Double header weekend signals big run of games for Sharks

British Basketball League Regular Season

The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks round out September and then begin an eight game October stretch as the first double-header weekend of the season comes into view. Surrey Scorchers play just their second game on Saturday, having lost to London Lions on opening weekend with the Sharks carrying on to Plymouth on Sunday, where Paul James’ Patriots find themselves 0-2 after their initial fixtures. The Sharks of course go into the weekend on the back of that hard-fought 75-70 success in Cheshire last Sunday.

Saturday – Scorchers v Sharks – Surrey Sports Park – 5.00pm

Watch – Surrey Scorchers vs B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, British Basketball League Championship - LIVE - YouTube

Ones To Watch

Justin Robinson – The two-time former league MVP spent a season on the sidelines but eased his way back with 10 points, 4 rebounds and a steal on 50% shooting as Surrey opened with a 61-83 loss against London on opening weekend.

Cam Gooden – Floor General who top scored with 12 against London. Rookie out of Utah Tech, where he averaged 17 points per game with 3.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds.

Padiet Wang – South Sudanese international who shone on his first season at Surrey Sports Park. Highly-athletic and contributed 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal against the Lions.

Quin Cooper – Well-travelled Louisiana native, who played last season in Finland for Korihait where he led the team in three point percentage. Converted two against London on his way to 7 points.

Last Meeting

March 17th 2023 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Ratinho 16 Nichols 13 Ramsey 13) 75 Surrey Scorchers (Johnson 21 McFolley 18 Ogedengbe 10) 70

Sunday – Patriots v Sharks – Plymouth Pavilions – 3.00pm

Watch - Plymouth City Patriots vs B. Braun Sheffield Sharks, British Basketball League Championship - LIVE - YouTube

Ones To Watch

Mason Faulkner – Rookie guard Faulkner ended his college career at Louisville with a big reputation. He backed that up last weekend with 20 points as Plymouth pushed Leicester all the way before going down by 88-81.

TJ Atwood – Shooting guard out of Beaumont, Texas who matched Faulkner’s 20 point outing against the Riders. Played in Slovakia last season and was at NCAA D1 Lamar Cardinals before that.

Jacob Wiley – 6’ 7” swingman who averaged 12 points and 5 rebounds for Megaridas in Greece last season. 15 points and 6 rebounds in Leicester last week for the 25 year old Texan.

Elvisi Dusha – Brit / Albanian product who can now count himself as a veteran of the British Basketball League. Assist-friendly as demonstrated by the 8 he dished out in Plymouth’s opening game against Bristol and his 3 point shot is not to be slept on.

Last Meeting

January 27th 2023 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Flowers 15 Ramsey 14 Nelson 12) 82 Plymouth City Patriots (Gadsden 18 Bell 16 Daniels 11) 77

Shark Bites

The Sharks will look to extend their club record winning streak against the Surrey Scorchers to 12 on Saturday. The Sharks last loss was on 17th February 2019 at the Surrey Sports Park and their last defeat in Sheffield came on 29th September 2017.

Of the 30 most recent games between the clubs, the Sharks have recorded 27 wins over a period going back to December 2012. The club record for consecutive wins is 25 against Brighton.

The Sharks have won on 5 of their last 8 visits to the Plymouth Pavilions and have a 20 win, 14 loss overall record in all competitions in Devon,

The only previous game against Plymouth on October 1st was in 2010 at the EISS and resulted in a 116-73 home win. This was one of 14 occasions in club history where the Sharks have won by 43 points or more.

SharkNation

Did you enjoy that one Sharks fans? The thrilling Jalon Pipkins kick-started the Sharks to that win in Cheshire last Sunday and catapulted himself in the All Star Five team of the week as a result. Want to see this guy do his stuff in the flesh? Then head to Fanbase | Dashboard (fanbaseclub.com) where you can find game day tickets for our homecoming to the new Canon Medical Arena! Until then, we have three more games on the road and you can catch them all on the British Basketball League’s YouTube channel (see the links above). It’s been a pulsating start to the regular season and there is so much more to come. We’re nearly there – you, the B.Braun Sharks and our new home – Unbeatable! #FearTheFin

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Adam Bates