A fascinating weekend of BBL Championship action sees a guard-heavy line-up for the BBL All-Star 5, as reigning Molten BBL Player of the Season Geno Crandall consolidates his place at the top of the appearances chart, with the team including a pair of Newcastle Eagles and led by a debutant.
Kyle Williams – Newcastle Eagles
British guard Kyle Williams came from the bench to complete an impressive double-double as Eagles beat Surrey Scorchers in front of a sold out Vertu Motors Arena on Friday night, making his first All-Star 5 appearance of the campaign. He scored 16 points on 6-8 (75%) shooting, with 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals, scoring five points and grabbing five boards in the second quarter including the three-pointer that sparked a run to give Newcastle a double-figure lead as they took charge by half time.
Rodney Glasgow Jr. – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks
Rodney Glasgow Jr. makes his second All-Star 5 showing, but first for ten weeks, after Sheffield made it three straight wins by beating Glen Luss Glasgow Rocks at Ponds Forge on Friday to stay second in the BBL Championship table. He poured in 21 points in under 25 minutes on 7-11 (63%) shooting and 3-5 (60%) from the three-point line, with six assists and three rebounds, pulling the strings with three assists in a three minute 11-2 run that saw Sharks come from behind to go in front for good, before he scored 11 points in the fourth to keep it that way.
Brandon Peel – Newcastle Eagles
American forward Brandon Peel gains weekly honours for the second time in four weeks after a characteristic do-it-all performance in Newcastle’s win over Surrey. He finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, proving to be a consistent threat throughout but including two points, two rebounds and two assists in a three-minute spell that broke open a one-shot game early on, followed by six points in the second stanza.
Geno Crandall – Leicester Riders
Geno Crandall makes his eighth All-Star 5 appearance of the season, now three clear of anyone else at the top of the chart, after putting Manchester Giants to the sword live on Sky Sports for the second time in two weeks, following his BBL Cup Final MVP effort at the end of January. This time he completed a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists in just 22 minutes, adding six rebounds and three steals, including eight points and five assists in an unbelievable second quarter that Riders won 26-4 after a 20-0 start.
Isaiah Reese – London Lions
Lions scored a massive victory over Leicester at the Copper Box Arena on Sunday, inflicting a first BBL Championship defeat of the season over their title rivals, as Isaiah Reese led all scorers to make a third All-Star 5 appearance, and second in the last three weeks. He finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists, as he scored 15 second half points with Lions coming from behind and nine points in the last five minutes to keep them in front, including a dagger step-back three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining.
Off the bench: Jonny Bunyan (Glen Luss Glasgow Rocks), Trejon Jacob (Bristol Flyers), Marcus Evans (Bristol Flyers), Boban Jacdonmi (Glen Luss Glasgow Rocks), Levi Bradley (Cheshire Phoenix), Darien Nelson-Henry (Leicester Riders), Joe Hart (Plymouth City Patriots).