As Levett Essex Leopards prepare for the visit of Team USA Select to the Brentwood Centre on Sunday, coach Steve Ogunjimi has re-signed two more of last season’s squad.

Big man Jamie Hayes and guard Brian Nguru both return after encouraging debut seasons at Division One level, and the Big Cats’ coach is pleased to have them back.

“I am very happy to have secured Jamie and Brian for the upcoming season” he said.

“They were both players that really did what I asked of them on the court and brought some great energy when needed in minimal minutes.

“I was very keen to have Brian and Jamie back this season as they made massive plays in big games when the team needed a spark and those are the kind of guys we need coming off the bench if we want to win this year.”

Ogunjimi expects to field a mixture of returning players and newcomers when touring side Team USA Select arrive at Brentwood on Sunday for a 4pm tip-off.

The Americans are bringing 45 players to the UK for an exhausting tour which will them split into three squads to play more than 50 games over a two and half week,

There will also be a pre-game camp for youngsters to train with a Leopards’ players between 2.30-3.30pm, with the coaching and game ticket costing just £6. See www.leopardsbasket.co.uk for more details

The USA team is made of players who have finished their college careers in the States and are looking for pro jobs in Europe. Several have gone on to successful careers in England including big man Greg Hernandez who help the Big Cats win the National Trophy in 2013.

The Big Cats have been regular opponents for the Americans over the years, playing them at Brentwood, Capital City Academy and Crystal Palace as well as training games in east London.

Sean Killmartin’s side also visited the Brentwood Centre last season, and with Will Ashby scoring 22 and Ladi Brown 20, Steve Ogunjimi made a winning start to his career as Leopards’ coach with a 76-67 victory.

The sides also met in a closed-door scrimmage game just before the start of the season with Leopards winning a thriller 84-83.

The re-signing of Hayes and Nguru comes as captain Albert Margai has returned to BBL side Surrey Scorchers.

The 28-year-old spent two seasons with the Guildford-based club between 2011 and 2013 before helping the Big Cats win the Division One title in 2015.

“It’s a shame if Albert is moving on” said Leopards’ general manager Dave Ryan. “But he’s been straight with us and hasn’t messed us around, we understand if he wants another shot at the BBL. We’ll miss him, he’ll always be the captain who led us to the title in 2015.”