Sheffield Sharks captain Mike Tuck has shared his most memorable moment as he prepares to celebrate his 10 year anniversary with the club.
Tuck first began playing basketball when he was about 10 years old when his dad took him to see the Pan-Am games, a major sporting event in the Americas which were in Mike’s hometown of Toronto.
It is held every four years across cities in the Americas and follow the same rules as Olympic charter.
Tuck said: “My absolute favourite moment was winning the 2016 BBL playoff final.
“We were underdogs and I also was named MVP of the game which is something I will always cherish.”
As a young kid he was naturally tall and participated in many sports including athletics, football and volleyball but eventually he decided basketball was the one for him.
From watching the Pan-Am and most notably Team USA which included stars like Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan, had a huge influence on him however but he feels his dad was his biggest influence.
Tuck said:” He was the one who pushed me into the sport and drove me to all my practices and games.
Tuck has played all over the world but his longest stint has been in England when he came across the pond from Canada to Sheffield in 2009 where he joined the Sharks.
He was made club captain in 2012 and has helped the club win 4 championships, he has played over 200 times and scored over 3000 points.
On the move to England Tuck said:”My mum was originally from England so I have always grown up around English influences and have a lot family here that we would come to visit when I was really young.
“So moving here was actually easier than expected, but the hard part was being away from my family and friends in Canada.”
Consequently he now has a dual nationality and as a result of this he has represented England on four different occasions with the most recent coming in 2018 where he played and captained England at the Gold Coast Commonwealth games in Australia.
Speaking about the games Tuck said:”It was an amazing experience, just getting selected for the trials was a big deal for me but then to be picked for the final team and then eventually named captain was truly an hour for me.
“Something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
Since Tuck has been in England the league has drastically changed such as new teams coming in, level of play has increased and crowd attendances has increased and the interest has grown from outside media with BBC Sport and youtube all broadcasting games.
The Sharks captain added: “The BBL has definitely changed for the better over the last 10 years, the level of play seems to have increased, clubs followings have increased and the trend is now that more and more clubs are moving into their own venues, which is helping keep more of the clubs money within the club.”
Youtube are also showing all BBL games live and free of subscription.
Mike Tuck said: “I think the future of basketball is bright in the UK, we will continue to see more clubs moving in their own venues, helping the league get stronger.
“The league has just put all games live on Youtube making them accessible to so many people around the world.
“This could potentially bring in major sponsor for the league or even turn some heads at a major network like Sky, to get the BBL back on a major sports platform.”
The Sharks have now announced that they will be honouring Mike with a testimonial match on the 6 June 2020 at Ponds Forge.
Sheffield Basketball News 