Well we made it back from our latest European adventure, still looking for our first win but with team spirit higher than ever.

As I said in the aftermath of our narrow defeat at Cholet on Tuesday, I am as convinced as ever we are right to be tackling the ULEB Cup and I am ambitious to go into Europe again next season.

A few observations about Tuesday's game in France which, to a large extent, followed the pattern with which we are becoming familiar in our European fixtures.

First things first, I think the best team won.

We got hurt a little bit on the glass. I really liked the way Cholet rebounded the ball at key times.

We would make a defensive stop and they would get a put-back or we would make the stop and they would tap the ball back and make a three-pointer out of it.

They also beat us 24-9 from the free throw line. You are not going to win many games like that.

At half time we were leading on rebounds and from the free throw line.

Those two things drastically changed in the second half and they were key factors in the final result.

Defensive rebounds and making foul shots win you games.

Cholet also stepped up and hit some big shots at crucial moments.

I was impressed by that. When it's close at home sometimes those shots become tougher but Cholet hit them and all credit to them for that.

I also found Cholet a fun place to play basketball. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and playing in a game like that is all part of our education.

So what about us?

We were obviously short of a handful of players and we had eight senior guys to play with.

In theory that is enough, but you can't have, for example, Jason Siemon virtually give you nothing and Yorick Williams do the same except for a couple of late threes.

All the other six guys I thought were very good and credit to them for that, but to win with a great atmosphere against you, you cannot have players giving you what I would call goose eggs, namely nought for nought or no rebounds.

A special word of praise to Mike Brown who had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

He is a hell of a competitor and I've said many times he is maybe the best rebounder for his size I have ever seen. Pound for pound he is the best rebounder certainly in England and probably in the ULEB Cup as a whole.

Looking at our European group I would say it is better than the group I competed in with London Towers in the Euroleague.

My team is better now than that Towers' line-up, but we are facing a hell of a challenge and I hope people understand and appreciate that.

I can't pass up this opportunity of thanking those devoted Bears' fans who made the huge effort to travel to France and support us.

The guys really appreciated that, as I think they showed at the end of the game. The word is spreading about our European adventures, but we've got a lot of work to do yet.

GO BEARS!