Raphell Thomas-Edwards has signed a deal to return to Bristol Flyers ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The British forward will come back to the WISE Campus
following a year-long spell as an assistant coach to German Women’s side TK
Hannover of the Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga (DBBL). The Lynx won the DBBL
Trophy and were runners-up in the playoffs last season.
Thomas-Edwards first joined the Flyers in 2019, following a
standout year with NBL Division One side Leicester Warriors. He earned a spot
in the NBL Division One Team of the Year after averaging 23 points and 14.5
rebounds per game.
During his three years at the Flyers, he averaged 8.9 points
and 5 rebounds per game.
Speaking on his return to the club, Thomas-Edwards said:
“It just feels like the right move. There’s so much more to
accomplish for Bristol that I don’t want to miss the boat. Last year’s group
did an amazing job to set the bar even higher than before, so now it’s time for
me to step back into it and build again.
“I’m excited to see friends who I haven’t seen in a year and of course come back and play for my guy Coach Kapoulas. I’ve been away, learnt a lot and now it’s time to come home.”
Thomas-Edwards returns to the Flyers in tenth on the club’s all-time scoring list (537 points), as well as sixth in the club’s all-time rebounding list in the British Basketball League era (304 rebounds).
Flyers Head Coach Andreas Kapoulas said:
“Having Raph back is great for us. He is a tenacious
player on the court that will do whatever the team needs to win. He had his
best season in this league before his year off and now he is driven to do even
better.
“Coaching in Germany last season has helped him gain valuable experience to see the game from a different perspective as well as rest his body. His knowledge and experience of the league as well as his attitude, work ethic and versatility will immensely help our team.”
With the countdown to the new season continuing, you can still get your British Basketball fix by following the League on social media or heading to our YouTube channel to relive all of the best moments from last year!