Kinder London Towers meet Gareth Laws

Meet Gareth Laws

Welcome back Gareth:
It’s good to be back! I started at Crystal palace back in 1993 in the Under 19s. The next year they started an Under 17s so I played in both teams. When Crystal Palace and Towers merged I went with Joe White to islington for a couple of years, then to Sutton Pumas for 2 years and then to Plymouth Raiders when I was at University.

How did you find things at Plymouth:
Touch and go. Going to University was a great experience. After two good years playing for the Sutton Pumas in Division 1 and being scouted to go to Plymouth to then sit on a bench for three years was very frustrating. The situation plays with your mind and I’m the first to admit that I let myself slide. I’m the type of player who needs a goal to go into training – what did I do well in the last game, what do I need to work on but I wasn’t getting any opportunities so I gave up hope basically. Then in my last year at Uni I decided it was time to get back into shape so I started playing with the Division 3 team which helped a lot.
After I finished Uni I decided I had to leave Plymouth as it didn’t look bright down there. Gary Stronach is a great coach, the set-up down there is fantastic but certain players just don’t fit in to certain regimes. There are no hard feelings, I came back up here, still keep in contact with the guys, it’s sad seeing them struggle a bit although it’s early days yet. However, it was good to go down there the other week and get a victory.

Are things working out with Robbie?
One of my friends in Plymouth was coached by Robbie and he said he was very good, that he tries to give people an opportunity to play.
I knew that for me to start getting minutes and earning court time, I had to work hard and keep going. I’m surprised that after not playing for nearly three years how long it’s taking me to get back into the swing of things, it’s very difficult to step out in this league and produce the goods for him. He’s sticking with me though, telling me what I have to do, what I’m doing right and wrong. He’s trying hard to get me into the game and to build me up. He’s constantly saying he’s impressed with what I’ve done and how I’m progressing.
Hopefully, in a couple of years time when they start classifying me as a veteran player (at 25 now I know that’s not too far away) maybe I’ll start producing things and showing people what I know I’m capable of doing. Getting into a game in a situation you’re not used to, it takes time. Robbie Peers is a great coach, a great guy on and off the court and he knows what he wants and does his best to try and get it out of you, it’s up to us, his players, to bring it out for him.
As time goes on I’m getting more familiar with the situation. My shots aren’t dropping right just yet which is frustrating as I’m a jump shooter. When I get more comfortable it won’t be a problem. I really need to focus on my defence, I’ve never been known as a defensive player. So every training session and game I’m pushing myself to step up more, to limit my mistakes and the options of the other team.

gareth

Gareth in thoughtful mood

Are you enjoying working with the team?
The guys are fantastic. They try to look after you. If they see you struggling in training and know you’ve got the potential they encourage you to bring what you do well into the game with you. It’s nice to know they’ve got your back, they’ll tell you if you make a mistake as anyone would but also what you should have done instead. It’s great to be with Rob Sargeant again, we were Juniors together and it’s great to see him in action again and spend time with him. It makes everything so much easier, being around a team that gets on with each other. I feel I’ve clicked with Jerome and Sam as well, it’s been a fun time over the last few months and I look forward to a future with the Towers.

For information, please call the London Towers Office T: 020 8776 7755

Gareth

Gareth spoke to Andrea Redman on Saturday 19th November 2005