Werribee Devils coach Lloyd Klaman isn’t hiding the fact he has high expectations for his team.
After earning promotion into the Big V division 1 women’s competition, Klaman isn’t content with merely making up the numbers.
“We are here to play finals,” he said. “Anything less than that would be pretty disappointing for us as a team.”
Even this early in the season, the Devils appear to be on track to deliver the coach what he wants.
While many teams would have struggled with the jump in class from division 2 to division 1, the challenge has brought the best out of Werribee, which is enjoying a great start to the season.
The Devils sit in third spot on the ladder and are one of the highest-scoring teams in the competition.
“It is a tough league,” Klaman said. “I think between second place and 10th place, only one game separates everybody. It’s pretty tightly contested.
“Every week, someone can beat you. Last year, we could be off our game 15 or 20 per cent and still come up with a win.
“This year, you really have to be ready to play.”
Last year, the Devils were hard to beat on their home court, with a 9-1 record through the regular season.
The trend is showing no signs of slowing down, with Werribee already 3-1 at the Werribee Basketball Centre. It’s the club’s away form that Klaman is hoping to improve in the coming weeks.
The Devils are currently 2-2 on the road.
“I think it needs to be better, especially if we have visions of making the final four at the end of the season,” he said.
“We need to be able to go on the road and take care of business there.
“I think the travel can be tough. We have trips as long as three hours. Coming up, we have a flight to Mildura as well, so we’re going to have to get that one handled.”
After a win against Southern Peninsula Sharks last week, the Devils will look to continue their good form when they face Whittlesea on Saturday night.
