’t afford to serve up more poor defensive performances if they want to finish their season on a positive note.

Since Connelly was put in as interim coach after the sacking of Damian Cotter, the Kings have conceded 94.72 point per game in 11 games, way up on the 87.66 conceded per game in the first 12 games of the season under Cotter.

One issue that has plagued the Kings all season is their second half fade outs and it is something Connelly knows he and the playing group needs to address in their last five games of the season.

“In the first half of games, the guys have been pretty solid, but in the second half we start losing cohesion and go away from our game plan,” Connelly said.

“Guys have been scoring career and NBL highs on us and that should be a bit of a pride thing for us.

“We’ve been focusing on defence at practice. We can score, but the game is also about who stops the other team the most and that needs to be our focus in our last five games.”

Despite the 5-18 win-loss tally and the possibility of having the worst season in the club’s history, Connelly says the playing group is remaining positive ahead of its games in Townsville tonight and in Cairns on Friday.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to get some wins,” Connelly said.

Coach Joe Connelly during a Kings match pic Mark Evans

“We want to finish off strongly so that everyone has a good taste in their mouths at the end of the season.

“I’m thankful that the guys are staying positive, because if they weren’t while we are losing it would make it 100 times worse.”

Originally published as Kings must tighten defence to prevent fade outs, says Kings coach