Nick Nurse will today gather his new collection of basketball talent and tell them to shoot Brighton Bears back to the top of the British League.

Bears, league champions last season before fading badly in the end-of-season play-offs, start their domestic campaign with a testing trip to old rivals Thames Valley Tigers tomorrow.

They also have a trip to Birmingham Bullets on Sunday (6.30pm) before tackling a series of home games as a veil is finally drawn across a turbulent close season.

With the exception of Yorick Williams, Andrew Alleyne and Nurse himself, the entire playing and coaching staff has changed since that memorable night in April when Leicester were thrashed and Bears crowned league champions.

Although Nurse, the team's coach and owner, would probably reject suggestions that his squad is low-budget, belts appear to have been tightened. Gone are the days when Alleyne, Mike Brown, Sullivan Phillips and Phil Perre could be left on the bench, as happened this time last year.

In fact, maybe the better term is value for money. Certainly if players like Steve Lepore and Ajou Deng, who sat out last season but have top quality American college backgrounds, come good, Nurse will be entitled to feel he pulled off a masterstroke or two.

As he will should Duncan Ogilvie or Pat Bates show signs of real progress in their first full season at this level.

Talent Nurse believes he has a team who will listen, play team basketball and possibly surprise a few people.

The Bears chief said: "We do things differently now. I think there is enough talent there, plenty of depth and my expectations are to be at the top of the table, eventually.

"It might take us a little while, maybe not. I think this team is ready to go, ready to play.

"Certainly we are a much better shooting team. We've got guys who can shoot. Yorick Williams to Ryan Huntley are an improvement on what we had there.

"Duncan Ogilvie is an improvement off the bench, we will give Drew Alleyne more freedom to shoot, Deng can shoot, Lepore is a great shooter, that has got to be a big strength.

"We are a much smarter team mentally. We won't make as many mistakes. I think we will be very difficult to beat because of that."

Nurse admits it will take time for BBL newcomers to get used to the challenge provided by some of the less celubrious away venues.

Then there is a quirky schedule which includes away trips to Plymouth and Newcastle on successive nights and games in Moscow and Sheffield in the space of 48 hours.

The European commitment has increased from ten games to 14, or more should Bears progress.

What might quietly please Nurse, though, is that a few people appear to be writing his team off.

Take a nationwide fans' internet poll during the summer, asking voters to chose which team would be the one to beat. Among four candidates, Bears were not even mentioned.

Huntley will get more of the ball than any of the new boys as he runs the show from point guard.

The 27-year-old Texan knows perfectly well how the absence of a big build-up can be a good thing.

He helped unheralded Scottish Rocks win the play-offs two seasons ago before moving to Chester Jets.

Bears beat Chester by 50 and 21 in the league but defeats by two and one in the Trophy final and play-off semis respectively cast a shadow over the season. Huntley played in both those big games.

He said: "At Chester we had some good veteran players and that really helped us in big games.

"We have a lot of veteran players here too. Myself, Yorick, Drew, Tony Holley, guys that have been there and played a few games before.

"Steve played at Wake Forest in one of the top conferences in the US.

"We have a lot of players who are used to playing in big games. That can't do anything but help us.

"I have some good memories playing against Brighton. Hopefully we can have some good results here.

"Coach (Kevin) Wall at Rocks told me about Nick Nurse and he gave me the opportinity to bring me down here and play.

"I'm flattered he did that. We are playing in the FIBA Europe League as well and that's a good chance to play against top talent around Europe so it's a dream job really."

Huntley averaged 12 points per game last season but is under orders to improve that.

He admitted: "I'm looking forward to it though. We have a lot of good guys, a lot of unselfish guys, a lot of smart players who know how to play good team basketball."

Good enough to keep the team in Europe for a third season? That is the aim.

Nurse said: "I would assume London Towers would want to get back into Europe so finishing above them is important for us.

"You never know with Birmingham or Sheffield or Scottish Rocks, maybe they will want to go into Europe as well.

"If we win the league we will be assured of playing in Europe and that's what we want."