Wilbur Johnson's days as Brighton Bears' undisputed star name are over.

And no-one will be more pleased about that than the big Philadelphia favourite himself.

Johnson turned in his best performance of the season as Bears finally broke their Thames Valley jinx with a 108-96 win last Saturday.

While Albert White and Sterling Davis showed off their clever moves and Randy Duck and Mike Brown tackled Tigers' hot shot guards, the 6ft 8ins centre was allowed to concentrate on what he does best.

The result was a game high 14 rebounds, 17 handy points and a mention alongside 40-point White in coach Nick Nurse's plaudits.

Johnson admits he was below peak condition when he arrived in England just a week before the season started, though he insists he was by no means as badly out of shape as some people suggested.

He will not get excited about a win which broke all sorts of Bears hoodoos.

The 27-year-old former Sheffield star said: "It was just one game. We don't want to go head over heels about it.

"We were embarrassed by our defeats against Chester and Thames Valley the previous week and we had some talks and watched the games on film.

"People were saying we were the same sort of team as last year and that was embarrassing. The guys took it to heart.

"I already had people on my case at the start of the season. I tried to come back bigger and heavier and with more muscle.

"Then once I got here the club told me I should be slimmer. People thought it was just fat but I had been working out to get bigger."

After a nightmare first home game against the Tigers, Bears stitched together three successive wins at the Brighton Centre, including a second successive defeat of Sheffield.

Johnson had a particularly strong third quarter in that game but admitted he was generally not being as forceful as last term, when he dominated inside and even hit three-point shots on his way to an All-Star spot.

He said: "We had so much talent and I think I was happy letting the others do their thing. I had a look in the mirror and said I had to be more of an asset, like I was in the past.

"I have grabbed the bull by the horns and hopefully helped the guys a little bit more through the games."

Nurse certainly thought so. He hailed Johnson's forceful approach at Thames Valley and added: "Wilbur is a good player," stretching the word 'goooood' in his Iowa drawl for added effect.

Referring to Johnson's game stats, the coach added: "Seventeen and 14 are the sort of numbers I want from Wilbur. They are beautiful numbers for him."

Johnson averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game last season. That season was cut short when he flew home to be with his wife Elandra for the birth of their second daughter Leah.

The return to these shores was delayed by the September 11 terror attacks, which did not do Johnson's fitness any good, but the family, which includes five-year-old Ayanna, are now happily settled in Lewes.

Johnson added: "Having another daughter certainly gives you more focus. You have just got to keep your job for one thing.

"Lewes is pretty nice. They have made a good job of getting the town back together after the floods."

While Johnson focussed on the next test, those on the sidelines had a chance to put events at Bracknell last week into perspective.

It was Bears' first win at the venue in six years and 13 attempts and their first 100-point haul anywhere, excluding overtime games, for 91 outings.

White's 40 points was the biggest by a BBL player this season and the best ever by a Bear at Bracknell, eclipsing Colin Irish's 36 in March 1993.

The last 40-point Bear was James Hamilton, also against Tigers, at Worthing in a 105-104 overtime success in January 1997. With Nurse convinced White is capable of a 50-point night, the stats men better prepare to look up more records.