Delpeche brothers to clash as Sheffield Sharks face screen test

Sharks power forward Marcus was a team-mate of his brother Malcolm at the Bristol Flyers for three years before moving north in the summer.

Malcolm, who plays centre, stayed on in Bristol, a team he leads in points this season with an average of 17.3.

Marcus, from Wilmington, Delaware, has yet to establish himself in the Sharks starting five but has an average of eight points per game from the bench.

The sibling rivalry is one of the sub-plots of an intriguing contest live on Sky Sports, one that sees Sharks bidding to win for the first time since December 8.

Covid disruptions have not helped, both in their own camp and opponents’, but they have lost two in a row in the BBL Championship and were knocked out in the first round of the BBL Trophy by Manchester Giants.

This weekend’s double-header will go a long way to determining whether Sharks can arrest the slump or whether it is set in for good, given both Bristol tonight and Sunday’s opponents Surrey Scorchers are below them in the league; in Surrey’s case, rock bottom.

Among the sub-plots tonight are two milestones for a couple of Sharks stalwarts.

Head coach Atiba Lyons is two wins away from reaching 250 victories in charge of the club while club captain Mike Tuck needs four points to become Sheffield’s all-time record points scorer.