Eight players appearing for other SLB clubs this season began their BBL/SLB careers at Cheshire Phoenix. They are spread across six teams, giving most of Cheshire’s opponents a former Phoenix recruit. Their continued presence in the league is a credit to Cheshire’s recruitment, but keeping players has proved more difficult.
Starting at Cheshire
The table includes players who have recorded minutes in the SLB this season and have represented at least two BBL/SLB clubs during their careers. Each player is counted once, against the club where he first appeared.
| First BBL/SLB Club | Active Players Who Have Played for Two or More BBL/SLB Clubs |
|---|---|
| Cheshire Phoenix | 8 |
| London Lions | 5 |
| Leicester Riders | 4 |
| Bristol Flyers | 4 |
| Surrey 89ers / Scorchers / United | 3 |
| Caledonia Gladiators | 2 |
| Newcastle Eagles | 2 |
| London City Royals | 1 |
Cheshire recruited these players before they had a BBL/SLB record to assess. Their performances since then have given other clubs evidence of what they can offer in the league. Pat Robinson won last season’s league MVP award with the Phoenix and has now joined Liverpool.
| Current Club | Former Cheshire Players |
|---|---|
| Bristol Flyers | Cam Holden, Michael Diggins Jr |
| Liverpool Basketball | Damiri Lindo, Pat Robinson |
| Caledonia Gladiators | Matt Zona |
| London Lions | Aaryn Rai |
| Newcastle Eagles | Cam Christon |
| Sheffield Sharks | Maceo Jack |
These players left Cheshire in different seasons. Some have represented other clubs between their time with the Phoenix and their current team.
Keeping Them
Of the players who regularly contributed minutes last season, Cheshire retained only Skyler White. With White yet to play this season, they are the only club that competed last season with zero minutes from returning players.
Matt Zona was one player Cheshire wanted to retain. Speaking to The SLB Show before the season, Ben Thomas explained that the forward wanted a bigger role.
How can you offer someone a bigger role when we’ve got, you know, arguably one of the best British forwards in the league in our team?
Zona has seen the largest increase in regular season minutes per game among these eight former Cheshire players. So far, his move to Caledonia has brought the additional playing time he wanted.
| Player | Minutes per Game 2026/27 | Change from Final Cheshire Season |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Zona | 22.9 | +9.5 |
| Maceo Jack | 32.5 | +5.7 |
| Michael Diggins Jr | 28.4 | +4.7 |
| Damiri Lindo | 17.5 | +0.6 |
| Pat Robinson | 24.9 | -1.7 |
| Cam Christon | 22.7 | -3.9 |
| Cam Holden | 26.7 | -5.1 |
| Aaryn Rai | 19.3 | -12.6 |
More playing time is only one form of opportunity. Aaryn Rai is averaging fewer domestic minutes than he did at Cheshire, but his move to London has also brought European basketball.
Cheshire signed Rai from Hemel Storm in 2023. He helped the Phoenix win the BBL Trophy in his season with the club, before joining London in 2024.
In 2025/26, he played in all 18 of the Lions’ EuroCup games, averaging 20.7 minutes per game. That gave him experience in a competition Cheshire were not playing in.
Recruiting Again
Cheshire’s record gives reason to trust their judgement as this new group settles into the league. If these recruits establish themselves as their predecessors did, some may become familiar opponents in different shirts in the years ahead.
