FocusHoops' Darren Paul, a writer, commentator, podcaster and more, had four games to sift through to pick his first Player and Team of the Week honours of the new year, with Ipswich, Anglia Ruskin, Manchester and Cobham all picking up wins.
Have your say on this week's choices and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one using the hashtag #NBL2425. Don't forget to tag us!
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Darren 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:
The FocusHoops Team of the Week 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Booth got the new year off to a flyer as she helped lead Anglia Ruskin University past Bristol.
She top-scored with 29 points on 61% shooting, draining five triples and going 2/2 from the stripe.
The American also made a major impact on the glass with 12 boards, three on the offensive end and tacked on three assists in the contest.
An excellent outing saw Booth commit just one turnover and two fouls as she claims the first Player of the Week award of 2025.
Freeman put on a stellar showing for ARU as they took down the Flyers, bagging 23 points on 50% shooting.
The former SLB player shot 2/3 from outside and went a perfect 7/7 from the line to go with 10 points from inside the arc.
Freeman was a menace, drawing six fouls and getting to the basket more than any other ARU scorer, also taking over the game in the final period with 16 points.
If that wasn't enough, she also pulled down four rebounds, dished four dimes and took away four steals in an all-around effort for Ruskin.
Gibbins kicked off 2025 with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double on a highly impressive 71% shooting as Ipswich got by Barking Abbey on the road.
Gibbins went 4/4 around the basket and sank one triple whilst also making her way to the stripe 10 times, draining six freebies.
The Ipswich standout is known for her rebounding, pulling down eight defensive boards on the way to her 11-rebound total, also finding team-mates with four assists in a fine outing to start the year.
Cobham took a narrow win on the road in Reading and can thank a 14-minute Khalaf cameo for 18 crucial points.
She had six points in the final period which helped fend off the rampaging Rockets. Draining 75% of her shots, all from inside the arc, the Cobham forward more than did her bit in a back-and-forth final frame.
Khalaf was a force on the board, pulling down five offensive rebounds (seven total) and finished with four steals in a very impressive outing.
Oboavwoduo helped Manchester start their year off with a win over the impressive Worcester Wolves.
The GB youth standout finished with a 14-10 double-double, with all her scoring coming from inside the arc, on 53% shooting.
She came up clutch for Manchester, effectively calling game with back-to-back makes with barely a minute to play just after Worcester had tied the contest on 62.
Oboavwoduo also led her side on the boards, with 10 total rebounds, eight coming on the defensive end, in an effective 21-minute outing for the Mystics’ young star.
ARU-Bristol is a matchup that rarely disappoints and this weekend was no different as the two sides went toe-to-toe at 'The Bunker'.
ARU were forced to dig deep at times as Bristol led for much of the contest thanks to an inspired outing from Flyers' captain Mara Marchizotti (17-10-2). ARU were led in scoring and rebounding by Izzy Booth (29-12) and Tia Freeman (23-4) who both had big moments in the final period, especially Freeman who bagged 16 points to close out the victory.
The key divide between the sides was free throws, with ARU going 13/15 at the line, whilst Bristol went 5/9 in an otherwise finely balanced contest.
Cobham Cobras took a narrow victory away from Reading on Saturday thanks to a fine opening period and resilient basketball when Reading battled back.
They were led in scoring by Sophie Khalaf and Francesca Quinn, who both bagged double-digits in scoring and contributed for the visitors down the stretch in a tense final period.
Katie Richards put in a captain’s performance with a well-rounded eight points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, six steals and a block in a battling display to help close out the victory.
Kristina Karpova and Alicia Guerra Rainford led the way for Reading with 22 and 18 points respectively in strong performance for the Rockets.
Alannah Malone (REA) - 10P/13R/2A/4S/2B/21EFF
Mara Marchizotti (BRI) - 17P/10R/2A/23EFF
Katie Richards (COB) - 8P/10R/7A/6S/19EFF
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Main image credit - Anglia Ruskin University
