PREVIEW: North West double-header approaching

BBL Cup Group Stage

We’re back this weekend with a double-header against two rivals from the North West.

Friday – Sharks v Giants – Ponds Forge – 7.30pm

Tickets – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks v Manchester Giants – BBL Cup Tickets, Fri 8 Oct 2021 at 19:30 | Eventbrite

Ones To Watch

Dan Clark – Great Britain’s all-time leading points scorer and national team captain with over 100 caps. The 32 year old 6’ 11” forward has spent much of his career playing in the Spanish top flight and has already contributed a 25 point / 10 rebound double-double in the Manchester’s opening 78-72 win over Cheshire.

Jamell Anderson – Winner of eight titles in an eight year spell with Leicester Riders. 30 year old forward who played for England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and has figured in the Great Britain set up in recent years.

Martaveous McKnight – Was drafted by the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League but without making an appearance moved to OKK Sloboda Tuzla in Bosnia, where he averaged 11 points and 3 assists a game. Was influential in last week’s win over Newcastle, contributing 18 points and 6 assists.

Tyrik Armstrong – Another highly influential performance in the Newcastle win with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Rookie pro out of Texas Southern, who was elected to the Southwestern Athletic Conference 1^st team in 2020.

Last Meeting

April 11^th 2021 – Manchester Giants (Satchell 18 Whelan 18 Marshall-Johnson 18) 77 B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Koch 16 Ratinho 15 Hemsley 8) 58

Sunday – Phoenix v Sharks – Ellesmere Port Sports Village – 5.30pm

Watch – www.bblplayer.co.uk

Ones To Watch

Teddy Okereafor – Great Britain’s starting point guard was in tremendous form last Sunday as he took down the Glasgow Rocks with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists on Cheshire’s way to an 84-77 win.

Namon Wright – The former Leicester Rider bettered Okereafor by one point in a break-out performance for his new club versus the Rocks.

Michael Ochereobia – Torched the Sharks for 18 points and an astonishing 19 rebounds in the opening game of the season. Managed a (mere!) 9 against Glasgow last week.

Levi Bradley – Often goes under the radar as he did in his time at Bristol but a talented player who scores in bunches – 19 points against the Rocks last Sunday.

Last Meeting

September 24^th 2021 – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (Delpeche 14 Nichols 13 Anderson 13) 64 Cheshire Phoenix (Bradley 20 Ochereobia 18 Okereafor 17) 71

Shark Bites

Jon-Jon Williams MVP display on Friday night earned him a berth in the BBL’s weekly All Star Five as well as The BBL Show’s performance of the week.

The Sharks are 4-1 in their last five encounters with the Manchester Giants.

In contrast, the Sharks are 0-5 in the last five matches against Cheshire Phoenix.

Manchester’s Callum Jones was of course suited up in the colours of the Sharks last season.

SharkNation

Friday night Sharks basketball is back! We’ve had some epic battles with our friends and rivals from across the Pennines, the Manchester Giants, over the years and this Friday’s game promises to be no different. See the ticket link at the top of this page to secure your seat and help to cheer Atiba, Mike and the guys on as we look for our third win of the season. And don’t forget, we head over to Cheshire on Sunday, where we certainly owe the Phoenix one after they got the better of us on opening night. If you aren’t travelling to Cheshire, check out the action on the BBL Player. Make some noise and let our opponents ‘Fear The Fin!’

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Adam Bates