Ronnie Baker today told the rest of the British Basketball League: "We want to run you off the court."

Baker and Andrew Alleyne have been named as co-captains of new-look Brighton Bears, who get their BBL season underway at Birmingham Bullets tomorrow.

Fans have been alarmed and coach Nick Nurse is a little concerned by the way Bears' team building has lagged behind schedule.

They could travel to the West Midlands tomorrow with three key spots in the squad still unfilled.

But Nurse has vowed his team, when assembled, will play an exciting brand of basketball in what looks the best quality BBL for some time.

Nurse's message to his men is: "Run until you drop."

And Baker, still one of the fastest movers in the league at 36, is ready to put it into practice.

The England playmaker said: "We're going to be up-tempo and press teams for the full 40 minutes.

"It will be hard work. I've done it before, when I was at Brixton and a lot younger, but I'm still in good shape.

"Teams in England aren't used to being put under that sort of pressure and a lot of them will not be in as good shape as we are.

"We want to get to a stage where teams just won't want to play us."

Nurse's up-tempo approach should be good to watch and is in line with the fast-break fad which lit up the NBA last season.

But it could also be interpreted as a way of negating teams with more talent at their disposal.

Will it work? Impossible to say until spots for a dual-national, a non-permit overseas man and top English player are filled.

In theory, 6ft 11in Ajou Deng could return to fill the second of those voids.

Deng is some way from finding a club for the new season but Nurse has made no move to bring him back.

The Bears chief knows all about basketball market forces but it is the domino effect he has been struggling with of late.

He has plenty of pieces lined up. Once one goes, the rest could follow very quickly and, if that happens, reports of Bears' demise will be premature.

If it doesn't, get ready for a tough winter.

Point guard Terrance McGee and forwards Steve Parillon and Marshall Sanders will be expected to start tomorrow after signing this summer.

Baker will be joined on the bench by Daniel Hildreth and Martin Yabsley, the latter playing against the team he left in April.

There is likely to be another signing or two ahead of tip-off.

Baker is unworried by the lastminute nature of Nurse's team-building.

He said: "Nick's a good coach. He will adjust to what he's got and get his team playing well.

"As captain, I'll be trying to explain to the younger players how to get through a tough season and be professional about it.

"But being a captain isn't really any different to being a point guard.

"The league looks strong. Leicester look good, the other top teams will be up there and I've seen Towers practise and they look all right."

Leicester have been the talk of the league by outbidding Bears for Tony Holley, adding former Brighton point guard Ryan Huntley and picking up ex-LA Laker Steve Bucknall, Georgia Tech starter Anthony McHenry and England centre Robert Reed.

Towers, Guildford, Sheffield, Birmingham and Chester all go into the season with point guards who are new to the BBL.

By contrast, Scottish Rocks have brought in BBL experience in Rob Yanders, Frank Bennett and Charles Smith, all play-off winners in the past two seasons.

Look out for more English talent than in previous years. Clubs have been granted funding to keep national team players in this country and available for the Commonwealth Games.

As well as Reed, Germayne Forbes (Rocks) and Michael Martin (Guildford) have returned to Britain and Newcastle talisman Andrew Sullivan has put his European ambitions on hold.