Surrey 89ers look to end a gruelling 17 years without a trophy on Sunday in the Super League Basketball cup final.

Nottingham will host the inaugural SLB Cup Final on Sunday as the resurgent Surrey 89ers take on the dangerous Sheffield Sharks.

The match-up has British basketball fans licking their lips as both teams will pull no punches in their pursuit of history.

However, after a turbulent pre-season in Surrey (and all of British basketball), the 89ers’ fanbase could not have envisaged that their players would have the opportunity to lift a trophy.

Prior to the commencement of Super League Basketball, Surrey was known as the Scorchers – a side that had not qualified for the post-season since the 2017/18 season.

Due to the traumatic break-up of the British Basketball League, Dan Clark, the Scorchers’ general manager, acted as saviour and established funding to forge the Surrey 89ers.

New era in Guildford

Head coach Lloyd Gardner was handed the keys to the brand spanking new Surrey 89ers. With the sensational new car odour enticing the 45-year old to take the job, the teething issues were prominent from the word go.

Losing seven of their first ten regular season games, supporters of the rebranded franchise had every right to believe that their team may be destined for another dismal year.

Nevertheless, good things come to those who wait.

Gardner managed to inject some much needed belief into the Surrey 89ers to revitalise their faltering season – fighting back to a record of six wins and 12 losses.

On paper, this record may not impress neutral supporters of the game but the basketball on display has improved significantly.

Offensively, Mervin James has led the charge – averaging a substantial 17 points per game, an essential element to the 89ers strategy going forward.

Surrey are far from an one man outfit. The dominant Dame Adelekun has been a two-way sensation for Lloyd Gardner’s team this year – scoring 12 points per game, grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game and racking up 1.8 blocks per game.

Adelekun has established himself as an intimidating presence in the paint on both ends of the court and could potentially be the orchestrator of one of the most memorable afternoons in the history of Surrey basketball.

Surrey 89ers will go into the SLB Cup Final as underdogs due to the regular season standings.

However, due to the resilience that has resonated throughout this franchise since the summer months, do not count out Guildford’s finest just yet.