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16 October 2026  5 min read

W/EABL Players of the Week (14 Oct 2026)

You can have your say on this week’s selections and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one on the Academy League channels.

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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 the EABL and WEABL, 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

Two new faces grace the spotlight for this week, with the WEABL award going to HHS' Matilda Upfold and the EABL honour heading to SGS' Abubakar Odawa.

Upfold helped ensure that HHS' win over BMet was a sizable one, with the Rockets running out as 90-53 winners on the road thanks to a significant stat line from their standout.

Twenty four points and 14 rebounds secured the double-double, adding additional value with four assists and a trio of steals plus four hits from beyond the arc as part of her points total.

Upfold said: "I’m really pleased to be named Player of the Week. Our team worked hard to come out with a win to start the season, we played some great basketball and it was a group effort with my team-mates having stand out performances too.

"I am glad to see all the hard work paying off, looking forward for the season ahead!"

HHS Reading Rockets' Head Coach Jack Adams added: "We have been really impressed with Tilly’s consistent improvement and willingness to improve all aspects of her game.

"Against BMET Tilly showed all aspects of her game, scoring at three levels, her passing, defense and rebounding, showing she can do it all."

In the EABL, the award also went to the Central Conference, with SGS' Abubakar Odawa putting together a solid all-round performance in his side's 79-65 win over Copleston. 

Twenty two points came on an efficient 66% shooting, including 3/6 from long range, and six rebounds plus seven steals showed his talents in other areas as well.

His +/- of +12 was also tied for second-highest for his team, showcasing his impact on proceedings.

Odawa said: "It's always nice to be recognised but I can't do anything without my team-mates.

"More importantly, it was great to get our first win and hopefully many more to follow."

SGS College's Head Coach Chris Bourne added: "AB plays with a lot of energy at both ends of the floor. Its great to see the hard work he puts in during training coming to fruition in the games."

WEABL Team of the Week

Matilda Upfold - HHS Reading Rockets (24pts, 14reb, 4ast, 3stl, 31eff)

Brooke Turner - The Canterbury Academy (13pts, 2reb, 3ast, 12eff)

Sytira Smith - Barking Abbey (20pts, 7reb, 2ast, 3stl, 12eff)

Ophelia Larder-Lee - Nottingham Academy Wildcats (20pts, 6reb, 3stl, 9eff)

Arianna Awusa - HHS Reading Rockets (17pts, 12reb, 2stl, 25eff)

POTW Upfold is joined by team-mate Arianna Awusa after the duo both contributed heavily to the Rockets' win over BMET with a pair of healthy double-doubles.

Brooke Turner helped her Canterbury Academy side to a historic maiden WEABL victory, contributing 13 points off the bench in just over 21 minutes of action, and Sytira Smith also had a strong outing for Barking as they picked up a valuable W over defending champs CoLA. A game-high 20 points and a team-high seven boards were both valuable in the 73-42 home win.

Nottingham's 66-63 win over Manchester was one of the key results of the week, putting the Wildcats into pole position for another potential North Conference title.

Ophelia Larder-Lee's overall efficiency may have taken a hit from 33% shooting and four turnovers, but her 20 points were a team-high as she undoubtedly made the biggest impact to the final score.

Honourable mentions

Tia May - BMet City of Birmingham Rockets (25pts, 5reb, 2stl, 13eff)
Iris Gannon - HHS Reading Rockets (7pts, 16reb, 6ast, 2stl, 21eff)
Pearline Boateng - Nottingham Academy Wildcats (14pts, 7reb, 4stl, 15eff)
Sharliyah Sutherland - Barking Abbey (16pts, 5reb, 3ast, 2stl, 15eff)
Demi Lamuye - City of London Academy - Southwark (14pts, 9reb, 2ast, 3blk, 18eff)

EABL Team of the Week

Abubakar Odawa - SGS College (22pts, 6reb, 2ast, 7stl, 30eff)

Munyaradzi Nyamutenha - Barking Abbey (12pts, 6reb, 4ast, 6stl, 17eff)

Kurmani Patel Blake - BMet City of Birmingham Rockets (20pts, 2reb, 3ast, 21ef, 6/10 3PTs)

AJ Smith - Myerscough College (20pts, 4reb, 3ast, 2stl, 25eff)

Nathan Brown - Manchester Magic (19pts, 5reb, 6ast, 19eff)

One from the South, another from the Central and two from the North join POTW Odawa in this week's five, with some impressive numbers from across the quintet.

Munyaradzi Nyamutenha was a two-way force for Barking as they beat CoLA, adding six steals to 12 points and production elsewhere to get the hosts a 61-54 victory.

Kurmani Patel Blake splashed six triples as part of his 20-point outing for BMet against HHS, powering them to a 79-69 win as a result, and AJ Smith was the standout for Myerscough in the midst of a number of strong performances as the defending champs strolled to a sizable win against Nottingham Academy Wildcats.

It was a close run thing for the final spot between Nathan Brown and Magic team-mate Abraham Isiorho but the talented guard just got the nod thanks to his all-round contribution of points, rebounds and assists, also going a perfect 5/5 from the free throw line.

Honourable mentions

Samuel Muleba - Barking Abbey (13pts, 6reb, 3ast, 3stl, 17eff)
Mason Wells - Copleston Basketball Academy (15pts, 16reb, 20eff)
Quentin Buyanga - Copleston Basketball Academy (17pts, 8reb, 3stl, 21eff)
Seamus Conlon - Nottingham Academy Wildcats (18pts, 14reb, 4ast, 27eff)
Asher Sibanda - UTC Sheffield (23pts, 6reb, 4ast, 23eff)

Main image credit - SGS College