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20 January 2026  4 min read

NBL/WNBL Players and Teams of the Week - 17/18 Jan 2026

Chosen in conjunction with Darren Paul and the FocusHoops team, who assess the best and brightest in D1W, and the BE team, you can have your say on this week's selections and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one by using the hashtag #NBL2526. Don't forget to tag us!

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How it works

Each week, a standout player plus four other worthy selections will be put forward to make the Player and Team Of The Week in both D1M and D1W, paying attention to the following criteria:

• Efficiency
• Stats
• Team and opposition strength
• Periods of influence in the game
• Being on a winning team (exceptional performances from players on losing teams will be considered for TOTW)

Players of the Week

A pair of Southern standouts grab top honours this week, starting with Barnet's Sable Cooper.

Hitting an eye-catching eight triples as part of his 36-point haul, no D1M player was able to top his scoring mark across the weekend as the Bulldogs beat the Stars 79-69.

Seven rebounds, five steals and an ever-reliable 10/11 FTs added to Cooper's appeal, but it was ultimately his scoring output against a strong London Stars outfit that got him the nod.

Likewise, London Cavaliers' Chinwe Iwunze kept the scoreboard ticking over with 31 points in the Cavs' 96-74 road win against Ipswich, leading all scorers and doing it at a 61% pace (11/18 FGs).

A trip to Copleston is tough for any side by the title challengers emerged unscathed thanks to Iwunze's scoring, adding seven rebounds, two assists and a team-high five steals to her afternoon's work.

Doing it all in just 26:13 of court time was the icing on the cake, edging a tough battle with team-mate Janice Monakana for D1W's POTW nod.

D1M Team of the Week

Sable Cooper - Barnet Bulldogs (36pts, 7reb, 5stl, 32eff, 8/15 3PTs)

Reiss Faure-Daley - Birmingham City University (20pts, 6reb, 11ast, 5stl, 31eff, 5/10 3PTS vs CAR, 24pts, 5reb, 11ast, 5stl, 31eff, 5/11 3PTs vs TEE)

Earl Burgess - Worcester Wolves (29pts, 11reb, 28eff)

Disraeli Lufadeju - St Helens Saints (30pts, 5reb, 4ast, 2stl, 26eff)

Kervy Mabaya - Barking Abbey (10pts, 21reb, 3ast, 2stl, 27eff)

Cooper slots straight into the TOTW and he's joined by BCU's Reiss Faure-Daley, who produced not one but two 11-assist performances in Pool A this weekend. His point totals and general stats in both games were solid, making him a logical choice.

Earl Burgess helped Worcester to a big road win against a strong Myerscough side, dropping a game-high 29 points on 54% shooting, and St Helens' Disraeli Lufadeju retains his spot in the five after another standout scoring performance.

In a weekend of big rebounding numbers, nobody could top Kervy Mabaya's 21 for Barking, cleaning the glass to help BA edge their contest against Cobham. Four points, six rebounds, an assists and a block all came in a crucial 15-8 fourth quarter, allowing the hosts to squeak home 57-55.

Honourable mentions

Andre Gayle - Liverpool (18pts, 8reb, 2ast, 2blk, 23eff)
Charlie Smythe - Teesside Lions (17pts, 6reb, 8ast, 3stl, 24eff)
Patrick Wrencher Jr. - Oxford Hoops (22pts, 13reb, 3ast, 27eff)
Isaac Temilola - London Lions II (14pts, 18reb, 2blk, 29eff)
Zach Trezvant - Myerscough Basketball Academy (12pts, 15reb, 4ast, 3blk, 30eff)

D1W Team of the Week

Chinwe Iwunze - London Cavaliers (31pts, 7reb, 2ast, 5stl, 31eff)

Janice Monakana - London Cavaliers (29pts, 11reb, 4ast, 31eff)

Ciani Montgomery - Worcester Wolves (27pts, 9reb, 4ast, 5stl, 36eff)

Success Odemwingie - Manchester Mystics (19pts, 7reb, 2stl, 22eff)

Faye Parker - Anglia Ruskin University (18pts, 11reb, 7blk, 25eff)

There was little to split POTW Iwunze and team-mate Janice Monakana this week, but five steals on the defensive end meant Chinwe got the nod and Monakana lines up as part of TOTW instead.

Ciani Montgomery was the focal point of Worcester's 80-61 victory over Loughborough, netting 27 points on 63% shooting to go alongside a stat sheet stuffing performance.

Manchester's Success Odemwingie is continuing to enjoy a breakout WNBL campaign, and her latest 19/7 effort helped the Mystics to knock off Brent this weekend.

Faye Parker's double-double for Anglia Ruskin narrowly earns her the final spot in this week's side, beating out team mate Abby Conlee's similar double-double effort thanks to a hefty seven blocks on D.

Honourable mentions

Carolina Marques - Worcester Wolves (19pts, 6reb, 3stl, 22eff)
Abby Conlee - Anglia Ruskin University (21pts, 11reb, 23eff)
Harriet Welham - Endeavour Ipswich Basketball (30pts, 13reb, 7ast, 5stl, 27eff)

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Main image credit - Flo Alalade