Double trouble as Sheffield Sharks bid to hit ground running in BBL’s final sprint

Weekend double-headers in five of the final nine weeks of the season could go a long way to deciding the fate of Sheffield Sharks in 2021-22.
Atiba Lyons, Sharks head coach (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)Atiba Lyons, Sharks head coach (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)
Atiba Lyons, Sharks head coach (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)

Starting tonight against Surrey Scorchers at Ponds Forge, Sharks have five weekends in which they play Friday night, Sunday afternoon to close the campaign.

Sharks currently sit third in the BBL Championship having won eight of their 14 games. They are only two wins behind Cheshire Phoenix who have played four games more, and with Manchester Giants and Newcastle Eagles on the same number of points having also played more games, Sheffield need to keep their foot on the gas if they are to secure a top-eight finish and play-off basketball in the British top flight for a 27th successive season.

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So a first weekend double-header against bottom club Surrey tonight (7.30pm) and on the road at second-bottom Glasgow on Sunday (5pm), offers the perfect chance to start the final stretch in good spirits.

Rodney Glasgow Jnr in action against Cheshire Phoenix. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)Rodney Glasgow Jnr in action against Cheshire Phoenix. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)
Rodney Glasgow Jnr in action against Cheshire Phoenix. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)

“It’s going to be a tough stretch to the end of the season, a really tough schedule,” said Sharks head coach Atiba Lyons of the remaining 13 games.

“It’s another tight, tight year. I don’t know where everyone will finish, there’s no clear indication of who is going to be where for the play-offs.”

Having prepared for so many one-game weekends, the extra fixtures mean a change in approach from Lyons, who recently passed the 250-win mark in his decade-plus spell as Sharks coach.

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“I tend to set the heavier workload at the start of the week and then taper it back, it’s still intense but shorter practices as far as workload is concerned,” he explained.

Sheffield Sharks coach Atiba Lyons (Picture: Dean Atkins)Sheffield Sharks coach Atiba Lyons (Picture: Dean Atkins)
Sheffield Sharks coach Atiba Lyons (Picture: Dean Atkins)

“At this point of the season it’s about tweaking things, refining your approach.

“It’s a mentally long season if you don’t get the right guys but I like what we have.

“We’ve got a nice balance, we’ve got some good depth. We’re healthy now with Bennett Koch back. Players that have been getting frustrated like Joe Mvuezolo, I see him now in a rhythm, so that’s important going into the stretch of games we’re in.

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“Mentally, we play really hard. We’re together, I’m very confident in this team going forward.”

On the landmark on 250 wins, Lyons said: “Having the trust of the club and the fans to have done it for so long, that’s a great pat on the back.”

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