Bears: How did we get here?

But few fans of the British League club, especially those who paid in advance for 2006-07 season tickets, could have expected there would be no Bears basketball this winter.

The 2004 league champions confirmed last Friday they would be parking' their franchise for a year to sort out "issues off court which will take some time to address."

It was the latest, most dramatic, descent in what has been a rollercoaster ride ever since Nurse, the most successful coach in British basketball, agreed to take charge of the Southern Conference's bottom team.

That was in the summer of 2001. A year later he became club owner.

On the court, Nurse brought in a series of talented players, took Bears to within a win of the Conference title, then brought in one piece of silverware in each of the three subsequent campaigns.

At their best, Bears played with an in-your-face swagger which reflected their coach/owner's infectiously enthusiastic, trailblazing approach to the game and life in general.

They eventually found the same swagger in the ULEB Cup (basketball's answer to the UEFA Cup) in 2003-04, winning four of their last five games after being 0-5 at one stage.

No one who had previously seen the club play in a near-deserted Brighton Centre and finish bottom of the table could have expected the highs Nurse would bring.

He brought would-be NBA draftees, a major BBL final, European competition, top college opposition and, above all, success to Brighton and he might feel the public, sponsors and local authorities could have given more backing in return. More than just two Saturday night dates at the Brighton Centre last season would have been very welcome.

Sadly, the surprises Nurse served up were not always so enjoyable.

There was his absence during the league-winning year to sort out family matters, the sideline bans he incurred, a public bust-up with his captain Randy Duck, a court appearance for driving offences and his well-publicised bankruptcy, which was linked to the club's financial problems.

Virtually the whole team departed after winning the league though Nurse recruited on the cheap and somehow pieced together a side which won the cup in 2004-05 and were in title contention until injuries struck.

Their 20-point win at eventual champions Chester that season, inspired by short-lived hotshot Cheyne Gadson, was arguably the last real powerhouse display the golden Bears produced and, for that reason alone, was worth a long Sunday afternoon drive.

Last season the team had an even cheaper look and, after making a mixed start, Nurse was forced to step down from coaching for much of the campaign to undergo a throat operation.

His major contribution in his time away was to team up with Doug Currie of club sponsors Genesis to bring in Dennis Rodman for three appearances.

Again, who would have expected that? And who can forget those fabulous nights when the BBL felt like the NBA? They were a great advert for the league, for Bears and for Nurse himself.

They might also have been the turning point in the history of Nurse and the Bears.

Not only did he get a taste of something more exciting, he also became increasingly frustrated with the BBL.

Due to their own failings in changing Andrew Alleyne's registration, Bears ended up fielding an ineligible player when Rodman played against Guildford.

The subsequent points deduction was an irrelevance. More telling for Nurse was what he saw as a nit-picking reaction to, in his words, the biggest event the BBL had ever seen, times 50.

A director at a rival club likened Rodman's BBL appearances to Diego Maradona signing for Aston Villa.

In fact, Nurse's publicity coup was more like Maradona signing for Burgess Hill Town and he was annoyed some people could not see that.

The BBL is not what it used to be, with dwindling crowds, unimpressive venues, a declining standard of play and virtually no national media exposure.

Bottom club Birmingham have withdrawn from the league next season, along with Bears and London Towers, though Worcester and London United have stepped up from the EBL.

Meanwhile, cleansweep champions Newcastle Eagles have decided they cannot represent the BBL in Europe.

No doubt Newcastle have made a careful decision but it still reflects badly on the league that their best franchise on and off the court are not playing in Europe. Yet this is the league to which Brighton will return in October 2007, according to their statement.

Talk of new leagues, one of them backed by the NBA, has been rife around basketball for some time now. Nurse has recognised such a thing could happen and, in The Argus, spoke of the benefits an NBA-backed competition would bring. That appears to be as far as it goes for now.

As well as stressing the club's commitment to its Summer Camp and youth teams, Friday's statement read: "We look forward to working with the BBL over the next 12 months and returning to BBL competition in 2007-08."

Which begs two questions. Firstly, if that is going to happen, what will have improved so much either in Bears' set-up or the BBL by then?

Secondly, look at what Bears told us last Friday: "We set ourselves high standards and our playing strength last season was not at a level we feel suitable for the organisation's or our fans' aspirations." Then ask yourself whether a club should be able to miss a year for those reasons.

How would Nurse have felt three years ago if his club had been denied four or six home dates because two or three of their rivals had decided they could not live up to previous standards so were pulling out for a season?

Cryptically, the statement reads: "Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward."

Bears have had tough seasons before but not playing at all will be the biggest backward step of all for their fans.

Those supporters may well be feeling cheated. They will certainly be expecting the club back in 2007. Maybe they should just expect the unexpected.