The mental fortitude of the Canterbury Rams in the face of caustic words from their coach, Mark Dickel, showed the character and strength of the players in their victory yesterday in Napier.
"I guess we're more scared of Mark [Dickel] than we are of losing but, no, he did what he did to make us win so the boys stepped up," said Rams skipper Marques Whippy of former feisty Tall Black Dickel who didn't spare any of his troops when things went awry on the court at the PG Arena in the Southerners' come-from-behind 99-96 overtime win.
"That's the strength of our boys, the mental toughness - taking the coach's words, whether they be good or bad and using it to get the win," said a grinning Whippy who relished coming back from an 18-point deficit in the first quarter to prevail.
The Fijian lauded double-double merchant Marcel Jones and guard Ethan Rusbatch for their prowess but put it down to a concerted effort.
"Next week another person will have to step up so it takes a team effort."