After returning to winning ways at home to Bristol Flyers last weekend, Derby Trailblazers are back
at the Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre this Saturday, as they look continue that trend against
Hemel Storm. The two teams spent much of last season locked in the battle for the league title,
with Hemel eventually taking the crown, while Derby finished runners up.

This season couldn’t be much more different, with the Trailblazers sitting eighth in the table with a
3-2 record, while Storm are tenth with a 2-4 record. However, they have been boosted by the
return of former league MVP Taylor Johnson, whose 30-point haul led them to an 83-75 home win
over Bristol Hurricanes.

Johnson has averaged 25.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists since his return for a third stint
with the club and is backed up by Matt Norman with 16.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists,
while Darian Nelson-Henry is the third player to average double-digits, with 15.3 points, 7.7
rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Nelson-Henry is a former teammate of Derby’s Mo Walker, who alongside Jai Pathmarajah, was
named in the BCB Team of the Week for his contribution to last weekend’s win. The pair previously
suited up alongside one another at Leicester Riders in the BBL and it promises to be an intriguing
and potentially crucial match-up between the two big men.

While Nelson-Henry has started every league game this season for the Storm, Walker has been
used to coming off the bench for the Trailblazers, but with 15.2 points, eight rebounds and two
assists, his numbers are arguably better than his former Riders teammate, despite playing less
minutes.

Derby’s Head Coach Kyle Henderson knows beating Hemel will be a tricky task:
“They have a number of high-level players and the addition of Johnson makes them a bigger threat
than they were at the start of the season. He’s been playing overseas and he’s a great addition to
their team. He’s a dangerous player who can shoot the ball from inside and out and he just needs
a bit of time to adjust to his new side.

“They’ve got a new coach this season, but I do think it’s a winnable game, despite the fact we’re
going to be short-handed through injuries once again. We’ve been a lot of preparation to make
sure the guys are looked in and ready to go come the weekend. It’s a big game and if we win, we
move to 4-2 in the league which allows us to keep climbing up that table.

“They’re a side we didn’t manage to beat last season, so that gives us more incentive to get the job
done, but we don’t like looking at the past. We want to look at the next game and focus on how we
can perform and where we can be better than last week or the week before.

“We know our standard and we know we have great pieces to the puzzle, it’s about whether we
turn up on the day. The standard of the league this season means whoever turns up mentally
focused and maintains that for the majority of the forty minutes is going to win the game, so
preparation is key as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

Saturday’s game is a 7:30pm tip-off at the Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre and for those unable to
attend, LiveStats will be available via tinyurl.com/4e4ukd23