Hildreth delighted to retain local duo

Guards Dom Baker and Joe Carter have both committed their future to the club and have followed Tom Ward, Tomas Seduikis and Brendan Okoronkwo in signing on again.

Thunder coach Daniel Hildreth is delighted to have the duo on board again for another season. He expects Baker to lead by example as one of the more senior members of the team and feels Carter has the potential to be a regular starter in the upcoming campaign.

He said: “Dom and Joe are vital pieces to our puzzle.

“Both of them, over the past two seasons, have top-scored in individual games and for very different reasons have a big impact on a game.

“Dom is a deadly three-point shooter and can really spread out the defence, which allows us to get to the basket via the post or through driving from the perimeter.

“As a more senior member of the team, I’m looking for Dom to lead by example with his extra experience.

“Joe always has an immediate impact on a game.

“He has an uncanny ability to score attacking the basket and I’m expecting Joe to take on a more dominant role offensively.

“When he plays with confidence, he is very hard to stop. Having coached Joe for a number of years, I feel he has the potential to be a regular starter in this league.”

Thunder host USA Select in their first pre-season friendly on September 6, before they host Surrey United in another pre-season game on September 13.