Derby Trailblazers head to the West Country on Saturday as they take on Bristol Hurricanes at the
UWE Centre for Sport (5:30 pm). The Hurricanes sit twelfth in the league with one win from their
opening four games, but have come close against Reading Rockets and Hemel Storm, who
currently occupy the top two places in the league.
Derby are third in the table, with four wins from their five starts and will go into the game with
confidence, according to Head Coach Kyle Henderson:
“It’s been a good start to the season, but we’re well aware that Bristol are a very different-looking
team to last year and it does feel like their league position is somewhat false.
“They’ve brought James Claar back, and he was one of their stronger assets last season, and they
generally performed better when he was around. They’ve brought in Pasquale Landolfi, who has
SLB experience with Bristol Flyers and Ben Baker-McCann, who we know from his time with Milton
Keynes Breakers.
“They’ve also added a lot of strength in the bench. They have two guys amongst the league’s top
five scorers, and they have a guy in the top five rebounders, so they’re definitely a force to be
reckoned with. It’s going to be a tough game, but these are the games we relish, and we’ve had a
pretty good week of practice, so the guys are locked in.
“I think we can definitely take care of defensive matters against them and that should really impact
the game in a positive way for us,, he said.
Derby will have Evan Walshe back from his 3×3 commitments, but Malcolm Smith remains
sidelined through injury and illness. However, the Trailblazers are hoping to add a familiar face to
their lineup ahead of the trip to Bristol, provided the necessary paperwork can be completed.
The Hurricanes are led by Baker-McCann, whose 26.9 points make him the second-highest
scorer in the league, while Landolfi isn’t far behind, on 23.3 points. That sees him ranked fifth, but
it’s his percentages which are particularly impressive, with 70.4% from inside the arc and 50% from
three-point range.
Claar leads the team in rebounding with 3.5 offensive boards and 5.5 defensive boards, while
Dennis Flowers and Corey Samuels both provide 3.5 assists per game.
For Derby, Smith leads the way with 19 points, ahead of Walshe on 14.8 and Jai Pathmarajah on
14.8, while captain Rob Marsden averages 8.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Saturday’s action is a 5:30 pm tip-off at the UWE Centre for Sport and for those who can’t make the
trip, LiveStats will be available via the following link: tinyurl.com/3nrf4x2w, alongside a full video
feed via tinyurl.com/yeac4cwz
