January 30, 2015

Since Opening Night, the Windy City Groove have been trying to find exactly that - a 'groove' that will allow them more victories than the one Jan. 10 over the Gateway Steam.  Another chance to get that second 'W' comes tonight when the Groove (1-3) host the second game of a four-game series with the Champaign Swarm (3-1) at the Kroc Center in Chicago.  The Swarm, meanwhile, look to rebound following their first loss of the year against the Bloomington Flex last night.

Groove coach James Fleming mentioned on his weekly radio show that the experience gap in the first meeting between his club and the Swarm was very evident... and he isn't being facetious.  A majority of the Swarm's roster has substantial professional experience, including 10-year overseas pro Carl Mitchell.  It came through in a key stretch in the first quarter of the teams' first meeting Jan. 25 when after losing an early 10-0 lead and going down by one, a switch of personnel by Champaign left the Groove flat-footed and the Swarm regained their lead and never relinquished it, winning 115-89.  

A bright spot on the Groove has been the insertion of recently-signed guard Darrin Johnson.  Darrin provided immediate dividends with timely outside shooting en route to a franchise and MPBA-best 36 points, including a team-high eight 3-point shots made.  It may take a little pressure off of team scoring leader Christopher Dillard, who is averaging 14.5 points a game.  

The Groove and Swarm matchup is the MPBA Game of the Night on Fri. Jan. 30 with a broadcast time of 7:00pm via www.TheMPBA.com.  Alvin Washington handles the play by play with Scott Beatty on color analysis.