Sheffield Hatters and London Lions look to make most of home comforts

Home court advantage is not to be under-estimated. That is the verdict of Vanessa Ellis, the head coach of a Sheffield Hatters side unbeaten in the Women’s British Basketball League this season on their home floor, and an interested observer when London Lions look to overturn a narrow deficit in their EuroCup final next week.
Nick Westby
By Nick Westby
Published 6th Apr 2024, 12:00 BST

Hatters have already secured home-court advantage for the one-off play-off quarter-final later this month and can take a step towards sealing the third seed by beating Durham Palatinates at the Canon Medical Arena on Sunday (3pm).

And then on Wednesday, Ellis and the rest of British basketball will be rooting for the Lions when they meet Besiktas in the second leg of the EuroCup final at London’s Copper Box Arena, on what could be a historic night for the sport in this country.

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The Lions trail by seven points but Ellis believes that is easily surmountable in front of a raucous atmosphere.

Georgia Gayle and Sheffield Hatters are unbeaten at home in the league (Picture: Adam Bates)Georgia Gayle and Sheffield Hatters are unbeaten at home in the league (Picture: Adam Bates)
Georgia Gayle and Sheffield Hatters are unbeaten at home in the league (Picture: Adam Bates)

“I really think they can turn it around,” Ellis told The Yorkshire Post. “They fought back from 18 points down in the first game, which would have been too much, but they fought back to seven, which is a number where you just don’t know.

“If London can get a good start and take a lead, people don’t realise how much home court is a big advantage, so with seven points it’s do-able. What they’ve achieved getting to the final is fantastic, a great advert for basketball in the UK. There’s a lot of British players involved as well, it’s fantastic that Great Britain is being represented in a European final for basketball.”

And closer to home the move alongside the Sheffield Sharks into the Canon Medical Arena has breathed new life into the Hatters, generating more fans and allowing them to put more money into their playing resources.

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“Home court has been fantastic for us, we’re unbeaten in the league other than the Trophy semi-final defeat to Lions,” said Ellis.

“We’ve really made the Canon Medical Arena our own, the players love playing there and it’s really special.”

The Hatters are currently riding a six-game win streak which culminated in a 78-70 win over Leicester Riders, which saw them jump above their opponents into third.

“We’ve just had a really good run, we’re playing well, people are stepping up and we’ve had some good performances,” said Ellis ahead of the visit of Durham.

“Durham have got a strong five, we’ve just got to wear them out.”