Sheffield Sharks must make own music in absence of fans, says Mike Tuck

That is the verdict of their veteran club captain Mike Tuck, after the experiences of playing three pre-season games so far.

Sharks and the rest of the BBL were due to be three weeks into their season by this stage, but the Government’s decision to prohibit fans at sporting events for six months from October 1, scuppered plans to get the season up and running on October 2.

News of a Government bailout for elite level basketball, believed to be in the early millions, was confirmed two weeks ago, allowing the BBL to announce that the season would commence at the end of this month.

The league is still to finalise fixtures for the 11 clubs, but it is understood the season will begin with the round-robin BBL Cup over the first six weeks, followed by the start of the BBL Championship. Sharks are due to be playing away from home next Friday, with their first home game set for the following week.

All games will be played in arenas devoid of fans, something experienced forward Tuck admits is taking some getting used to.

“I have to admit, it’s been weird, especially the first game we played up at Newcastle,” said the 37-year-old Canadian.

“We had expected 800 fans to be there, but Newcastle went into a further lockdown the day before, so no fans were at the game. They didn’t play any music at the game, it was eerily quiet, there was no atmosphere.

“The next game we played at Leicester they were playing a bit of music, but we’ve learned that we’ve got to create our atmosphere, the guys on the bench have got to be loud and they’ve got to be animated, we have to talk to each other on the court, be louder and create our own atmosphere.

“It’s going to be a big adjustment for all the teams. We’re really lucky that we’ve played pre-season games, we have another one on Friday, so we will have had that experience already.”

That final tune-up game on Friday sees the Sharks travel to the Copper Box Arena to face the London Lions. The Lions won the Championship and Cup double in 2019, with the former being a trophy they were unable to defend last term due to the coronavirus-enforced cancellation of the season.

Tuck is convinced his team are well placed for a run at one of the four trophies on offer this campaign after bringing a host of players back and making two big signings from America.

“The aspiration is always silverware. We always want to finish in that top four, first place if we can, and try and take home some silverware,” he said.

“I’m not getting any younger. For the new guys here and the guys that are returning who haven’t had a chance to lift some silverware, I want that for them as well.”

Kipper Nichols from the University of Illinois and second-year pro Antwon Lillard are the two imports Sharks are hoping for big things from, even if the transition to English life has not been as straightforward as in previous years.

“It’s their first time being overseas so it’s a new experience for them, they don’t really know what to expect,” said Tuck.

“We’re just trying to keep them positive, keep them level-headed. We’ve been hanging out as much as we can within guidelines, and the pre-season games have broken up the monotony of practice and playing against each others. We’ve learned a lot.

“This has been the longest pre-season I’ve had since I’ve been at the club, but I’m looking at it as a positive; it’s gives us more time to get to know each other, get used to playing with each other and define our roles. Everyone knows each others tendancies now, we’re getting used to our line-ups, we’re shaping up really well.”

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James Mitchinson