WORTHING BEARS entertain Derby Storm tonight knowing they have virtually no chance of avoiding the Budweiser League wooden spoon.

Even if Bears produced only their fifth victory of the season, they would still have to win all of their remaining four games and hope Leicester lose five of their final six to climb off the bottom.

Bears outgoing former England guard, Steve Nelson, acknowledges it is all about showing pride in the last three weeks and pledges he will be giving everything before moving on at the end of the season.

He said: "All we can do now is to go into one game at a time and see how it goes. I'm 100 per cent committed.

"Having just started my new job as National Development manager of the English Basketball Association, I'm travelling a long way to play these games and I'm not coming just to make up the numbers.

"I'm trying to help us win, otherwise it's a waste of my time."

Head coach Sean Louckes, who hopes to know soon whether or not he has landed the job for next season, must make do with a weakened bench as Stuart Newman is out for the season with a shattered finger and James Brame is currently taking part in a tournament in America and will miss the next two games.

Derby have already beaten Bears three times this season in the National Cup, Uni-ball Trophy and the League, and Bob Donewald's team visit Worthing fresh from their comprehensive 90-69 defeat against Manchester in the Trophy final last Saturday.

Storm, winners of only three of their last eight games, have been hit by the suspension of Rico Alderson and Yorick Williams and Donewald is also without the services of England international forward Nick Donavan with a knee ligament injury.

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