Caledonia Gladiators boss reflects on "amazing" first half of season as they target more trophies in 2024

Caledonia Gladiators head coach Gareth Murray says the position he and the team are in is “amazing” as they head into a huge second half of the British Basketball League season.

The East Kilbride club are second in the BBL Championship, 18 points behind leaders London Lions, but with four games in hand, and two ahead of Cheshire Phoenix, who have played one fewer game.

Gladiators are currently into the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy in Birmingham, where they will play London Lions in the last four tomorrow as part of an epic Trophy Finals weekend, seeking to retain the silverware they won last season.

It’s a hectic schedule for the PlaySport club, at home to Bristol Flyers on February 4, at Newcastle Eagles five days later, hosting Leicester Riders on February 11, and Surrey Scorchers four days after that.

But Rutherglen man Murray and Gladiators aren’t standing still.

“Right now we have a break from league play,” said Murray, “so we’ll be sitting in second for the whole month before the second half of the season.

“That shows great progress for us, but we are still trying to move this team forward.

“We’re going for the BBL Trophy right now, the same trophy that we won last year.

“The target for 2024 is for the team to get to that trophy final and win it again.

“We want to be at the top of the table in the league, we don’t just want to be there or thereabouts.

“We want to be competing and trying to win things each year.

“Those are the goals, and we’re still on target, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

2023 was a banner year for Gladiators, with the BBL Trophy win with a last-gasp shot, new owners and a move to a temporary site in PlaySport in East Kilbride, while their purpose-built stadium is being created.

That