Jets visit Sheffield Sharks tonight before entertaining Worthing Thunder on Sunday, at the Northgate Arena (5.30pm tip).

Jets coach Paul Smith is looking forward to meeting up with old friend and Thunder coach, Gary Smith: "I go a long way back with Gary, we played together for England under-17s and got on really well.

"I guess we just clicked, and although neither of us lit it up as players, it's good to see him take Worthing into the BBL.

"I haven't had a chance to see them because we've always been playing at the same time, but we've Steve Gayle with us and he'll tell how Gary's teams play.

"We know Dan Wardrope from his Guildford days, and he's got a nice three-point shot on him. Ryan Patten seems to have stepped up from the EBL pretty well, and I expect it to be a tough game."

And Thunder coach Smith is in a relaxed mood as his side search for their first BBL Championship victory: "After two tough home games, the pressure's off us a bit this weekend.

Cheshire are top of the league right now so everyone is expecting them to beat us, especially as we're still looking for our first win in the BBL.

"Our players will be able to step out onto the court relaxed and with nothing to lose, whereas they will be at home in front of their own fans – which has a pressure all of its own.

"I'm looking forward to the game; I haven't been to the Northgate for a long time! It will be good to catch up with James Hamilton, who I have kept in touch with since he played for Worthing Bears and is a good friend of mine. I played for England juniors with Paul, and we'll also be facing our former player Steve Gayle.

"The first game on the road is always difficult to judge because during the summer you forget the way the long journey affects you, and that how important the stretches and warm ups are to ensure you are ready to play. But the team is experienced enough to deal with that."

Smith believes that his team is beginning to develop nicely: "We will
have had our first week of everybody being fit and available for training, so we will be working hard and looking at the things from the first two games that we need to improve on to start winning some matches.

"I was pleased with the way we played on Saturday against Newcastle in the main, we just had a bad second quarter that cost us the chance of possibly toppling the current champions.

"Take out that second quarter and we win by seven. Those are the sort of positives that we will be building on for the weeks to come."

Meanwhile, Sheffield coach, Atiba Lyons, expects a tough game when Jets visit Sharks tonight: "The Jets have a high-scoring offence with three very good guards in Virgil, Evans and Marks. Also they have veterans that are very consistent. They are a good team and should be another tough game for us."

Despite his team topping the BBL table, Jets coach Paul Smith expects a tough game at the EIS, and said: "We played them in a warm-up game pre-season, but I would expect tonight's game to have a lot more intensity.

"They're a big, strong side, with a lot of heritage as a club. Chris Saunders did very well against us in that friendly, and Sherman Rivers is a really good quality point guard."