Rodney Glasgow Jnr injury blow for Sheffield Sharks as captain is sidelined for indefinite period

The 30-year-old point guard from Brooklyn was all set to begin the second year of a three-year deal with the BBL club, the only player on the roster with a long-term commitment.

But he will now sit out much of the 2023/24 campaign due to an Achilles that he underwent surgery on recently.

Glasgow picked up the injury while training back home in America.

"It’s very unfortunate, obviously he’s a very big piece for us,” said Lyons. “It’s just one of those things that sport is a lot of luck as far as injuries and health is concerned.

"We just have to be positive and hope for the best.”

An Achilles injury for a basketball player can have long-term repercussions on a career. An obvious case study would be that of NBA star Klay Thompson, part of the Golden State Warriors era of dominance who spent nearly 18 months out recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, and has not been the same since returning.

Lyons confirmed Sheffield’s priority will be the player’s recovery and nothing more.

"An Achilles injury is a tough one,” admitted Lyons, himself a former player. “Hopefully Rodney has a clean rehab and has had a great surgery. We have to hope for him.

"Best-case scenario for his return would be the tail-end of the season, January at the earliest to get back to where you’re running and playing. He won’t be able to jump straight in, he’ll have to work his way in to get back in shape so he doesn’t get more injuries.

"He’ll be mindful of that and we're not going to jeopardise or risk him having further injuries just for the sake of our performance, it’s more about him. We’re going to look after him and make sure he’s okay. We’ll do what’s right.”

A club statement added: “The injury will require a period of rest, rehabilitation, and gradual recovery before he can return to competitive play. The medical team will closely monitor his progress and work diligently to ensure his full recovery.”

The news comes just 24 hours after Sharks confirmed Jordan Ratinho will be coming back for a fourth season, the second player after Bennett Koch to commit to another season with the Sharks, who move into their new Park Community Arena powered by Canon Medical Systems in October.

The first two signing announcements offer a guide as to how the Sharks plan to recruit this off-season.

“We’re shaping up as a team and I think we’ll build off how we finished,” Lyons told The Yorkshire Post.

"I think what we found was a good synergy of people and attitudes and the talent was the cherry on top when you had all those people working together, so I’m trying to rebuild on that.

"Hopefully to that I can add the right kind of components.

"There’ll be some new guys but hopefully some guys retained, the way we finished the season I’d love to build on that as much as I can.”