Nick Nurse has called for new investors to help make Brighton Bears a European force.

The message comes as the Bears chief prepares his team to tackle Lituanian giants Lietuvos Rytas in today's ULEB Cup group game (4.30pm GMT).

Bears go into the match on the back of wins against Split and Ionikos and still have an outside chance of making the last 16.

Nurse though was looking further ahead as he touched down in snowy Vilnius yesterday afternoon.

The Bears owner and head coach has been captivated by what he has seen on his ULEB Cup travels and wants his club to have a better chance of overcoming the odds in international action.

Today's game will give him his clearest indication yet of the uneven playing field facing his side in Europe.

Nurse's men will meet a Lietuvos Rytas side who thrashed Split by 46 points last week, even though they left former Chicago Bulls star Dickey Simpkins on the bench.

Bears can only dream of those riches.

Nurse said: "We are still operating at a level way below our European competitors. Sometimes a level of ten times lower.

"Dickey Simpkins, for example, would earn more than our entire team.

"Now I am not talking about a Chelsea-size investor or that we need to get Dickey Simpkins type players on our side.

"But we do need some local investors that would love to see great basketball and have a team that does all this community work to represent this area as well as it can.

"I would love to be able to take this thing up another notch and get to the point to where we are force in European play.

"If that is to happen we will need to have some sort of outside investment in the club."

Teams playing Bears in Europe have, without exception, been amazed at the lack of infrastructure at the English club.

Lietuvos Rytas were outraged that they had to train at the University of Sussex because Bears do not own their own venue.

Ionikos could not grasp the fact that Nurse was head coach, general manager and owner when they had three people filling those positions.

Meanwhile, the store cupboard at the end of Split's row of suites for their various directors was as big as the single office from which Bears' staff of four operate.

Nurse bought the Brighton club from Romek Kriwald at the start of last season but insists he would be happy to relinquish sole control.

Cholet form arguably the model of what Nurse would love to achieve.

He made no secret of his admiration for their set-up, at a purpose-built but low budget 4,500-seater venue, packed with fans and adorned with banners commemorating success at senior and youth level.

The key though will be to field a team who can target the latter stages of the ULEB Cup.

Meanwhile, Bears have been told they will face one of the new giants of European basketball today.

Robertas Javtokas, a 7ft centre being groomed for NBA stardom by champions San Antonio Spurs, has been cleared to play for Lietuvos Rytas, despite a groin problem.

Javtokas missed last week's 46-point demolition of Split but a specialist in San Antonio has told him surgery can be delayed until the summer and sent him back to Europe to complete the season.

Today's Group F action: Lietuvos Rytas v Brighton Bears (4.30), Sopot v Ionikos (5.00), Split v Cholet (7.00). Times GMT.