B. Braun Sheffield Sharks today announced the retirement of their long-serving Captain, Mike Tuck.
The 39 year old Canadian/Brit represented the club for thirteen seasons from 2009, making his final and 500th appearance against Glasgow Rocks at Ponds Forge in April.
Fittingly, Tuck became the club’s leading point scorer last season, surpassing the previous record holder Todd Cauthorn and finishes with a league points tally of 4297.
The Power Forward made his debut for the Sharks on 5th December 2009 at Guildford, making a three point score with his first shot and with great symmetry, concluded his points tally with another three in his final game.
Tuck skippered the Sharks since 21st September 2012 and only missed 13 games throughout his BBL career – seven of those came when he was given the honour of leading England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.
Amongst his many achievements, the Toronto native won the BBL Cup in 2009-10 and 2010-11, the BBL Trophy in 2012-13 and famously, the BBL Play-off Final in 2015-16 when he was awarded the Most Valuable Player award for his 20 point, 13 rebound, 4 assist display in a memorable win over Leicester Riders. He was also fundamental in the Sharks teams that finished as Championship runners-up in 2009-10, 2013-14 and 2021-22.
Tuck scored 25 points or more on thirteen occasions for the Sharks and recorded a career-high of 33 against Mersey Tigers. As well as being the Sharks leading points scorer, Mike also leads the club in two point shots made (1561) and rebounding (2532). He finishes with career averages of 11.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game from 26.1 minutes on court.
Besides his statistical excellence, Tuck is well known for his expert analysis on Sky Sports, regarding both the NBA and the BBL and is a hugely popular figure throughout the league and with fans alike.
Although Mike is hanging up his boots on the court, he will be continuing with the Sharks in his role as club Marketing Manager.
Sheffield extended their heartfelt thanks to Mike for his remarkable achievements, longevity and leadership and wish him all the very best in this next stage of his career.
The Sharks take on the London Lions in the first match of the season Friday, 23rd September in Sheffield. Tickets are now available via http://sharksbasketball.org/.
