Sheffield Sharks clutch star Jordan Ratinho happy to trust the shooting 'process'

CLUTCH CONTROL: Sheffield Sharks' Jordan Ratinho. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

A ‘CLUTCH’ player is a prized commodity on a basketball court.

Does ‘player A’ have the ability to deliver when the pressure is at its highest?

Can he or she be relied upon in the last five minutes of a game, when the outcome is on the line?

One of the reasons Sheffield Sharks brought Jordan Ratinho back for a second full season was because of his ability down the stretch.

MAIN MAN: Sheffield Sharks' head coach, Atiba Lyons Picture: Bruce Rollinson

He exemplified it in the Sharks’ late run to second place in the BBL last season, playing the full 40 minutes on a couple of occasions, such was the injury crisis head coach Atiba Lyons was faced with allied with his dependability when it mattered most.

Lyons says he likes the 24-year-old Californian point guard’s ‘fearless ability to attack the rim’ and his ‘outside shooting’, and it is the latter that marks him out as an X-factor for the Sharks.

Ratinho is one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the British Basketball League. He had a 40.9 three-point percentage last season and prior to this weekend had made the joint highest amount of three pointers in the league this term with 11.

But he won’t think of that. He knows some will go in, some will miss. To him, it’s all about the next shot.

“It’s a part of the job, you’ve just got to get ready for the next one,” says Ratinho. “I’ve always had a next-shot attitude, that’s how I like to be, ready for whatever’s next because I know my shot is coming.

“It’s nice getting a couple to drop early but it’s just about taking your time with it, not putting pressure on yourself to make shots.

“You’ve just got to trust the process.”

That physical process is different to many shooters, whose hands are higher above their head when they release the ball.

Ratinho’s right arm is lower. Asked to explain his technique, Ratinho says: “I just like getting my shot out quickly, I’m always putting a lot of shots up throughout my career and that’s how my shooting form looks because of that.

“I’m comfortable with it now and it tends to go in...so whatever works.

“Hopefully I can stay on a similar course this year and raise my percentage. Trying to take the good shots is key, not forcing the situation.”