Basketball: McCord faces Tigers' wrath

THE AMERICAN John McCord can expect a sharp reception from the Tigers fans at Bracknell tonight, when he plays for new club Edinburgh Rocks against Thames Valley only five days into the new season.

McCord's move north was one of the two biggest transfers of the summer, alongside Travis Conlan's switch from Sheffield Sharks to Manchester Giants, and helped stir the Tigers management into an angry response after they lost another two leading players. The coach, Paul James, and the chairman, John Nike, complained of a football-style transfer market and the involvement of agents after several of their players were linked with other clubs during the summer.

Giants eventually pulled out of signing Lee Walker, who then joined Birmingham Bullets, then Bryan Balser joined London Towers. But McCord was the biggest loss, as he underlined with 30 points for Edinburgh in their 102-83 opening- night win at Leicester City Riders.

James' major American signing is Tony Christie, but the Edinburgh coach, Jim Brandon, is in no doubt that he has the best of the deal. "I still find it incredible that John is up here," he said.