'A step up in intensity': Rickey McGill and Sheffield Sharks ready for SLB Cup semi with Bristol Flyers

When their play-making point guard Rodney Chatman III went down with a damaged knee in early January, it looked a serious threat to Sheffield’s challenge for Super League Basketball honours this season.

But better resourced now courtesy of owning their venue and having a wealthy American owner in Vaughn Millette, their budget is bigger than in previous years and they were able to go into the market and bring McGill back to British basketball from a spell in Poland.

McGill was a standout player on the Newcastle Eagles team the last two seasons, notably the last campaign when he was voted the regular season MVP in the European North Basketball League.

That earned the 27-year-old point guard from Spring Valley, New York, the opportunity to chance his arm at a higher level playing in Poland.

“It was cool there, I learned a lot. It was a step up, I had my ups and downs there, like any basketball player does, but obviously they wanted a new piece and I ended up here,” said McGill, who did not take being cast aside mid-season as a negative, just another opportunity. “That’s part of the journey. When I look back on it in 10 years I can be proud that I went for these opportunities.

“After playing in Newcastle I wanted to take another step forward. I’d played in Europe before – Greece, Hungary – I just wanted to get back playing in eastern Europe, see if I could get to the highest level.

“There’s a lot of good guys in this league capable of playing in eastern Europe, so I would never consider this being a step back. It’s more lessons learned from the experience.

“I’m just going to come here and play my best and get my guys a win. This is a league that’s on the rise and I’m happy to be here.”

He has come at the perfect time as well, with Sheffield gunning for silverware on two fronts.

They are currently tied atop the SLB Championship standings with London Lions and this weekend face a two-legged SLB Cup semi-final with Bristol Flyers – in Bristol on Friday, Sheffield on Sunday.

“It’s definitely a step up in intensity this week, it’s the semi-finals against a good team in Bristol, so we just have to come out and show what we’ve got,” said McGill of a team who scored only 59 points in defeat last Friday before exploding for 122 points against Cheshire two days later.

Asked how you can prepare for that, McGill laughed: “Try and do the scouting and be prepared for whatever they throw at us.”

McGill, pictured, has his own explosive capabilities as Sharks fans have seen in his first two appearances.

In helping his team to victories against Cheshire and Surrey 89ers, McGill has logged on average 30 minutes per game, 15.5 points and most noticeably, nine assist per game, including 12 on his debut.

“I’m definitely somebody who can score the ball a lot, but firstly I just want to get my team-mates involved.”