A reduced fixture list in Spain and Germany’s top divisions saw six clubs featuring GB players return to action during the opening gameweek of 2021 as 10 GB athletes got what could be a busy year on court underway.
Ben Fox was the weekend’s top-scoring GB player, posting a joint game-high points total of 17 points in BSR Amiab Albacete’s 57:61 win over Fundacion Aliados. Fox’s points tally was also his joint-highest total of the season so far, and he was one of four GB internationals to feature for Albacete on Saturday.
Harry Brown recorded his season’s best points total with 11 points, including a three-pointer, while Lee Manning added 10 points to Albacete’s total along with 13 rebounds, the game’s joint-highest. Kyle Marsh was also in action, beginning 2021 with four points.
The win sees Albacete move up to second in the Division de Honor table, one point behind league leaders Bidaideak Bilbao BSR and a point ahead of their weekend opponents and Mideba Extremadura, who have played a game less.
Abdi Jama passed 100 points for the season, with his latest score of 14 points helping Amivel move up to sixth after their 71:54 win against Servigest Burgos. GB Academy athlete Will Bonner was in action for Burgos, scoring seven points.
There was also a British head-to-head clash in Germany as Peter Cusack and Thomas Smith lined-up against Jim Palmer’s Rhine River Rhinos Wiesbaden for Baskets 96 Rahden.
Cusack and Smith scored six and two points, respectively, as Rahden claimed a 66:62 victory in a close game with the scores tied heading into the final quarter. Palmer added four points to Wiesbaden’s total.
Helen Freeman’s RSB Thuringia Bulls remain four points clear at the top of the RBBL1 table – their latest victory coming against ING Skywheelers (58:71), with Freeman scoring two points.
Most Points (GB Players)
17 – Ben Fox (Albacete; Spain)
14 – Abdi Jama (Amivel; Spain)
11 – Harry Brown (Albacete; Spain)
Most Assists (GB Players)
4 – Abdi Jama (Amivel; Spain)
3 – Ben Fox (Albacete; Spain)
2 – Lee Manning (Albacete; Spain)
Most Rebounds (GB Players)
13 – Lee Manning (Albacete; Spain)
8 – Harry Brown (Albacete; Spain)
6 – Thomas Smith (Rahden; Germany)
