For some years now I have been contemplating the possibility of publishing a master list of every player, past and present to have played in the BBL.

I fully realize that this list will never be complete and names will be added as I am made aware of them. The fact that someone's name isn't as yet on the list does not imply that they are less important than anyone else. This always will be a work in progress.

If you know of players I am missing, and there are thousands, then please drop me your list by e-mail, including the teams played for. I will be delighted to include them.

Further, if you are a player who has played in the BBL even for just 1 game, then please let me know.

(e-mail Mike Shaft here)

Later

Mike S

Worthing Thunder finished the weekend off in style this time, as they overcame Worcester Wolves via a dramatic 82-83 climax after a tense overtime period. Whilst Frenchman Harry Disy led the Wolves with 22 points, Devin Smith had 16 points, and American guard duo Daniel Gilbert and Rod Middleton had 15 points each for the home side. It was Reggie Bratton however, who led all scorers in the game, with 30 points, Sherrad Prezzie-Blue had 16 points, and Evaldas Zabas put up 14 points against his former club.

This was the second win of the weekend for Dave Titmuss' side, as they also beat Essex Pirates 85-90 on Saturday evening. It completed a miserable weekend for the Pirates, who also lost 101-77 to Sheffield Sharks on Friday evening. The Wolves, on the other hand, will want to forget this weekend, as they surrendered 92-71 against Newcastle Eagles, also on Friday.

After Bratton's three pointer rimmed out with 2 seconds left to send the game into overtime with the scores tied at 74-74, it was the visitors who started the stronger in the extra period, as they stretched out to a 76-79 lead. However, the home side came straight back into the game, a Disy free throw putting them ahead 82-81. They also stepped up the pressure defensively, but Worthing went ahead again through a Bratton three pointer with 18 seconds left, so that the score line read 82-83. The Wolves had one last opportunity to win the game, but Gilbert's long-range effort was unsuccessful and the Thunder held on for the all-important victory.

Elsewhere in the league on Sunday, Newcastle Eagles managed without player-coach Fabulous Flournoy, to beat PAWS London Capital 64-88. This was the second defeat of the weekend for London, as they also went down 62-106 to Everton Tigers, who bounced back from losing 87-98 to Cheshire Jets on Friday evening. On Sunday, the Jets defeated Guildford Heat 97-74, and Glasgow Rocks completed a double-winning weekend with a hard fought 75-83 victory over Airwaves Plymouth Raiders. They had also convincingly beaten Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders the night before in the East Midlands 66-87.

ICEMAN SUPOLA NAILS A TRIPLE ON THE BUZZER

MIKE SHAFT BLOG

There were wins for the top two teams in the BBL Championship on Friday night, as well as for both of the finalists in last Sunday's BBL Cup Final.

The league-leaders and Cup winners, the Sheffield Sharks, overpowered the Essex Pirates by 101-77, despite an extender delay in the game after Tafari 'TAP' Toney broke a basket with an almighty dunk. The GB international went on to deliver a double double of 22 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots, but it was Mike Cook who led all scorers with 28 for the Sharks.

The Pirates kept it tight through the first half, but were undone by runs of 9-4 and 8-2 in the third stanza that helped the score out to 65-48, from where they couldn't recover. Tanner Adu had a solid nightfor the Pirates going 8 for 17 for his 22 points.

The Newcastle Eagles remain just one win behind the Sharks after beating the resurgent Worcester Wolves by 92-71 in the North East, behind 31 points from Joe Chapman.

Chapman was the game-changer as, approaching half-time, he hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer that helped the Eagles recover from a deficit to take a 40- 39 lead into the second half. They never looked back and really stretched their wings with a dominant fourth quarter in which they scored 31 points.

Elsewhere, the Cheshire Jets recovered from their BBL Cup Final defeat to overcome their local rivals the Everton Tigers, courtesy of a stunning second half.

They were trailing by 18 at the half way point, but held the Tigers to just three points in four minutes as they narrowed the gap to six by the end of the third. Then Chez Marks scored 15 and O'Reiily added 9 in the fourth quarter as they overturned the deficit by outscoring their hosts 31-14 in the final stanza. Dzaflo Larkai led Everton with 19, but all eyes were on new signing Trey Moore who started his Everton career with 19 points

Everton Tigers are delighted to announce that BBL MVP Trey Moore will make his debut for the club tonight against his former club, the Cheshire Jets. A delighted Tony Garbelotto said, "Trey has made a huge impact on the BBL in recent years and he is a player that we have all been watching."

He continued, "His score sheet proves his strengths - averaging in excess of 20 points per game throughout his two seasons with Cheshire Jets and helping both the Jets and the Eagles to collect silverware.

READ THE MIKE SHAFT BBL CUP FINAL BLOG HERE
PART 1 | PART 2

Cheshire Jets' veteran James Hamilton - named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP) - spear-headed an impressive fight back at Sunday's BBL Cup Final, but was eventually thwarted in a thrilling game at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

It was an even opening to the game, despite two three-pointers from Sharks' Ryan Patton. However, it was Cheshire Jets who took the first significant advantage - they enjoyed a 9-2 run to lead 18-11, with threes from James Hamilton and Chez Marks. Sheffield battled back and scored the final 11 points of the quarter to take a 22-18 lead into the second quarter.

Sharks' lead was extended to eight points at 20-28 midway through the second stanza on the back of a Tuck bucket. However, the quarter proved to be a relatively low scoring affair, as both teams looked to limit their opponents chances. Sheffield pulled out the biggest lead of the half at 37-26, courtesy of seven unanswered points, including a Perry Lawson three-pointer.

Sharks applied the pressure in the third quarter - a 7-2 start saw them leading 48-35, thank in no small part to the scoring of Mike Cook. Jets managed a few long range shots, but ultimately struggled to find their range and Sharks led 64-48 going into the final quarter.

James Hamilton stepped things up in the fourth, notably in the final five minutes and galvanised his team into an exciting comeback.

A Colin O'Reilly three pointer with 1.33 to go saw Jets get back to within three points at 76-79. Michael Tuck pulled Sharks back, before Hamilton and then O'Reilly again cut the gap back to three points.

Paul Peterson had the chance to cut it back to a one-point ball game, but failed to convert his free throws with 26 seconds remaining and with Jets in the penalty they were forced to foul to try to re-gain possession. Perry Lawson scored four from four free throws to keep Jets at arms length and while Chez Marks scored twice it was not enough to secure the win.

Hamilton was the game's leading scorer - he bagged 24 points and 12 rebounds, while also netting all six of his free throws. Team-mate Chez Marks also contributed 22 points, while Mike Cook led the way for Sharks with 19 personal.

READ THE MIKE SHAFT WEEKEND BLOG PT 1 HERE

READ THE MIKE SHAFT WEEKEND BLOG PT 2 HERE

ALL TIME WINNERS BBL CUP

Everton Tigers 94-89 Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders
Glasgow Rocks 88-64 Guildford Heat
London Leopards 83-102 Milton Keynes Lions

Friday night in the BBL Championship saw four teams in the middle of the pack trying to close the gap on the leaders and it was the Everton Tigers and Glasgow Rocks who came out on top as they picked up important victories over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders and Guildford Heat respectively.

The Tigers moved themselves to within two points of third-placed Marshall MK Lions thanks to a hard- fought 94-89 victory over the Heat at the Greenbank Academy. The game remained close through the early exchanges, but a 17-1 burst for the home side in the second period took the score out to 48-29. An 11- 2 response for the Riders bought them back into contention at the half trailing by ten points at 50- 40.

The Riders closed the gap to three points at 92-89 with 1:24 remaining in the game thanks to five points from Isaac Westbrook, but it was left to Jerome Gumbs to secure the victory for the Tigers as he bagged both of his free-throws in the closing stages to give the home side the victory.

The Rocks enjoyed a little more comfort in their victory as they defeated the Heat 88-64 at Kelvin Hall. The victory lifted the Rocks up into fifth position in the table. A Mike Crowell three-pointer sparked an early 13-2 run for the Rocks to set the tone for the remainder of the game as the home side led 30-17 after the first quarter.

The Rocks continued to extend their lead and enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 80-48 midway through the final period and despite the Heat bagging seven of the last nine points of the game, the Rocks held on for the comfortable victory.

Ahead of the BBL Cup Final on Sunday, the Sheffield Sharks have set their sights on using a Cup Final victory to restore their reputation as one of the forerunners in the BBL. After a difficult campaign last year by their standards, the Yorkshire club have stated that whilst they will be taking nothing for granted in their preparations for the NIA, they are excited by the opportunity to put themselves back in the spotlight as far as the BBL as a league is concerned.

Lyons said: 'We are very excited about the final at the weekend, but we will be taking nothing for granted. We are working very hard in our preparations, as we know that it will be very tough against Cheshire. We are also looking to restore ourselves as a key successful club in the league.'

BBL leading scorer and Molten BBL Player of the Month for November and December, Mike Cook, will undoubtedly have all eyes on him at the weekend, but his coach insisted that it is the Sharks as a collective that will get the right result: 'Mike is a very important piece of the team, but both parties understand that it is the team that will win the game. They (the Jets) may focus on him, but we have other great players who can get it done.

New Canadian-British signing, Mike Tuck, is also somebody that will be watched, both by the fans and the opposition, as the big man has had tremendous impact since arriving in Steel City before Christmas. Lyons added: 'He (Tuck) is somebody who thrives on pressure, he is a big game player, and he will be raring to go for the final.'

The BBL Cup Final, accompanied by a BBL Trophy fixture between EBL Division One powerhouse Manchester Magic, and the BBL's Worthing Thunder, often sets the tone for the rest of the season.

Along with the spectacular Crazy Dunkers and Arbtech Environmental Services BBL Slam Dunk Contest, it makes for a fantastic day of family entertainment in one of the UK's best sporting and entertainment venues. For more information, or to book your ticket now, please click here, or call 0871 945 6000.

Ahead of next weekend's BBL Cup Final, both of the contesting sides suffered defeats on Sunday as the Sheffield Sharks were knocked out of the BBL Trophy by the Glasgow Rocks and the Cheshire Jets went down in the BBL Championship to the Newcastle Eagles.

The Newcastle Eagles closed the gap to just two points at the top of the BBL Championship table thanks to a 70-75 victory over the Jets at the Northgate Arena. Similar to the Sharks, the Jets lead for the majority of the game and held a two-point advantage at 58-56 heading into the final stanza. In the final period the Eagles got their noses in front midway through the period and held onto that lead for the remainder of the period, despite a valiant effort from the Jets to overturn the deficit.

In the other BBL Championship action, the Guildford Heat ended their weekend on a high, but had to work a lot harder than they would have like to have done as they came from behind to eventually pick up a comfortable 89-69 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Guildford Spectrum on Sunday afternoon.

The Capital lead throughout the first half, but a three- pointer from Aaron "LA" Drakeford at the end of the first half seemed to spark the Heat into action as they came out in the third period and overturned the deficit thanks to a 20-2 cross-quarter burst to take the score out to 65-52 with eight minutes remaining in the final period.

Despite a valiant effort from the Capital to get themselves back into the game, the Heat held on for the comfortable victory and moved themselves up into sixth position in the BBL Championship table as a result

In the BBL Trophy the Sharks suffered a 69-60 defeat at the hands of the Rocks at Kelvin Hall on Sunday evening. The Sharks led for the majority of the game leading by as many as fourteen points at 22-36 at the half. The final period saw the Rocks get themselves back into the game thanks to a Rob Yanders three-pointer which instigated a 12-2 tear to give the home side the lead at 62-55.

The Sharks got themselves back into the game and trimmed the deficit to just four points at 64-60 with 1:39 remaining, but five free-throws from Yanders to close out the game and send the Rocks into the quarter-finals of the BBL Trophy.

Leicester Riders 72 (13,34,63) (Wierzbicki 21, Johnson 12, I. Westbrooks 9)
Guildford Heat 74 (21,34,53) (Martin 26, McKnight 17, Sandell 11)

The 2010 BBL Trophy began with a 72-74 victory for the Guildford Heat, 2008 champions, over the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in the only game to survive the weather on Saturday night. It was a devastating fourth quarter turnaround that won the game for the Heat in the East Midlands, and they now go on to face either the London Leopards or Cheshire Jets in the quarter-finals.

Mike Martin led all scorers with 26 points for the Heat, while former Rider Chad McKnight had 17 and Daniel Sandell made three three-pointers, including two in the fourth period, on his way to 11. Bradd Wierzbicki paced the home team with 21 points.

The Heat dominated the first and fourth quarters, while the Riders did so with the second and third. After a good start for the Riders behind five points from Shaun Durant, the Heat held them scoreless for over three minutes as they posted an 11-0 burst, with seven points for Martin, to take a 7-15 lead. Barry Lamble halted the run and the teams traded baskets, with 6 more points from Martin, up to 13-21 at the end of the first.

The Riders came back strongly in the second stanza and reversed that score to tie it at 34 at the half. Tony Windless scored the first four points, before former Rider Russell Jordan responded for the Heat. A quick 7-0 burst, including an Isaac Westbrooks three- pointer, made it a one-point game at 24-25 and the Riders went on to tie the game at 28 after a Wierzbicki triple and Johnson free-throw. A 6-0 burst within the final minute of the half saw the Riders take the lead at 34-32, on Duane James's first score since returning to the club, only for another former Rider, Chad McKnight, to tie the teams up on the buzzer.

The turnaround was completed in the third quarter as the Riders pressed early on and forced four turnovers in the first two and a half minutes. A 15-2 run, including seven for Wierzbicki, gave them a commanding lead at 49-36, and it peaked at 55-41. The hosts took a commanding 63-53 advantage into the decisive period.

But the pendulum swung dramatically in the fourth as the Heat held the Riders to just nine points, and just three in the first six and a half minutes. Sandell made two early triples, and soon after that the Heat went on a 10-0 surge to regain the lead on Martin's score at 66- 67. The Riders held firm and led again at 70-69 after back-to-back Johnson and Wierzbicki baskets, but suffered another two scoreless minutes thereafter. McKnight's three and a Drakeford basket made it 70- 74, before the Riders were within one shot after Windless stole the ball and Westbrooks scored. With 17 seconds left they forced an eight second violation on the Heat, and with seven seconds left Johnson's shot to tie the game was blocked by Martin; it was gathered up by the Riders only for Windless to miss a three on the buzzer.

Everton Tigers 99-79 Essex Pirates
Worcester Wolves 76-65 Cheshire Jets

The Worcester Wolves picked up another morale-boosting win, this time over the Cheshire Jets on Friday night, whilst the Everton Tigers comfortably beat the Essex Pirates 99-79.

At Greenbank it was the Pirates who had the advantage early on in this one. Although they crept out to a 9-3 advantage, the Tigers came growling back, as they bought the scores level at 10 points a-piece.

After the first quarter finished 25-22 to the home side, the scores were tied again early in the second period, at 25 a piece, but once the Tigers edged out to 32-25, it was 'all she wrote' for the Pirates, as they struggled to get back into the game. The scoreboard read 52-37 at the end of the half, and the Tigers had a massive 79-54 advantage going into the fourth.

At Worcester, the Wolves started the game the better of the two sides, as Daniel Gilbert, Harry Disy, and Devin Smith combined for the first 7 points, without reply from the Jets. A 9-3 run then put them up 16-6, before the Jets' Shawn Myers found his way to the bucket off a Chez Marks assist. Although Marks and Myers continued to help the visitors back into the game, the Wolves broke away to a 22-12 lead at the end of the first period.

The second stanza began with the Jets' Stephen Gayle netting a three pointer, to leave the scores at 22-15, but Worcester's Kastytis Normantas' dunk made it 24-15 to the home side soon after that. The sides then exchanged scores, until Worcester increased their lead to 36-22, with 7:49 left in the period.

They continued this form until the end of the quarter, and were some distance ahead at the half, 43-28 up. The third quarter was then a similar story, as the scoreline read 60-44, thanks to some tough Wolves defence. There was no way back for the Jets in the fourth quarter, as the game finished 76-65, an eleven point win for the home side.

RYAN PATTON GOES FOR 41 Sheffield Sharks point guard Ryan Patton had another stunning game in the BBL on Saturday night as he went for 41 points against the Chester Jets. His career high score included 10 from beyond the arc. Says Ryan, "Everything I put up seemed to go in. It was just one of those nights.

MIKE COOK TRIPLE DOUBLE Sheffield Sharks star Mike Cook delivered another stunning performance against the Guildford Heat as he achieved his first tripke double of his BBL career. Cook was sensational as he went for 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He also added 5 steals in his awesome performance.

THE GOSPEL SHOW...WOW Each Sunday morning between 6 and 7, BBC Radio Manchester presents The Gospel Hour, presented by Mike Shaft. This programme features the best in Gospel music from both sides of the Atlantic and includes artists like BEBE & CECE Winans, Karen Clark Sheard and The Tommies. See every playlist for the show so far - HERE

COMMONWEALTH GAMES I am not sure how it first started but it was back in 1994 that I fell in love with the Commonwealth Games. Those games were held in Victoria Canada and I had the great pleasure of attending for the first ever time. Since then I have been involved with the Manchester Games and attended the Melbourne Games in Australia. Read my Commonwealth Games story - HERE