Hoods Up & Running

Three quick-fire matches in the last week or so, at the end of September, has seen the Nottingham Hoods qualify for the quarter-finals of the British Championship Basketball Trophy in emphatic style.

Victories over Bristol Flyers IIs, Loughborough Riders and Derby Trailblazers saw Vladan Dragosavac’s side top Group Three, with three wins from three, and will now oppose Falkirk Fury for a spot in the semi-finals.

In the opener, against visiting Bristol, the Hoods eased themselves to a 102-69 success (21 September) thanks to six Nottingham players making double-figures on gameday; Tyrone Williams topped the home scorers with 21pts, 7rebs, 3asts, whilst Donnell Nixon II (19), Mergim Sokoli (13), and Simeon Perry (10) featured of the starters, whilst off the bench it was Caiden Ross (12) and Micah Savery-Richards (10) also posting double figures.

Replying for Bristol Nessim Ladjimi posted 19pts, 2rebs, alongside Lanre Aynla’s 12pts, 4rebs, 3asts off the bench, being top scorers there.

A couple of days later and Dragosavac’s Hoods made the short trip to East Midlands rivals, Loughborough Riders (24 September), returning home with a second successive win, this time claiming a 93-77 result.

The hosting Riders led by ten points at the end of the first period, with the Hoods slowly moving through the gears to edge the first half by two; the second half though was pretty much one-way traffic as the visitors moved ten in front at the end of third, before taking the win as Tyrone Williams topped Nottingham’s scoring for a second game, this time posting 23pts, 9rebs, 5asts, he being closely followed by Donnell Nixon II’s 21pts, 4rebs, 9asts.

Three more of the visiting players made double figures with new captain, Eliot Bailey and Sam Akano (12), and Micah Savery-Richards (11) off the bench.

Replying for the hosts Michael Joiner poster 19pts, 8rebs and 2asts, and Johde Campbell had 17pts, 4rebs, 5asts, in what was an entertaining encounter.

The most recent of the three, Group Three games, was an even tighter affair than the Riders clash, the Hoods welcoming Derby Trailblazers to Nottingham, winning by four, 87-83 (29 September).

The Trailblazers led by one at the end of the first period, and never let the hosting Hoods any momentum, the widest (period) margin being five points at half-time, with Tyrone Williams posting a 20+ points game for the third successive game.

Against their other East Midlands rivals, Williams posted 25pts, 9rebs, 4asts to help maintain his sides’ unbeaten start to the campaign; Donell Nixon II also posted double figures again, this time registering 15pts, 5rebs, 6asts, with Micah Savery-Richards coming off the bench to register 12pts, 5rebs, 1ast.

Replying for the Trailblazers and two of their stars registered twenty-point games, Harlond-Beverly Jnr with 26pts, 2rebs, 3asts, and Evan Oliver added 22pts, 7rebs, 2asts.

Victories over the Flyers, Riders and Trailblazers saw the Hoods qualify for the knockout stages as one of four sides with a perfect, 3-0 record, joining Reading Rockets, Birmingham Rockets, and Yorkshire Dragons in doing so.

Joining the four group winners in the quarter-finals are each of the runners-up, they being that of Worthing Thunder, Milton Keynes Breakers, Loughborough Riders, and Falkirk Fury, games set to take place this coming weekend and will be as follows –

BCB TROPHY QUARTER-FINALS (4/5 October)

Birmingham Rockets vs. Loughborough Riders; Nottingham Hoods vs. Falkirk Fury; Yorkshire Dragons vs. Worthing Thunder (4 October); Reading Rockets vs. Milton Keynes Breakers

The draw for the semi-finals of the Trophy will take place at half-time at Loddon Valley of Sunday’s contest between Reading and Milton Keynes.

With fourteen clubs in the newly-created BCB Championship, the 2025/26 league season for Vladan Dragosavac’s Nottingham Hoods begins on 12 October when they make the short trip to face-off against local rivals, Loughborough Riders.

Games around Christmas and New Year for the Hoods will see them as follows; Newcastle Knights (A, 17 December), Worthing Thunder (H, 28 December), and Bristol Flyers (H, 3 January), with the league season set to conclude against Birmingham Rockets (H, 11 April).

As for those East Midlands derby matchups then the Hoods face the Loughborough Riders on 12 October (A) and 6 February (H) and the Derby Trailblazers on 1 November (A) and 16 January (H).