Frank A Fan Favourite
Tagged in: In The News, Kiwis Abroad, Tall Blacks
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Nick Smart, Sportal
It has taken just one game for colourful Gold Coast Blaze forward Casey Frank to establish himself as a fan favourite.
It appears the Kiwi international has won his way into the hearts of Gold Coast fans following an eye-catching performance in the Blaze’s Australian Hummer Championship NBL season-opening 115-105 loss to the Brisbane Bullets on Wednesday night.
Frank is known for his on-court entertainment and he didn’t disappoint the home crowd against the Bullets.
His huge, swinging slam dunk in the second quarter was the highlight of the night, which brought back fond memories of former Rollers star import Mike Mitchell. And the showman has promised fans more of the same.
“Hopefully I can get a few more of those as the year goes on,” said Frank. “I fancy myself as a bit of a dunker, but there were not enough of them (on Wednesday night).”
“I just go out there and play hard and hopefully the fans enjoy what you do, and if they do it’s awesome.”
It is obvious to fans that Frank loves what he does for a living. His passion for the game shines through brightly when he is on the court.
“If I didn’t like doing it I wouldn’t do it. It is too much stress on the body to beat yourself up for years to not enjoy it,” he said. “If I play I am going to play with a lot of passion and because I love it.”
The Blaze hit the surf at Kurrawa for a recovery session on Thursday morning.
All players pulled up well from the match and there are no injury concerns to speak of.
Small forward and marquee signing Juaquin Hawkins is experiencing some back tightness but is expected to play against the Sydney Kings at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Sunday.
Frank said he was confident that the club could record its first championship win against the Kings.
“I think they are a little bit in the same boat as us as they haven’t had a full preparation,” he said.
“I think they just got one of their imports in and they have had a lot of injuries. It will be a tough match down there but I like our chances.”
A concern for the Blaze is how tough their first month of matches will be.
After the loss to the Bullets they next face the Kings, Singapore and Cairns all on the road.
Coach Brendan Joyce made note of the concern after the Bullets’ loss, and Frank lamented the unfavourable draw the Blaze had received.
“It doesn’t look like the NBL like the Gold Coast much,” he joked. “It looks like they have been trying to beat us into submission early.”
Because of the club’s interrupted and limited pre-season, Frank said it was going to take about a month for the playing group to gel.
“One of the hardest things to do is bring together this many guys who haven’t really played together and gel quickly,” he said.
“And as it goes along I think it is going to get better and we are going to become a much more dangerous team.”
