Cheshire Phoenix have moved swiftly to bolster their squad in the wake of Devan Bailey's departure by adding two further players to their roster.
Head coach John Coffino has a welcome selection headache once more after bolstering his fourth-placed Nix side with two fresh signings hot on the heels of the recent signing of 7ft 8ins centre Paul Sturgess, making the squad 10 deep.
The Nix have added Bulgarian international combo-guard Simeon Naydenov to the mix. Naydenov played under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino during three years with the Louisville Cardinals in the early 2000s and the 33-year-old has enjoyed success around Europe since then, including spells in France with Clermont and most recently in his native Bulgaria with Lukoil Academic Sofia.
Coffino has also offered Adrian Sturt a chance to return to the BBL following his recent release from the London Lions. The 6ft 10ins former Great Britain under-23 international player only featured in six games for the Lions this season before he was released and Coffino believes he will add to the Nix’s already strong physical presence on court.
Coach Coffino stated “Any coach would love to have a good shooter; we are getting two of them. Not only that we also get two veteran players who want to win and will be an integral part of our quest for some silverware.
"Their transition in to the team will be smooth due to them having a good pedigree and excellent CV’s. I am pleased we are able to shore up our team with more depth. Our system fits them and we are expecting contributions from them both immediately. Having the luxury of going to the bench and not skipping a beat makes coaching a bit more flexible."
Current Cheshire Phoenix roster: David Aliu, Taylor King, Demond Watt, Julius Hodge, Mike Di Nunno, Paul Sturgess, Joel Barkers, Simeon Naydenov, Adrien Sturt, Matt Pyke
