Antwain Johnson ready to rekindle Buffalo Bulls and Kent State rivalry against Plymouth City Patriots

The Sheffield Sharks point guard, who hails from Tallahassee, Florida, spent his college career playing for The State University of New York at Buffalo’s men’s basketball team – the Buffalo Bulls – at the highest level of collegiate competition.

It was there where he locked horns with two men now playing a key role in the revival of Sheffield’s next opponents, Plymouth City Patriots: Antonio Williams and Troy Simons.

The pair were then representing Kent State, the rival team of the New York-based Bulls, but have since joined Johnson in the UK.

"I know them very well,” Johnson said.

"Antonio is a tough guard and Troy is a good player, you can’t leave him open and let him get going.

"The last game I played against them went into double overtime.

"It will be fun being able to compete against them again, they have done a good job at Plymouth.”

The Patriots looked dead and buried after 16 defeats from their opening 16 matches, but have since won seven of their last 11 BBL fixtures to move into play-off contention.

This weekend is the first of four double-headers for Sheffield, who take on London Lions on Sunday.

“I enjoy it,” Johnson said of the hectic schedule.

"It helps me stay in the groove the more we play. The main thing is making sure I take care of my body.

"I feel like we play our best games when we play against teams like Leicester (Riders) and London.”