Okoronkwo and Seduikis sign on for Thunder

Brendan Okoronkwo, who made a big impact after joining the club in January, and Lithuanian Tomas Seduikis will both be back for the new campaign, which gets underway in September.

Okoronkwo made his debut for Thunder in February and the club then won 14 of their next 16 games, which saw them reach the EBL Division 1 play-off final where they lost to Reading Rockets.

Seduikis joined Thunder last summer and was a regular starter in the first half of last season, before his impact was mainly off the bench after Christmas.

Hildreth said: “When Brendan came in, along with Kadiri Richard, we made huge inroads in the league and he was a big factor in our success in the second half of the season.

“You never know how players are going to fit in but, at our first training session when he didn’t know anyone, he came in and showed signs of leadership, which is what you look for from a point guard. He did a fantastic job in that position, along with Jack Sunderland.

“He’s moved to Brighton now, where he’s looking to settle down and take on the next chapter in his life.

“Tomas is a really awkward match-up for the opposition. He’s 6ft 6in and very athletic and it was unfortunate for him that he got in a bit of foul trouble last season, because of a different style of officiating to what he’d been used to.

“He started much of the first half of the season and then came off the bench in the second half after the arrival of Kadiri, when we changed our starting five.

“I love his attitude – he just wants the team to win. If that means he plays all 40 minutes, he’s happy and if he doesn’t play any minutes at all, he’s still happy.”

Thunder, now sponsored by Goring-based company Ziffit, also have captain Bud Johnston, Jack Sunderland, Rhys Francis, Dominic Baker and Joe Carter signed on from last season’s squad.

Thunder started pre-season training last week and will begin three sessions a week later this month to prepare for the new season.