NBLC 2022 First Month In Review

The 2022 NBL Canada season is now a month old and has thrown up many spectacular sights, provided many interesting stories and has laid the foundation for hopefully many more of the same to come.

The Biggest Stories

The biggest story of the season so far, of course, is the London Lightning's unbeaten run, having played their first nine games of 2022 without a loss. What's more extraordinary is that in all but one instance they have won by double-digits and have always reach the hundred-point mark. Night after night they have continued to prove why they are the dominant team to start the season and it will be interesting to see how long their streak can continue.

There have also been some impressive performances form the KW Titans which have put them in second place in the standings, one win above the Sudbury Five who have seen some inconsistencies in the first month, but not as much as the Windsor Express, whose two wins have kept them at the foot of the table. There is still plenty of time for make-up wins and the league picture could change in the months to come.

The NBLC/TBL Crossover

This season saw the four NBLC teams coming up against a number of opponents from American basketball organization, The Basketball League. This has thrown up a lot of interesting instances: while each Canadian team has regular experience of their compatriot teams and are able to draw up regular game plans, the fleeting appearances of the American visitors however sees teams having to quickly adapt to the playing style night-by-night.

So far NBLC teams are 9-5 up on TBL opponents, which have included close wins and losses and a match-up between each league's unbeaten teams when the London Lightning faced the Syracuse Stallions, though it was the Canadian team who would keep their record intact.

Top Players

Defending MVP Billy White has already made a definite and clear claim to retain his crown in 2022, making a double-double in all but one game he has played so far for the Windsor Express. Not only does this include 40 points and 10 boards against the Sudbury Five on March 20th, but a superb show in Windsor's win over the Dayton Flight, where he notched the first triple-double of the season.

Despite that White's efforts have not resulted in many wins for Windsor, unlike London Lightning forward Cameron Forte, who's been regularly instrumental in orchestrating wins. Beginning the season with 26 points and 17 boards he has not looked back, registering the highest individual scoring total of the season so far.

Also of note are two new sharp shooters for the KW Titans; Joel Kindred, the top scorer after the first month, and newcomer Eric Ferguson, who has hit the ground running for the Titans and put in some spectacular shows with hopefully a lot more to come.

Games of the Month

One of the season openers remains one of the biggest highlight games of 2022. The KW Titans built an early nine-point lead over London, who very quickly flipped the script, opening the door for a back-and-forth second half. With the lead constantly changing hands, the game still hung in the balance in the last two minutes, where late heroics from Jaylon Tate would be the deciding play:

Another clear candidate for game of the season was an exciting and unpredictable clash between Windsor and the Sudbury Five. The Express looked comfortable early on, having amassed a 21-piont lead, but Sudbury's team play and outside shooting got them back into it and the game grew more and more tense as time ticked down.

The first month of the new NBL Canada season was worth the long wait, with every team making the most of finally being back on the court. After a high-scoring start it remains to be seen how this will inform the remainder of the season, check back here for continuing coverage on the NBLC in 2022.