Cheshire Phoenix interim head coach Ben Thomas has declared his interest in taking up the position full-time for the 2017/18 British Basketball League season, writes Jack Mceachen .

Thomas took over the reins in March after Robbie Peers was forced to step aside owing to personal circumstances.

It had been a season of struggle for Cheshire, who parted company with another head coach, Colin O’Reilly.

But an upturn in form following Thomas’ appointment saw the Nix go 6-5 to finish the campaign.

They ended the year in 10th, eight points off a play-off place but with plenty of optimism going into next season.

“I’m not saying no; I’m not saying I’m going to be the head coach,” said Thomas.

“I’ve talked to the chairman about it, he knows that I am interested in the job.

“It’s the club’s responsibility to make the right decision, you know they have got fans who come and pay every week; they need to make sure that whoever is in that role is going to be successful, and is going to be the right man for the job.

“My record speaks for itself in terms of what I’ve done over the past couple of months; you know the way we have played. Hopefully I’ll be in the mix. I can’t really say more than that at the moment.”

Thomas, who was assistant coach to John Lavery last season, wasn’t on the coaching staff at the start of this campaign but numerous changes to the backroom team saw him come back into the fold, eventually taking over the top job.

He added: “This year I wasn’t the assistant coach at the start of the year but then midway through the season when there was a change in coaches, I was asked to be the assistant again, and then fortunately when that coach decided to leave, instead of replacing him with another head coach they asked me to step up.

“I stepped up in March to head coach and we were successful. We won more games in the time I was coaching them than they did before.

“Don’t get me wrong, the players played really well, we just got them playing the style of basketball that suited them.

“I can’t take credit away from how well the guys played in some of the games that we won. That’s how I ended up as head coach.”

Cheshire rounded off the season in style last month, claiming a 128-77 victory over Leeds Force at the Cheshire Oaks Arena, and they will be hoping that win is a glimpse of what is to come next season.

And fans will be crossing their fingers that players such as Mike DiNunno, Earl Brown Jnr and Raheem May-Thompson return for another stint in Ellesmere Port.