Nick Nurse has given his Genesis Brighton Bears a massive boost by bringing former British League MVP Jerry Williams back to this country.

The 6ft 5ins swingman is on board for the rest of the season after leaving French top flight outfit Dijon.

He takes Bears' third and last spot available for a work permit overseas player but the club now have room for a non-permit import after releasing Corey Jackson.

The new line-up will be in action for the first time at Newcastle, a team who recently turned down the chance to sign Williams, a week tonight.

Bears coach Nurse is delighted with the deal but revealed it came about after he enquired about another player.

Nurse said: "I was talking to their agent Patrick King about Andrew Mavis when he told me about Jerry becoming available.

"He's really good, in my opinion one of the top players who have been in this league in the last few years. He scores, rebounds, plays hard and will be useful at both ends of the floor."

Williams, 27, is not a ready-made solution to Bears' lack of a three-point threat but Nurse said: "He's a better shooter than his numbers make him look.

"He's more of a player who takes it to the rim and we might be playing him at small or power forward more than he is used to.

"This is huge for us. I never expected to get somebody of his calibre but it's something we need."

Williams helped Sheffield pip Bears to the league title in his first season out of Cumberland College in Kentucky, taking MVP honours in the pivotal clash at the Brighton Centre when he bagged 24 points.

He then moved to Scottish Rocks, where he partnered current Bears point guard Terrance McGee and averaged 23.3 points a game. He hit 22.4 per game for London Towers last season.

Williams impressed for Dijon in pre-season but struggled in league action.

His spot in the squad became untenable after the club re-signed one of their star youth products, Yakhouba Diawara, when he completed his American college career at Pepperdine.

Williams played in the first four matches of Dijon's ProA season, all of which were lost, but only started once.

He averaged 15 minutes and five points per game, shooting at an excellent 69 per cent from two point range (9/13), missing the only three-pointer he attempted and making both his free throws.

But it is as a serial winner in the British League that Bears fans best know him.

He played against Bears 13 times in his three previous BBL seasons and enjoyed eight wins, averaging 20 points per game.

His biggest haul was the 34 points he contributed to a 106-82 mauling Bears suffered at Scottish Rocks the day after losing the BBL Trophy final two seasons ago.

As well as that glorious night at the Brighton Cente with the Sharks, he also helped Rocks win at the Triangle and Towers enjoy success at both Sussex venues.

His last visit to the Brighton Centre was on another bleak day for Bears when he watched them lose last season's Trophy final to Newcastle.

Jackson's departure is little surprise after he was unable to maintain his promising early-season form.

Nurse said: "We gave him a long shot and he started well but unfortunately he had too many unproductive games."

As for Mavis, that avenue looks to be closed at the moment though he would be useful addition as a proven shooter operating as a non-permit overseas player.

Nurse does not expect to make any more signings before Christmas and admits his team remains under-sized.

He said: "I need Martin Yabsley to play well. He has done better than we have given him credit for and he does not need to be a scorer now."