The first monthly awards of 2021 in the WBBL have gone to Leicester Riders Head Coach Jesper Sundberg and Newcastle Eagles’ experienced American guard Alison Gorrell.
Sundberg has won Molten WBBL Coach of the Month for the second time already in this campaign, as his Leicester side remain the only unbeaten team (8-0) having picked up three wins in January with an average winning margin of 27 points in those games.
The month started with two long northern road trips, raising the curtain on the New Year with a 91-61 defeat of Caledonia Pride as all of Sundberg’s nine players registered at least five points. Riders scored 32 first quarter points and had established their winning margin by half time, forcing 28 turnovers in the game for 25 points from turnovers.
That defensive prowess – no surprise for the league’s second best defence which gives up just 53 points per game – was also on display in their 66-39 defeat of Newcastle Eagles, holding their hosts to just four points in the second quarter and nine in the third.
They returned home to close out the month with a 71-48 defeat of Oaklands Wolves, although this time they needed a dominant second half to get the job done, holding Wolves to just seven points in the fourth quarter.
Sundberg and the Riders now have a WBBL Cup Final to look forward to in February.
Gorrell, meanwhile, averaged a double-double throughout January to scoop the Molten WBBL Player of the Month, leading all scorers for the month while also breaking the WBBL Championship single game points record.
That came with her 40 point haul in an agonising defeat for her Newcastle side, 90-82 at Essex Rebels. Gorrell played all 40 minutes, shooting 15-29 (51%) from the field and 4-8 (50%) from three-point range for her 40 points, completing a double-double with 12 rebounds, adding five assists and three steals. That included 15 first quarter points as Eagles established a lead, before succumbing to a late surge.
Gorrell also shone in Newcastle’s tight 91-87 overtime win against Oaklands Wolves, hitting 21 points – including the go-ahead basket in overtime – and grabbing 11 boards, while adding five assists. She drew 12 fouls in the game, attempting 19 free-throws.
Eagles went 1-2 for the month, with Gorrell averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game in January. She currently leads the league in total field goals made, total free-throws made, and has proven hard for everyone to handle as the second most fouled player.