The latest BBL All-Star 5 is paced by big man Bennett Koch after his dominant
performance live on Sky Sports and features a trio of
internationals for Great Britain and Canada, alongside a pair of Cheshire
Phoenix stars after they got back to winning ways on Sunday.
Bennett Koch – B. Braun Sheffield Sharks
Sharks came through a second gritty defensive game in the space of
a week by beating Newcastle Eagles 66-59 at Ponds Forge live on Sky Sports, led
by a near-career night from American centre Bennett Koch, in his fourth season
with the club. He put up 25 points on 9-13 (69%) shooting, with numerous
‘and-one’ plays as Newcastle struggled to handle him down low, adding 7-9 (77%)
at the free-throw line and grabbing seven rebounds. The game had been no more
than two possessions throughout, until Koch scored six points early in the
fourth quarter as Sharks established a decisive double-figure lead.
Luke Nelson – London Lions
Great Britain international guard Luke Nelson is in his first
season in the BBL, and makes his first ever All-Star 5 appearance, after a great
career so far in the top flights in Spain, Italy and Germany, as well as
competing in the Basketball Champions League and NBA Summer League. He was the
difference-maker in London’s road win at Surrey Scorchers on Saturday,
finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists while shooting 3-6
(50%) from three-point range, making numerous big shots down the stretch as
Lions finally broke down their resilient hosts in the fourth period as Nelson
scored 13 late points and all of his triples in the space of two fourth quarter
minutes.
Jamell Anderson – Cheshire Phoenix
The only player in this week’s team to have featured more than
once so far this season, Jamell Anderson, another Great Britain international,
was the driving force behind Cheshire’s 78-61 defeat of Caledonia Gladiators on
Sunday, snapping a run of back-to-back defeats. He finished with 19 points,
five rebounds and three steals, including an emphatic steal and dunk in the
third quarter and 10 first quarter points as Nix jumped out to a 27-6
advantage.
Mike Ochereobia – Cheshire Phoenix
Another big feature in that win at Cheshire Oaks Arena was last
year’s Molten BBL British Team of the Year nominee Mike Ochereobia, whose work
on the glass was key to Cheshire’s performance. The big Londoner finished with
13 rebounds, as well as eight points and three assists, with four of those
boards coming at the offensive end and leading directly to seven points, as Nix
won the rebounding battle 44-34 and scored 18 second chance points.
Aaron Best – London Lions
Canadian international guard Aaron Best makes his first BBL
All-Star 5 appearance after joining Lions in the off-season following two
campaigns with Raptors 905 in the NBA G-League, as well as at the highest
levels in Lithuania, Greece, Germany and France. Like his backcourt partner, he
was crucial to London’s tough win on the road at Surrey, scoring 14 points in
under 18 minutes, with four rebounds, four assists and a block, doing all of
his work in the first half to help the unbeaten Lions weather an early storm
from their hosts.
Off the bench: Javion Hamlet (Newcastle Eagles), Thomas Bell
(Bristol Flyers), Mike Miller (Bristol Flyers), Patrick Tape (Caledonia
Gladiators), Kyle Carey (Surrey Scorchers), Mo Walker (Leicester Riders), Patrick
Whelan (Leicester Riders).
