Jermaine Gonsalves (born 14 December 1976) is a British professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player, currently playing for

Sheffield Sharks The Sheffield Sharks, currently known as "B.Braun Sheffield Sharks" for sponsorship reasons, are a professional basketball team from the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The Sharks play in the British Basketball League and play thei ...

in the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

. Born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the 5'11" Guard made his BBL debut starring for the

Leicester Riders Leicester Riders are a British professional basketball team and the oldest club in the British Basketball League (BBL). Established in 1967, the club have played in various locations around Leicestershire before moving to their current purpose- ...

in 1997, aged 20, against

Worthing Bears Brighton Bears was a British basketball team based in Brighton, Sussex. From 1984 to 1999 the club was known as the Worthing Bears and was based in the town of Worthing, 12 miles west of Brighton. The Bears played in the top-flight British Bas ...

. Gonsalves left the Riders in 1999, but resigned two years later for a four-year stint. In 2005, he left the professional outfit and joined their second division feeder club,

Leicester Warriors The Leicester Warriors are an English semi-professional basketball club from Leicester, Leicestershire. Founded in 2003, the Warriors play their home games at Braunstone Leisure Centre and compete in NBL Division 1, the second tier of the Brit ...

. It was here that he was reunited with his former Riders teammates Drew Barrett and Hilroy Thomas. He played with the Warriors for one season only before making the step back up to the top tier, signing for the Sharks in 2006. As a player, Jermaine is known for his hard-nosed defensive style and the enthusiastic outlook he brings to a team's locker room. Jermaine has always endeavored to be involved with the wider community of the clubs he has played for. This has involved coaching in local schools and leisure centers, where he has worked alongside local young basketball players to develop their fundamental skills. It is also worthy to note that professional sports run in the family for Jermaine. He is the cousin of both basketball player Karl Brown and professional football player Emile Heskey. Karl Brown has experienced success in America as a young man, playing for the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

behind the legendary point guard Kenny Anderson and by enjoying a long and fruitful professional career in both Italy and the UK. Emile Heskey is an English international who is currently playing in the British Premier League for Aston Villa.

References

1976 births Living people English men's basketball players Sheffield Sharks players Sportspeople from Leicester {{UK-basketball-bio-stub