From Taiwan to Attercliffe: Reyad West proud to wear hometown Sheffield Sharks on his chest

Atiba Lyons was in the midst of his biggest squad overhaul in many a year with a number of new imports from America at the top of his wishlist.

But that important link between fanbase and hometown hero - a player for whom youngsters in the crowd can look towards and see what is possible - looked like being lost when Sheffield lad Montgomery announced he was calling time on a six-year playing career.

Step forward Reyad West.

Invited to scrimmage with Lyons and the Sharks players as they started trickling back from summers spent at home, the 23-year-old who had spent the past year playing in Taiwan, not only forced his way into the head coach’s thinking, but by September had done enough to earn a spot on the 12-man roster.

“I was a late starter in truth,” West tells The Yorkshire Post ahead of the start of the Super League Basketball season on Friday.

“I started at Under-13s at Sheffield Sharks, Year 7 at school something like that. I stayed with the Sharks for a while, played for Sheffield College then I moved to Manchester for university and then last season I went to Taiwan. That was a good experience and gave me a lot of the tools I needed to come back to Britain.

“When I got back in the summer I was just working out with Atiba and some of the players, doing a few scrimmages. I was invited to more practices and then I was presented with this opportunity and I’m just trying to make the most out of it.”

Born and raised in Upperthorpe, his one-year career stint in Taiwan is one even he accepts is an unorthodox diversion.

“I knew someone from America who ended up playing in Taiwan while I was finishing my university in Manchester,” says West who has represented Algeria in 3-on-3 international tournaments. “They put me onto their agent and a year later I went for some trials at a few different schools.

“They said to me can you come over next week, so I had to sort that out quickly, pay my way across to Taiwan. When an opportunity like that presents itself, that little bit of financial outlay could reap a sizeable return.

“And it gave me the intensity I needed, I cleaned up on some things I needed to clean up on. Before I went to Taiwan I was more of a No 4 (power forward), but playing out there I became more of a No 3 (small forward), I was moving a lot quicker. Because the average height in Taiwan is a bit smaller, the game is quicker so you have to adjust quickly. It was very intense, very physical.”

Speaking to West on the eve of a new season that Sharks tip-off with a Trophy game at Newcastle Eagles on Friday night, draws to mind a similar conversation with RJ Eytle-Rock exactly a year ago.

Back then, Eytle-Rock was a young British professional hoping to make a mark with Sheffield. By the end of the season he was a regular in the starting five, a member of the Great Britain squad and will return to Sheffield on Sunday as part of the Cheshire Phoenix squad.

“I don’t see any limit on what’s possible,” said West. “I’m learning from a lot of the older guys. I’m trying to absorb as much as I can from everyone. If I put 100 per cent into everything I can’t look back and regret anything.

“Having lived in Sheffield all my life, it means so much to be able to wear Sheffield across my chest.”

Lyons added: “He knows what it means to play for this club. He has worked hard to get to this position and it is testament to his attitude that he has been rewarded with a contract for the 2024-25 season.”