Mark Clark, Head Coach of the London Lions, has won the Molten WBBL Coach of the Month award for January, after ending the month by lifting the WBBL Cup for the second year in a row, having also passed the milestone of 50 straight league wins in recent weeks. 

It is the second consecutive month that Clark has received such recognition, and the third time so far this season, as his team remain clear atop the WBBL Championship table at 9-0. Additionally, with a seventh piece of silverware in under two years they are now just one trophy behind Sevenoaks Suns’ WBBL record of eight. 

Ending the month in front of a sell-out crowd for the Cup Final at Utilita Arena, Birmingham, and live on Sky Sports, Clark’s team were dominant in beating their closest rivals, Leicester Riders, as they never trailed and won all four quarters in a formidable defensive display. 

That was characteristic of Clark’s team as they cranked up their already league-leading defence during January with all four of their games coming on the road in a tough schedule, during which they held their respective hosts to an average of just 43 points, and consistently under 45 in all of those games. 

Another highlight in the month saw Lions commence their defence of the WBBL Trophy in a capital city derby against WNBL Division 1 side Brent Bulls from North-West London, Lions safely through behind 25 points from Paulina Hersler. 

There were also road wins in the league at Essex Rebels and Newcastle Eagles – as they scored 123 points in the latter which is a league high for any team this season – with Great Britain star Holly Winterburn coming close to a double-double in both contests, as she joined her coach by winning Molten WBBL Player of the Month for January. 

Clark also had to dip into the recruitment market in mid-January with the impressive acquisition of former EuroLeague and EuroCup guard Leslie Vorpahl, and the San Antonio native got straight to work with 13 points, five assists and five steals against Newcastle, followed by six points with five assists in the Cup Final. 

London’s extended road trip continues into February as they visit Cardiff Met Archers in the WBBL Trophy quarter-finals, before returning home to host Caledonia Gladiators and Cardiff in the WBBL Championship.