All eyes on the summit for the Sharks in big double-header weekend

Super League Basketball Championship

Will the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks make it to the summit of the Super League Basketball Championship? Wins in both of this weekend’s home fixtures would see the Sharks into the top spot ahead of current nearest rivals London Lions and Newcastle Eagles. Friday night sees Caledonia Gladiators come to town with newly-installed Coach Robbie Peers at the helm and on Sunday afternoon, Surrey 89ers are the visitors with the aim of climbing from their current seventh place in the table. A pair of capacity crowds would only add to what is guaranteed to be an amazing double-header of hoops!

Friday – Sharks v Gladiators – Canon Medical Arena – 7.30pm

Tickets – https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Fixtures?fanStoreType=Fixtures&clubId=216

Ones To Watch

Trevond Barnes – The improving forward flirted with a double-double as Caledonia took a win over current leaders London last Saturday. His team-high 13 points came with 8 boards as the reign of temporary Coach Lluis Riera came to an end on a positive note.

Tanner Stuckman – Caledonia’s standout of the season so far put up 10 points and 5 rebounds against the Lions. Averages 14.3 points with 3.3 boards and 1.8 assists for the Championship campaign so far.

Kyle Jimenez – The third Gladiator in double-figure scoring with 10 points last Saturday. Effective point guard who comes from the bench and shot at 66% in the 79-67 victory.

Patrick Whelan – GB International with a renowned three point shot. Was somewhat below par against the Lions with only two makes from ten shots from the field but reliably records 15 points per game as a rule.

Last Meeting

October 18th 2024 – Caledonia Gladiators 80 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 94

Sunday – Sharks v 89ers – Canon Medical Arena – 4.00pm

Tickets – https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Fixtures?fanStoreType=Fixtures&clubId=216

Ones To Watch

Mervin James – The 89ers were shaded in a close one against Bristol but forward James did his utmost with a 22 point, 5 rebound performance. Posts a respectable 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2 assists so far this season.

Jalen Ray – Eye-catching guard who was just a single point behind James in the 84-88 home loss against the Flyers. His five games so far have gleaned 16.3 points, 4.8 boards and 3.3 assists.

Andrew Lawrence – Veteran Brit point guard who still comes off the bench to great effect for the Surrey franchise. His 11 point, 6 rebound display almost took the 89ers to a 3rd win of the campaign but it wasn’t quite to be on this occasion.

Cam Gooden – Consistent performer for Surrey whose 13 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists against the Flyers compares very similarly to his season stats of 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists.

Last Meeting

March 7th 2024 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks 71 Surrey Scorchers 62

Shark Bites

The appointment of Robbie Peers by the Caledonia Gladiators makes him the sixth Head Coach since Sterling Davis left the Scottish franchise seven years ago. The Scottish franchise are now on their 13th Head Coach since joining the former British Basketball League in September 1998. During that time, the Sharks have had just three Head Coaches.

Manchester scored only 9 points in the third quarter against the Sharks last Sunday – the first single digit score in a quarter by either team in the Sharks 14 games this season.

Last Sunday at Manchester was the first time the Sharks have hit 15 three pointers in a game since 5th December 2010, almost 14 years ago. The last time they made more than 15 threes was 14th March 2004, more than 20 years ago.

The Sharks have won the Championship head-to-head with the Surrey franchise in each of the last eleven seasons.

SharkNation

Need a break from all the pre-festive madness? What better than a pair of unmissable games that could see the Sharks hit the dizzy heights of the top of the Super League Basketball Championship! The ticket links can be found higher up this page and don’t forget, as an early gift, you can get ‘tickets for a tenner’ for Sunday’s big game against Surrey 89ers. Your support in Manchester was phenomenal last weekend – now it’s time to replicate it in our home gym this weekend. The formula is simple. The more noise you make, the better the guys play and the higher we go up the table! We can’t wait to see you – it’s time to #FearTheFin!

Image

Adam Bates