'Hard work and team ethos': How Sheffield Hatters fought their way to doorstep of British basketball history
Even for a club with as pioneering a history as Sheffield Hatters, new ground can be broken on Sunday that has two locals at the heart of their success daring to dream.
The Hatters have won everything British basketball has on offer since Betty Codona founded Britain’s first women’s team in the early 1960s. But never before have they won it all in one season.
On Sunday at the O2 Arena in London they stand one win away from the Super League Basketball quadruple.
Having already won the Betty Codona Trophy, the SLB Cup and the regular season, they now face Caledonia Gladiators with the play-off trophy on the line.
“It would be an amazing achievement,” said their long-time head coach, and Codona’s daughter, Vanessa Ellis.
“I know London Lions did it a few years ago, but they had a massive budget. We’re way, way better. We’ve done it through hard work and a great team ethos.
“I get asked who is our standout player, but I think we’ve done well because each player has a role, each player steps up, each player can contribute. It’s been a real team effort.”
That team spirit is exemplified by Shauna Harrison, who grew up only a few basketball courts away in Handsworth and has been with the Hatters all her life.
The 25-year-old Great Britain forward said: “It would mean a lot to win all four. It’s been a long season of ups and downs but I need this for our team. It’s a great group of women we’ve got here and I want to be able to celebrate with them.”
Steeped as she is in Hatters lore, Harrison knows how much it would mean even to this trailblazing club to carve out a new slice of history.
“Growing up through the junior age Hatters and seeing people like Helen Naylor, Steph Gandy and Naomi Campbell being on that stage, I always aspired to be like them,” said Harrison.
“Now it’s me trying to bring back titles for the club.”
Standing in their way are a Gladiators team that beat them once in the four meetings this season. They are in London playing the role of party-poopers, just as Sheffield were a year ago when they were underdogs against a quadruple-chasing Oaklands Wolves. Hatters won that day to spark this new golden era.
“We have to be mindful of last year,” said Ellis. “We were underdogs and beat Oaklands, so it can happen. It’s a one-off game. They’re a good team and we have to play well to beat them.”