It’s only happened once all season, way back during week 8. Now it’s happened again and after a 12 week wait, we finally see five players from five different BBL clubs take their place in our starting line-up. As well as two debutantes this week, two other players (both guards) make their fifth appearances of the season at the same time!
Jeremy Bell (Cheshire Jets)
After an absence of four weeks, the prolific playmaker is back in the fold again for his fifth appearance of the season. His absence during the last few weeks has perhaps underlined his importance to the team with the Jets having endured a sticky couple of weeks. Things would have been even more difficult to take for Cheshire supporters had Bell not lifted his team to a hard fought win at Northgate against bottom of the table Essex Pirates. Bell poured in 31 points and grabbed four steals to get that title bid back on track.
Ryan Patton (One Health Sharks Sheffield)
It’s been an even longer time away from our fabulous five for Ryan Patton but he finally makes his fifth appearance of the season after a gap of seven weeks. He helped his team dig themselves out of a hole at home to Worcester Wolves and overturn a double-digit deficit to grab a vital victory. Patton finished with 24 points after sinking four triples and stroking home a perfect ten of ten from the free-throw line. However, he probably sees this place in the team as a little bitter-sweet since Sharks had their title ambitions dented after following up with win against the Wolves with defeat at Jelson Homes Leicester Riders.
Joe Chapman (Newcastle Eagles)
There will be plenty of banter in the Eagles locker room right now with Chapman almost catching up his backcourt partner Trey Moore by securing a sixth appearance of the season in the BBL Team Of The Week. The shooter really had to step it up against Guildford Heat who pushed the league leaders hard. Without their talismanic figurehead Fab Flournoy, it’s been all hands to the pump for the North-East club and Chapman did his bit with 24 points and six assists in last Friday’s home win at Sport Central.
Mike Copeland (Glasgow Rocks)
The Rocks have been on fire since late November and continue their strong challenge at the top of the BBL Championship. Rather than a couple of dominating individuals, the Rocks have done it with a real team ethic but this time Copeland has done enough to warrant his first appearance of the season in our starting five. The big man racked up 25 points as well as 7 rebounds. Most impressively of all, he also showed he also has range by stepping outside to drain three of four from the perimeter.
Travis Nelson (Prestige Homes MK Lions)
Nelson is another frontcourt player to make his debut in our BBL Team Of The Week and it is reward for what has been a tough initiation to the league for the player and at times, a difficult season for the Lions in general. However now the team has really picked it up and turned the corner, the Lions seem more than capable of making a big run between now and the end of the campaign. Nelson was instrumental in the tight and dramatic 108-106 success at Worthing Thunder. In fact, he produced the best performance of the weekend in the BBL Championship. He amassed an impressive valuation of 33 after pouring in 35 points shooting 15 of 20 from the field.
BBL Team Of The Week
Jeremy Bell (Cheshire Jets)
Ryan Patton (One Health Sharks Sheffield)
Joe Chapman (Newcastle Eagles)
Mike Copeland (Glasgow Rocks)
Travis Nelson (Prestige Homes MK Lions)
Off The Bench
Andrew Sullivan (Mersey Tigers), Sherrad Prezzie-Blue (Worthing Thunder), Martelle McLemore (Guildford Heat), Steve Dagostino (One Health Sharks Sheffield), Shaun Durant (Worthing Thunder), Shawn Myers (Prestige Homes MK Lions), Chez Marks (UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders)
