Rucker: One signing will decide Phoenix’s season

It took a strong fightback from the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the second half of Throwdown 35 on Saturday night for Derek Rucker to see something positive out of a struggling team.

Melbourne United led 64-39 at half-time, with Cole Anthony scoring 27 of his Throwdown-record 39 points before the break.

The Phoenix fought back from 25 down to close it to a two-possession game in the fourth quarter, getting within five with 24 seconds left before United held on for a 102-95 win.

“To their credit, they never gave up,” Rucker said on Moments that Mattered, presented by Mitsubishi Pajero.

“If I’m a South East Melbourne supporter, I could look to that second half for signs of life.

“I thought they did a good job on the defensive end. They were a bit more disciplined in the way they performed, and offensively they tended to play with more structure and patience.”

While the spirited comeback was well overdue, Rucker looked back on the earlier moments in the round as to where the Phoenix must change.

“If you took those four quarters of the Ignite Cup [fixture] and then you add the first two quarters of the Melbourne United game, you had six quarters of just abhorrent defensive basketball by South East Melbourne,” he added

“Even when they were scoring against Melbourne United in the first half, they were allowing Melbourne to come back down and score just as easily.

“That made it really hard for them to try and keep up with Melbourne, who were playing outstanding basketball.

“I thought in the second half they were able to control that aspect.

“They didn’t give up as many easy buckets, and they were able to kind of control Melbourne on the offensive end.”

With the dust settling on the news of the Phoenix releasing import Skylar Mays, Rucker believes that the remainder of their season rests on the next decision.

“It depends on who they bring in at the FIBA Break,” he said.

“I think they’re looking for a point guard. The market is bad for point guards internationally, and I’m not sure they want to spend to the level that is out there on the market.

“But all teams searching for point guards around the world are facing the same dilemma.”

The Phoenix next travel to New Zealand for an Ignite Cup clash with the Breakers, tipping off at 5.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.