Hamilton had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in the road win, which put the Lions in fourth place in the West Coast Conference.

On Saturday, the 6-7 Londoner put up 12 points and five rebounds in a victory over Valparaiso.

Will Neighbour continued his strong form with a 21-point outing against FIU. Neighbour made five of 11 shots from the field and a perfect 7-7 at the line, and added four rebounds in the win. Neighbour followed that with eight points, two rebounds and two assists against Troy.

Shane Walker’s 16 points and 12 rebounds couldn’t prevent Loyola Maryland from sliding to a surprise defeat to Marist, but the Greyhounds are still in the hunt for the MAAC regular-season title after beating Boston on Sunday. Walker scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in that victory. Loyola sits one game behind MAAC leaders Iona with two games to play.

Andrew Lawrence had a tough night on Wednesday as he was hounded into a career-high 10 turnovers by UNC-Greensboro. Charleston lost the game 78-63 as Lawrence finished with 11 points, seven assists and three steals on 3-10 shooting.

Lawrence followed that with a season-low two points against Kent State, though he did manage eight assists as Charleston won that one.

Ovie Soko was part of history on Wednesday as his UAB team held Southern Mississippi to 28 points, a record for a Conference USA game. The Blazers weren’t much better offensively themselves, shooting 34% from the field and scoring 47 points. Soko contributed three points and four rebounds as he came off the bench for the first time this season.

The 6-8 forward remained there for the following game against Tulane, where he scored two points and grabbed three boards in just seven minutes of action.

Alex Marcotullio scored seven points in 35 minutes on Wednesday, but was relegated to the bench on Saturday as starter JerShon Cobb returned from injury. Marcotullio scored three points in the latter game as Northwestern beat Minnesota to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Nevada continue to roll towards the Big Dance, beating Cal State Bakersfield to improve to 11-1 in the Western Athletic Conference. Patrick Nyeko had two points and two steals in 13 minutes on the court.

Alasdair Fraser had a couple of rough shooting nights as Maine lost both their games this week. Fraser was 3-11 from the field against Hartford and 3-13 against Marist, though he did notch eight and nine rebounds respectively in the two games.

Ben Mockford also struggled this week, going 2-11 for four points and 1-7 for three points in St Francis’ two wins.

Barking Abbey product Joe Ikhinmwin, who is averaging less than five points per game, put in the surprise performance of the week as he scored a career-high 21 points on 8-11 shooting against North Carolina Central.

The Riders trailed 96-93 with 71 seconds remaining but two Cameron Rundles three-pointers down the stretch were enough to give Rob Paternostro’s side victory.

Newcastle chalked up their seventh consecutive BBL Championship victory as they scored the first 21 points of the game in a 94-69 victory against Durham Wildcats, on Friday night. It took six minutes for the Wildcats to trouble the scorers, and by then the game was beyond them. Joe Chapman led all scorers for Eagles with 24 points and they remain two wins clear at the top of the table.

Meanwhile, Worcester Wolves kept up their title challenge with a 94-86 victory against a stubborn Lions team on Saturday night. An impressive performance by Carlos Fernandez proved the difference between the two teams as the Spaniard finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Lions trailed by 12 at the first break but fought back to remain in contention until the final quarter when Paul James’ team pulled away.

Wolves’ coach James was understandably delighted with the win: “It’s always hard playing against Lions. They play scruffy and try to intimidate you but I felt that we managed to keep our heads in this game. This was another fantastic win for us.”

Plymouth Raiders also remain in contention for the title as they came-from-behind to defeat hosts Mersey Tigers 83-73 on Friday evening. After a slow start, Tigers led at both half-time and the final break, but an 11-1 burst to open the fourth period put Gavin Love’s team in charge and they never trailed again. Jeremy Bell again led all scorers with 24 points in the win for the Raiders,

Friday’s other game saw Sheffield keep their post-season hopes alive with an 87-78 home win against play-off rivals Guildford Heat. With Ryan Patton – replacing Justin Dobbins – returning to the Sharks with 14 points, the home side led for most of the game but it wasn’t until the final minutes that they finally sealed the win. Jimmy Langhurst led all scorers in the game with 26 points for the Sharks, while Andrew Lasker led the Heat with 24 points.

Finally, Cheshire Jets claimed a fantastic 80-78 road win in Glasgow after launching an astonishing rescue mission to fight back from 19 points down in the second half.

Rocks scored nine of the first ten points of the third quarter to lead 52-33 but were outscored 27-8 during the remainder of the period as Jets started their comeback, and tied the game at 60 going into the final break. Adam Brown – who led all scorers with 26 points – hit four free-throws down the stretch as Jets sealed a thrilling win.

The former All Star, who will feature on ESPN’s coverage of the All Star Game next week, once felt the wrath of Central Florida when he bolted as a free agent to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Howard, he trusts, will choose a different path. “Hopefully, he stays,” said O’Neal. “If he leaves it will be a travesty.”

Shaq’s departure left Orlando in the doldrums for almost a decade until the arrival of Howard in the 2004 Draft.

Since then, the Team USA centre has been an All Star six times and taken the Magic to only the second Finals appearance in the club’s history.

Earlier this season, he became the team’s all-time leading scorer – maintaining his form despite the frenzied speculation over his contract status as free agency looms into view.

So far, the Magic have opted to sit tight rather than trade their key asset. It may leave them in a bind if he bolts without compensation in the off-season.

However O’Neal has refused to draw the parallels with his own messy exit 16 years ago.

“I don’t think it is similar because I had many different options,” he underlined. “I wanted to stay in Orlando. I had everyone put their options on the table and I took the best one.

Loughborough’s Paul Sturgess has signed for the Harlem Globetrotters, becoming the famous team’s tallest-ever player.

The 2.33m (7-8) giant, who played collegiately at Florida Tech under ex-Leopards coach Billy Mims before transferring to Mountain State University in Virginia, will feature on the Trotters’ forthcoming UK tour.

Appropriately, the 24-year-old has been given the nickname ‘Tiny’.

Anybody who ever dreamt as a kid that they would one day play in the NBA but knew realistically that there was no chance, Jeremy Lin is our hero.

As a teen, I wanted to be in the NBA and I wanted to be playing for the Boston Celtics, but lack of height and more importantly, talent, got in my way!

It doesn’t matter who you support, like me you’ve probably been glued to the Knicks games over the last week or so.

I’m sure there are many, many more like me who wondered what it would be like to have played in the NBA and we probably all imagined we could be the instant hero of whichever team we wanted to play for.

And that’s why we’re drawn to Lin’s heroics.

It’s like something out of a movie. A desperate coach has nowhere to turn so he throws in the kid at the end of the bench. You know, the kid who looks like he doesn’t belong there.

He goes into the game, makes an immediate impact, and the rest is history.

It really is a Disney film script. After coming off the bench and impressing, Lin is thrown into the starting line-up the very next game. A few more impressive performances and then the big-bad Lakers come to town.

Lin struck late to kill off the Raptors (NBAE/Getty)

With Kobe cast in the villain’s role (this would be the case in a movie), Lin takes his game to another level and denies the Lakers.

If you’d taken a script of the above to a Hollywood producer two weeks ago, he’d have laughed at you, but now he’d be biting your hand off to get it made.

Time will tell whether the Jeremy Lin story is made-for-television fare or a Hollywood blockbuster, but either way I look forward to seeing it made.

Of course, Lin hasn’t come from nowhere, he had a solid collegiate career (albeit at a university more known for academic study than building great basketball teams) and he did have a couple of NBA teams prior to landing in New York.

You take one look at Lin and without knowing what he’s done in the last few games, would never imagine someone physically built like him could make it in the NBA, and yet here he is, the new darling of the league.

If David Stern hasn’t already done so, he needs to personally go up to Lin and thank him. No-one is talking about the lockout now and no-one is interested in the shortened regular season — the oft-mentioned ‘Linsanity’ has taken over.

At some point, Lin is going to come crashing down to earth and it’s a no-brainer as not even the greats can play at such a high level for such a sustained period of time.

Watching the Toronto game on Tuesday night, it looked as if this remarkable run would come to an end.

Knicks were down early and down by double figures. In previous games, Lin’s numbers were getting weaker as he got more and more of the defensive focus out on the floor.

But just when we thought it was indeed over, the Knicks came back to tie the game and then Lin wrote another chapter in this amazing story by draining a three-pointer just before the buzzer.

When this remarkable run does end for the Knicks, and it will, it’s how Lin bounces back from that disappointment that will determine his future NBA career.

Personally, I think he could be around for a long time, but then stranger things have happened, such as his rise to fame in the first place.

But whatever happens, it’s a new dawn in New York and the proof of that is that only at the end of the article am I even mentioning Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

How those two adjust to the new order is crucial because if Lin is here to stay, it won’t be their team anymore and they are just going to have to accept it.

They’re contained in his new book – 101 Youth Basketball Drills – which covers all the main facets of the game.

As well as easy-to-follow instructions, each drill contains information on the equipment needed, the space required and how to progress each skill. Key information on how to coach and encourage children, and explanation of the various basketball terms is also included.

It’s on sale now, priced £14.99. But we have two copies up for grabs in our special competition.

To enter, answer this simple question.

Who invented basketball? Was it:

a – James Naismith

b – Gary Naismith

Send your answer to competition@mvp247.com, including your postal address. We’ll draw two winners at random after the closing date of March 1.

Usual MVP rules apply. Editors decision is final.

But here’s a peek at what’s inside 101 Youth Basketball Drills

Pass and move in circles

Objective: To improve passing, awareness and fitness.

Equipment: Eight players, cones and one ball.

Description: Four players form a circle, arm’s length apart (cones can be used to help younger players to find the correct position); the remaining four players form an outer circle 2 m away. The players in the inner circle jog in a clockwise direction and the players in the outer circle jog in an anti-clockwise direction. The ball must be passed from one player in a circle to another player in a different circle as the players are jogging around.

Coaching points: The players need to be aware of the position of the receiving player when timing the pass. All players must be ready to receive a pass at any time.

Progression: As confidence increases within the group, so too should the speed of the drill.

Shadows

Objective: To improve dribbling technique whilst changing pace and direction.

Equipment: Pairs with one ball and a full court.

Description: The players are divided into pairs. One player starts with the ball and takes the role of the leader, whilst the partner takes the role of the shadow. When the drill begins the leader must dribble the ball around the court and attempt to lose the following shadow who is attempting to stay within 1 m of the leader at all times. The players will change roles after two minutes.

Coaching points: The leader must keep their head up and be prepared to attempt to change hands, pace and direction. More advanced players can execute more complex skills.

Progression: This drill can also be used with the focus on defensive footwork for the ‘shadow’ player.

Team lay-up drill

Objective: To practise the lay-up shot, passing and rebounding as a team.

Equipment: Ten players, two balls and a basket.

Description: The players form two lines, 2 m away from the zone at positions A and B. The first two players in line A start with a ball. The first player dribbles towards the basket and performs a lay-up shot (leaving the ball) and immediately joins the back of line B. The first player in line B moves towards the basket, collects the rebound and passes to the third player in line A and then joins the back of line A. Whilst this is happening, the second player in line A who has a ball is dribbling to the basket to attempt a lay-up shot. This sequence continues.

Coaching points: Players performing lay-up shots are encouraged to drive strongly to the basket and release the ball with an outstretched arm and close to the basket, whilst pushing the ball against the corner of the small square on the backboard to help with accuracy. The rebounders are encouraged to take the ball at the highest point with outstretched arms and then release the pass quickly after executing correct pivot footwork.

Progression: The players can keep an individual score, or the team shooting into one basket can compete against the team using another basket. The coach could also set a target of successful baskets within a set time.

Neighbour was one of four Trojans in double figures as UALR defeated Louisiana-Lafayette in overtime on Thursday. The 6-10 forward finished with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals.

The big game for the Trojans this week was against league leaders Middle Tennessee State. MTSU, who UALR will need to go through if they hope to make it to the NCAA Tournament, showed their quality by winning 68-60, but Neighbour put up a good fight. The Aldershot native finished with 22 points and five rebounds on 8-11 shooting, and made three of six from behind the arc.

Andrew Lawrence helped Charleston to one of their biggest wins of the season on Saturday as they knocked off the Southern Conference’s runaway leader Davidson. Lawrence scored 11 points and dished out five assists without any turnovers, but played only 22 minutes due to foul trouble.

Earlier in the week, Lawrence shot only 2-12 from the field but fortunately made seven of his eight free throws as Charleston defeated Western Carolina. Lawrence finished with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Ben Mockford extended his double-figure scoring streak to six games, beginning with 20 points on 8-22 shooting at home to Long Island, followed by 14 points on 4-12 shooting in the return fixture four days later. St Francis lost both games and dropped to third place in the conference.

Alasdair Fraser continues to put the hurt on the rest of the America East conference as he dropped 21 points on Albany, but it wasn’t enough to give Maine a victory.

Ovie Soko scored six points and grabbed five rebounds in an upset win over Southern Mississippi, but his UAB team were taken down by league leaders Memphis in the following game. Soko registered two points and five boards against the Tigers.

Shane Walker had two quiet games for Loyola Maryland this week. The 6-10 forward had four points, four rebounds and four turnovers against Iona, and followed that up with a two-point, four-rebound effort against Fairfield.

Ashley Hamilton put up similar numbers for Loyola Marymount, with two points and five rebounds against Portland, and two points and three boards in a loss to a strong Gonzaga team.

Alex Marcotullio’s 13 points and six assists helped Northwestern to a win over Iowa on Thursday, but the Wildcats lost their next game with Marcotullio registering only three points and one assist in 30 minutes of action.

The British player who currently looks the safest bet to be playing in the NCAA Tournament, though, is Patrick Nyeko. Nyeko, a 6-6 defensive specialist averaging 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 14 minutes per game, helped his Nevada team to two more wins last week, putting them at 10-1 in the Western Athletic Conference and 21-4 overall.

The Aldershot-born centre had been expected to pursue a switch to the United States after the Olympics, six years after he was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers.

However his new agreement, which will kick in before the end of the current season, will see his salary increased by around 30 per cent – in line with a tax hike he will now incur after spending six years in Spain.

The so-called ‘Beckham Law’, enacted when footballer David Beckham joined Real Madrid, allows sportspeople to pay only the basic rate of tax for their first six seasons in the country before it jumps to the higher band.

According to sources in Malaga, under his new deal, Freeland would have to pay €2.4 million in a buyout if he wants to move across the Atlantic or to another European club next summer.

This season, the 25-year-old, who is averaging 19 points per game, has the second highest statistical rating in the ACB behind Alicante centre Kaloyan Ivanov.

He is expected to be one of the figureheads of Great Britain’s challenge at this year’s Olympic Games in London.

Pic: Mansoor Ahmed/ BB

Worcester Wolves remain in second spot as they hammered fellow high-flyers Raiders 100-80, on Saturday, thanks mainly to a 40 point haul from Tommy Freeman.

Raiders bounced back on Sunday with an 84-78 win over Sheffield. Former Shark Paul Williams returned to haunt his former club with an impressive 25 point, 18 rebound double-double including four points and a steal in a 7-0 final quarter run that finally saw off some dogged Sharks resistance.

The Sky TV cameras were at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre to see Leicester Riders stay in third place with a comfortable 97-69 win over hosts Durham Wildcats as they led from tip to buzzer. The decisive burst came in the second quarter as Bradd Wierzbicki scored nine points in an 18-5 Riders tear which put daylight between the teams at 41-26.

Northwest rivals Cheshire Jets and Mersey Tigers both kept up their play-off hopes with wins on Sunday. Jets took a share of eighth spot with the Guildford Heat courtesy of an 85-76 win over MK Lions, with Adam Brown hitting 31 points and pulling down ten boards.

Tigers managed without suspended coach Tony Garbelotto to notch their fourth Championship win of the season with an 82-77 success over play-off rivals Heat. Guildford shot a woeful eight of 42 from the field in the first half as the Tigers took control and never looked back.

Fab Flournoy’s men will now attempt to lift the prize for the third time in the last four years when they face Plymouth Raiders, whom they beat in January’s BBL Cup Final, over two legs next month.

Joe Chapman led all-scorers as seven three-pointers helped him to 31 points, to add to his 37 in the first leg, ably supported by Andrew Thomson’s 19 points and 8 rebounds. Mike Tuck led the resistance with a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Sharks.

The Eagles were defending a commanding lead from the first leg and they raced into a 9-4 lead on a trio of early three-pointers: two for Charles Smith and one for Thomson. But the Sharks were undeterred as they forced the Eagles into three consecutive misses – all inside the arc – while notching a 10-2 burst that included 4 points each for Colin Sing and Tuck as the visitors led 11-14. The Sharks held their lead into the final minute of the first quarter, with Tuck already on 10 points, only for Chapman to better him with 5 points, including a triple on the buzzer, for 13 first quarter points and an Eagles lead of 24-23. They never trailed thereafter.

Paul Gause and Chapman scored the opening baskets of the second period, in what became a 9-0 run across the break as the Eagles led 28-23. And the hosts, Chapman in particular, stretched that lead out to double-digits at 40-30 midway through the period with two more three-pointers from the guard, who had 24 points in the opening 15 minutes of the contest. Despite a slight rally from the Sharks, including a three-pointer from Olu Babalola, the Eagles again finished with a burst: this time holding their hosts scoreless for two minutes while pouring in 10 points of their own with Gause scoring on the buzzer to end the second quarter as he had started it.

The lead only grew through the early exchanges of the third quarter, and went through the twenty-mark midway through as Smith’s basket made the score 65-45 before another Thomson three-pointer extended it further. But the Sharks came back to win the quarter – the only period that they won across the two-legged contest – as Babalola and Justin Dobbins scored 6 points each and Sing added five, including a three-pointer, with the Sharks going 21-11 over the last five minutes of the third quarter to trail 81-68.

But the Sharks would not get much closer – the closest they got was at 82-72 on Tuck’s basket one minute into the fourth quarter. From there the Eagles scored the next two baskets and held the Sharks scoreless for two minutes, eventually going through the century, as they had also done in the first leg, when an Andrew Bridge three-pointer made the score 100-84 with 2.16 left.

The Sharks would not score again as Newcastle’s bench were admirable down the stretch, with Joel Madourie, Ross Wilson and Lamar Morrison all getting on the scoresheet, as did all ten of their players on the night.