Raftopoulos is owner Alan McClafferty's second coach

Guildford Heat coach Creon Raftopoulos says he wants to win the BBL Trophy for owner Alan McClaffery and the fans.

The Heat booked their place in the final with a 172-159 aggregate win over Leicester Riders.

Raftopoulos, who was appointed by McClafferty in the summer, told BBC Surrey: "He gave me the opportunity which I'm truly grateful for.

"If we can repay everything he's put in the club by giving him a trophy, that's a little bit of payback".

Guildford Heat won six trophies in four seasons after relocating from Berkshire, but went into adminsitration in February 2009.

They were rescued by local businessman McClafferty and Raftolpoulos said they all wanted to repay his investment.

"Without him and all the good sponsors that we have, we wouldn't be playing on a weekend basis. So we appreciate that and want to give back," he said.

Raftopoulos also knows the fans need some good news after two barren seasons.

"The key thing with the players is, we said we want to do this for the fans," he added.

"We've got a really nice loyal fan base, we've got some new fans who are enjoying the games, give them a special outing".

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version