Last week’s SBL Player of the Week went to the deserving Earl Barron of the Fubon Braves, who earned the nod from members of the Basketball Writers’ Association to take home the coveted weekly honor.
The 34-year-old former University of Memphis standout from Mississippi, who played eight seasons in the NBA prior to signing with the Braves at the start of this season, demonstrated his versatility at both ends of the court.
He had a strong 24-point outing inside the paint against top-ranked Pure Youth Construction on Thursday last week before taking his game out on the perimeters with a slew of mid-range jumpers against second-ranked Taiwan Beer on Sunday to lift his club past a pair of top-tier opponents.
“I am really glad to be able to help our team beat two of the top teams in the league. It means a lot to me because it shows just how good we really are,” Barron said earlier in the week upon learning of his selection for the weekly honor.
His average of 31 points and 17 rebounds in the Braves’ three contests last week also boosted his season total to a league-best 26.1 points and second-best 14.6 rebounds, making him one of the frontrunners in the race for the Player of the Month honor.
“All the individual awards do not mean much if our team does not win. That is our ultimate goal,” Barron added when asked about his chances of being voted this month’s top player.
“[Barron] has really set an example for the younger players in terms of his on and off-court conduct; he watches what he eats and takes good care of himself,” Fubon head coach Yen Hsin-shu said of his hired gun.
Yen’s troops are to have an opportunity to pick up an elusive eighth win of the season with a meeting against sixth-placed Bank of Taiwan in their lone game of the week tomorrow evening. Barron is to square off against the Bankers’ Luke Nevill, who is also coming off a monstrous game in a win over Kinmen Kaoliang last weekend.
The Braves will attempt to put some pressure on the shaky ball handling of the Bankers’ backcourt in the hope of creating turnovers to set up their transition game.
Tonight’s Games
The third-ranked Dacin Tigers are to take on Kinmen Kaoliang in tonight’s first game at the Banciao Gymnasium in New Taipei City, followed by the Yulon Luxgens’ showdown against a struggling Pure Youth squad that has lost three straight for the first time this season.
While the Tigers should not have too much trouble against the Distillers in the early game, the Luxgens are likely to have their hands full against the Builders, who have more than their top spot in the standings to defend as their pride will also be on the line.
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