Nick Nurse today insisted the arrival of an NBA legend can have long term benefit as Genesis Brighton Bears prepared to put up the "house full" signs.

Bears' clash with Guildford Heat, at the Triangle tonight, is close to a sell out as fans flock to see Dennis Rodman play for the hosts.

Rodman's arrival has captured massive interest among basketball and celebrity followers.

But his move has disappointed a former Bears star, who believes the deal could turn the game into a circus.

Billy Hungrecker, a Bears ace in the Eighties and now a youth coach, said: "I'm passionate about basketball and if they are going to spend that kind of money on Rodman I believe they should be spending it on kids.

"Bringing in Rodman makes basketball almost like a circus.

"The money could be better used on the junior programme."

Bears coach Nurse said the Rodman deal was a one-off and could not be compared to a long term investment or signing a player for a full league season.

He believes Rodman's arrival will strengthen his relationship with Genesis Forwarding Services, who have have taken the fincancial risk to hire the former Chicago Bulls star, and increase the club's prestige.

Asked why Genesis had not spent cash on Bears' youth policy or bringing in a lesser-known FROM BACK PAGE player for the rest of the season, Nurse said: "The simple answer is doing that does not bring in this sort of cash return.

"It has taken five years for me to bring a naming rights sponsor to this club. They have an unbelievable return on their investment. This is a one-off fluke but they have seen a great return this week.

"It also has historical value. We will always be known as a team who Rodman played for.

"Okay, he has played for a few but not that many."

Hungrecker added: "This is nothing against Nick Nurse. When he came to Brighton, he came to me hoping to do something with the junior section. Nobody asked him to do it.

"But I think hiring Rodman sends out the wrong message."

Rodman's management company in the States are not surprised their man's arrival in Sussex has caused almost unprecedented excitement.

Steve Simon, vice president of Prince Marketing Group, said: "We expected that reaction.

"He's a legend. He's a once in a lifetime entertainer. We are quite happy he is proving so popular."

Bears guard Ronnie Baker is celebrating one of the biggest honours of his long England career after being selected for the Commonwealth Games.

Baker, who has won 149 caps for his country, will miss a month of the BBL season after fighting off stiff competition for a place in the England party for Melbourne.

The 36-year-old is enjoying his best season for years from behind the three-point line.

Critics have pointed out his other statistics, such as assists-to-turnovers ratio, are less impressive but England coach Peter Scantlebury said: "It's not all about numbers. It never is in a team game.

"I've chosen Ronnie for his leadership qualities and his experience. Those qualities have shone through in our training camp this week."

Scantlebury is aiming for a semi-final spot and admits New Zealand provide the toughest opposition of the first phase.

Baker said: "I'm delighted. It's a good squad. There's a bit of experience there and young guys who have a lot of passion and really want to play for the country.

"This is definitely one of the biggest moments of my career. It's a shame I miss Brighton games because I love playing for my club but the country comes first."

Baker will be away from February 27 until March 28, ruling him out of eight games.

Meanwhile Richard Midgley has helped cause his own excitement as he does Rodman's exile in reverse.

The guard from Burgess Hill is doing great things on the west coast of America and helped California score a landmark win in the top tier of college basketball.

Midgley scored eight points as Cal stunned No.10 seeds Washington 71-69 before 9,000 delirious supporters.

Fans were jubliant as Cal kept their bid for top placing in the Pac-10 Conference alive. Midgley said: "It was a bit crazy. The fans rushed the court.

"That was a big win. We are going well but we expected to be. We are one game off first place and we believe we could win the Pac-10."

The return of Leon Powe from injury has been significant.

Midgley added: "He's big and strong, hard to guard. People are saying he will play in the NBA."