Article content continued

Anderson said there’s not much that separates a championship team with one that is unable to put things together.

“I think it has a lot to do with the energy, the commitment and sometimes the game just throws crazy stuff your way, too,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to take the highs with the lows.

“Sometimes you can fight, fight, fight, fight but sometimes things just don’t go your way. That’s part of life. The thing that has to be constant is your will to fight and pursue things.”

Players come to the NBL of Canada looking for different things. Some are aspiring to play at a higher level and some looking to extend a career and chase a title.

“I want to win a championship here,” former Michigan State University standout Derrick Nix said. “I’ve never won a championship playing professional basketball and get better.”

A former Michigan Mr. Basketball, the six-foot-eight, 270-pound Nix has played in the NBA G League and throughout Europe, but is excited by the chance to play for the Express and fit in.

“I’m excited and grateful to be here,” the 28-year-old Nix said. “First day, I feel good and I’m looking forward to the season.

“I’m a humble guy, I’ve played on different teams at different levels and you just want to adapt and get to know each other on a personal level and not just come in and play basketball.”

Team bonding is something Anderson wants to focus on with this season’s team and not just focus on getting comfortable on the court.

“We’re going to try and hang out a lot more,” Anderson said. “We have to build that chemistry quicker. The quicker we gel and harden and get together, the more difficult it will be for things to bring us down.”

It will be a quick camp for the Express, who play an exhibition in Chatham on Saturday against the London Lightning and open the season on Dec. 28th against London at the WFCU Centre.

“It has to be able to have a bad taste in your mouth,” Jones said of last season. “We’ve got to be more focused. The last five months, sitting in the office, drove me crazy. Now, there’s a smile on my face and a pep in my step.”

jpparker@postmedia.com

twitter.com/winstarparker