Riders are raring to go after defeat, but there are lots of reasons to fear the Phoenix

TONIGHT’S OPPONENTS HAD A FIVE-GAME WINNING STREAK IN LEAGUE LAST MONTH

LEICESTER Riders look to bounce back from their first defeat in over a month as they travel to take on Cheshire Phoenix in a BBL Championship clash tomorrow (6pm).

It is the first time the teams have played in the regular season.

Last season, Cheshire had a solid campaign before proceedings were brought to an abrupt end.

After starting their cup campaign with four consecutive defeats, the 2018 BBL Cup winners lost to London City Royals in the cup and to Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Trophy semi-final last season but were well placed in the championship, having picked up seven victories from 13 games, before Covid struck.

Young head coach Ben Thomas was hoping to renew that momentum for the new season.

But this season’s cup campaign was a disaster, with an understrength Cheshire team failing to win a game.

But the championship has been a different matter, as the Phoenix have slowly built their squad through the campaign, and results have improved.

The Phoenix retained multi-talented American forward Jalen Hayes, who has been a strong allaround performer in the BBL, as well as Brits Disraeli Lufadeju and Pharroh Gordon, and they were joined by diminutive American point guard Kahron Ross.

The roster also includes French forward Sehill Mouliom, a cousin of Karim Mouliom, who had his time with the club curtailed by injury.

Their 7ft American centre, Jimbo Lull, joined in early December, the University of San Francisc graduate having had short spells in Greece and Serbia.

Lull immediately impressed in a win over Sheffield Sharks, and GB international Kyle Carey was added at the end of December to give Phoenix inside and outside option.

Three weeks ago the front court was improved further with the signing of another big man, former GB international Matthew BryanAmaning, previously with Worcester.

Phoenix had a five-game winning streak in the championship last month, including the scalp of London Lions, before injuries depleted the squad and they lost to Newcastle and Surrey.

But on their day, they have a starting five to match most in the BBL.

They have four players averaging double figure points per game, with Ross leading the way on nearly 18 points and Lull contributing more than 15 points and seven rebounds per game.

Riders will be looking to bounce back from Sunday’s defeat and hoping that William Lee can play a bigger part on his return from a leg injury, after playing only very limited minutes at Worcester.

In addition, new signing Mustafa Heron will have an additional short week of training with the squad, having arrived in the UK only a week ago and not having played competitive basketball for months due to Covid.

Riders head coach Rob Paternostro knows his team will be fully tested at Cheshire.

He said: “We have seen the Phoenix can beat anyone on a given night.

“They handled London very well

LEICESTER Riders captain Darien Nelson-Henry has been selected in the BBL All Star Five, after Riders split a pair of games with the Worcester Wolves in the BBL Championship.

It’s a second selection in three weeks for Leicester’s in-form centre, as Nelson-Henry led his team to victory over Worcester Wolves live on Sky Sports on Friday night.

In just 23 minutes, Nelson-Henry scored 16 points on 7-10 (70 per cent) shooting from the field, with nine rebounds and three assists.

Six of his points and five of his boards came in the third period spell, when Leicester turned a deficit around, and Nelson-Henry also scored the key penultimate basket inside the last 30 seconds, before Corey Johnson’s three-point heroics.

Joining Nelson-Henry in the All Star Five are DeAndre Liggins and Orlando Parker of London Lions, Cortez Edwards of Newcastle Eagles, and Josh Wilcher of Bristol Flyers. Riders’ Geno Crandall was selected off the benchs of Manchester Met Mystics.

and beat an in-form Sheffield, so the results and confidence are there. “We know they are a completely different team to the one we played in pre-season, and they have been difficult to scout because of all the changes.

“But we know they have size and experience inside, so we need to focus on our rebounding.

“Their big man, Lull, is a reliable scorer and Bryan-Amaning looked good with Worcester so we will have our hands full. But both their guards are also playing at a high level, so it will again be about our defence.

“We want to get that loss at Worcester out of our system, so we are really looking forward to it.

“The BBL is relentless this season and any team not on their game is going to suffer, so I expect a reaction from the squad.”

Leicester: Corey Johnson, Jamell Anderson, Geno Crandall, Zach Jackson, Darien Nelson-Henry, William Lee, Conner Washington, Ali Fraser, Aaron Falzon, Mustafa Heron, Greg Wild, Kyle Jimenez, Justin Hedley

Cheshire: Mike Mccall, Kahron Ross, Kyle Carey, Pharroh Gordon, Jimbo Lull, Sehill Mouliom, Matthew BryanAmaning, Robbie Graham, Jalen Hayes, Reiss Haggith, Disraeli Lufadeju