and Kit Mueller comprise by far the biggest front court in Bermuda.

And the biggest office.

All three, not to mention 6-foot-6 guard Matt Tewksbury, play for the Bermuda Basketball Association's Twisters and work at Trout Trading Management, an exempt company with an eye for top athletes.

Leone says the appeal of athletes who have attended top academic institutions -- "They're competitive, team-oriented and disciplined'' -- is ideal for the trading business.

(A spokesman for Trout Trading refused to comment on the firm's hiring practises or its employees).

"It's a lot of fun to come out and play together,'' said Leone.

Top athletes are also used to performing in the clutch. Just ask Mueller, a starter at Princeton University for four years and who nailed a 12-foot jumper at the buzzer in the Twisters' 59-57 victory over the Hot Shots in a game on Sunday.

Twisters are probably the top team in the league, due in no small measure to Mueller and Leone, who played at William and Mary University, and, later, professionally for the London Towers, and Mueller.

"We like it here an awful lot,'' said Leone.

Mueller, who has worked on the Island for two and a half years, graduated in 1991 after leading the Tigers to three appearances in the NCAA tournament, the most memorable being a first-round near upset of Alonzo Mourning's Georgetown team in 1989.

But in a sign of the BBA's strength, even the Twisters' pedigree has resulted in two wins by a total of just three points.

Hot Shots were up by ten points early in the second quarter on Sunday and led 35-31 at the half before the Twisters -- playing without point guard Matt O'Reilly and no bench -- battled back.

Hot Shots tied the game twice -- 55-55 on the last of Tony Williams' four three-pointers with 1:50 to go -- and 57-57 a pair of free throws by Williams with five seconds left -- before Mueller's heroics off an inbounds play.

Mueller is a three-time league MVP and led the Twisters to the Winter League title. Flanagan's Top Guns are also threats for the title, having won last year's Summer League crown.