Storm head to Nottingham to tackle the Hoods
Hemel Storm will travel to Nottingham Hoods this Saturday, having claimed their first British Championship Basketball league win last weekend. Read on for all you need to know ahead of the fixture…
Head-to-Head Record:
Games played: 9
Storm wins: 7
Hoods wins: 2
*All competitions, since start of 2021/22 season.
British Championship Basketball League Positions:
Storm: 8th
Hoods: 10th
Opposition Scout Report:
It’s a new-look Hoods team to the one we saw last year, with plenty of fresh faces arriving in Nottingham over the summer.
Tyrone Williams, a 6’5” guard, and dynamic playmaker Donell Nixon II both landed from America, while 6’10” forward Mergim Sokoli signed from SLB London Lions and Micah Savery-Richards moved from Yorkshire Dragons (formerly Bradford).
Head coach Vladan Dragosavac remains, though, and he’s retained Elliot Bailey, now the club’s captain, as well as fast-footed Sam Akano and Latrell Maitland.
Memorable Meeting:
Sunday 18th September, 2022
KitKing Trophy
Hemel Storm 105-95 Nottingham Hoods
In the first competitive game of what would prove to be a momentous season for Storm, they were pushed all the way by the Hoods.
A frenetic first quarter ended 35-31, an absorbing spectacle you couldn’t take your eyes off, and the hosts maintained their slender advantage right up until the final period. They were able to pull away at the death but they had to fight hard in a thriller at the StormDome.
Taylor Johnson, confirmed as returning to the club earlier this week, had 29 points, closely followed by Sam Newman and Aaryn Rai with 28 and 27 respectively.
Last Time Out:
Storm bounced back from opening-day defeat to Reading Rockets to claim their first BCB league win on the road in Loughborough.
It was a convincing 80-111 victory, with minutes given to the whole squad and seven men scoring double digits. Brayden Inger topped the charts with 22, while Sam Newman posted an impressive triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, earning him Player of the Week honours.
The Hoods lost narrowly in Birmingham, missing a last-gasp three-point effort to tie the game with the score sat at 87-84. Captain Elliot Bailey led their scoring with 21.
Prior to that, they beat Loughborough in their league opener and were knocked out of the BCB Trophy at the quarter-final stage by Falkirk Fury.
From The Locker Room:
Sam Newman: “It was always going to take a little bit of time to get the pieces to all slot together. Losing three games by five points combined probably makes it look bad from outside but it’s been a steady progression behind the scenes. Saturday was a good example of the team we can be, we just have to continue to replicate it.
“Hoods should be another good test, they made us work for it last year. If we want to compete at the top we need to impose ourselves on teams early and this is our next chance to do so.”
When, Where and How to Follow:
Tip-off on Saturday is at 6.30pm at Harvey Haddon Sports Village, NG8 4PB, with tickets available to purchase here.
For those unable to make the game, you can keep posted either by watching the livestream on the BCB YouTube channel or by following the livestats.
Written by Callum Humphrey
Photo credit – TGD Visuals
