Storm’s road run continues in Newcastle

Hemel Storm will again embark on a long trip north as they visit Newcastle Knights this weekend. Read on for all you need to know ahead of the game… 

Head-to-Head Record: 

Games played: 9

Storm wins: 9

Knights wins: 0

*All competitions, since start of 2021/22 season. 

**Includes games against Team Newcastle University, the club’s former name. 

British Championship Basketball League Positions: 

Storm: 9th

Knights: 3rd 

Opposition Scout Report: 

Despite the core of last season’s squad being raided by Yorkshire Dragons, coach Mark Elderkin and the Knights have hit the ground running with a series of new names in Newcastle. 

American guard Bradley Dean, fresh from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, leads the league in points per game with 28.3, largely fuelled by unerring accuracy from behind the arc. He averages five three-point makes per game and a shooting percentage of 53.6% ranks third across the league.

Fellow American Jaron Thomas has also started brightly, averaging 26.3 points himself, and his efficiency rating tops the league.

Their third American is Messiah Jones, a forward signed from Towson University, and they’ve also picked up British-American guard Sam Trunley from Case Western Reserve.  

Experienced top-flight centre Will Neighbour, 6’11”, switched the SLB’s Newcastle Eagles for the Knights and captains the team, while 6’7” British-American Finn Cork and 6’9” Scotsman Scott Angus will also keep Darien Nelson-Henry busy in the paint. 

Memorable Meeting: 

Saturday 25th March, 2023

NBL Division One

Team Newcastle University 77-107 Hemel Storm

Hemel Storm secured their third trophy of the season as victory in Newcastle wrapped up the NBL Division One title in March 2023. 

An electric first half saw Storm score 61 points, grabbing hold of a lead they were able to comfortably maintain to ensure the long round trip was worthwhile. 

Taylor Johnson, still in his first stint at the club, had 26 points, while Hakeem Sylla had 25. 

A memorable season was to get even better for Storm as they completed an unbeaten campaign by picking up the playoff title in Manchester just a few weeks later. 

Last Time Out:

Storm fell to a third league loss of the season as a lacklustre end to the third quarter proved costly in Yorkshire. 

A strong start saw them 13 points ahead halfway through the penultimate period, but a 22-2 Dragons run flipped the script and Storm couldn’t recover, despite a brief resurgence at the start of the fourth quarter. 

Johnson led their scoring with 29, while Kai Walker, Darien Nelson-Henry, Matt Norman and Sam Newman all also registered double digits. 

Newcastle moved their league record to three wins and one loss with an 83-67 victory over London Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon.

A clinical final period swayed the contest their way, restricting the Cavaliers to 12 points while scoring 27 of their own, and it was Thames who did the damage, earning himself Player of the Week honours. 

He had 29 points and 10 rebounds, with an efficiency rating of 37, and their next highest scorer was Dean with 19. 

From The Locker Room: 

Taylor Johnson: “It’s great to be back in Hemel and on court with my guys.   

“We’ve faced some adversity the last couple weeks but we’re working hard to get back on track.  

“Newcastle is a long trip and they're a worthy opponent, so to get a win there would be an excellent way to build some momentum in the right direction.”

When, Where and How to Follow: 

Tip-off at the Newcastle University Sport and Fitness Centre is at 4pm. 

For those unable to make the long trip, you can follow along with either the livestream or the livestats. 

Written by Callum Humphrey

Graphics by TGD Visuals / Sam O'Rourke