The competition will again be organised by NBL1 Men's clubs in partnership with naming rights holder Kitking.co.uk and BE.
The additional Division Two teams for 2024/25 are the pair of relegated D1M sides from a year ago, Barking Abbey and London Elite, plus former D1M winners and last season's D2M South runners up Team Solent Kestrels.
The pool fixtures are set to take place over the next two weekends, with a hefty 13 games pencilled in for the coming days.
We take a look at all of them below, including the start of Derby's title defence as they take on Bradford and Newcastle.
No group has more games than the four in group one this weekend, with a pair of contests on both Saturday and Sunday.
Last year's KitKing semi-finalists Reading Rockets are away to Solent on Saturday before heading home to take on Worthing 24 hours later.
Australian guard Mitch Clarke (15.8PPG, 4.7RPG in 2023/24) returns for the Rockets, as do other familiar faces including Reis Pinnock and Lewis Champion. The off-season addition of guards Zain Poorman and Victor Olarerin from Essex should also help give Reading one of the most exciting backcourts in the league.
Add in the signing of Justin Hopkins, who dropped 22.1PPG for Newcastle a year ago, and Reading look set to make a real impact this season.
Former Hemel and Thames Valley guard Bode Adeluola will continue his significant NBL career down on the South Coast for Worthing, alongside the likes of Josh Palmer, Malachi Boakye-Yiadom and Jonathan Lashley as new head coach Brian Deacon tries to build some early momentum to improve upon 2023/24's 7-17 record.
Worthing's Sunday clash with Reading is proceeded by a Saturday meeting with Barking Abbey, who will be looking to bounce back at the first time of asking after they were relegated from the top flight last year.
Sunday's only other game sees Barking host Solent, another team looking to find their way back to the top table after narrowly missing out on promotion to Milton Keynes last spring. The Kestrels welcome back former D1M Defensive Player of the Year Andre Arissol, who will no doubt play a big part in that push for promotion off the back of some hopefully positive KitKing results.
The 2022/23 Trophy winners Hemel Storm will look to mount another charge this year, beginning that effort at home to London Elite on Saturday.
The defending Playoff champs welcome back the usual suspects of Sam Newman, Darien Nelson-Henry, Veron Eze, Hakeem Sylla and more to keep their core intact, but standout guard Taylor Johnson has left the club to join Artland Dragons in Germany. American guard Tra'Michael Moton and Canadian forward Matt Ellis are new faces.
Essex came within a whisker of a first D1M regular season title last year and will hope they can continue that positive trajectory heading into another campaign.
The Rebels have brought in Daniel Johnson-Thompson from Worthing to help offset the loss of Olarerin and Poorman, with returnees Jordan Ashley, Ben Winter and Luke Busumbru all expected to carry the load once more.
The new-look Rebels start their KitKing campaign with a home tie against Thames Valley as their only game this weekend.
The Cavs are in double-header action though, closing the weekend at home to Elite as Thames Valley have potentially made more of a splash off the court than on it this summer.
Vince Macauley and Nhamo Shire are now at the helm of the Berkshire outfit, with a goal to "establish a pipeline from grassroots to elite level basketball in the capital".
Roster details have been scarce so far, but it is expected that the likes of A.J. Roberts, Igor Stokic and Martelle McLemore will all return.
Newly promoted Bristol Hurricanes will get their first taste of D1M action on Saturday as they welcome Loughborough Riders, before heading out to face this season's other newly promoted side Milton Keynes on Sunday.
The Riders will once again feature a great blend of youth across their roster, with Seth Wylie, Dan Hadley Justin Hedley, Victor Ndoukou and Milo Gordon all running it back.
Oscar Curran will make the step up from the EABL, including winning a title with Charnwood in 2023/24, whilst exciting young guard Liam Campbell is also in the mix. Imports Mike Joiner and Bryan Penn-Johnson should further bolster the Riders' ranks.
Former Commonwealth Games man Daniel Edozie is back once again for the Hurricanes, who will also look to Chester Morrell, Sol Rolls-Tyson and Chris Taylor for a spark that will be needed to keep Bristol in the mix this year.
MK have also been busy this summer. The departure of Jordan Spencer to the SLB is undoubtedly a blow, but the Breakers still have plenty of strength in depth from the likes of Nate Robinson, Blayne Freckleton and Luke Gregory, whilst new faces KJ Johnson, Adrian Scarborough, Kai Walker and former SLB man Kai Williams are sure to make an impact.
MK also take on City of Birmingham Rockets this weekend, a side who are looking to move on from a 9-15 season in 2023/24.
Talisman Martyn Gayle returns once more, as does Orlan Jackman as a huge piece of a summer business for CoB.
Zach Powell wings his way in from Reading, with CJ Hayden, Levi Noel, Levi Henry and Lucas McGregor also finding a new home in the West Midlands for 2024/25.
There's a rematch of last season's final on Saturday as Bradford Dragons will hope that home court advantage will help them avenge last March's loss to Derby Trailblazers.
The Dragons made a huge splash this week with the announcement of new signing Kofi Josephs, adding the GB international to a roster that already includes returnees Jordan Whelan, Micah Savery-Richards and veteran Rihards Sulcs.
Andre Gayle has also signed up from Manchester, as has Miami-based guard Jevon Laidler.
Derby's Sam Masten was undoubtedly one of the signings of the 2023/24 season, and his 19.4PPG, 6.4APG and league-leading efficiency helped push the Trailblazers to a first league title since 2009/10.
Masten has now moved onto pastures new, leaving 6’ 2” Colorado native David Simental to fill the point guard position alongside fellow new signing Mo Walker, who moves over from Leicester Riders.
Malcolm Smith is back for a seventh year with the Trailblazers, who have added also combo guard Jai Pathmarajah, to feature alongside the returning Jonas Dieterich, Charlie Brown, Rob Marsden, Raheem May-Thompson and Jase Harrison for new head coach Kyle Henderson.
Derby also have a Sunday date with Newcastle, who impressed last term to go 14-10 and nab a playoff spot.
The North East outfit will aim to keep progressing and the signing of standout American guard Ronald Blain will be a big part of that push.
Logan Rooney (21.9PPG) also put up solid numbers a year ago and has signed on once again, with Corey Johnson (Derby), Scott Angus (Ireland), Afra Khalil (Elite) and Austin Sacks (Baylor) all calling Newcastle home this season.
That just leaves the Hoods, who host Newcastle on Saturday in their only game of the weekend.
New head coach Vladan Dragosavac will be able to call on the likes of Greg Skoric, Landon Taliaferro, Kayne King, SLB forward Elliot Bailey and former Barking guard Sam Akano as the Midlands side aim to get their KitKing campaign off to a winning start.
5.30pm - Bristol Hurricanes vs Loughborough Riders - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
6pm - Team Solent Kestrels vs Reading Rockets - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
6.15pm - Bradford Dragons vs Derby Trailblazers - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
6.30pm - Nottingham Hoods vs Newcastle University - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
6.30pm - Essex Rebels vs Thames Valley Cavaliers - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
7pm - Hemel Storm vs London Elite - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
7.30pm - Worthing Thunder vs Barking Abbey - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
7.30pm - City of Birmingham Rockets vs Milton Keynes Breakers - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
3pm - Thames Valley Cavaliers vs London Elite - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
4pm - Reading Rockets vs Worthing Thunder - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
4pm - Barking Abbey vs Team Solent Kestrels - LIVE STATS
4.30pm - Derby Trailblazers vs Newcastle University - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
5pm - Milton Keynes Breakers vs Bristol Hurricanes - LIVE STATS / TICKETS
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Main image credit - Pete Simmons
