Basketball: Deng's move to Brighton spells danger for Tigers

The name of Ajou Deng on the Brighton Bears teamsheet may worry the Thames Valley Tigers coach, Paul James, before tonight's visit of the British Basketball League champions to Bracknell.

But the former England international is concentrating on pulling his own team together after their stop-start to the campaign last weekend, while the Bears were suffering three defeats at a tournament in France.

James said: "We've go to take care of our own business, improve on last weekend." The Tigers immediately suffered an 88-81 home defeat to London Towers before cruising past the Bullets in Birmingham on Sunday.

The Bears coach, Nick Nurse, this week completed the signing of the 6ft 11in London-born Sudanese Deng, whose elder brother, Luol, was the Chicago Bulls' first-round draft pick this summer.

The Bears have made wholesale changes since winning the championship last season, partly to adhere to stricter import regulations when they compete in the FIBA Europe League, with only Andrew Alleyne and Yorick Williams, of the key players, returning. Nurse has also signed the former Tiger veteran Tony Holley and partners former Scottish Rock Ryan Huntley with Williams in the backcourt.