Saturday, September 01, 2012 7:18:43 PM
Paralympics 2012: GB basketball women branded an 'absolute disgrace'
• Team face a 'tongue lashing' after losing to Australia
• ParalympicsGB women slump to 51-24 defeat
guardian.co.uk, Friday 31 August 2012 12.56 EDT
GB's Caroline MacLean, left, passes the ball over Australia's Kylie Gauci during their wheelchair basketball preliminary match.
Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
Great Britain women's coach Garry Peel was preparing to give his wheelchair basketball team a "lash of the tongue" after branding their performance an "absolute disgrace" in a 51-24 defeat against Australia.
Peel was left stunned as 2008 bronze medallists Australia dominated the game in every department, and held his team to just 21% shooting from the field. The former GB international, a silver medallist at the 1996 Paralympics, was on his way back to the locker room when he stopped to speak to reporters.
"They know what's coming," he said. "They know that's not the way we play. It was an absolute disgrace. They didn't stick to the game plan and if you don't do that then you won't win nothing."
Although both the British men and women lost their opening games, wheelchair basketball was one of the sports to enjoy the biggest public reaction on the first day.
But Peel said he had never seen anything like it from his team before and he was left to wonder if the positive mood was working against them as they felt a pressure to deliver.
"I think the crowd was bad for us today, the crowd were making it worse because you've got their families in there and the girls are imploding," he said.
"They're all tight and tense. There's no aggression. We're playing soft basketball and we'll find out why."
Basketball Coach brands GB display an 'absolute disgrace'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/31/paralympics-2012-basketball-disgrace
• Team face a 'tongue lashing' after losing to Australia
• ParalympicsGB women slump to 51-24 defeat
guardian.co.uk, Friday 31 August 2012 12.56 EDT
GB's Caroline MacLean, left, passes the ball over Australia's Kylie Gauci during their wheelchair basketball preliminary match.
Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
Great Britain women's coach Garry Peel was preparing to give his wheelchair basketball team a "lash of the tongue" after branding their performance an "absolute disgrace" in a 51-24 defeat against Australia.
Peel was left stunned as 2008 bronze medallists Australia dominated the game in every department, and held his team to just 21% shooting from the field. The former GB international, a silver medallist at the 1996 Paralympics, was on his way back to the locker room when he stopped to speak to reporters.
"They know what's coming," he said. "They know that's not the way we play. It was an absolute disgrace. They didn't stick to the game plan and if you don't do that then you won't win nothing."
Although both the British men and women lost their opening games, wheelchair basketball was one of the sports to enjoy the biggest public reaction on the first day.
But Peel said he had never seen anything like it from his team before and he was left to wonder if the positive mood was working against them as they felt a pressure to deliver.
"I think the crowd was bad for us today, the crowd were making it worse because you've got their families in there and the girls are imploding," he said.
"They're all tight and tense. There's no aggression. We're playing soft basketball and we'll find out why."
Basketball Coach brands GB display an 'absolute disgrace'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/31/paralympics-2012-basketball-disgrace
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