Hotly-anticipated clash at home for the Sharks this Friday

British Basketball League Regular Season

A hotly-anticipated first clash of the season against Leicester Riders awaits the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks this coming Friday. Sharks / Riders encounters have an unrivalled level of excitement and this game promises to be no different. Leicester sit one place below the Sharks in sixth with a 6-6 record and boast a talented, but much changed roster from previous seasons. Riders Coach Rob Paternostro demands the upmost of his teams and Friday at the Canon Medical Arena will be a tough match-up.

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

Tickets – Fanbase | Schedule (fanbaseclub.com)

Ones To Watch

Caleb Asberry – Led the Riders charge against an in-form Cheshire side on Sunday but was unable to lead his side to victory. Made 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting but ended up on the losing team by 102-96 in the north west.

Kimbal Mackenzie – One of the Riders few returnees and newly-installed as Captain for 2023-24. Received GB honours for his eye-catching displays in the Leicester backcourt and added 16 points in the loss at the ‘Nix.

Samuel Idowu – British passport holding forward who spent his college career at St Peter’s University. Has European professional experience in Holland and Denmark and had a noteworthy 18 point, 7 rebound, 2 block outing at Ellesmere Port against Cheshire.

Jaren Holmes – 6’ 4” guard in his rookie pro season. Finished his college days at Iowa State, where he averaged 13.3 points per game and started all 33 games. Has had a similar impact in Leicester where he currently puts up 14.7 points per game with 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Last Meeting

April 30th 2023 – Leicester Riders (Jackson 25 Nelson-Henry 18 Whelan 12) 74 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Ramsey 19 Glasgow Jr 13 Nelson 8) 70

Shark Bites

The Sharks meet the Riders for the 137th time on Friday. The first 68 games saw the Sharks chalk up 55 wins and 13 losses. Since the 2008 appointments of Atiba Lyons and Rob Paternostro, the Riders have 50 wins, the Sharks 17 and there has been one draw in the Trophy.

The last 16 Sharks home games against the Riders in all competitions have brought 2 wins and 14 losses but the Sharks did win the most recent regular season home game in March 2023.

In the most recent 10 games against Riders, home and away and in all competitions, Sharks scoring has been remarkably consistent with 70, 70, 76, 72, 79, 58, 72, 77, 62 and 72, giving an average of 70.8 points per game.

In the last 14 months, Devearl Ramsey (22), Jalon Pipkins (21), Kipper Nichols (17), Jordan Ratinho (10) and Bennett Koch (16) have all had significant runs of consecutive free throws made. Only Parker Stewart is currently on a streak with 4 of 4 in his Sharks career while RJ Eytle-Rock started his Sharks career with 17 consecutive makes before his only miss.

SharkNation

The weekend begins here! Friday night brings one of the most successful British teams of recent years to the Canon Medical Arena and as ever, we’re calling on our SharkNation to play their part. The noise levels have been creeping up but we reckon you guys can go even higher! Atiba, Bennett, Rodney and the guys love it when you get behind the team and Friday requires a huge effort from our sixth man! Hit the ticket link at the top of the page and be prepared to exercise those vocal chords. The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and our SharkNation – together we are UNBEATABLE! #FearTheFin

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Adam Bates