Rodney Glasgow Jnr embracing challenge of being Sheffield Sharks captain in BBL

The 29-year-old point guard from Brooklyn only joined the club a month into last season but with his age and experience of not only the BBL, but basketball in Europe, he immediately assumed the role of on-court lieutenant.

Mike Tuck was captaining the team for the 10th consecutive season, but with his minutes decreasing due to his age, Glasgow became a spiritual on-court leader.

When Tuck announced his retirement earlier this summer, Glasgow was the obvious choice.

"Last year I was the second leader, so I was expecting another year of me and Mike leading the team. In hindsight they were probably grooming me for it – I just didn’t know,” laughs Glasgow, who along with accepting the captaincy, signed a three-year contract.

"In all seriousness they probably saw how I was interacting with the guys, off the court with management, going to events, and I’m guessing it just made sense.

"I learned a lot from Mike, he took me under his wing when I got here in mid-season, showed me around the city.

“Our friendship has grown and I go to him if I need something. I’d not thought about the captaincy, but I’m grateful for the opportunity.

"You don’t realise how big a position it is but it’s come naturally to me and I’m excited for it.”

He is already setting the tone in practice ahead of the season-opener against London Lions next Friday night at Ponds Forge, a game that is sold out and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

"You’ve got to set the standard, you’ve got to lead the standard that Atiba (Lyons – head coach) wants, so you have to be more vocal, you have to know how to get through to your team-mates because everyone has different personalities,” says Glasgow.

"I try to lead by example and then speak when I finally need to speak.”

He did plenty of talking in the summer, playing the captain’s part in convincing the likes of Kipper Nichols, Jordan Ratinho and Bennett Koch to come back for another season.

"I was working the phones making sure they were coming back,” he says. “Whether I was captain or not I wanted those guys back. We fit together really well, and with any successful team you need a core that knows the culture, and then everyone else falls in line.”