FOLLOWING their 2-1 defeat in last season's final of the National Basketball League (NBL), Upper Room Eagles are focused on reversing the tide for the upcoming championship campaign.

The new season is set to tip off on January 18, 2025 and Simon Brown, head coach of the team, made no bones about his team's title aspirations.

"We came very close to the championship, all the way down to the final game and in the final moments we lost it. Therefore, there's a lot of vengeance on our mind," he stated.

"We have moved on and it's a yearly goal to win the title when you're in this competition. I'm very excited and so are the players," he said of the upcoming season.

Brown added that while they've retained the majority of the squad from last season, they have added some young players in the mix. This is partly due to the philosophy of the club which caters towards building from the grass-roots.

"The squad is deep because we kept a lot of the core of the team from last year. Out of the 12 players that suited up for the final game almost all of them are back. We've added some more youth and we try to ensure that we mix both, youth and experience. As a club, our intention is to build the players," he outlined.

In the past few months Jamaica has experienced a high level of rainfall. According to Brown, this has affected the team's preparation as the majority of their practice courts are outdoors.

However, he believes the team will be ready for tip-off, which is less than a month away.

"The preparation has been on and off. The majority of the courts that we have available to us are outdoor courts and the rain has been relentless in the past few months. This has put a damp on some of our preparations but we've found ways to make it work. We've been running harder in the past few months to ensure that we're mentally and physically ready," he said.

Brown believes the league brings out the best in local talent, which was on full display during last season's preliminary rounds.

"The NBL is very competitive. Of all the 10 teams, I think only one or two teams didn't beat us last season," he highlighted. "I think that's almost the same thing with Urban Knights.

"So that goes to show that the teams that didn't make it to the final could say they defeated both finalists," he stated.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com