If that was the entree, Werribee Devils fans will be licking their lips for the main course to arrive.
The Devils served up a tasty insight into their potential in the new Big V basketball men’s championship season, with an 85-55 mauling of Hawthorn Magic in the opening round at Eagle Stadium on Saturday night.
Devils coach Michael Czepil could not have asked for a better start with all the ingredients coming together for launch night.
“It was about the collective,” he told Star Weekly. “All the guys did a really good job. They were excited for the season to start and it showed out on the floor. We just competed from the start to the finish and it ended up working for us in the end.”
There were two new chefs in the kitchen for Werribee and both made strong first impressions.
Import guard Jeremy Smith, out of the USA, and forward Evan Matthews, from Canada, were dominant forces for the Devils.
Matthews worked hard at both ends of the court finish with a well-rounded 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
“We went to him early and he made some big plays for us offensively,” Czepil said. “It sort of opened the game up for our perimeter guys.”
Smith and Jordan Hughes showed how dangerous they will be as a back court pairing, combining for 46 points.
Smith was ultra efficient, scoring 28 points on 12-from-16 shooting from the field to go with nine rebounds and three assists.
Hughes scored 18 points, including three from downtown.
“They are going to really compliment each other and they’re still working out each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Czepil said. “Jeremy only got off the plane during the week and is still feeling his way around.
“He’ll get into a better rhythm once he has more of an understanding of everybody on the team and how guys play. Jordan’s game will blossom because he’s going to have more space and time than he will know what to do with.”
Anthony Luxford was also praised for his tireless work on the defensive end.
The second unit got to play big minutes in the blow-out.
The Devils have the weekend off for Easter, but Czepil will not allow his players to get too comfortable.
“We’ve got two weeks to prepare for Waverley and we’ve got to get better,” he said. “That’s the theme of the year for us, we’ve got to get better week to week, month to month.”
Meanwhile, the Werribee Devils have stalled out of the gates in the Big V women’s division 1, losing 88-56 to Camberwell Dragons at Balwyn High School.
Bex Van Kuyk filled the stat sheet for the Devils with 12 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Jess Slade also had a double-double 12 points and 12 rebounds.
