Sheffield Sharks on cusp of a bright new era in Super League Basketball Cup final

On Sunday, he gets a chance to shape the second big occasion of the year when the Sheffield Sharks team he has often elevated to extraordinary heights meet the Surrey 89ers in the SLB Cup final at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena.

But on that particular Sunday in late January, the 27-year-old point guard from Illinois wanted to get a taste of what to expect from a moment he has been chasing since his little league days back home.

“I went on my own, I just wanted to be immersed in that type of environment and see what it’s like as a fan,” says Nixon of watching Newcastle Eagles defeat Bristol Flyers in the SLB Trophy final at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena.

“It didn’t matter to me who won, I just wanted to feel the energy in the building, everything that goes on around it.

“It definitely motivated me. I came back and talked to Jamell (Anderson - team-mate) about it, he’s won all the trophies in this league and he said the atmosphere is unmatched.

“Being there, seeing Newcastle raise that trophy and the confetti come down, really lit a fire in me to get there.”

Nixon has been lighting fires on the court ever since he arrived in Sheffield and British basketball midway through last season.

An explosive point guard, he carries a scoring threat from anywhere in the front court, and has been been known to deliver a buzzer beater from inside his own half-court to dash an opponent’s hopes and get the fans on their feet.

He can be a combustible presence, his heart worn proudly on his sleeve and there for all at courtside to see in the intimate setting of a basketball game.

“I’m chasing greatness every day,” he tells The Yorkshire Post.

“That’s not just in basketball, that’s greatness in life. I look around the world and see various people in all aspects of business, sports, media, and wonder what makes those people great?

“A lot of it from what I have learned is patience, just having patience. Not everything happens overnight.”

And it is there that he leans back into his experience on the basketball court, this past year with the Sharks in particular.

“Last year we had some tough stretches,” he continues. “Coming back this year we started off going through a rough stretch. Guys come and go. But we stay patient, stay resilient, stay fighting.

“Look where we are now. It’s paid off for us. I like our chances, I love our team, let’s do it on the court.”

The general consensus is that if Sharks are to do it on the court on Sunday, Nixon will need one of those days where he can score from anywhere, particularly from beyond the three-point line.

But the strength in the Sheffield team of 2024-25 is they are a lot deeper than previous incarnations and a lot more balanced.

Injuries and roster changes have forced head coach Atiba Lyons into a number of personnel and style adjustment this season, but with slightly deeper pockets backing him from above in American entrepreneur Vaughn Millette who bought the team last summer, Lyons has landed on a starting five that blends scoring with defensive strength.

Nixon and Rickey McGill are the livewire guards who can make anything happen, Donovan Clay a big man with great hands who can clear the paint and attack the rim, and all the while Anderson and Jordan Ratinho are unselfishly protecting their own basket and letting the playmakers play.

Jacob Groves adds further three-point scoring from the bench, as does Drake Jeffries if he passes a late fitness test, while captain Rodney Glasgow Jnr and Mike Ochereobia will bring veteran nous at key points of Sunday’s game.

“I think just the way they play as a team is one of the strongest I’ve been able to assemble,” says Lyons, a head coach who is happily spoilt for choice.

“They understand what we’re trying to do; there is great talent, maturity, leadership.”

Sharks have won nine games in a row in all competitions, including the two-legged semi-final against Bristol. Does that form count for anything?

“No, unfortunately it doesn’t, I wish it did,” laughs Lyons. “But you’ve got to show up on the day. Spirits are high, guys are in a good mood and the energy is great.”

Surrey will not be overlooked. This is relatively uncharted territory for them but they have pushed Sheffield close three times already this season and as Nixon points out, “it’s very hard to beat a team four times in a row”.

In Dame Adelekun they have the best rebounder in the league and in Mervin James, one of the best scorers.

“We’re not doing anything special to negate any one individual player but we have to be aware of them,” continues Lyons.

“Mervin James has really hurt us in games, Dame can hurt us as well. But they have a lot of scorers, it would be wrong to focus on just one guy.

“Anything can happen, it’s a matter of not being complacent and getting too ahead of ourselves.”

Despite that, it is hard to not to see this final as a grand old warrior stood at the gateway of a new era - provided common ground can be found between the league and the governing body who are at war over who will operate the professional tier next year.

Sharks are settled into their new home, have an owner who is willing to back them and has designs on taking them into Europe; plus a growing fanbase.

As well as a bright future, they have history on their side.

While finals might be novel experiences for the likes of Nixon and Ratinho, there are plenty of people around them who have tasted glory: director and founder Yuri Matischen who has savoured all 14 of their previous trophy wins, general manager Sarah Backovic and marketing manager Mike Tuck who was the game’s MVP the last time they tasted success, nine years ago in the play-off final.

Lyons was the coach that day, as he was for the successful Trophy final in 2013 and Cup final wins of 2010 and ’11.

He has fielded a lot of questions about why he has not been able to add to it since.

“I think I came out of the gate and I had a lot of success as a young coach,” he offers, “and probably took it for granted and thought this is what it’s going to be like all the time.

“Performance wise it’s been a drought, but off the court and as a business we’ve grown a lot and achieved a lot of major milestones,” he says, as he proudly looks around the Canon Medical Arena that he and his fellow directors lobbied for nearly 10 years to have built; a facility for the team, the Hatters, and the sport of basketball.

“It’s a business at the end of the day and we made decisions for the business first.

“But it’s good to be back and I’m not going to take Sunday for granted, I want to enjoy that.

“I would love to win on Sunday, but for me it’s a testament to a lot of hard work that goes into it from everyone at the club and loyal support from our great fans.

“This is what they do it all for, to be in these moments.”

How Sheffield Hatters can make it a Steel City double in Nottingham

If Sunday has the potential to be a sliding doors moment for Sheffield Sharks, the same can be said for their ‘room-mates’ at the Canon Medical Arena, the Sheffield Hatters.

For in a moment to savour for the Steel City’s basketball fraternity, both clubs will head down the M1 to the Motorpoint Arena to contest Super League Basketball Cup finals.

Three hours before Sharks tip-off against Surrey 89ers, the Hatters meet Oaklands Wolves in the showpiece occasion for the women’s league (12.30pm tip-off).

If Sharks are marginal favourites in their final, Hatters are probably marginal underdogs.

They are currently second in the league with an 11-2 (win-loss) record, trailing only the Wolves who have an 11-1 record and inflicted defeat on the South Yorkshire side earlier in the season.

Sheffield are also missing two of their more influential players so are in for a physically demanding afternoon for their roster.

A bit like the Sharks later in the day, though, the Hatters have history on their side.

They are the most decorated team in women’s British basketball, having been the first to be formed when the late Betty Codona founded the trailblazing team back in the early 1960s.

Much like the Sharks, they are suffering a title drought of their own, one that stretches back to 2018.

But also like their stable-mates at the Canon Medical Arena - Sharks invited them to join them in the brand new facility two years ago - they have a core group of individuals at their heart.

At the head of that is their long-time coach Vanessa Ellis and star player Georgia Gayle - the daughter and granddaughter, respectively, of Betty.

“I’ve been around as a while as a player and a coach,” says Ellis.

”Hopefully that experience gives the team some sort of solid foundation to work from.

“It would be a special moment if we could do it.”