George Blakeney is also backup

Ricky Franklin is back at the CAB, a club he knows well and where he left good memories. The U.S. national base has already defended the colors of Friends at the time 2013-2014, making it the best scorer of the Portuguese League, with an average of 21.7 points per game. Adding to this impressive record, Franklin also obtained averages of 7.1 assists and 3.1 jumps per game. The new reinforcement of the CAB comes at a time when the Nazaré club seeks to reverse the less positive sequence of results it has been performing in the past games. Friends quickly want to rediscover the path of success and the 'new' basis can help in this direction. For this purpose, you will already have two demanding tests, on 9 and 10 January, when the CAB faces, at home, the formations of the Ponte-de-Sôr tram and the Lusitânia dos Açores, fundamental meetings for the position of Madeirans in the classification table. In statements to the CAB's Official Site, João Paulo Silva, coach of Friends, highlighted the importance of Ricky Franklin for the dynamics of the male team. According to the technician: “Ricky Franklin is a player with a great knowledge of the Portuguese League. In the year that represented the CAB, it had good records, particularly in the marked points and assistance. These aspects, together with their good capacity at the level of team leadership within the field, were more than sufficient reasons for us to move forward with their hiring.” “Ricky has always been an athlete we want to hire since the beginning of the season. The hiring has now come true and I think it will be a great advantage for our team. Its inclusion in the team will also allow the ability of other athletes.” Also joining the CAB squad is American George Blakeney. The player, who is 2.06 meters tall and 130 kilos of weight, acts in the post position and can make an important contribution to the Madeiran team's inner game. Recently, Blakeney acted in Bahia, Argentina, and in Regatas, Peru, where he became national champion. The CAB will be your first experience in European basketball. In statements to the Official CAB Site, João Paulo Silva commented on the arrival of the player: “One of the areas the team was most needy was in the indoor game. There was a great demand for the few resources available and of course we began to feel some physical wear. Thus, we seek to strengthen this area by hiring George Blakeney.” “He is a player with strong movements and that allow to attack the basket in the painted area. Besides, George is a good pointer that will allow for greater confidence from our launchers. This hiring will also be interesting at the level of player turnover, eventually ensuring a greater contribution from players coming from the bank. Although this is the first time George has played in Portugal, we are confident he will have a good and quick adaptation.”