It is supposed to be the highway paved with golden opportunity. The route to fame and glory in the big city for the basketball stars of Brighton Bears.

Okay, that might be painting an excessively glamorous picture of the M23 and Croydon bypass.

But, for the second successive year, Bears will tip-off a new season on Saturday knowing the man crowned their MVP in the previous campaign has been left unemployed after shunning Sussex to join London Towers.

Last year Sterling Davis, player-of-the-season for two successive campaigns on the south coast, was shown the door by Towers, who are based at Crystal Palace, after just two games.

This time around, Rico Alderson did not even last that long. He was told to find a new club before the league season had got under way, having already been fined and suspended by Towers for an alleged breach of discipline.

Alderson maintains he was eased aside so that Towers coach Robbie Peers could bring in his former Chester Jets player James Hamilton to the dual national spot.

Even if that is true, there is an argument that Peers made the right decision on tactical grounds given Hamiltons impressive contribution to last Saturday's opening-night 88-81 defeat of Thames Valley Tigers.

Alderson did not attend that game, in which his house mate and former Bears sidekick Sullivan Phillips made a creditable debut in Towers colours.

He was, however, on the phone on Monday to the offices of The Argus, seeking help in finding a new employer.

That was somewhat ironic given he refused to speak to this newspaper throughout last season.

Alderson is seeking game tape to send to potential employers in Europe, where he believes his talents will be better rewarded.

As a British passport holder, the European Union is Alderson's oyster, providing he can find a team with space on the roster and in their budget.

He said: "I want to go to Europe. My game is too strong for this league. You know it. I'm alright. I'm out of work right now but it's cool."

Davis knows what Alderson is going through. He was cut ahead of a home game with Brighton last October, then suffered a similar fate at German strugglers Giessen, where he averaged 12.6 points per game The Germans did, however, honour the remainder of his contract and, after spending summer back in Brighton working out with Bears squad player Mani Laroche, he is now starting for play-off champions Sheffield Sharks.

Davis admitted: "I can sympathise with Rico because I went through the same thing as him but I wouldn't want to down-talk London Towers.

"I was unemployed for two weeks after leaving Towers.

"To this day I really don't understand what the deal was with getting cut. It happened for a reason though and maybe it was the best thing for me. I don't went to dwell on it."

Ralph Blalock went to Towers with Davis and was seen as a huge loss for Brighton at the time but he rarely impressed in the capital.

Blalock has signed for last season's Israeli runners-up Hapoel Tel Aviv after impressing in a trial spell.

Alderson is not the only member of last season's league-winning Bears side whose immediate future has not been resolved.

Jason Siemon is currently in Holland, trying out for reigning play-off champions MPC Capitals of Groningen.

Kendrick Warren and Mike Brown are playing in the second divisions of two of the strongest leagues in Europe.

Warren impressed the French with his ULEB Cup performance away to Cholet last season and has now joined their neighbours Nantes while Brown is with Halkida in Greece.

Tom Frederick (injured) and Randy Duck (retired) are not playing.

Davis's predecessor as MVP, Wilbur Johnson, remains in Germany, moving from Giessen, where he averaged 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season, to the more powerful Oldenburg, who came fourth last winter.

Rodger Farrington has left Bears' Europe League rivals Bnei haSharon but remains in Israel with Nahariya.

The other stand-out of the Nick Nurse era, Albert White, has gone further afield. It is ten years since White was named in the all-American high school third team, alongside this summer's NBA finals MVP Chauncey Billups.

A colourful career has now taken him to South Korea, where he is beginning his second season at Inchon ET Land Black Slamer having averaged 27 points per game last term.

White's success shows a basketball professional never quite knows to what lengths he will have to go to get the right opening.

But, if you are a Bears MVP, it appears keeping clear of Crystal Palace might not be a bad start.