'British basketball a faster pace than I'm used to': How rookie Jacob Groves is adjusting to life at Sheffield Sharks
When Jacob Groves was taking his first steps into professional basketball, it was the advice of his brother that mattered most.
The forward from Spokane, Washington, has followed his elder brother Tanner through the Eastern Washington Eagles and Oklahoma Sooners in his college career, and when it came to making the move into the paid ranks, it was always going to be his advice that resonated.
“Go to an English-speaking country,” Tanner told his younger brother.
Following Tanner to Australia to play for Cairns Taipans was a step too far, but when the Sheffield Sharks gave him the chance to start his professional career in England, Jacob Groves jumped at the chance.
“I got a lot of good advice from my brother and the people in my circle,” said the 23-year-old graduate of the University of Virginia, and the youngest of the North Americans Atiba Lyons signed in the summer.
“He plays in Australia, two years older than me and I’ve been able to get a lot of good advice from him.
“Telling me to come to an English-speaking country was huge. That’s one of the key things I learned from him, he’s spent a lot of time in other countries and just the style of life, the way people are is a lot similar to America than other countries, so it has made it an easier transition.
“And I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far in this league. It’s a lot faster pace than I’m used to, but obviously there’s a lot of talent in this league, a lot of good players, a lot of good coaches so it’s been a lot of fun.”
And Groves is transitioning smoothly. As Sharks defeated Bristol Flyers 102-90 at the Canon Medical Arena on Sunday, Groves had 14 points and five defensive rebounds, but most impressively, hit the basket on six of his seven shots, including two three-pointers.
Groves, pictured, was one of six players in double-digits.
“That just goes to show the depth of our team and the kind of players we have,” he said.
“It could be anyone on a given night.”
Away from the stats sheet, the way Sharks didn’t panic when they fell 10 points behind in the first quarter - which they could easily have done after a heavy defeat at London Lions on Friday night - was just as important.
“We knew Bristol were making shots, so we had to stay true to our defence and eventually we’ll crawl back into it and then kick ahead which is exactly what we did,” said Groves.
They didn’t so much crawl as blow Bristol away in that second quarter to cruise to a win that could be crucial with a road double-header this weekend at Leicester Riders and Cheshire, and a return against Leicester the following Sunday.
“It’s a great victory, obviously we had a tough one last game and guys are still trying to get healthy,” said Groves, with Jamell Anderson on a twisted ankle from London, Mike Ochereobia absent for personal reasons and Bennett Koch courtside in civvies, but not the Sharks jersey a back injury has kept him from wearing since April.
“We’ve got a lot of room to improve, we’ve got to get healthy as the season progresses but we’re moving forward,” added Groves.