By Keith Firmin (@keithfirmin)

"There once was a man called Tom Sherlock

Who had long arms and legs and could block

He was very tall

And good at basketball

He is my favourite and he rocks!"

 - Jake Adams (Aged 9)

The above limerick was composed by a young boy by the name of Jake and breaking down the poem, it's obvious that despite his limited number of years, he knows what he's talking about:

Tom Sherlock – Sherlock is one of the longest serving Leicester Riders following his arrival from the Newcastle Eagles in 2010, surpassed only by Barry Lamble, Bradd Wierzbicki and Yorick Williams in games played for the club.

He has very long arms and legs – Sherlock's frame has served the 30 year old Derby-born forward well this past season, allowing him to step out onto the perimeter and bother the opposition with his enormous wingspan while also being equally capable of dropping back into the paint to secure rebounds thanks to his telescopic arms.

Tall – In March this year, the starting centre spot was vacated by Brett Royster following an injury to the American's ankle which hindered him until seasons end. And while Coach Paternostro had back-up centre Barry Lamble at his disposal, he turned instead toanother big man in the shape of 6'9 Sherlock, to provide athleticism and energy early in games, a decision which paid off with the Riders ending the league season winning 8 of their final 10 games before powering through to the BBL Finals by winning three of their four Play-off games.

Good at basketball – Sherlock began 2011 slowly due to a collection of niggling injuries but once healthy, the Riders #7 showed he was a solid addition to the rotation. His per 33* minutes per game projections of 10.28 ppg, 9.55 rpg and 2.03 spg would place him in the top seven in rebounds and top five in steals in the BBL.

He is my favourite and he rocks! – Subjective but very possibly true.

*33 minutes being the average floor time of the four regular starters.  

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