April play will decide Lightning’s playoff roadmap

After a week off, the London Lightning return for two against the upstart KW Titans (Saturday & Wednesday). With just seven games left, every one is important as the team battles for the top seed — and home court advantage in the playoffs.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster few weeks for the London Lightning, who have battled injury and illness – in addition to inconsistent play – as they seek to keep pace with the Sudbury Five atop the NBLC standings.

Coming off a rough week, in which they lost three times in four tries from March 12-19, the team rebounded to win three in a row last week, including a convincing 123-98 home win over Windsor March 29. But two nights later? They lost a key game across the border against the Albany Patroons – the same team that ended their season-opening 11-game win streak in 2022.

At the moment, that loss separates the Lightning from the Five in the overall standings, as Sudbury (17-5) sits a half-game ahead of London (17-6). Every game is important from here on out, with home court advantage on the line for the playoffs. Time flies, and the Lightning have just seven regular season games remaining. After a week off, London’s first challenge will be a pair against the KW Titans …

STARTING FIVE

1. A tale of two teams? In a quirky scheduling situation, the Titans got off to a late start to the 2023 season, opening Feb. 20 (at which point the Lightning had already played 11 games). They got off to a poor start, too. KW lost six of its first seven games, including three times to Windsor, twice to Sudbury, and once to London.

But since then? They’ve gone a respectable 4-3, earning wins against both the Five and Lightning during that span. In other words, they’ve turned things around and have talent that is much better than their 5-9 overall record indicates. Joel Kindred is back with the squad, and they’re getting strong play from Sam Akano and Jalen Hayes, the latter earning NBLC Player of the Week honours in mid-March (he had a 38-point game March 10).

In their most recent contest, a 114-102 win over Sudbury last Sunday, Hayes had a strong all-around game, tallying 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals and blocks. Kindred went 18/6, while Akano was 15/9. Mike Poole was hot off the bench, knocking down 8-of-16 shots for 20 points.

The Lightning will see a whole lot of the Titans down the stretch, with four games between the two teams in a three-week stretch. So far? London has won two of the three matchups, including the most recent clash, a low-scoring 89-82 win March 16 in a game that could have gone either way.

Though he didn’t shoot well in that contest (9-for-24), Jordan Burns notched a 23-point, 10-assist double-double, while Mike Nuga had 20 points and nine rebounds. Since then, London has added Amir Williams and Jermaine Haley Jr., and Jeremiah Mordi is back, too, so the Titans will see a different look when the two teams meet this Saturday at Budweiser Gardens.

2. The boys are back in town. They probably should have blared that from the speakers at Budweiser Gardens two weeks ago when, suddenly, the Lightning had two new (old) faces on the court to start their contest against the Jamestown Jackals. 

Amir Williams, freshly re-signed at the time after completing a season in Malysia, and Jermaine Haley Jr., signed following his G league campaign, were both in the starting five for London, adding two big pieces to the lineup that helped lead the Lightning to last year’s NBLC championship.

And Haley brought some G-League swagger. Down 20 pounds from last year, the Vancouver, BC native played the point right out of the gate, and he looked dynamic with – and without – the ball. In his 2023 Lightning debut, a 98-85 win over the Jackals March 25, Haley tallied 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

“It’s massive,” Lightning head coach Doug Plumb said of the addition of Haley. “You just see how he moves the ball. He defends, he can score. Jermaine plays the right way. He’s a smart guy. He’s going to be a massive piece for us.”

Unfortunately, that’s all Lightning fans have seen of Haley so far, as he missed the next two games due to illness. He’s expected to return to the lineup soon, and Plumb expects big things.

“He knows exactly what a good shot is and what a bad shot is at all times,” the coach said, “so the ball needs to be in his hands because his usage rate needs to be so high because he can impact the game in such a profound level by just making the right play. I’m thrilled with him coming back. He’s in shape, he’s hungry, and I think he wants to prove himself.”

In 25 games last season, playoffs included, Haley averaged 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals. He played almost 34 minutes a game and shot a highly efficient 56.2 percent from the field.

3. Kur conquers pro ball. Okay, that may be overstating things a tad, but boy was Kur Jongkuch, a local product, impressive in his debut with the London Lightning. Yes, it was the Jamestown Jackals, an easier matchup than the big men within conference play, but the youngster looked great in posting a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) with three blocks in his first action, much to the delight of his head coach. 

“We put him in a position to have a night like he did,” said Plumb. “His energy is just fantastic. He’s an extremely intelligent kid. He’s very self aware, and he battles. He’s not scared of anyone.”

His life experiences may have something to do with that. Jongkuch’s backstory is equal parts improbable and inspiring. Before landing in London, Ontario and growing up playing with the London Basketball Academy (LBA), he spent his very early years in a Kenyan refugee camp – after his parents had fled the Second Sudanese Civil War.

The family found safety in London, Kur found basketball, and this past year he played Division I basketball at Temple University. In fact, he’s still finishing up his grad school there, and for a few weeks he’s been commuting (to Philadelphia) once a week while getting all his work in with the Lightning. He came on the recommendation of London’s assistant coach, Mike Provenzano, whose dad runs LBA.

“After the first two practices, I said this kid needs to be here,” said Plumb. He’s a winner. I’m very happy with him so far. He’s obviously raw, so by no means am I going to throw him the ball and say, ‘Here you go, generate buckets on the block.’ But he’s very smart, he plays extremely hard, he defends, and he can guard multiple positions.”

He has held his own so far. Against Windsor in his first taste of NBLC opposition, Jongkuch had eight points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks in 28 minutes off the bench in London’s 123-98 win over the Express March 29.

Kur Jongkuch, a local product (London Basketball Academy) has already shown he’s a proven shot blocker who can make an impact on both ends of the floor. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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4. And the newest Bolt? Lightning fans will see a new face later this month, as the team has signed Diego Kapelan, a veteran pro who most recently played for AO Ionikos Nikaias this season in Heba A1, the top basketball league in Greece. There, he averaged 10.3 points.

A true pro journeyman, the now-35-year-old BC native has played in Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Lithuania, Austria and Germany. He also had a stint in the NBLC, in 2018-19, with the St. John’s Edge, where Plumb was coaching at the time. In fact, the two have known each other for 15 years.

Kapelan, a 6-foot-6 guard, had an impressive 2021-22 season, leading his team, CD Povoa in Portugal’s Liga Profissional, with 20.4 points per game in 26 contests.

“He’s like an 11-year pro. And he brings what we’re missing – a 3-man that’s consistent and that I can rely on to shoot the ball,” said Plumb. “He kind of plays like JJ Redick. We don’t have a guy that just runs off the ball, spaces … everything is with the dribble. He’ll be the best shooter in the league, and he’s a true pro.”

That professionalism (and versatility) may be exactly what the Lightning need to help an offense that has been stagnant for much of the year. London has lacked consistency on the wing.

While the Haley addition is an important one, he’s going to be used as more of a facilitator, according to Plumb. That will allow Jordan Burns to work off the ball – and perhaps have some big scoring games (like the 45-point showing he had in London’s most recent win over Windsor). But Kapelan could provide a big boost on the wing to help provide more scoring options for an offense at risk of becoming too predictable.

Kapelan won’t play Saturday or Wednesday, but he’s expected to suit up for London’s two-game series against the Kalamazoo Galaxy at home Apr. 21 & 22.

5. Back to full strength? You wouldn’t have known it watching London’s convincing 123-98 win over Windsor two games ago, but the Lightning were struggling bigtime with health and player availability. 

As mentioned, Jermaine Haley Jr. was unavailable due to illness, but so too was Elijah Lufile. With Justin Jackson (hand) on the injured list (and unavailable for the remainder of the year) and Adham Eleeda recently released from the roster, London played with just eight players that night. And with Lance Adams seeing just 13 minutes, it was essentially seven. 

Oh, and because he was vomiting at halftime, Terry Thomas was limited to 23 minutes. In other words, the team was carried by Jordan Burns, Amir Williams, Jeremiah Mordi and Mike Nuga (30-plus minutes each) – with Jongkuch also seeing 28 minutes. And it was Burns who put the team on his back, scoring 45 with 11 assists in 46(!) minutes. Mordi had a nice game, too, with 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

And Williams? He put up 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Shorthanded again against the Albany Patroons last Saturday, Williams scored 24 with 12 rebounds and another four blocks. For his efforts, he was named NBLC Player of the Week.

This week, the Lightning should be back to full strength. They’ll be down Mareik Isom again Saturday, as he’s still recovering from a leg injury, but he’s expected back Wednesday. A five-player bench? That’s music to Plumb’s ears. Now, it’s time to see what a healthy Lightning squad can do – and whether or not they’re up to defending their league title from a year ago.