FOLLOWING WORTHING WIN, DERBY LOOKS AHEAD WITH SMITH BACK

By John Hobbs

The return of Malcolm Smith to the Derby Trailblazers has given head coach Kyle Henderson a lot to look forward to going into 2026.

Smith made an immediate impact in Derby’s 76-73 victory over the Worthing Thunder on Sunday.

He poured in 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds on the south coast, a perfect start to his second spell with the Trailblazers since being released by Super League Basketball outfit Newcastle Eagles just before Christmas.

“You could see he was hungry to play, and he contributed on both ends on the floor,” Henderson said of Smith, whose performance earned him BCB Team of the Week honours.

“He knows a lot of the guys we have on the team, so I didn’t think it would be long before he made an impact, and it was instantaneous, so that was really pleasing.”

Smith’s impact reflected on the Trailblazers, who overcame a torrid start to secure their first win in three games and drop the Thunder to a fourth loss in their last six games.

“We took pride in contesting their three-point shooting and really guarding the perimeter well,” Henderson commented on the performance, where Jai Pathmarajah led the Trailblazers in scoring with 24 points and six assists. 

And it was Pathmarajah’s defensive assignment on Thunder’s key scorer, Elijah Maynard, that was key, according to Henderson.

“I think that defensive effort was key, but I was super pleased with the efforts of Jai, too,” he said. “He contributed on both ends of the floor and contained Maynard to just 11 points.”

The win improved Derby’s league record to 6-4 for the season, which has been littered with injuries. Henderson hopes that the return of the fan favourite, Smith, can ignite what has been a mixed campaign.

“It was a great way for us to kick 2026 off, and hopefully this sets the tone for how we want to play, and I think we will continue to get better now Malcolm is back,” Henderson said.