Sheffield Sharks consider their options as they play waiting game over Prentiss Nixon
SHEFFIELD SHARKS are headed back into the player market as they sweat on the fitness of one of their star playmakers.
Prentiss Nixon rolled his ankle 90 seconds into Friday night’s Super League Basketball defeat to Manchester and was in the stands with the fans on Sunday as Sharks redressed the balance with a gutsy 76-69 win over Bristol Flyers.
He went for an MRI scan on Monday with the initial prognosis suggesting the fan favourite could be sidelined for four to six weeks.
Head coach Atiba Lyons was a little more optimistic when saying: “probably just a sprain, but we’ll see”.
The result of the scan may decide the urgency with which Sharks tackle recruitment.
Sharks head north of the border on Friday night to tackle Caledonia Gladiators in a rearranged fixture. With Mervin James and Reyad West are no nearer a return, leaving Sharks with just eight fit players. They managed to find a way to win against Bristol on Sunday, but can’t rely on such few bodies again.
“At this point we’re kind of conditioned on how to play with injury,” admitted Lyons. “It’s unfortunate, we’ll miss Prentiss a lot.”
Asked if it will necessitate a move into the market, Lyons said: “Maybe, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
The win ended a three-game losing skid and got Sheffield back to an even win-loss record at 4-4.
For Jordan Ratinho, the loss of Nixon will be keenly felt, but is not insurmountable.
“We’ve been down guys all season, it’s nothing new for us, we’ll work through it in practice without Prentiss this week, but we can’t wait for him to come back,” said the Californian.
Having been given a technical foul amid chaotic scenes in the defeat to Cheshire Phoenix a week earlier - only the second in his 200-plus games with the Sharks - Ratinho was back to doing what he does best seven days later at the Canon Medical Arena.
Part of a defensive performance that Lyons hailed as the “best for a long time”, he also scored 10 points, with one three-point shot late in the fourth quarter a dagger to Bristol’s chances..
“Credit to my team-mates for pushing me to take my shots,” he said after pouring in a shot from the same place Rodney Chatman III had on the previous possession.
“I saw that one go in before that so I felt good.