THE Rockingham Flames face the unenviable task of tackling an on-fire defending champions in the Men's SBL to open the Easter Round but it's something coach Mark Utley is looking forward to particularly with the way Cooper Land began 2016.

Week 2 of the 2016 Men's SBL season begins on Thursday night with three matches and one of those pits the Flames up against the Joondalup Wolves at Joondalup Basketball Stadium.

The Wolfpack stormed their way to the 2015 Championship with a dominant season and emphatic Grand Final victory over the South West Slammers.

Showing no signs of complacency, Joondalup began 2016 on fire last Saturday night with a massive 58-point win on the road to the Slammers.

That might seem a scary task to then take them on to open Week 2, but Rockingham also started 2016 in impressive form beating the Willetton Tigers 106-100 last Saturday night.

Now coach Utley is fully aware of how difficult a challenge the Wolves present but they take plenty of confidence after their win to start the season over the Alan Black-coached Tigers.

"That will be a tough battle for sure after how well they did against South West," Utley said on SBL Slam on 98.5 SonshineFM.

"It was good to win at Willetton. It's always a tough venue, especially with that loud speaker in my ear and it's great to get a win against a team that's a quality outfit. They are a well-coached team so it's good to get a win against them."

The Flames were best served in their win over Willetton by Men's SBL Player of the Week Cooper Land who had 34 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots while shooting 12-of-20 from the field and 10-of-11 three-point territory.

However, for Utley just as important was the support he received from the likes of Ryan Godfrey (23 points), Chudier Pal (18 points, 13 boards), Nebojsha Franich (10 points, five rebounds) and Jarryd Griffin (10 points, six boards, three steals).

But as for Land, Utley wasn’t surprised with the performance from the 2014 MVP winner based on the preparation he's had for the season 2016 season and with the extra help he had from his teammates.

"It was a pre-season I knew he was going to have and it was the same one he had before his MVP year where he goes back and coaches, and works on his game rather than playing and bashing his knee in competitive work," he said.

"He has come back about eight kilos lighter and with Cooper that's a huge difference for him because that means he can beat people off the dribble and go to the basket.

"His 34 points came with zero three-pointers so he's not settling and is going to work, and loving the fact that he doesn’t have to carry the defensive load as well with Chudier and Franich."

The missing component from the Flames team last weekend, and again this week, was the absence of Taylor Land. There is still some paperwork to be sorted before he's able to play in 2016 but Utley is confident he'll hit the floor sometime in April.

"It's amazing as a basketball coach you are also a migration officer as well as a councillor, a comedian and any other job you can think of. Taylor is applying for permanent residency at the moment and the Australian government wants him to stay and not to be on a sports visa," Utley said.

"He is applying for that and we'll look to get his paperwork in, and as soon as he does he goes on a bridging visa and BA (Basketball Australia) has given approval for him to play while on that.

"Hopefully in the next few weeks he'll get on court because it's killing him. He is actually assistant coach this year so he's doing a fair bit of that work and training with us. He has been around the team but it's frustrating that he's not playing."

There are two other Men's SBL matches to take place on Thursday with the Perry Lakes Hawks hosting the Mandurah Magic at Bendat Basketball Centre, and the Willetton Tigers playing the Stirling Senators at Willetton Basketball Stadium.

Then on Saturday night, it begins with the Geraldton Buccaneers playing their first game at home for 2016 against the Perth Redbacks while the East Pert Eagles face the Goldfields Giants at Morley Sports and Recreation Centre.

The South West Slammers also face the Lakeside Lightning on Saturday at Eaton Recreation Centre while the Cockburn Cougars take on the Kalamunda Eastern Suns at Wally Hagan Stadium.

There is then the one Men's SBL match on Easter Sunday with the Kalamunda Eastern Suns battling the Goldfields Giants at Ray Owen Sports Centre.

And finally on Monday, the Rockingham Flames play the East Perth Eagles at Mike Barnett Sports Complex.

WEEK 2 MEN'S SBL FIXTURES
THURSDAY
Perry Lakes Hawks v Mandurah Magic, Bendat Basketball Centre 8.30pm
Joondalup Wolves v Rockingham Flames, Joondalup Basketball Stadium 8.30pm
Willetton Tigers v Stirling Senators, Willetton Basketball Stadium 8.30pm

SATURDAY
Geraldton Buccaneers v Perth Redbacks, Active West Stadium 7.30pm
East Perth Eagles v Goldfields Giants, Morley Sport and Recreation Centre 7.30pm
South West Slammers v Lakeside Lightning, Eaton Recreation Centre 8pm
Cockburn Cougars v Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Wally Hagan Stadium 8pm

SUNDAY
Kalamunda Eastern Suns v Goldfields Giants, Ray Owen Sports Centre 12pm

MONDAY
Rockingham Flames v East Perth Eagles, Mike Barnett Sports Complex 2pm

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Serene-Elise Photography