WITH the Big V Men’s Basketball competition past the halfway mark for season 2022, there has been a lot to take out of the first 11 rounds of play. The standings have been fluctuating for a few weeks now, with the race for a spot in the finals wide open. We have seen some big wins and some massive individual outings to start the year, in what has been one of the more memorable starts to the season in recent memory.

With just seven weeks remaining until the home and away portion of the fixture wraps up, we take a look at some of the individuals who have been excelling in the key statistical categories to start the year. With a number of players putting their names forward in the Most Valuable Player (MVP) race, there have been a few that have claimed important stats groups as their own.

Points

Sharif Black (McKinnon) – 26.18
Ishmael Sanders (Sunbury) – 25.79
Maurice Howard (Wyndham) – 24.62
Troyce Manassa (Western Port) – 23.54
Chris Elder (Hume) – 22.43

Always amongst the strongest performers on a weekly basis, Black has been outstanding for McKinnon to open its campaign. He is one of the most consistent buckets in Australia of late, and that is reflected with his lead in this category. With the ability to hurt the opposition all over the court, Black is one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the competition, and is a big factor in McKinnon’s success in season 2022. To top it all off, he is almost averaging a double-double, also producing nearly 10 boards a game too. Sanders has been terrific for the Jets, helping them to top spot on the ladder with his damaging offence, while Howard has maintained his strong start to the year.

Rebounds

Trevon Clayton (Sunbury) – 11.69
Aaron Frost (Chelsea) – 11.67
Naaman Hightower (Western Port) – 11.54
Edward Bourke (Blackburn) – 10.92
Kavione Green (Wyndham) – 10.15

It is a tight race for top spot in the rebounding battle, with the top three separated by just 0.15 rebounds per game. At the top of the list at the moment is Clayton, whose control of the skies has been a major factor in the success of the Jets to start the year. He is also second in the competition for offensive boards, demonstrating his willingness to fly on either end of the court. Frost is not too far behind, and has posted some big outings in this category, while Hightower has the most defensive rebounds of any player in the competition, always denying the opposition any extra possessions.

Assists

Daryl Corletto (Western Port) – 5.67
Denzel Brito (Blackburn) – 5.33
Sharif Black (McKinnon) – 5
Brendan Trewalla (Camberwell) – 5
Nathan Marshall (Sunbury) – 5

Corletto is the pick of the bunch in terms of being able to get his teammates in the best scoring position, and it has been a big cog in the Steelers machine. Averaging just under six assists a game, he has been able to use his smarts and make the right play week in, week out. Brito has been producing a similar output for Blackburn, while Black’s MVP case only grows with his five assists a game. Trewalla and Marshall round out the top five, with the two players delivering an impressive array of playmaking to start 2022.