Gary Smith scaled the heights of professional English basketball with the all-conquering Worthing Bears.

As a youngster, he lined up with Alan Cunningham and Colin Irish as Bears dominated the English game.

But little will match the elation of bringing glory back to the town as the player/coach leads Worthing Thunder on one the biggest day trips of their short existence.

Thunder, who rose out of the ashes of the Bears' defection to Brighton in 1999, hit the road on Sunday morning bound for the NBL Trophy final.

Victory over Teesside Mohawks at the Sheffield Arena (5pm) would bring the club their first piece of silverware.

There is no rich benefactor keeping Thunder going. They were founded by five former Bears fans with nine-to-five jobs and are kept alive by hard work and careful budgeting.

A combination of sponsorship, admission money and fund-raising events such as skittles evenings, raffles and three-on-threes help them cover costs.

They have two American professionals in Sean Hampton and Gaylon Moore The rest fit in training sessions and trips all over the country around full-time jobs.

Smith, who works as a sprayer, said: "It's really low budget. All we can do is get players who really want to play the game.

"We've got guys from London who chose to play for Worthing because they know we have got a chance of doing something. It's not easy to keep it going and it's not easy to put a team together in the close season.

"We give them travelling expenses and maybe enough to buy a drink. But it's not just about money. It's their time as well."

History teacher Paul Mundy-Castle and student Marvin Addy travel from London, as does former pro Dwayne Martin, who coaches the game in schools for a living.

James Brame is also a coach, Darren Cheal works at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton, Mark Vingoe and Oliver Roche are students and Jason Legoff a chef in Brighton.

Martin, 35, played in the top flight with Chester and Crystal Palace.

Despite being relatively short at 6ft 3ins, he leads the all-time BBL standings for offensive rebounds with 4.35 per game.

He said: "A lot will depend on experienced players like myself on Sunday.

"The teams are all capable of beating each other so it comes down to preparation. We played Leicester from the BBL in the cup this season and we gave them a scare until the third quarter."

Martin, who hails from Baltimore but has a British passport, added: "As a pro I had a house and car provided for me and I practised every day, but I would rather have it like this.

"It comes down to job security. Clubs don't keep players for more than one or two years.

"I travel to Worthing on Wednesday and Friday and then there are games on Saturdays but I get my travel expenses."

Martin joined Thunder after the demise of Mid Sussex Magic while Smith was without a club until the new Worthing outfit asked him along.

He admitted: "I felt I would go into coaching at some point but before I knew it I was in charge of the team at Wembley last season.

"We lost that day and when Plymouth went up to take the trophy we watched and saw how happy they were."

Money cannot buy that sort of jubilation. And Thunder will attempt to prove it on Sunday.