TAYO CLOCKS BACK

The 33-year-old, the club’s captain since its reinvention in 2015,  averaged 16 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the BBL Championship last season.

And he has been visible within the so-called bubble set up by head coach Creon Raftopoulos at Surrey Sports Park which has attracted a slew of domestic talents in recent weeks, including former NBA forward Joel Freeland and new Plymouth arrival Andrew Lawrence.

“It’s great to be back,” he said.

“Everyone knows I love playing here, I’ve made this place my home, so it’s great to continue and help the team build and compete for a Championship and some silverware.

“(Rashad Hassan) is a big signing, I know Creon has had that in the works for a while now.

“I’ve known Rashad for a while, I’ve played against him many times in the last five years, he’s a great player and a good teammate, so I’m happy to have him on the team.

“I’m building back into game shape and we are working hard in the bubble to get back on court.

“With Rashad and myself, and others we have coming in, it should be exciting basketball and it will lead to a lot of wins on the board.”

Raftopoulos added: “Everybody knows what a great pro Tayo is.

“He made a commitment to this franchise a number of years ago, and he’s still got the same appetite to win with Surrey.

“I’m hoping with the squad we are putting together, they can feed off all of the energy and sacrifice that he puts in.

“We’ve always done well with young players, who have learned the trade as we go along.

“But one of our most successful teams, if you look back, was 2017-2018 with Alex Owumi and Gerald Robinson, who gave us a blend of experience along with upcoming young guys like Tony Hicks.

“Getting the likes of Rashad and Tayo is something to look forward to.

“I haven’t had that amount of experience on a regular basis, so to start the season with them is a really exciting thing.”