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We'll pick a Player of the Week and four other selections to round out the 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
It is hard to go against a triple-double performance for the latest Player of the Week pick, with Newman doing a bit of everything, and to a high level, to get the nod.
Storm rose to see off Loughborough Riders 95-82, advancing to the semi-finals behind Newman's quality, as he scored efficiently (4/6FG, 66%) and also provided 14 assists.
That meant Hemel had plenty of offensive options throughout, and Newman's pick here is as much for his own output as it is for enabling the play of fellow starters Trent Monkman (24pts), Matt Ellis (22pts), Darien Nelson-Henry (14pts) and Tra'Michael Moton (13pts).
Three of Newman's dimes came in Hemel's 25-19 opening quarter (as did a three pointer), whilst the former Ipswich man added another pair of assists and three steals in the fourth to close the game out.
Malcolm Smith was in unstoppable form as he pushed the Trailblazers past D2's Team Solent Kestrels, and both Smith and Elliott-Sewell needed to be at their best to see off the former D1 champs 105-95.
The American's 32 points came on a stunning 12/16 shooting (75%), all from inside the arc, mixing in work around the rim with his jumpers from further afield to keep the scoreboard ticking over in DTB's favour.
Four rebounds and four assists were a bonus, as was the impressive 8/9 from the line when Smith was fouled.
The other half of Derby's one-two punch this weekend, Elliott-Sewell is finding a great spot in Derby's rotation and has been producing at a high level so far this season.
A whisker off a double-double with nine boards alongside his tied team-high of 32 points, the former Derby academy product is coming up with the goods for his home town team in the early going.
Another that shot with volume as well as efficiency (12/19, 63%), Elliott-Sewell was also fouled a bruising 10 times. Although his 14 free throws only yielded eight makes (57%), it shows just how hard the Derby man was to slow down against the Kestrels.
The catalyst for Reading's 98-90 victory over Thames Valley, Mitch Clarke was dialled in this weekend.
The Rockets' shooting has certainly been a focal point through the KitKing Trophy's early stages, and Clarke knocked down six of his eight long range attempts (75%) this weekend to snuff out any thoughts of a TVC comeback.
10 points and three assists in the fourth quarter alone, Clarke's production allowed the hosts to negate the Cavs' 28 points in the final frame and progress safely into the semi-finals.
Imagine shooting a perfect 100% from the floor, knocking down 16 points, coupling it with 10 rebounds for a double-double, and still only making the final spot in the Team of the Week?
The standard was HIGH across D1M last weekend, to the point that MK's Adrian Scarborough looks like somewhat of an outlier for only putting together a 23 efficiency performance in the Breakers' 95-68 victory over Bradford.
Scarborough's only blemish were his four turnovers, but shooting a perfect game is more than enough to see off those concerns and round out this week's star five.
Some would argue it was only a matter of time, but there is a somewhat symbolic nature in Milton Keynes confirming themselves as one of the four semi-finalists in this year's KitKing Trophy.
Having to work their way through the NBL pyramid, it has taken the Breakers a few seasons to finally arrive at the top table, but a historic NBL National Cup win a year ago, plus consistent performances against D1M teams whenever they have met suggested that once they got to this stage, coach Beddow-Patel's team would quickly become established as a top four side.
Champions aren't crowned in October, but with their core of Scarborough, KJ Johnson, Nate Robinson, Temi George and captain Blayne Freckleton, the return of forward Chris Tawiah can only strengthen MK's push for the very top of D1M.
Unlike some promoted teams that can struggle to meet the demands of D1M, the Breakers look set for a good time, as well as a long time, in the top flight.
It is no surprise that three of this weekend's winning teams all scored heavily around the basket. Those points in the paint (PIP), looks around the rim are often high percentage shots, and controlling down low also means a chance to win the rebounding battle, and secure (or deny) second chance points.
Derby (48 vs 44 PIP) won in this category against Solent, whilst Hemel (54 vs 26 PIP) and Milton Keynes (56 vs 28 PIP) both dominated.
It is no surprise that all three teams also shot above 60% from 2pt range, and MK even hit 70% in their win against Bradford.
Reading somewhat bucked the trend with just 32 PIP, but they still won that battle: 32-20 against TVC.
Long range shooting may make for entertaining viewing, but if this weekend is anything to go by, getting the ball to the rim is still a solid way to play.
KJ Johnson (MKB) - 20P/4R/7A/23EFF
Justin Robinson (TVC) - 29P/5R/2A/28EFF
Russell Gariepy (TSK) - 21P/4R/8A/28EFF
Isa Brandon (TSK) - 21P/15R/3A/28EFF
Matt Ellis (HEM) - 22P/8R/4A/2B/26EFF
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Team of the Week photo credits - Josh Nesden (Scarborough), Nick Higgins (Elliott-Sewell & Smith), Toby Gastaldi-Davies (Newman), Charlie Dodd (Clarke)
