
Fast Break into 2025/26: Phoenix Rise and Cannons Shine in Season Opener
Basketball was back this week as the 2025/26 League season tipped off with two round robin competitions. First to take the floor of the NSC Main Hall were the D2 Development League, with over 50 school age players competing in a high octane 3×3 tournament. Open to players in school year 7 and above, the development league has gone from strength to strength in recent years and this season will see two age-based divisions playing weekly for the chance at glory. A key squad to watch in the older bracket is the “Reapers” who have self-organised over the summer, putting the time in for training and arranging a new kit that was the talk of the night among the D2 players.
The round robin itself saw plenty of highlights, with a solid mix of fresh faces and experienced returnees testing each other’s skills in short 5-minute games. Charlie Bartlett gave a standout performance in the early stages, with a combination of strong inside moves and solid mid-range shooting powering his team to a string of wins. Harry Sinclair also gave a strong offensive showing with solid drives and a series of good dish passes for open shots. Highlight of the games was newcomer Yohanan Batugal who used a combination of solid skills and lightning-fast speed to devastating effect – one to watch in the coming weeks.
The D2 league formally begins Thursday with games tipping off at 18:00 in the NSC Main Hall. While some teams have already been set there are still places available for any player in school year 7 and above who wishes to join.






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This week also saw a pre-season round robin for the Senior League with 8 teams contending in two pools. The 2025/36 season sees a slight change in the Senior league roster as Ravens have left the league while a new Southern Phoenix team have been added to the league’s roster. Emblazoned in a fiery orange kit, Phoenix had a good start to the tournament with a solid victory against Hoops and a close 24-23 win over Cavaliers, powered by the pace of Matt Jones and some excellent shooting from league returnee Connor Moughtin. Similarly, Wolves had a good tournament with wins over Pirates (13-11) and Cannons 2 (13-10), only losing out to Cannons Elite by a single point (17-18). There have been a few changes to the Wolves bench this year as rookies Seb Smith and Shane Collins join the roster while Ben Campbell takes on the Head Coach role from Martin Dunne, who is staying on as Team Manager.
The night belonged to DGU Jets and Cannons Elite though, both squads going unbeaten in their pools to setup an exciting final. Jets ran a solid inside defence and made good a number of conversions on the break to take an early need, Jake Glover, Wayne Mears and new addition Tom Crosbie all picking up easy baskets. Cannons trailed a first but soon found their groove outside the arc with swish 3-pointers from Rowan Coulter, Jack Wilkinson and Oliver Hamilton, which soon had them on level pegging. Cannons continued their run as the clock on the short-form final ran down and found themselves ahead by 9-points with less than a minute to go. Solid defence and clever time management from the Cannons stalled Jets engines and gave the youthful Cannons squad a 25-14 victory, handing last year’s playoff champions their first loss of the night. Jets will have a chance to avenge the loss next week though, as both sides face each other again in the first round of the new 2025/26 league season.















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The Isle of Man Basketball Association has launched a new player registration portal for those looking to get involved in basketball this season. All players, coaches and officials wishing to participate in competitions organised by the Association must register on the new portal for insurance purposes – with a “freelance” registration option available for those seeking to play but not yet affiliated to an existing team. The registration portal can be found on www.isleofmanbasketball.com.
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Thursday sees the formal start of the new season with action in both D2 and the Senior League. Games for the D2 Development League will tip off at 18:00 in the NSC Main Hall, with spots still available for school age players seeking a team. Then at 19:00 the Senior League will return as Southern Phoenix take on Pirates in the first match of the evening. Then at 20:30 Cavaliers play Hoops while DGU Jets will seek to avenge their pre-season tournament loss against Cannons. All games are held in the NSC Main Hall with spectators welcome courtside.