Unbeaten Storm take on Hurricanes in last home game for a month
Hemel Storm return home on Saturday to face Bristol Hurricanes looking to continue their perfect start to the season.
Tom Baker’s team emerged from another close one on Saturday, again coming from behind to beat Essex Rebels 93-88.
It took them to 3-0 in the league and made it seven straight wins to start the campaign in all competitions.
Now they return to the StormDome to face a Bristol Hurricanes side who picked up their first league win at the weekend.
Opposition Focus
After their 13th-placed finish last term, it’s been a better start to this season for the Hurricanes.
They topped their BCB Trophy group after wins over Bristol Flyers II and invitees Gloucester City Kings, Cardiff Met Archers and Plymouth Raiders.
They’re 1-2 after a tough opening trio of league games, losing to defending league champions Reading Rockets and playoff winners Newcastle Knights, before picking up an impressive win over Yorkshire Dragons on Sunday.
Former Milton Keynes Breakers guard Ben Baker-McCann's 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists were enough to earn him a Team of the Week spot, while Americans James Claar and Joshua Phillips both posted double-doubles.
Claar re-signed for the Hurricanes last week, having featured in their promotion-winning 2023/24 season and featured again during the 2025/26 campaign, and will pose a huge threat, having been named BUCS South Premier League MVP among other awards.
Key Matchup
This week’s battle of the bigs sees Storm’s Ty Nsangu go head to head with American Joshua Phillips.
Nsangu started life in Hemel in assertive fashion after a summer move from Reading Rockets, powering his new side to a BCB Trophy victory over Loughborough Riders with a mammoth 30 points and 20 rebounds, winning Player of the Week honours in the process.
Despite being limited to around 25 minutes per game, mainly due to foul trouble, his average of 8.7 rebounds ranks him in the league’s top 10, a list which also includes Hurricanes big man Phillips.
The former London Elite centre, who features in Netflix series Last Chance U, is fresh off his own 20-rebound showing against the Dragons at the weekend and is pulling down an average of 9.7 boards per game, joint-third in the league.
Nsangu has been supported by Brayden Inger (9.0) and Jabari Nurse (9.0), who are joint-fourth for total rebounds, as well as Kai Walker, who features in the BCB’s top 10 for defensive rebounds, a large factor in Storm’s overall ranking of second for average total rebounds.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, sit ninth, so the physical fray in the paint looks like an important dimension in Saturday’s match-up.
In Numbers
Head-to-Head Record:
Storm wins: 4
Hurricanes wins: 1
*All competitions, since the start of the 2021/22 season.
BCB League Position:
Storm: 2nd (3–0)
Hurricanes: 12th (1–2)
League Top Scorer:
Storm: Jabari Nurse – 18.7 PPG
Hurricanes: Ben Baker-McCann – 25.5 PPG
From the Locker Room - Victor Olarerin
“We as a team are really looking forward to this weekend against Bristol Hurricanes.
“We feel like it’s just the test we need as a team and they are coming off a big weekend.
“Last weekend against Essex, I feel we went out and got the job done, not in the way we would’ve liked, but it’s points on the board for us.
“I believe this week will be a dog fight and I’m super excited for it.
“I feel like personally I’m really feeling like I’m starting to find my feet and we are growing together every day.”
On the Road
Following Saturday’s outing, Storm face a trio of consecutive away games.
They travel to Yorkshire for Halloween next Saturday, before visiting Reading and then tackling the long trip to Newcastle.
As a result, Saturday’s meeting with the Hurricanes will be the last fixture at the StormDome for almost a month, with our next home game coming against Loughborough Riders on Saturday 21 November.
So make sure you get down to the StormDome this weekend before Tom Baker’s team hit the road.
Game Information
Tickets for Saturday’s clash are available on the Fanbase app.
Alternatively, you can follow along via our social media channels, the livestream or the livestats.
Written by Callum Humphrey