Time seems to fly by over this Christmas period and it’s already been two weeks since my last ‘Race to M.V.P’ that week saw Mychal Green leading his Glasgow Rocks while receiving player of the month honours. This week we see a similar line-up at the top of the list.
1. Demarius Bolds – MK Lions – Keeping up his first place in BBL scoring with an average of 25.3 points per game, to go with 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists is pretty impressive, he is also 1st in the league in steals averaging 3.9 per game, his Lions didn’t play this past weekend but they did play the week before collecting two team wins, while Demarius himself had an out-standing 37 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 9 steals and 1 block against the Wildcats & 29 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and 3 steals against the Cheshire Jets.
2. Mychal Green – Glasgow Rocks – If this ‘Race to M.V.P’ was published last week Mychal may have been able to hold onto the top spot for the X-Mas break, that weekend he had 32 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds after collecting November player of the month, however this past weekend the Rocks got shook and Mychal couldn’t live up to standards due to a hamstring problem and injury to his shooting hand. His Rocks ended up losing both games, while contributing a mere 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists against the Wolves and 4 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 turnovers against the Plymouth Raiders.
3. Joe Chapman – Newcastle Eagles – 20.2 points per game is good for 3rd in the BBL right now, added to 3.8 assists (10th) and 3.4 rebounds in 35.5 minutes per game he is among the leaders in a majority of statistical categories. This past weekend saw him contribute 17 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists against the Worcester Wolves in the Eagles first loss of the season while in their game against the Heat he added 23 points to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
4. Richie Gordon – Worcester Wolves – His side have taken over the top position in the BBL and Richie is one of the reasons why, he is currently averaging 17.4 points per game (12th) to go with 8.6rebounds (10th), 3.2 of which are offensive, 1 block (7th) 2 assists and 1.5 steals. This past weekend saw Richie contribute 20 points, 12 rebounds and a couple of assists in his sides victory over un-defeated Newcastle and 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals against the Glasgow Rocks
5. Bill Cole – Cheshire Jets – Another player who would have been higher had this ranking been published last week is Bill Cole, he however was not effected by his own poor performance but more the stellar performances of those above him. Bill is averaging a solid 22.1 points per game (2nd), 8.4 rebounds (11th) and 1.6 blocks (7th).
6. Justin Dobbins – Sheffield Sharks – Justin has been a little inconsistent so far this season, he was one of the best centres in the league in October, November saw his numbers decrease but December has seen him shoot back up again, this past weekend saw him dominate his position, Friday saw him contribute 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Lions followed up Saturday with 22 points and 18 rebounds to go with 2 blocks against the Wildcats.
7. Cameron Rundles – Leicester Riders – I saw debating inserting Cameron into 6th on this list due to his position in both scoring, 19.7 points per game (6th) and assists 4.5 assists per game (6th) his 60% field goal shooting was also impressive as is his 3.2 rebounds per game and the additional steal.
8. Ayron Hardy – Leicester Riders – Despite him scoring less than expected Ayron continues to be a one of the Riders key players, his 15.7 points per game are vital for this Riders offence and his 7.3 rebounds per game is good for 17th in the league, he also adds 1.2 blocks (4th) and 2 steals (7th).
9. Jeremy Bell – Plymouth Raiders – I have expected criticism for keeping Jeremy Bell this low for so long, he was the BBL M.V.P last season and should continue to be among the league’s leaders, however other than score and steal he doesn’t contribute much else, this past weekend he chipped in 5 rebounds and 5 assist, but on a consistent basis his numbers across the board are low, those items considered I keep Jeremy in my top 10 due to his 19.8 points per game (5th) and 2.5 steals (3rd).
10. Tommy Freeman/Sherrad Prezzie Blue – Worcester Wolves – With the Wolves I cannot honestly choose 1 of these 2 players, some weekends it is Tommy that leads this side, then next Sherrad dominates while Freeman gets in foul trouble, I can choose. Tommy is currently averaging 17.9 points per game (9th) to go with 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists; he is shooting a scorching 40% from deep and 83% from the free throw line. Sherrad Prezzie-Blue on the other hand is averaging 14.6 points per game to go with 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals
Honourable Mention:
Jimmy Langhurst (Sheffield Sharks) 17.9 points per game (10th), 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists.
Myles Hesson (Tigers) 17.0 points (14th), 7.8 rebounds (14th) and 1 block per game (6th).
Nate Rainking (Sharks) 14.1 points per game, 2.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Devan Bailey (Tigers) Leading the league with 5.7 assists per game.
Adam Brown (Jets) 18.1 points per game (8th), 2.5 steals (5th) & 5.4 assists (2nd).
Daniel Northern (Lions) 13.4 points, 11.8 rebounds per game (1st) 1.9 blocks (1st).
Paul Williams (Raiders) 12.6 points per game, 10.7 rebounds (3rd) and 1.7 blocks (2nd).
Matthew Schneck (Jets) averaging 13.8 rebounds (1st) and 16.8 points (13th).
Feel free to criticise the rankings in the comments section below, if you feel I missed someone or someone is better than someone else I want to know about it! Check back in two weeks for the updated rankings.
Sam Raphael Chadwick is currently an Assistant Quantity Surveyor, Part-Time University Student and Co-Head Coach of the Solent Kestrels Under 14’s, I also contribute for www.ballineurope.com you can find me on twitter @chadwick9
