Kremandala Raiders, major contender in semi-pro

Tonight in the series, “Inside the B.B.A.” Alex king profiles a team that is believed to be one of the major contenders in this year’s semi-pro series: the Kremandala Raiders.

Love them or hate them, one thing is for sure, the road to the semi-pro championship has always gone through the Raider’s camp. But time and free agency has taken a toll on the silver and black. Maurice Williams is out for the year after undergoing knee surgery. Willie Gordon is out of the country. And perhaps the biggest loss, via free agency is Claude “Too Tall” Jones now a member of the archrival Lakers.

So this proud franchise has had to regroup. They still have a solid core group, but have had to acquire the services of seven first time Raiders, three of whom have never played in a semi-pro game. So how does the ’99 version of the Raiders stack up to the past glory teams?

Evan “Mose” Hyde Jr.

“I don’t think that we will take that comparative thing with the present and the past. I think the past kinda speaks for itself and I think this is a new era for the Raiders, new territory. And we have a late start but the present will have to prove its thing on the court the same way the past one used to do it. That will be the comparison right there – what they do on the court. “

It will certainly be an uphill battle for the Raiders this year. The late entry into the tournament has sent their conditioning back considerably. With two days before the start of the season, management and players all know there is still a ways to go.

Evan “Mose” Hyde Jr.

“We’re about 55 percent right now. We are not at home but we’re working hard. Unfortunately because of the late entrance we’re a bit behind but compared to the rest of the teams we have been working probably two or three months ago. At the start of the game as the whistle blows I think we’ll be ready. We’ll be working hard enough, decent enough to get to the next level.”

Evan “Duck” Garnett

“I haven’t played competitive ball since 1996 and it kinda had me in a little lapse in terms of playing competitively and so I gained some weight. I have been working on that aspect of my game. I feel pretty good right now; I am nowhere near what I used to be but with some encouraging words from my teammates and my coaches it’s a new beginning and I’m looking forward to the season.”

And what about “Too Tall” Jones? His defection changes a lot for the Raiders: first in their defense philosophy, and secondly the loss of a big rebounder will definitely affect their vaunted running game.

Evan “Duck” Garnett

“With “Too Tall” we had a lot of luxury in terms of gambling defense; we could shy off our man a little bit and “Too Tall” was right there to save the day. So we gotta play more contained defense. We will not run as much as we used to but we will play much more smarter and much more efficient.”

Evan “Mose” Hyde Jr.

“Claude was a very integral part of the whole Raiders chemistry and his rebounds, backshots, intimidations… It’s hard to replace those stuff — but the guy’s 6’10” you can’t teach that — and so he will be sorely missed.”

And how has the departure of “Too Tall” affected the mindset of the older players? Is there a possibility that there may be some early season disasters as the Raiders may be looking down the road to the April 23rd contest against the Lakers? Maino Bevans sums it up best.

Maino Bevans

“The guys are set to play a tournament; we’re not set to play “Too Tall” Jones. “Too Tall” Jones has to get set to play the Raiders. So we are not worried, nor am I, about “Too tall” Jones and the Lakers. He will have to worry about us. He will have more behind his mind that us because he left us.”

So can a franchise that has lost so much contend for the battle again? Can seven first time Raiders blend in with the core group of Maino Bevans, Duck Garnett, Travis Santos and Raymond Gongora? Can they pull off the responsibility?

Evan “Mose” Hyde Jr.

“We’re in it to win it; that’s ultimate. We’re not here defending our previous record; we’re not here defending four championships. We’re here for ’99. We want to do our best and that means to do our best to win. That’s why we’re in it.”

Maino Bevans

“I figure we more than likely have a shot. We will win! Let me look into the camera when I say this. We will reach the playoffs; we will reach the finals. As far as championship is concerned, as James Adderley would say, “Jah over all.””

Alex King for News Five.