Manchester add British quartet for 2026-27
Manchester have confirmed their first moves for the 2026-27 season, with Great Britain internationals Kaiyem Cleary and Kayne Henry returning and Ciaran Sandy and Jonathan Brown arriving to give the side a strong British core.
Cleary and Henry both arrived last summer and quickly became central to Matthew Otten’s plans, giving Manchester a domestic core built around familiarity, versatility and defensive intensity.
“Not many things replicate the feeling of playing for your city,” reflected Cleary. “You’re carrying more than your name, you’re carrying your city’s colours, its history, and everyone who believes in you.”
“I’m excited to be back with Manchester,” Henry added. “We did big things last season and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us.”
Sandy heads to Manchester after three seasons in the capital and more than 100 games for the London Lions. The 6ft 7in forward has played in the club’s EuroCup campaigns and was part of the sides that lifted the British Playoff titles in 2024 and 2026. He also made an impact against Turk Telekom in EuroCup play earlier this year, scoring 12 points.
“I’m very excited to be part of Manchester Basketball and continue building the winning culture in the city,” Sandy said. “I look forward to working with everyone in the organisation and playing in front of the fans!”
Brown joins after a breakout campaign with Bristol Flyers that earned him a call-up to the Great Britain senior squad, who played in Manchester in Tuesday’s loss to Iceland. The 6ft 3in combo guard began last season in the Irish Super League with Sligo All-Stars, where he averaged 19.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, before adding 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 34 SLB appearances for Bristol. His college career included spells at Fresno Pacific, Central Methodist, Montana and The University of the Cumberlands, where he helped the Patriots to a 24-4 record in 2023-24 and became the first player since 2009 to earn NAIA First-Team All-American honours.
“I’m super excited to sign with Manchester Basketball,” Brown said. “I’m ready to build on an already established culture and club. I can’t wait to get to work and bring my abilities to the team and help compete for silverware next year. See you soon Manchester.”
Otten said the returning pair gives him confidence in the domestic core. “With Kaiyem and Kayne returning our defence and position versatility will translate well to our roster build. These guys have elite work ethic and great intention to our team and goals as a club.”
He added that Sandy fits the profile of what the club have been looking for on the defensive end. “Ciaran is an elite defender who can guard multiple positions. Strengthening our defence has been a task this summer, Ciaran certainly fits the profile for that.”
On Brown, Otten said: “Brown is a player we saw improved throughout the year, progressing his presence on the court until he became a problem for us in playoffs. For a player so early in his professional career, he’s shown his ceiling is high and will only continue to get better.”
Manchester’s roster now has a familiar domestic spine, with added size on the wing and another promising guard joining a group that will again be expected to compete for silverware.
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