Familiar faces and new names headline League’s All-Defensive Team of the Year – British Basketball League

The British Basketball League All-Defensive Team of the Year features the League’s top stoppers as voted by the League’s Head Coaches, Captains and select members of the media. 

This year’s roster includes a Great Britain international paint protector and one of the country’s all-time defensive greats who features for the fourth year in a row, as well as three first-time All-Defensive Team selections.  

Josh Sharma – London Lions 

Making the All-Defensive Team for his second consecutive season, British centre Josh Sharma led all players with 14 of a possible 21 votes – a tally only matched by the next name on this roster who is a fellow high-flying rim protector. 

A vital piece in the League’s best defence (per 100 possessions), the Stanford alumnus and former NBA Summer League representative led all players in blocked shots throughout the Championship campaign, with 1.6 rejections per game to his name in just 18 minutes per contest.  

He’s secured a whopping four blocks on three separate occasions this campaign against Surrey Scorchers and the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (twice), as the seven-footer has proved a menace on the defensive end and vital to the Lions’ interior strength. He’s not the only Lion on this roster either… 

Clifton Moore Jr. – Caledonia Gladiators 

Tied with Sharma on 14 votes of a possible 21, rookie forward Clifton Moore Jr. takes home All-Defensive Team honours after a standout debut professional campaign in which the Pennsylvania native has improved significantly throughout.  

Given his opportunity as a starter midway through the Championship campaign following injury to club captain Fahro Alihodzic, the American’s confidence ballooned, and the result has been the emergence of a forward who flourishes on both ends of the floor for Gareth Murray’s Gladiators.  

With 1.5 blocks per game ranking just a smudge short of the league-leading Sharma, Moore Jr. has also been a significant rebound presence on both ends of the floor for his team with just under six per contest being enough to lead the Gladiators in that department.  

Laquincy Rideau – Cheshire Phoenix 

Guards across the League will have nightmares about the Trophy Final MVP’s tenacity on the defensive end for some time, as Cheshire Phoenix guard Laquincy Rideau has paced the League in steals throughout the season with 2.6 per game.  

With 12 votes from a possible 21, Rideau leads all guards in All-Defensive Team votes and his inclusion in the roster adds another accolade to a superb debut season in the UK for the Florida native, who is a multiple-time Molten Player of the Month winner on top of his aforementioned Finals MVP title. 

Whilst Rideau’s offensive fluency has grown for Cheshire throughout the season, his defensive intensity has been there from the get-go, and has helped the Phoenix build solid foundations on that end of the floor to build upon as they’ve hurtled towards their most successful campaign in over a decade.  

Tarik Phillip – London Lions 

If you didn’t know, now you know – Tarik Phillip is an absolute powerhouse on the defensive end! With his debut campaign in the League last year cut short by a season-ending injury that took place before a ball had been bounced competitively, Phillip reminded everybody this season exactly what his game is about.  

With relentless intensity on both ends of the floor, Phillip takes defence personally and puts on the clamps like his life depends on it. His name might not rank in the top 10 of any of the major defensive categories, but this man’s game is about far more than just numbers – he’s a tone-setter and a leader for the best defence in the League. 

To come back from the injury he sustained last season was a feat in itself, but to do so in the manner he has done this year speaks to the desire and determination of the man and he plays defence every night with those qualities on full display. 

Jamell Anderson – Manchester Giants 

Named to the All-Defensive Team for the fourth year running – the joint-longest streak of any player since the award was founded in 2009 alongside Hall of Famer Andrew Sullivan – Jamell Anderson’s game is synonymous with the defensive end of the floor.  

In fact, Anderson (five) now ranks only behind Sullivan (six) in all-time selections for this award. Whilst collectively his Manchester Giants have struggled defensively throughout the campaign, the GB international Anderson has been as impressive as ever in terms of his individual defence, regularly taking on the opposition’s toughest match-up and providing all-round defensive dominance for his team. 

Ranking third in the League in steals per game (1.9), Anderson was also an offensive weapon for the Giants as the 33-year-old contributed some of the best numbers of his career in the recent campaign.  

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A full voting record for the All-Defensive Team of the Year can be found below. Each voter was asked to choose five players to feature in their All-Defensive Team with each selection receiving one point.

The five players with the most selections after all votes had been collected were nominated to the All-Defensive Team. Coaches and Captains were not permitted to select members of their own team for the awards. In the case of any tiebreakers, the individual players’ defensive stats (blocks, steals, fouls per game) were used to determine a winner.

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