Chris, the All-Star organiser, content producer, YouTube host and producer, commentator and social media observer, had eight games to look over across the weekend, and with so many games to choose from, he didn't have a shortage of worthy candidates.
While Hemel Storm were busy winning the KitKing Trophy against Worthing Thunder, some new faces made their presence felt in league play to earns spots in the Team of the Week.
Have your say on this week's choices and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one using the hashtag #NBL2223 and #ReboundTOTW. Don't forget to tag us!
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Chris will pick a Player of the Week and four other selections to round out his Team of the Week, paying attention to the following criteria:
Other players will also receive a shout out as honourable mentions at the bottom of the piece.
player OF THE WEEK
Bode Adeluola put on a double-header masterclass with two strong playmaking and shooting performances. From inside the arc he was a walking bucket, making eight of his 12 attempts in both games. In both 13-point wins he led his team in scoring, while also dishing out plenty of assists, to ensure it was a 2-0 weekend for the Cavs.
In the statement 30-19 third quarter versus the Lions on Sunday, Adeluola influenced the proceedings with eight points and plenty of eye-catching assists. His influence was greatest in the statement 29-22 third in the win versus Bradford, with 13 points and three assists.
Cracknell put on a performance worthy of a Player of the Week award with the only caveat being it was against 14th placed Westminster. The American's performance was a catalyst in the win, firing the Rockets into the top four and potentially condemning the Warriors to relegation.
Cracknell got off to an impressive start with 10 points in a tone-setting 30-15 first quarter. The margin from the first period set the game in favour of the hosts, who saw out a 15-point win.
It was a tough double-header between Nottingham and Newcastle in which both teams won their home tie - with Nottingham getting the two-point edge in terms of the tiebreaker between the sides.
Hall’s shooting, especially from the line, contributed to Nottingham grabbing that head-to-head overall.
The sharp-shooting guard was making bullseyes at an efficient rate with a 50 3P% in both games. In the second game of the pair, Hall was repeatedly fouled and sent to the line, from where he made all but two of his free throws.
May was consistently strong in both games, leading the scoring for for his side and facilitating with a strong passing performance, averaging only 2.5 turnovers over the weekend.
Whilst a number of Newcastle players have stepped to the fore in recent weeks, May remains an important part of the North East side's offence, and he'll no doubt be key if coach Elderkin's side are going to maintain their place in the top eight.
In two 20-something-minute cameos, Lions’ centre Juskevicius put in two highly efficient performances to help his side get a closely fought win on Saturday and limit the damage on the defensive end in the tough loss on Sunday.
It was Sunday’s two-way performance that stood out for me despite the result, with four stops individually alongside personal contributions on the defensive end to keep it as close as possible against an in form Cavaliers side.
Offensively on Sunday, it was a lights-out shooting display, with just a single missed free throw and field goal, capping off a fine display.
TVC hold off Lions II for a second win of the weekend.
— bbl fix (@BblFix) March 12, 2023
📸 Luke Simcock pic.twitter.com/JDpb4tKC2p
Thames Valley are finding some form as the current ninth seeds eye a play-off spot, a winning double header puts them one win away from a place in the top eight.
With Loughborough in fifth down to Nottingham in tenth separated by just two points, the margins for error are razor thin right night and any team in that pack will fancy their chances of sealing a playoff spot.
It was the TVC guards that really impressed me this weekend, putting in strong shooting performances to seal what could be a valuable pair of wins.
Derby travelled to the South Coast to shore up a top-four spot against a Solent side who, on their day, can mix it up with the best of D1. Derby’s efficient shooting from the line, defensive stops and reducing Solent to only five points from turnovers was a good enough mix to get DTB the win.
Derby showed a clinical nature in turning defensive into offense with 18 points from Solent’s turnovers, added to a plethora of fast break points.
Honourable mentions to Derby’s playmakers Bruggeman and Brown who combined for 10 assists and two steals with just three turnovers.
Joshua Guddemi (NOT) – 15P/3R/1S/4EFF & 29P/13R/5A/2S/1B/32EFF BOTH V/@ NEW
Victor Olarerin (TVC) – 26P/3R/7S/24EFF & 18P/6R/1A/1S/18EFF
Raheem May-Thompson (DER) – 21P/8R/1S/2B/22EFF
Josh Moore (NEW) – 13P/6R/5A/1S/29EFF & 17P/12R/8A/2S/25EFF BOTH V/@ NOT
Owen Chose (ESS) - 34P/5R/3A/1S/31EFF
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