BBL Players of the Week – Week 7
In a BBL stylee we publish our players of the week from our writers who got to live games over the last seven days.
OleDJ – Attended Newcastle Eagles v Glasgow Rocks
Charles Smith – The man who loves to beat the Glasgow Rocks, Charles Smith, led his Newcastle Eagles to victory in a close fought BBL quarter final on Friday. The Sport Central court was no place for the faint hearted as the biggest rivalry in British Basketball lived up to the pre-game hype. Despite a poor first half from the Eagles and a similar start to the second that left the visiting Rocks with a commanding 13 point lead, the home side refused to lie down. It was Charles Smith with four third period three-point shots who was the catalyst to his side’s 27-7 run that turned this deficit into a 7 point lead.
The visitors battled back yet again but a further Smith three-point shot with a minute left regained the lead for the Newcastle Eagles. It was a shot that ‘The Prince’, as he is known to Eagles fans, celebrated on court with as much vigour as any of those supporters dancing in the aisles of Sport Central. The hardest of hard fought victories by the beat up Eagles would surely have ended in defeat were in not for the second half surge of veteran Smith. It was a standout performance from a BBL great and not for the first time the saviour of the Newcastle Eagles.
Mychal Green – What a weekend for the former Ohio man. His sublime performance in Newcastle featured a game-high 28 points including an impressive 4 from 6 from 3-point territory. Green certainly took his chance, stepping in to the void left by point guard EJ Harrison’s absence, adding 8 rebounds and 6 assists to his remarkable tally on the night. Playing the full 40 minutes of an ultimately fruitless night for the Rocks, Green’s contribution was sensational.
Mychal’s display in Newcastle was more than enough to earn him a place in any BBL team of the week but still hurting from his side’s Cup exit, he did it all again on Sunday. Sheffield Sharks were the team unfortunate enough to come across the wounded Green in Glasgow. Incredibly, just two days after his stunning show against the Eagles he led the Rocks to victory with a personal count of 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. On this form Green looks virtually unplayable and he’s certainly one to watch for the rest of the season. Just ask the Eagles and Sharks!
Karis Buckingham-Jones – Attended London leopards v Leicester Riders
Vernon Teel – In a very one sided game where Drew Sullivan would be the obvious choice, Vernon Teel was the Leopards strongest player by a long way against the Riders in the BBL Trophy game on Friday. Leading the Leopards scoring with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals the Leopards’ guard ran the court well and fought to the death against the BBL top flight visitors.
Damian – Attended Worcester Wolves v Durham Wildcats
Tommy Freeman – Despite both Richie Gordon and Sherrad Prezzie-Blue making the BBL team of the week, it was Freeman that took the game away from the Tigers Friday and similarly did the damage against Durham in the second quarter of this game. His ability to produce devastating bursts could be massive for Wolves this season. The only thing that would improve his play right now is an extra quarter as @tfreefor3 and the Wolves have been slow to start in recent games.
Paul Elderkin – The younger of the coach’s sons was the one who kept Durham ticking over even when they looked out of the game. His persistence and drive was a big factor in them having a chance to take the two points at the buzzer. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, when the number 10 was presented with the chance to win it for his team his lay up didn’t drop.
