Streamlined Sheffield Sharks a better fit and tougher proposition, believes Rodney Glasgow Jr

A squad widely regarded as among the most talented in the league has proven inconsistent for much of the campaign, prompting head coach Atiba Lyons to cut Jalen DeLoach and Mervin James in recent weeks, replacing the duo with just one player in experienced Bosnian Fahro Alihodzic.

That nine-man rotation hit the heights with victory over champions-elect London Lions last weekend and looks to build on that against Surrey 89ers this evening.

Glasgow Jr, who got 18 minutes against London, said: “It’s always tough when guys like Jalen and Mervin, who are talented players, move on. It’s always tough when you have a talented roster, everyone wants to play, everyone wants the ball.

“But with the roster we’ve got now, I can see how the fit is good. With Fahro coming in it’s given us another veteran presence and we’ve been able to hit the ground running quickly.

“I think we just have a good fit where everybody can be used the right way and get the opportunities that they want.

“We had such a loaded roster the whole season, but to dial it back now and keep it a bit more simple has been good for us.

“Beating London showed we are right where we want to be, we’ve just got to now show a bit more consistency. That’s been our problem all season, up and down.”

Surrey have played above themselves this season, a credit to their coaching and recruitment believes Glasgow Jr.

They have beaten Sheffield twice and the captain knows what they need to do to prevent a third defeat on the long journey south.

“We have to stop them in transition,” said Glasgow Jr. “They shoot the three-ball well, they play a lot of high pick-and-roll and we’ve got to get them off the boards, they’re top three on offensive rebounds so we’ve got to box them out. If we do that defensively we should be all right.

“Offensively we’ve got to keep the chemistry going, like we did against London, letting the ball do the work.”