While the surroundings may be a little different from when he pulled on the blue of Cheshire Phoenix , Demond Watt is still relishing the chance to take to the court against his former club this weekend.
A phenomenon in the BBL in his debut season in British basketball, Chicagoan Watt was a four-time Molten Player of the Month winner while at the Nix and ran league veteran Charles Smith close in the race to be crowned MVP, an accolade which many thought was destined to be his.
His performances alongside that of the likes of former Duke and Villanova player Taylor King last season saw the Nix come within one shot of making the BBL Play-Off final at London's O2 Arena despite a season of constant turmoil and upheaval.
While Cheshire, then under the stewardship of the affable John Coffino, almost made it to the nation's capital for a showdown with Newcastle Eagles in front of a sell-out crowd live on the BBC, Watt did eventually make it there, albeit by virtue of signing with the London Lions last summer.
A fractured ankle sustained at the beginning of the season has seen him unable to replicate the form he showed last season and meant he was unable to play against his former club when the Lions visited Cheshire in October. But now, fighting fit and raring to go, Watt has started to show just why he was such a feared presence both offensively and defensively last season in the BBL and is looking forward to reacquanting himself with some old friends when the Lions visit the Cheshire Oaks Arena on Sunday (5.30pm).
“It's exciting to go be going against the Nix, I have always wanted to have the feeling of playing against a former team,” said the 26-year-old, a graduate of Texas A&M Corpus Christi University.
“It will be nice to be able to see everybody again. Everybody still keeps in touch with me and checks on me. I got to see some last time we came down but I'll be glad they can see me actually playing this time.
“I'm excited to be able to go against Dave (Aliu). We always competed against each other last season in practice. I know he has been having a tough year too when he got hurt for a while but it will be good to see him on the court as well.
“The (Phoenix) squad is a little different from when we went up there earlier as well with their leading scoring (Jordan Williams) leaving.
“I'm expecting them to compete hard just like any other team. They have good players who can put up big numbers so we have to make sure we are locked in defensively.”
Watt admitted it had been a season of frustration thus far owing to his injury, with last season's stat line of 19 points, 12 rebounds and a superb 64% from the floor always likely to prove a tough feat to replicate.
But Watt has been determined to take the positives from the first spell on the sidelines of his career and believes that it has helped gain a new perspective on the game.
“This has probably been my toughest season in my career,” he said.
“This was the first time I have actually had an injury where I really couldn't play. So just seeing the game from a different view was good.
“I'm not back to my best I don't feel but I like how I reacted and how my coaches and team have helped me get better at handling this.”
When Watt inked a deal with Nigel Lloyd's Lions in the summer there were plenty of raised eyebrows. As with many players who enjoy standout seasons in the BBL the lure of bigger European sides and more money can be something that's hard to ignore. But Watt says his decision to remain in Britain and resists overtures from others was a considered one and that job security, a rareity in professional basketball outside of the bosom of the NBA, being a motivating factor.
He said: “This past summer I had quite a few offers to go abroad and also to come back to the BBL.
“My motive on coming back was the league is familiar with me. My main thing is job security and the BBL offered more security than most offers I had. I wouldn't want to take a big money deal and get cut after a month or two of playing.
“London has been great, I love it here and it's probably the closest feeling to Chicago I have ever been in Europe. A big city and all the people, it's just a nice comfort zone here.”
And what of last season? If you were to pitch a movie around the comings and goings at Cheshire Phoenix last season you would probably get laughed out of a Hollywood executives office for being too far fetched. It was a season that, despite its constant toils, delivered a new-found passion for basketball in the Chester and Ellesmere Port area and got people returning to the Northgate Arena, something which has helped lay the foundations for decent gates at their new residence at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village.
But Watt believes that such a season of tumult last time around saw the core of the Nix squad forge a special bond, one that has continued despite the respective players heading off across the globe in search of their next chapter in basketball.
“Last season was crazy, but a good crazy,” said power forward Watt.
“We basically came within one shot from advancing to the finals. It was heartbreaking after all that was going on not to try to end out on top.
“I loved every moment of last season and it was a big learning experience to be able to play with a great group of guys and Coach (Coffino). I keep in touch with everybody but mostly Taylor (King), Paul (Sturgess) and Dave (Aliu). We got so close during the season, they're all like brothers to me.”
