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Andrej Lemanis says unselfishness will be the key to unlocking his stacked Brisbane Bullets’ NBL championship hopes.
As bench men Harry Froling, Anthony Drmic and Matt Hodgson stepped up to help the Bullets hammer New Zealand 88-67 on Saturday night, the looming prospect of returning import Lamar Patterson adds another mouth to feed in the Bullets’ already deep rotation.
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“I’ve thought that, all along, our depth is going to be the thing to give us the chance to ultimately be successful to ride through the highs and lows of the season,” Lemanis said.
It’s a good problem to have for Lemanis, but he says the only way for it to work is if “guys are prepared to play in the best interests of the team”.
That includes sitting on the bench sometimes.
“If that turns into sulking and what about me, then there’s a problem, but this group has been awesome in their attitude,” he said.
“We have people who are here for the right reason. I spoke about what’s in it for everybody and the common thread that tied everybody together was winning.
“That’s been able to maintain us in the appropriate headspace as we continue to roll forward.”
Lemanis says opportunity will knock for everyone on the roster as the NBL attempts to cram in the rest of the season in the next two to three months.
He said white noise — like this journo’s question to Froling about biding his time on the bench — was the most difficult to deal with.
“Questions like that, they’re the ones that end up chipping away at teams,” he said.
He said his players must block it out and remain “united and strong enough to block out all the white noise and just focus on the things that are important to us and help us be the best team we can.”
Froling provided a mature answer to the question, revealing he had strong support from a pair of teammates.
“We’re all human and obviously we want to be out there and playing,” Froling said.
“I’ve got a good group around me, my family’s good, (point guard) Jase Cadee’s been big for me, (centre) Matt Hodgson’s been very big — he’s actually studying psychology and he helps me with a lot of stuff.
“It is difficult, obviously, at times, but, at the end of the day, if I can come in and play my role … as long as we get the win, I’m happy.”
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