Hemel Storm have clinched the signature of British-American Brett Cannon. The 6’ 3” talented wing man will arrive from Oklahoma on Thursday to join his new teammates who were at training camp over the weekend.
Cannon joins Hemel from Great American Conference Champions, East Central University where he led his team in assists and shot an average of 45.8 percent from the floor. He will arrive in time to have one practice with his new teammates before Storm’s preseason challenge game this Saturday against the USA-select touring team at Hemel Leisure Centre, tip-off 7pm.
An athletic all-round player, Cannon replaces Elliott Sentence who has signed a professional contract in Germany, and will complete Storm’s dynamic back-court bringing savvy and speed to the Club’s new-look squad.
“Brett is a terrific addition to our line-up,” said Head Coach Robert Youngblood, “he’ll bring energy and pace to our team. We’re delighted to have signed him and we’re looking forward to integrating him into the squad as quickly as possible.
“I think he’ll gel well with the characters on the team and his skills fit perfectly the way we want to play. As ever, our goal this season is to bring silverware to the town and to build on the successes of last season.”
With player retirements and transfers Vanarama-sponsored Storm will return just four key guys from last season’s National Cup winning squad – Tom Adorian, Jack Burnell, Bode Adeluola and Mike Darlow – so the make-up of the Club’s 2018-19 roster will mean a switch in playing style to an even more up-tempo exciting brand of basketball.
Coach Youngblood’s delayed return from the ‘States for personal reasons meant that Storm’s Associate Head Coach Dave Titmuss led the team’s preparations at training camp with senior Club Coach Jon Burnell and guest coach Gary Maitland - a highly regarded player skills development coach – working alongside him. And the players each received technical feedback from Dane Frost Storm’s performance analyst.
“They were demanding sessions no question,” said Titmuss the veteran former National Team Head Coach, “but our fans will want to see an all-out commitment from their team and that’s exactly what they’re going to get.
“I liked how professional the guys were about getting down to business and how well they’ve started the process of building chemistry. We’ve got a mentally tough squad this season and I think the fans will love how hard and how passionately they play.”
The Storm squad has been completed after a series of try-outs over the summer with the signing of 6’6” forward Sam Dunscombe, 6’ 4” forward Oliver Ladlow and experienced point guard Ian Berry.
STORM FANS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE PLAYERS
ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON FROM 2pm AT THE RAINBOW STAGE
OUTSIDE THE MARLOWES CENTRE.
CLUB VOLUNTEERS WILL BE ON HAND FROM 11am – 3pm TO RUN SHOOTING AND DRIBBLING COMPETITIONS AND TO ORGANISE A SPECIAL TOMBALLA!
Photo captions:
Top: British-American Brett Cannon – a great signing for Storm.
Middle: Associate Head Coach Dave Titmuss instructs part of the squad.
Bottom: The players experience some unusual conditioning work!
