There are some familiar names in our line-up this week, including a couple of players who feature for the fourth time.
Chez Marks (Cheshire Phoenix)
There could barely have been a better way for the Phoenix guard to rack up a third appearance in our starting five than by conjuring up a fast-break score to hand his team an outstanding buzzer-beating win at Sport Central against reigning league champions Newcastle Eagles. Marks accumulated 31 points in the 94-92 victory, one of best results of the season for Phoenix. Marks didn’t just do the damage offensively with his points production, he also claimed four rebounds and most impressively of all, four steals to help inflict a gut-wrenching and potentially costly defeat on the title chasing home side.
Michael Ojo (UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders)
The Raiders’ guard leads the BBL in scoring after a stunning season and he’s back for an impressive fourth time in the BBL Team of the Week, courtesy of his game-winning contribution last Saturday night in a dramatic home success against Surrey Heat. Ojo poured in 31 points, including five baskets from behind the three-point line. He also dished up five assists to continue his scorching form, although his weekend was subsequently marred after being suffocated by the Eagles’ defence less than 24 hours later, as Raiders suffered a home defeat.
Andrew Sullivan (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders)
There’s no doubt the Great Britain forward is warming up in a big way for Riders now and driving them towards more silverware. This is the fourth time Sullivan has made the starting five and the third time during the last six weeks. His all-round skill-set, in addition to the intangibles he also offers are of absolute importance to Riders as they continue to lead the title race at the top of the table. And, he was on-song in the win against Manchester Giants, adding 25 points, six assists and five rebounds in a typically influential offering.
Mike Tuck (One Health Sharks Sheffield)
It’s a third slot for Sharks’ forward Mike Tuck, the only one of our five players to grab a double-double this week. He was central to his team grabbing a vital win against play-off rivals Manchester Giants, proving far too hot to handle in the paint by harvesting 22 points and 13 rebounds. He was particularly important in restricting Giants’ second chance opportunities, pulling down ten rebounds and also doing more stellar defensive work with three vital stops, via a couple of blocked shots and a steal to help his team lock seventh spot in the table.
Sterling Davis (Glasgow Rocks;)
The Rocks’ player-coach led the way for his team in more ways than one last Sunday as his MVP performance took the Scottish club back into third place in the league table. His magnificent 30 points, six assists and four rebounds contributed to the best performance of the weekend as he helped to put a sizeable dent in the play-off hopes of Durham Wildcats. Davis produced a terrific inside-outside shooting display. He was potent in the paint, managing to score with 9 of his 12 attempts, whilst also sinking three of four from long-range, to complete a super night of work. This was his second appearance in our line-up.
Off The Bench – Charles Smith (Newcastle Eagles), Kareem Maddox (Newcastle Eagles), Pavol Losonsky (Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders), Jerome Gumbs (Cheshire Phoenix), Darius Defoe (Newcastle Eagles), Sam Cricelli (Surrey Heat), Andrew Keister (Durham Wildcats).
