After a weekend of BBL Championship action, the latest BBL All-Star 5 is led by a pair of league MVPs in Rahmon Fletcher and Geno Crandall, with Newcastle Eagles and Bristol Flyers each having two players nominated. There’s an honourable mention for Tyrik Armstrong off the bench after he scored 40 points with eight assists in a duel with Fletcher, and now prepares to go head-to-head with Crandall in Sunday’s BBL Cup Final.
Rahmon Fletcher – Newcastle Eagles
Newcastle snapped a five-game losing run with a tense overtime victory against Manchester Giants at Vertu Motors Arena on Friday, leading to a second All-Star 5 appearance of the season for Fletcher. He put up a huge double-double of 32 points and 12 assists, shooting 10-17 (58%) on the inside and 9-10 (90%) at the free-throw line, including 13 points and four assists in the first quarter as Eagles got off to a fast start, and then a critical four straight free-throws in the final 30 seconds of overtime to seal the game.
Geno Crandall – Leicester Riders
Leicester remain unbeaten in BBL Championship play at a perfect 10-0, with Sunday’s win over Cheshire Phoenix meaning it’s their best ever start to a BBL campaign. Geno Crandall’s first triple-double in the league leads to a sixth All-Star 5 showing, moving him clear at the top of the charts in that regard, one ahead of Tyrik Armstrong, his rival in Sunday’s BBL Cup Final. He finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as Riders used a big fourth quarter in victory on the road at Cheshire, with Crandall scoring five points along with three assists and two boards in a three minute 16-4 spell that broke the game open late in the third.
Brandon Peel – Newcastle Eagles
American forward Brandon Peel also posted a double-double in Newcastle’s overtime win over Manchester, to make his first appearance in the All-Star 5 since returning to these shores. He finished with 18 points on 6-8 (75%) inside scoring and 12 rebounds, including five at the offensive end as Eagles had 12 second chance points, while also handing out four assists. He scored five points with three rebounds in overtime, including the basket that opened the extra period, and a pair of key free-throws after grabbing a big offensive rebound inside the last two minutes.
Trejon Jacob – Bristol Flyers
A short-handed Bristol Flyers put in a pair of incredible performances over the weekend to win on consecutive nights, firstly beating B. Braun Sheffield Sharks live on Sky Sports and then overcoming Glen Luss Glasgow Rocks, with a near triple-double from Trejon Jacob in the latter game securing his second showing in the weekly team. He scored 15 points while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out nine assists in the game, including six points, four boards and four assists in the 18-3 first quarter surge that put Flyers up for good, followed by seven points in a row in the 19-4 start to the third that put them out of sight.
Raphell Thomas-Edwards – Bristol Flyers
Equally as impressive in that home win was British forward Raphell Thomas-Edwards, who features in the All-Star 5 for the first time this season after an excellent start with Bristol sitting third in the BBL Championship at 6-3. He led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 7-9 (77%) inside and 3-7 (42%) from long-range, to go with seven rebounds and three assists, including seven points in the decisive early run as he firstly broke a tie and then hit a triple that sparked a 7-0 burst to send the lead into double-figures.
Off the bench: Tyrik Armstrong (Manchester Giants), Dan Clark (Manchester Giants), Isaiah Reese (London Lions), Legend Robertin (Surrey Scorchers), Jordan Ratinho (B. Braun Sheffield Sharks), Kylor Kelley (London Lions), Patrick Whelan (Leicester Riders).