Teams I Really Miss – Sheffield Sharks

This feature will, over the coming months, cover all of my favourite teams, and it started some weeks ago with my look back at the sensational London Leopards team under Head Coach Billy Mims. But where do I go to next. Well let me tell you it is the Sheffield Sharks team with Terrell Myers, Todd Cauthorn, Matt Gaudio etc.

It is difficult to know just how good this Sheffield Sharks team was and perhaps even more importantly, just how good they could have been.

I was lucky enough to be invited to be the commentator at the Glasgow pre-season tournament for 1998 and two of the teams at the tournament were Sheffield Sharks and Derby Storm. This tournament usually gave us the opportunity to see just how good the coaches had been in their recruitment in the close season.

Returning for the Sharks, under Head Coach Chris Finch, were Terrell Myers an awesome guard who had announced his arrival the previous season.

Also returning were Todd Cauthorn and Wil ‘The Thrill’ Johnson.

The new additions to the team were Matt Gaudio and Travis Conlan. I can say I knew absolutely nothing about these two players, but within minutes of their taking to the floor in the first game, I knew they were the real deal.

More important, they fitted right into the Sharks philosophy and I knew that we were in for a special season in Sheffield.

This had to be one of the most awesome outfits I had ever seen in British Basketball. The team balance was amazing with a (T’n’T) backcourt of Conlan and Myers – that’s Travis and Terrell, and a forward line of Gaudio, Cauthorn and Johnson.

The 6’4″ Conlan hails from the Motor City – Detroit in the USA and earned a basketball scolarship to Michigan. He was a starter in his final two years. His arrival in the UK saw an immediate impact at the Sharks. To put it mildly he was awesome, and able to do it all.

He could pass, rebound, shoot, post up, and he could defend like a tiger. In that first year in the UK Conlan helped the Sharks to the double, winning the National Cup and the League.

Matt Gaudio was a player of Italian descent who grew up in the United States. He played at Penn State for the three preceeding years 95-98. He was a perfect Sharks’ player – able to do it all and most importantly able to rebound and to score down low. At times his intensity was terrifying.

He had no fear, and with players like Conlan and Myers getting him the ball in the right place and at the right time he had truly found his place in basketball.

But it was not to be as a career ending injury would befall him and would see him leave not only the Sharks but the game of basketball as well. He had made just 13 appearances for the Sharks in that season but his impact on the team would probably be remembered forever.

Todd Cauthorn had been there at the very start of the Sharks dynasty under Head Coach Jim Brandon. Another player who could have been made in the Sharks mould, able to do it all, inside or out. Further if Matt’s intensity was at times terrifying then Todd was down right scary. He would go on to play many years for the Sharks but this season 98/99 he was at his awesome best. Two trophies would attest to that.

That leaves just two starters, Terrell Myers and Wil ‘The Thrill’ Johnson. Terrell will always be remembered for his game winning shot at the Manchester Arena when the Sharks defeated the home-town favourites Manchester Giants in that Good Friday showdown.

He will also be remembered for his game winning shot at the NEC Birmingham in the uni-ball Trophy Final. This is a player who could do it all. His lazy approach to the game gave his opponents a false sense of security and as soon as they relaxed he was gone, or he would pull up and stick it in your face.

As said in my piece on the Leopards I find it difficult to work out why players of this calibre are not playing in the NBA. But having said that had he made it there then we would never have seen Terrell Myers playing in a Sharks’ vest. I think I just might have to settle for that.

And so to the final piece of the Sharks’ starting jigsaw – Wil ‘The Thrill’ Johnson. Now this is my kind of player in the paint – simply awesome. He could rebound with attitude and throw it down with one hand or two, and boy could he run the floor. Wil became a very good friend of mine during this time and I will remember him for a very long time. He was a Sharks’ player through and through and did whatever the coach asked him to do.

With a bench of sharp shooters Michael Payne and Iain McKinney plus Adrian Anderson and a young Locker Okorie, this Sharks outfit under Head Coach Chris Finch was truly something special.

SEASON 1998/99 FINAL TABLE

I am delighted to say that that season the Sharks lost only 5 games in the league and as earlier said they did the double of National Cup and League. It was a pleasure to be there to see one of the greatest starting 5s ever in British Basketball. Having said that I cannot help but imagine what they would have achieved had they remained together for a couple of seasons and had Matt Gaudio remained fit and well…

WOW JUST IMAGINE