This weekend sees Hemel Storm suit up twice. They face local rivals Thames Valley Cavaliers at home on Saturday, before an away trip to last season’s league runners up Essex Rebels.
Having overcome their first competitive home fixture to London Elite, winning 96-68, Storm will be looking to muster an early unbeaten spell to help lift the confidence of the players, who are still gelling together. In particular, British Canadian Trent Monkman was quick to make his mark for Storm, with 21 points and 7 rebounds. However, it was Veron Eze’s efforts which earned him a deserved place in the NBL Team of the Week, with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Both will look to remain consistent this weekend, alongside the array of talent that Storm also carry.
Saturday’s opponents see local rivals Thames Valley Cavaliers visit the StormDome. After what was a below par 2023/24 campaign for the Uxbridge side, they were acquired by Hoops Basket CIC, owned by former London Lions and Manchester Giants head coach Vince Macaulay, in partnership with Nhamo Shire. The Cavs have experienced vast change behind the scenes, with Nigel Lloyd appointed as Head Coach, alongside former Storm player AJ Roberts as a Player Assistant Coach. Alongside a change in ownership and management, Thames Valley announced the signing of former BBL two time MVP Justin Robinson to their roster. The return of Juan Manning and the retention of Shaq Lewis are also notable movements for the Cavaliers. After two victories, one on the road at Essex Rebels and a comfortable victory at home to London Elite, the Cavaliers know that a win will result in a top of the group finish in the KitKing Trophy. Storm will be looking to prevent that, as they will look to defend their home court in front of a hostile StormDome.
The turnaround in fixtures is quick for Storm as they face Essex Rebels just a day after. After fiery clashes with Storm last season, this game is sure to be action-packed and competitive. The off-season saw the Rebels lose key faces in their roster, as both Victor Olarerin and Zain Poorman joined playoff runners up Reading Rockets. Alongside this, the departure of Trey Chapman also looked to be a bitter blow to the Rebels, who look to build and better last season’s finish. However, with the recruitment of Daniel Johnson-Thompson from Worthing Thunder and Emmanuel Kanwei from Newcastle, as well as the retention of star players Busumbru and Nelson, the Rebels will remain a threat for Storm. Their last fixture saw an eight point defeat to Thames Valley Cavaliers, which they will look to bounce back from heading into this weekend. Unfortunately, the Essex fixture will be played behind closed doors, however, Storm will look to end the weekend on a high.
The weekend is sure to be exciting as Storm look to cement their position at the top of their group, requiring 2 wins from 2 to achieve this. Whilst the challenge will be tough, the players need your support to urge them on to victory.
Tickets for Saturday’s home game are available on the FanBase app.
By Ollie Heathcote