Catching up with… the former Sharks

B. Braun Sheffield Sharks
B. Braun Sheffield Sharks
November 30, 20188:00 AM

Ever wonder what happened to some of the Sharks from days gone by? Our skipper Mike Tuck’s ten year tenure in Sheffield is remarkable feat, given that basketball is often a short-lived career or a career where contracts are negotiated on a year-by-year basis. Whether at the club for a long stint or just a brief sortie, many of our former players look back on their spells in Sheffield with great fondness. We thought you might like to hear where a few former Sharks are at the moment and what they are up to.

Jerrold Brooks was at the point during that stellar playoff winning season back in 2015-16. The 27 year old from Rochester, NY has since gone on to make a name for himself across the Channel in French basketball. He averaged 17 points per game for Andrezieux Boutheon in NM1 before making the switch to ALM Evreux Basket in LNB Pro B for 2017-18. 14 points per game with 5 assists saw him make a mid-season switch to ADA Blois Basket, where he put up 16 points per game with 4.3 assists for the remainder of the campaign. This season, Jerrold finds himself at Caen Basket Calvados just over the water in Normandy, where he has recorded 12 points per game with 6.3 assists after just 3 games again in LNB Pro B.

Malcolm Riley spent the 2016-17 season on the South Yorkshire hardwood, where he contributed a very healthy 16.3 points per game. The Texas Southern product then spent the following season at Cheshire Phoenix, where he amassed 15.5 points with 6 rebounds per encounter. This season has seen Malcolm make the move to Division A of the Lebanese basketball league with a team called Byblos. In this nascent season, he is already putting up 26.5 points per game with 6.5 rebounds!

Zach Gachette ended a second spell with the Sharks only last season. The popular Londoner, now aged 28 and in his ninth season of pro ball, has headed off to the fourth tier of Italian basketball with Mola New Basket. Recent games have seen him produce statlines of 38 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists as well as 31 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists! A diet of pasta, pasta and more pasta must be doing him good!

Two former Sharks are doing battle in Germany. Pat Horstmann is plying his trade in Regionalliga 1 south east division with Herzogenaurach and used all his veteran experience to guide his team to an 88-83 win over Vilsbiburg recently with a double double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Also playing in the Regionalliga, south west division this time is John Barber. The 6’ 7” 33 year old forward is on the roster of Kaiserslautern, who recently overturned Giessen by 72-84. John aided his side with 18 points and 12 rebounds to improve their record to 4-6. John and Patrick have met up several times because John lives in Patrick’s works sales patch!

Closer to home, well at home actually, are three former Sharks signed with NBL sides. After the sad demise of Leeds Force, George Brownell has made appearances for local NBL2 team the Derbyshire Arrows. He posted 13 points against Greenwich Titans and bettered that by one in the Patrons Cup against Ipswich. Also in the NBL, this time in Division One , is brother Eddy Brownell. Eddy is signed with Nottingham Hoods, who the Sharks faced in pre-season and who also boast former Manchester Giant, David Watts in their squad. Now in his sixth season despite being only 22, Eddy has helped steer the Hoods to sixth in NBL1, seeing 17 minutes per game of court time on his way to 5.4 points per game.

Back in the UK game after a brief hiatus is Nick Lewis. The former Shark and London Lion began the season at Zaire Taylor’s Worthing Thunder in NBL1. The 25 year old made a quick switch however to Team Solent Kestrels. Clearly Nick’s move has been a success as the Kestrels sit at the top of the table with a 7-0 record. Nick himself is averaging 18.75 points per game on 46% shooting, having also attained a staggering 33.5 points per game in the National Trophy to date. Nick will be displaying his talents back on the BBL stage on December 23rd, when Solent travel to Cheshire Phoenix in the opening round of the BBL Trophy.

There you have it – a brief tour of where some of the Sharks alumni are currently playing their hoops. We wish them all the very best for the remainder of their respective seasons. Why not keep in touch with their progress? #SharkNation for life!

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