Bennett Koch confident Sheffield Sharks can upset big-spending London Lions in BBL

The 6ft 10in centre from Wisconsin is heading into his fourth season with the Sharks in the BBL, confident they can repeat their second place finish of last term.

That will be difficult given the experience and recruiting power of champions Leicester Riders – whose European campaign begins on Wednesday – and London, who have made the most of the league’s decision to abolish the salary cap.

“Our goal is to finish first but it’s going to be harder, London have taken advantage of there being no salary cap, they know what they’re doing,” admitted Koch ahead of Friday’s night’s BBL opener (7.30).

"The players they have recruited are very strong and I’m excited for the challenge, not only of the season but for Friday as well.”

And he believes Sharks will be emboldened by what they accomplished last season, even if they could not turn that runner-up finish in the league into a deep run in the play-offs, with injuries to key players like Rodney Glasgow Jnr and Antwain Johnson down the stretch weakening their team.

"With all the changes we had to make midway through last season, if you ask anyone on the team they’ll say the same, we’re very proud of how we finished last season,” said Koch, for whom that defeat to Glasgow was quickly forgotten as he headed back home to Green Bay for the summer.

"I forgot about it, I learned what I needed to learn about it. We’re not worried about it, it hasn’t affected how we have prepared for this season.”

Koch came back for a fourth season with the Sharks largely due to the relationships he had forged.

He has also seen the league grow each year, a development that could accelerate this season with the abolition of the salary cap and the investment of $7m from American financiers 777 Partners.

"A lot of money coming in, a lot of changes,” said Koch. “We’ve already seen a lot of players moving to other clubs, and it’s exciting to see.

"Just in my last three years I’ve seen the league grow quite a bit.

"It’s great to see how much more competitive each team is. Every team in the league has a chance of beating everyone else, whereas my first year in the league that really wasn’t the case.”