With just over a week to go before the return of the Grainger Cup we caught up with hometown hero, Welsh International and Gloucester City Kings star, Rhys Farrell, on his thoughts around the legacy of the cup, thoughts on his recent season and the rivalry created in this competition.
In last years Grainger Cup you became one of the heroes of the event with "the shot" that pushed the game to overtime, what was it like to play a game of that magnitude in your hometown?
RF: It has to be one of the best games I've been apart of, the crowd were incredible and the day was a great success. People have still been talking about the game until this day!
With the event paying tribute to Joe Grainger, as someone who knew him, what does it mean to be able to celebrate his legacy?
Joe was one of a kind, his passion for the game was so pure. He truly had the best intentions for everyone in the city. Early mornings and late nights even when he was a t his worst of his illness. For me to be able to keep building on all aspects of basketball in this city, to have equal levels of respect no matter what level you are at and enjoying the game we all love. That's what Joe embodied and always wanted for the game.
Joe's love was youth development and giving Gloucestershire based players opportunities to excel in the sport, what would he be thinking seeing so much young talent playing in this game?
The game is taking off, more kids are playing than ever before, I'd say we can't keep up with the demand! This season we saw some young players stepping up from our academy and being added into the Men's program and all of them thrived! I've seen some of the younger kids around the city playing and let's just say we have an exciting future ahead of us in Gloucester!
Following last year's Grainger Cup you made the decision to stay and play for the Gloucester City Kings, how have you found this season?
Gloucester has always had my heart, I've grown up with limited opportunity where I had to leave to take the next step. Now we have a respected men's program it only felt right to come back and try to help the program grow even more. This season was amazing, we developed a culture and I think thanks to Jimmy every one of us has come away as better players and people.
With the roster released, it seems this season is even stronger than last season, how excited are you for this game?
We've really taken this game up a notch, the level of talent on both sides has take a big leap. It's going to be a show and you won't want to miss it! I don't think I'll be sleeping the night before!
We wish Rhys all the success in the upcoming game and hope that the trophy will be coming back to Gloucester once again.
There are only limited tickets available so if you still wish to make it to the game click HERE!
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