Sweet ritual: Sixers import’s quirky pre-game must-have

The gun scoring machine missed 15 of his 17 shots and went 1-13 from deep in a pre-season clash against Perth.

But there might have been a simple answer to his early struggles – he didn’t get his Swedish Fish.

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The fish-shaped chewy candy is a popular sweet in the US, but scarce in Australia and he was always going to be up against it when shopping in the WA town of Eaton.

Randall II says it was more than that – he was dusting off the rust in his first foray into the league.

But he says he eats the sweet before every contest as part of his pre-game ritual. The Sixers now take no chances, making sure there’s an abundant supply available on game day.

“I eat two bags before every game, I always have. I’ve been doing this since I was really young,” Randall II told News Corp.

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“But it’s not a superstition for me, it’s part of my routine, so I just stick to my routine.

“I could probably go through five bags in a day if I wanted to – that’s not good for my teeth, but I eat them a lot.”

So how does one end up with Swedish Fish as their favourite food?

It dates back to a five-year-old Randall II on basketball camp with his dad and a much-loved coach.

“I would stay at camp and my brothers would participate in camp and I would be too young to do it, so I would always be at the concession stand and my dad’s college coach would always tell me to eat whatever I wanted, and that’s one of the things I would always take,” he said.

“I’ve eaten them ever since.”

Since that underwhelming first game, the 26-year-old flamethrower has lit up the NBL, leading the league in scoring at 23.33 points per game and impressing in the US.

Back-to-back 30-point performances as the Sixers made history against the Phoenix Suns and took on Oklahoma City had as many as 10 NBA teams on the phone.

But Randall II says he’ll only listen to serious offers from teams who truly believe he can help them win – he’s focused on being an Adelaide 36er.

“I tell my agents I’m not really interested in hearing about it,” Randall said.

“They know that if it’s something that’s worth us listening to and really taking serious, then we’ll talk about it.

“The NBA is always the goal but I like my situation. I play for a really good coach, I have a really good team. I’m trying to help win a championship and bring winning back to this club.

“Mentally, some people can get caught up in (the NBA dream) and be so focused on trying to get there and forget what you’re doing. I just don’t want to do that and be ungrateful and take for granted where I’m at.

“The NBA stuff, it will take care of itself.”

The Sixers host New Zealand Friday night and Randall II is wary — his side is still building its identity at the defensive end.

“A lot of people might not think it but they’re a really good team,” he said.

“They’ve got great imports, they have guys who can shoot, guys who can guard, so it’s going to be a fun and exciting game.”

“Our offence will take care of itself, but if we don’t guard for four quarters they’re one of those teams that can beat you bad.

“We’re trying to become a defensive team first. We’re going to score, we’ve got guys who can put the ball in the basket, so getting stops is our main focus.”

Phoenix flies into Wildcats cauldron

New South East Melbourne import Alan Williams has been worded up by his teammates about how intimidating the crowd can get in Perth.

But he says the full-strength Phoenix, fresh off back-to-back wins, will flourish on Friday night against the Wildcats in the RAC Arena cauldron.

“It’s a long trip but we’ve got a good group of vets that let us know it’s a pretty hostile place to play,” Williams said.

“I think we’ll thrive in that.

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to go out and play against one of the better teams in the league.”

The Phoenix crawled out of the blocks, losing three of their first four games, but have since squared their ledger with wins over New Zealand and Brisbane.

Coach Simon Mitchell will have all 11 of his charges to call upon in Perth, with import Trey Kell shaking off a corkie and star forward Mitch Creek, who is managing a painful issue with his plantar fascia, getting some practice reps in on Wednesday.

“It’s just a management issue with Mitch,” Mitchell said.

“It’s not the initial issue that kept him out over the pre-season (ankle), it’s something that’s come because of that injury.

“He’s OK, we’re managing him, it’s keeping him fresh.”

After some pre-season foul woes, former NBA big man Williams has taken to Melbourne and the NBL, like a duck to water, equal-fourth in the league with 7.5 rebounds per game.

“In my career, pre-seasons have always been called a little bit tighter (by referees), so typically during the season, thereferees and the players both adjust and that’s kind of what’s happened now,” Williams said in reference to fouling out several times in pre-season.

“I’ve found my comfort level with the physicality and I’m taking advantage of it.

“I try to be as best as I can possibly be, they knew what they were getting when they got me and I just try to live up to my name.”

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