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We are entering season number 68.
The first matches of the cosolidation tournament begin next week. The draw can be called successful, as the initial rivals are not the strongest, Ghana and Pakistan. We need to win.
Veterans Lyle and MacShimes played the last matches in NT, Boyd also had only a few matches left.

We approached the opening matches with problems, MacKissock was out for two weeks, McClair was in bad shapeafter the transfer. The form of the other players was also not optimal, but these are the players of the starting lineup, their loss was more significant.
Ghana 88 - 105 Scotland
In the first match, we had the strength to cope with the opponent's higher mood, but it seems natural, because it was a home match and our squad is stronger.
Scotland 105 -107 Pakistan
An embarrassing defeat in an even match. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, we missed a break, and the opponent was able to hold the advantage until the clutch, where it was already difficult for us to win back against the opponent's free throws. I
t's a pity, but we almost lost our chances of reaching the second stage, Israel, Ukraine and Australia look like teams that we can't beat even in an ideal scenario.
The home match against Belarus next week will also be very difficult, followed by an away match in Israel.

Last edited by TRUF at 4/22/2025 1:24:22 PM

Belarus 125 - 119 Scotland
We approached the match in a terrible state. We had to put up a starting line-up, where 4 players were in the form of 7, only MacCosram had the form of 9. The bench was also not in the best shape. But there was nowhere to retreat, there were two matches ahead with clear favorites, and it was also a home match. I could only hope for a miracle. That didn't happen, even though we were pretty close in scoring and we hit our shots very well.
Scotland 78 - 130 Israel
We came to the away match with Israel in a better condition. But this is an opponent of a different, much higher level, and they easily defeated us -52. Of course, you never want to lose so much, we especially failed a lot on offense. However, this is the strongest opponent this season, the next matches will be easier, and I am sure that the team will still show its good side.
The next matches are with Ukraine at home and with Azerbaijan away.

Great victory coach against a strong opponent today with excellent game shape. This was Ukraine's first loss of the season. The defence was excellent. This Ukraine team was scoring 100+ every match but not today.

Last edited by BlueJaysFan at 5/12/2025 3:49:46 PM

Thank you.
Yes, this is a rather unexpected result. Apparently, our good day overlapped with a bad day for the opponent. I am sure that Ukraine can win 9 out of 10 matches against us, but everything turned out in our favor.
It would be easy to trade this victory for two victories over Pakistan and Belarus, but i can be quite happy with that.

Ukraina 76 - 85 Scotland
An unusual match. Initially, our victory was not expected, but the opposing coach decided to give some young players a chance to play, and we were able to do a great job on defense on the home court. And due to the confident victory on the rebound, we were able to win due to the number of possessions. Although our condition was not perfect, there were several players on the bench in the form of 7. MacBaxter made a great debut at the start. It's funny that after defeating such a strong opponent, we even dropped from 72nd to 74th place in the world ranking.
Scotland 106 - 77 Azərbaycan
Azerbaijan did not accumulate enthusiasm during the tournament, so even an away game seemed like an easy walk. And so it happened. I wish there was a bigger difference in points, but that thought happens after every win.
There are only two matches left, Australia at home and Indonesia away.

Great job and good luck for the upcoming games! 🏀

Australia 79 - 103 Scotland
The players came to the match in good, almost perfect shape, the match was at home and we need to win to stay in the race for the playoff. After some thought, I decided to play two MOTS in a row. The plan was to beat Australia at home, and then see what happens in the match against Indonesia. In the end, everything turned out perfectly for us, the opponent played with a low mood, and we led almost the entire match.
Scotland 119 - 115 Indonesia
By this match, the players were in almost perfect shape again. The task of winning was much more difficult, because we spent most of our enthusiasm on the match against Australia. In addition, it is much more difficult to play in away matches. Although we lost almost the entire match, we were able to snatch the victory in overtime. Many thanks to the opponent, who for some reason decided not to put MOTS on this match, and this gave us the opportunity to enter the playoff from 27th place.
The playoff match with Finland is ahead. The match is only nominal, we have only 3 points of enthusiasm left. But this is the second consecutive consolidation tournament where we are going to the playoff, which is a good tradition.

That‘s a great achievement, congratulations! Given your recent enthusiasm-history, I‘d have liked to play you in the first round. 😉 But well, that wasn‘t meant to be. We‘ll try to survive against Croatia, that‘ll be tough!

I sure hope you‘ll stay on as NT team manager, you‘re doing great!!

Wendell, thank you so much!
I wish you good luck with the playoff, there have been no new trophies on the shelf of NT Germany for a long time, it's time to add to the collection.

5-3 and 27th place, what a great achievement. Congrats and thank you, coach!