Sharks sign up American shooting guard Ramsey

New signing Devearl Ramsey bringing the ball up court during his time at UC Santa Barbara taken by Adam Bates

The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks get 2023 underway in the BBL Trophy and with the New Year comes a change in personnel.

Thames Valley Cavaliers of the NBL are the visitors to Ponds Forge on Sunday and with it, they will be facing at least one new recruit to the South Yorkshire hardwood.

2022 didn’t exactly finish as planned for the Sharks with defeat against Cheshire Phoenix being the fifth on the bounce. Clearly this was an unacceptable state of affairs so the club management have acted swiftly in order to get the season back on track.

Sadly, we have released guard Channel Banks and forward Javion Ogunyemi. Both were hard-working and dedicated professionals and we wish them well for their future careers. However, in view of current results, it was clear a change was necessary.

Joining the club is 6’ 0” shooting guard Devearl Ramsey. The 25 year old from Chatsworth, California is a player we are very excited about. He spent last season in the NBA G League with Stockton Kings and had a high pedigree college career at UC Santa Barbara. Furthermore, he is the first FIBA World Champion to ever play for the club having won gold with Team USA in 2014 at under 17 level.

Devearl is a relentless defender who has the ability to push the offence with his outstanding speed. We also hope to announce another player in due course in order to bring our roster back up to full strength.

Our mini ‘reset’ gets underway this Sunday when Thames Valley Cavaliers of the National Basketball League are the visitors to Ponds Forge in the opening round of the BBL Trophy (4pm tip off). The Trophy is akin to the FA Cup in football, where a number of teams from the NBL get the chance to perform a ‘giant-killing’ en route to the showpiece final that is held at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena in March.

The Cavs gained access to the competition by finishing fourth in the NBL last season but have struggled a little bit this year, currently sitting in eleventh place in Division One. Our current run of form means that we won’t be taking them lightly. With the likes of former Surrey Scorcher Martelle McLemore and former London City Royal AJ Roberts on their roster, they clearly have the ability to cause an upset. New Year, New Sharks – we’re excited to get back on track.