Storm back at home to battle bottom-placed Flyers

Hemel Storm will hope to welcome back some injured players and return to winning ways as they face bottom-placed Bristol Flyers II at the StormDome this Saturday. Read on for everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s matchup…

Head-to-Head Record: 

Games played: 1

Storm wins: 1

Flyers wins: 0

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

British Championship Basketball League Positions: 

Storm: 11th

Flyers: 14th

Opposition Scout Report: 

It’s been a tough start to life for the Flyers since promotion last time out, losing all ten games in the BCB Trophy and league so far and sitting bottom of the standings. 

Returning wing Giuseppe Landolfi is their leading scorer with 11.8 points per game, while Nassim Ladjimi is second with 11.3. The sharpshooting guard also brings with him professional experience from his hometown club in Tunisia, Étiole Sportive du Sahel. 

Still coached by Chris Bourne, it’s largely the same roster that won NBL Division Two North last season, with Roman Price and Reggie Eigbe the most notable incomings, joining from local rivals Bristol Hurricanes over the summer. 

Memorable Meeting: 

Sunday 13th November, 2022

NBL National Cup Fourth Round

Hemel Storm 102-80 Bristol Academy Flyers

It was slim pickings for this week’s ‘Memorable Meeting’, with just the one past game between the sides to choose from. 

It came in the 2022/23 National Cup Fourth Round, with the hosts 102-80 victors at the StormDome. They had already accumulated that 22-point advantage by half-time and were able to take their foot of the accelerator and coast home in the second period. 

Aaryn Rai top scored with 23, while Hakeem Sylla had 22 and Taylor Johnson had 21. Storm would go on to lift the National Cup trophy, alongside the three other major titles thanks to their remarkable season-long unbeaten record. 

Last Time Out:

A shorthanded Storm lost 104-73 on their trip to Derby, with the Trailblazers capitalizing on the absence of Taylor Johnson, Matt Norman and Kai Walker to romp to a comfortable victory. 

It was the first and third quarters that cost Storm, losing them by a combined 30 points, and Conner Washington did the damage with 35 to his name, including nine three-pointers. 

Brayden Inger top scored in what was a six-man rotation for head coach Jake Rothauge with 19, while Sam Newman had a double-double with 18 points and 12 assists. Darien Nelson-Henry also achieved that feat with 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Flyers fell to a tenth consecutive defeat with a 72-93 home loss to Birmingham Rockets. They trailed by 17 at the half and lost all of the first three quarters, with the Rockets cruising over the line in Bristol. 

Yusuf Hafid provided some resistance with 15 points and Landolfi had 14, but other than that it was a difficult afternoon for the South West side. 

From The Locker Room: 

Veron Eze: “It was a tough result for us playing with a depleted squad on Saturday but the season is a long one and I feel the momentum growing.  

“This weekend will be a display of exactly that.” 

When, Where and How to Follow: 

Tip-off at the StormDome is at 7pm on Saturday. Grab your tickets here, and if our last home game was anything to go by, they won’t last long! 

If you can’t make the game, you can stay updated via the livestream on the Hemel Storm YouTube channel or the livestats. 

Written by Callum Humphrey