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23 January 2026  5 min read

W/EABL Players of the Week (21 Jan 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

A pair of 4-2 EABL South teams entered, but Itchen were the ones who left victorious, beating Oaklands 95-61 thanks in part to a stand out performance from Player of the Week Jakub Ofman.

Returning from injury, the talented forward dropped nine of his 21 points in a one-sided 31-11 opening quarter, setting the hosts up for a near tip-to-buzzer victory.

His points haul proved to be a game-high, coming on a stunning 77% shooting (7/9 FGs), adding six rebounds and a pair of assists in just 21:02 of action.

Speaking about the performance, Ofman said: "This was a great team win and I’m pleased that I was able to make an impact at both ends of the floor like this after being out with an injury. 

"We are excited to keep building momentum as we head towards the playoffs."

Itchen head coach Matt Guymon added: "This was an important win for our group where we played some of our best basketball of the season. 

"I’m so please for Jakub to get this recognition, where he showed his talent and potential as one of the best scorers in the country."

WEABL honours go to a former winner, with Oaklands' Holly Welch coming back for more after the Wolves returned the favour against Itchen 89-52 in another important South Conference clash.

Welch's 26 points were a WEABL-high for the day, hitting an efficient 8/12 FGs, and adding 10 rebounds and seven assists for the double-double.

Three steals and a block also helped her side on the defensive end, and her +/- was a team-high, showcasing her positive impact whenever she was on court.

Speaking about the performance, Welch said: "I loved the energy and commitment of the team. We went in with a plan and executed it for a big win.

"We want to take that forward to the remaining games and I am ready to finish the season off strong."

Oaklands' head coach Shanice Beckford-Norton added: "A Player of the Week award is very much deserved for Holly, she had a great all-round game and it was complimented by an amazing team performance.

"Holly fought through adversity in a very physical game, she knew when to share the ball or finish at the rim, and was huge on the boards for us.

"Overall, it was a great performance."

EABL Team of the Week

Jakub Ofman - Itchen College (21pts, 6reb, 2ast, 27eff)

Harry Sheehan - Myerscough College (30pts, 3reb, 4ast, 31eff)

Jack Walton - Manchester Magic (17pts, 6reb, 5ast, 4stl, 17eff)

Tom Pearson - Charnwood College Riders (13pts, 7rbe, 3ast, 3stl, 21eff)

Andrew Nwokolo - City of London Academy - Southwark (15pts, 7reb, 2stl, 16eff)

Ofman is an automatic selection to this week's five, and he's joined by Myerscough's Harry Sheehan after the 'Sco man dropped a big stat line on BMet.

Jack Walton helped keep his Manchester Magic side on course for the EABL North title, doing a little bit of everything in the 75-68 win in Derby.

Likewise, Tom Pearson had the standout stat line from Charnwood's valuable 75-55 victory against SGS, and CoLA's Andrew Nwokolo was the main man in keeping his side unbeaten for another week, dropping 15 points and grabbing seven boards in the 75-54 W against HHS.

Honourable mentions

Dawid Cimochowski - Itchen College (15pts, 9reb, 2ast, 22eff)
Will Tallon - Derby Trailblazers (22pts, 5reb, 2ast, 2stl, 25eff)
Marcos Perez Tosca - SGS College (14pts, 5reb, 2ast, 17eff)
Joshua Mendes - Barking Abbey (13pts, 8reb, 18eff)
Jacob Hannick - City of London Academy - Southwark (9pts, 4reb, 6ast, 17eff)

WEABL Team of the Week

Holly Welch - Oaklands Wolves (26pts, 10reb, 7ast, 38eff)

Ophelia Larder-Lee - Nottingham Academy Wildcats (23pts, 7reb, 5ast, 6stl, 30eff)

Ayla Habbal - City of London Academy - Southwark (14pts, 5reb, 6ast, 5stl, 21eff)

Maisie Keyes - Copleston High School (21pts, 7reb, 4ast, 4stl, 16eff)

Jenny Oamen - Milton Keynes 5 Dimensions (14pts, 4reb, 5ast, 19eff)

POTW Welch is joined by another Southern standout in the form of Ayla Habbal, with the CoLA guard providing a well-rounded stat line in the 70-44 victory against HHS.

Maisie Keyes had some competition from her Copleston team-mates for this week's team, but her point scoring and defensive impact helped her get the nod on this occasion.

Ophelia Larder-Lee was the pick of the bunch from Nottingham's dominant win against BMet, narrowly edging out Lucy Upton, and Kenny Oamen gets some recognition for the part she played in MK5D's upset against last season's WEABL finalists Manchester.

Oamen shot a super efficient 6/8 from the floor that included two from two from behind the arc, adding four rebounds and five steals as the standout in a famous win.

Honourable mentions

Lucy Upton - Nottingham Academy Wildcats (24pts, 6reb, 6ast, 4stl, 26eff)
Darcey Woodman - Oaklands Wolves (17pts, 16reb, 5ast, 2stl, 23eff)
Holly Ensoll - Copleston High School (10pts, 16reb, 5blk, 22eff)
Eva-Grace Yebila - City of London Academy - Southwark (11pts, 14reb, 2ast, 3blk, 22eff)
Matilda Upfold - HHS Reading Rockets (8pts, 10reb, 5ast, 16eff)

Main image credit - Toby Gastaldi-Davies