'To win it for Sheffield would be a big accomplishment', says long-serving Sharks star Jordan Ratinho

Nine years have passed since a team that burst out of the gate during their formative years in the 1990s, winning 14 trophies, last won a piece of silverware.

Atiba Lyons has been coach through the good years and the relatively leaner years, Mike Tuck moved from playing staff to front office, but only one player comes close to having lived half of that time.

Jordan Ratinho, a Californian, first arrived in Sheffield midway through the 2020-21 season.

He has lived through the end of the Ponds Forge years and the move into the Canon Medical Arena, runner-up finishes in the league and semi-final heartbreak in the play-offs.

“I’ve seen the evolution of the last four or five years,” says the guard who celebrated his 27th birthday this week.

“We’ve had our ups and downs but this year we’ve started to put it all together and we’ve got a lot of wins under our belt now and hopefully we can keep the momentum going and get our first trophy.

“I’ve waited a long time for this, my first opportunity at a cup final and I’m excited at the chance.”

When he first arrived, Ratinho was an all-action, three-point shooter who Lyons would often rely on for 38 minutes of a 40-minute game.

In time he has become a reliable defender, unselfish in his style of play but still deadly from behind the three-point line.

A laid-back Californian he might be, but Ratinho has taken to life in Sheffield, with the trust between himself and head coach Lyons a strong one.

“Coming over mid-season you’ve got to find your way but for me it just fit immediately,” said Ratinho of his arrival in late 2020.

“Coach trusts me and that’s why I’ve been around so long.

“This is my second home, as you guys would say over here, so obviously the fans mean a lot to me, so to be able to win it for Sheffield, especially the way they’ve been supporting us, would be a really big accomplishment.”