Sheffield Sharks seeking consistency in an inconsistent SLB schedule
While Atiba Lyons has craved consistency in performance from his Sheffield Sharks players this season, a lack of consistency in the schedule has hardly helped his team’s cause.
Last weekend was yet another blank in the Super League Basketball fixture list due to Great Britain’s involvement in World Cup qualifiers, and then a trip to Leicester Riders on Wednesday was postponed to a later date.
It means Sheffield head into a match-up with league leaders and quadruple-chasing London Lions at the Canon Medical Arena on Saturday, somewhat under-cooked and not for the first time in a stop-start season.
While admitting it has been disruptive to his team’s chances of establishing a rhythm, Lyons hopes 11 games in the final eight weeks of the season can concentrate the minds and help build a consistency for the Sharks.
Finishing in the top four is a target to earn a home game in the second leg of the play-off quarter-final. Sharks are currently fifth in the SLB table with third to seventh separated by just three games.
“We’ve a third of the season left in what is a short run, so we just have to make sure we finish strongly and put ourselves in the best position for the play-offs,” said Lyons.
“We know how we want to play, we’ve had some great moments in games but haven’t finished as well in them as we wanted to.
“Hopefully we’ve got time to put a run together.”
The break has allowed recent signing Fahro Alihodzic to overcome a knock and get up to speed with his team-mates.
“He fits in really well with what I want to do,” said Lyons. “Defensively he’s quite aggressive and knows how to make some of the reads I want.
"Fahro comes in and brings the maturity and calmness that we’ve been lacking and can help us get over the edge.”