BBL Team of the Week – Week 18

We’re approaching February and yet still the starting five debutantes keep coming – with another two this week.


Paul Guede (Worcester Wolves)
The veteran guard underlined his quality and why he has worn the Great Britain vest with an excellent display for Wolves in their BBL Championship success against Sheffield Sharks. He grabs his first ever appearance in our fabulous five after coming up with an efficient 16 point haul in the contest and doing plenty of hard work on the glass too. He sourced nine rebounds to just miss out on a double-double and showed his hand defensively by snapping up three steals, while also dishing out two assists to help Wolves continue their impressive title challenge.

Tyler Bernardini (Leicester Riders)
It’s a second appearance of the season for the sharp-shooter from Riders, with Bernardini demonstrating his prowess from behind the three-point line in the triumph against Durham Wildcats. He made four triples from his six attempts en-route to 19 points, which also included a handy three of five inside the arc. On a nice night of work, he also produced three assists, two rebounds and a steal as Riders overran their opponents to continue their strong tilt at the BBL Championship crown.

Charles Smith (Esh Group Eagles Newcastle)
The man nicknamed ‘The Prince’ by his adoring Eagles’ fans absolutely loves playing against his former club and last weekend was no different as Smith torched the Rocks with 21 points. Not that the veteran is only about putting points on the board. He came up with his fourth berth in our starting five this season after also contributing an all-action five assists, four rebounds and three steals, to keep his team riding high at the top of the table.


Anthony Rowe (Leicester Riders)
Our second starting five debutante is the British big man who has been no stranger to the BBL Team of the Week in past seasons. He grabs his first place of the current campaign after helping Riders to complete a weekend win-double with a victory over Manchester Giants. Rowe delivered a towering display in the paint, making an excellent eight of eleven inside to help him rack up 18 points. He also showed his ability to contribute in all facets of the game by delivering three boards, three assists and a blocked shot.

Makal Stibbins (London Lions)
Having featured way back in our very first line-up of the 2014-15 season, the Lions’ forward makes a belated return to secure his second appearance. Stibbins was the centrepiece of his team’s spectacular success at Plymouth University Raiders as he came up with the best display of the entire weekend in the BBL. That was built on a stunning 27 points from a brilliant 13 of 18 shooting effort. He also did the business on the boards and was just one rebound away from completing a fine double-double.

Off the bench – Rashad Hassan (Leicester Riders), Kieron Achara (Glasgow Rocks), Scott Martin (Esh Group Eagles Newcastle), Taylor King (Cheshire Phoenix), Will Hall (Leeds Force), Pierre Hampton (Plymouth University Raiders), Ralph Bucci (Durham Wildcats).