ALTHOUGH many sports may be wrapping up for the holiday season, it is the opposite for the National Basketball League (NBL), with the competition set to ramp up the action in the coming week.

The NBL is now 11 rounds in, and last round delivered yet another important batch of results. The race for a finals spot is as open as ever (apart from the dominant Melbourne United, who sit comfortably atop the standings), and it means no result is guaranteed.

Over the Christmas and New Year period, the NBL will be hosting 11 straight days of games, split into Rounds 12 and 13. There will be no shortage of action with some big matchups on the cards that could have huge ramifications moving forward.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will continue its weekly series of highlighting some key players worth keeping an eye on this weekend.

Chris Goulding – Melbourne United

Heading into Round 12, Goulding is the favourite for the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The veteran sharpshooter has been the best player on the best team so far this season, and is posting some of the best numbers of his career at 18.6 points per game. He is showing no signs of slowing down and can rip a game apart in a matter of minutes. Goulding and United face off against Bryce Cotton and the Perth Wildcats tomorrow night in a big clash, so expect the sharpshooter to be heavily involved.

Tyler Harvey – Illawarra Hawks

The Hawks have been in ripping form of late, and a number of the team’s players have been stepping up throughout the winning streak. Last week in the big win over the Phoenix, Harvey delivered his best performance of the season, with 22 points in the first half in an explosive scoring outing. Having established himself as an elite offensive player throughout the last five years, but has not been as productive as his usual self. However, he delivered a vintage showing last week, and with an exciting Christmas Day matchup on the cards, it will be intriguing to see if it was a turning point for his season.

Mantas Rubstavicius – New Zealand Breakers

The Breakers were excellent in their win over the Taipans last weekend, and one of the biggest positives in that game was the performance of Rubstavicius. The team’s Next Star was given a starting role, and thrived with the extra responsibility. The forward played to his strengths and attacked the defence with aggression and made his way to the free throw line. He finished with a career-high 21 points, and will be looking to keep that momentum rolling.