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21 October 2025  4 min read

NBL/WNBL Players and Teams of the Week - 18/19 Oct 2025

Chosen in conjunction with Darren Paul and the FocusHoops team, who assess the best and brightest in D1W, and the BE team, you can have your say on this week’s selections and give a shout-out to the players you think deserve one by using the hashtag #NBL2526. Don’t forget to tag us!

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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 D1M and D1W, 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

Sam Toluwase was a machine this weekend, doing absolutely everything possible to push BCU past Worcester with a mighty double-double.

With just three turnovers in a full 40 of action, plus an ultra-reliable 11/12 from the free throw line, the former CoB man stepped up when his side needed it most.

Another doing their duty for the cause was Ipswich's Harriet Welham, who once again did the bulk of the heavy lifting for her side as they got an important win against Bristol.

A pair of assists away from a triple-double, Welham was as impressive as ever and did it all with just a single turnover to her name.

D1M Team of the Week

Sam Toluwase - Birmingham City University (33pts, 17reb, 33eff)

Shayne Scruggs - Cardiff Met Archers (15pts, 7reb, 3ast, 21eff)

Aaron Bile - Manchester Magic (19pts, 7reb, 4ast, 2stl, 21eff)

Disraeli Lufadeju - St Helens Saints (15pts, 10reb, 7ast, 2stl, 23eff)

Ray Akpofure - Cobham Cobras (15pts, 7reb, 4ast, 19eff)

POTW Toluwase slots straight into the side, with four other worthy selections.

Shayne Scruggs came off the Cardiff bench to help the Archers to their first win of the season, hitting an impressive 5/7 from the field and contributing on the boards in just 23 minutes of action.

In terms of efficiency, Cobham's Ray Akpofure was another putting in a shift. His output came in just 17:46 of court time, and his seven points and two rebounds late in the first helped the Cobras to a valuable 20-10 opening quarter. His +/- of +14 also stood out in the 14 point win, given his limited action.

Aaron Bile was the main man in Manchester's road win against the Sharks, leading all scorers and contributing plenty more to the stat sheet, whilst Disraeli Lufadeju was the standout in another St Helens victory with a useful double/double despite some struggles from beyond the arc.

Honourable mentions

Charles Andrews - Sheffield Sharks II (14pts, 16reb, 2stl, 2blk, 27eff)
Earl Burgess - Worcester Wolves (16pts, 16reb, 4ast, 28eff)
Alexander Tavares - Sheffield Arrows (23pts, 10reb, 4ast, 24eff)

D1W Team of the Week

Harriet Welham - Endeavour Ipswich Basketball (29pts, 12reb, 8ast, 36eff)

Debra Wilson-Osuide - CoLA Southwark Pride (21pts, 8reb, 4stl, 22eff)

Kat Goldsby - London All Stars (18pts, 11reb, 2ast, 7stl, 27eff)

Veronica Iweanya - Bristol Flyers (11pts, 21reb, 4ast, 24eff)

Georgia Perdomo - Manchester Mystics (20pts, 6rbs, 2stl, 21eff)

Welham is an automatic choice, making it two POTW nods in Ipswich's two games this season.

Debra Wilson-Osuide was the pick of the CoLA bunch in their win over Manchester, with game-highs for points and +/- to go with a useful eight rebounds and four steals.

Kat Goldsby was putting in the work at both ends of the court with a double-double outing plus seven steals for the All-Stars against Bromsgrove.

With just three games to pick from this week, it's no surprise to see a couple of standout stat lines from losing teams making the cut for this week's five.

Bristol's Veronica Iweanya was a monster on the glass, pulling down a massive 21 boards to go with her 11 points against Ipswich, whilst Georgia Perdomo shot the ball efficiently (8/15 FGs, 53%) in the Mystics' loss in London.

Honourable mentions

Ayla Habbal - CoLA Southwark Pride (19pts, 3reb, 5ast, 2stl, 17eff)
Jahveina Whyte - Endeavour Ipswich Basketball (12pts, 5reb, 4ast, 17eff)
Durga Dharmadhikari - Bristol Flyers - 18pts, 3reb, 4ast, 15eff)

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Main image credit - Richard Leach