Mike Rose needed somewhere to play basketball.

Sauk Valley Predators coach Kevin Keathley needed a wing player who could score.

In late January, the two parties came together. After a bit of a slow start, Rose blossomed into an elite scorer and is a big reason why the Predators find themselves in the Premier League playoffs, preparing for a first-round game against the Rochester RazorSharks on Friday in Sterling.

Sauk Valley had two wing players, Desmond Holloway and Justin Tubbs, who combined to average 47 points per game. Their ability to fill it up landed them spots on teams overseas, and the Predators with a hole to fill.

Enter Rose. He had played
professionally in New Zealand, Turkey, Belgium and Australia,
but found himself back home in
Chicago this past winter, looking for a place to play.

The Predators' strength and conditioning coach, Darrick Druce, knew of Rose, knew he was available, and made a pitch to Keathley about
signing him. It was an easy sell.

Keathley attended Eastern
Kentucky, Rose's alma mater, and later coached the East Kentucky Miners of the Continental
Basketball Association. He was familiar with Rose, a two-time Ohio Valley Conference selection who scored 20 points per game as a senior and was considered at one time a possible NBA draft pick.

“I said, ‘Wow, he’s just sitting at home. We need to get him out here,” Keathley said. “With Desmond and Justin, there just wasn’t roster space. Darrick deserves all the credit. He was kind of the middle man in getting him out here.”

The Predators average 114 points per game, and the up-tempo style fits Rose to a tee. He’s a 6-foot-4 wing player with a deadly outside shot.

“[Keathley’s] style of play is exactly what I like,” Rose said. “It’s to run and play. It was a matter of me finding my confidence in the whole situation.”

Keathley likened Rose to NBA players Richard Hamilton and Reggie Miller – catch-and-shoot players who command defense’s attention. If teams choose to leave him open, he’ll hit jumpers all game. If they guard him closely, other players will shine.

“What he does is open everything up for our penetration game,” Keathley said. “I want to attack and get to the rim, and he’s a great shooter. It allows Herman Favors or Shelton Jackson or Carlton Fay to really work on the opposite side without the double-team coming. They have to key in on Mike. You can’t leave him.”

In an attempt to fit in, Rose deferred to his teammates early in his days with the Predators, which began on Jan. 27 against the Chicago Muscle. His coming out party was a 34-point performance against the Muscle on March 11, then he poured in 41 more against the St. Louis Phoenix six days later. He’s averaging 14.6 points in 15 games this season.

“He brought me in to be a scorer,” Rose said. “Instead of just taking on that role like I should have, I just tried to fit in. I didn’t want to mess up the jell the team had. Now I’m feeling comfortable on this team.”

Rose and the rest of the Predators will have to be at the top of their games as they prepare for a playoff series against Rochester. The RazorSharks won the PBL’s Eastern Division with a 17-2 record. They have three league titles (2008-09, 11) to their credit, and also played in the finals in 2010.

Keathley noted Rochester is the exact opposite of his team in many ways. They’re a veteran team, with a roster full of players in their late 20s or early 30s, while the Predators are the youngest team in the league. The RazorSharks prefer a deliberate, half-court game, while the Predators like to run-and-gun.

“Certainly they’re going to come in with a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence and expect to win,” Keathley said. “We’re the underdogs, but at the same time, it comes down to conflicting styles. They really want to set it up. They want to run their stuff in the half court. They’re more veteran-oriented.

“We really want to run, push the tempo and impose our will on them. If we can do that, we’ll be fine.”

Rose like the team’s chances, if it can execute.

“We’ve been talking about doing what we do,” Rose said, “but do it to another notch. I feel we have a good chance in this series.”

PBL playoffs – semifinals

Friday: RazorSharks at Predators, 7:05 p.m.

Sunday: Predators at RazorSharks, 7:05 p.m.

Monday: Predators at RazorSharks, 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)