WORCESTER Wolves experienced a baptism of fire against the elite teams in their first British Basketball League campaign.

There was criticism from some quarters who poured scorn on Wolves following just five wins in 40 competitive contests.

And there is a growing belief that Wolves have to spend more money in order to compete at this level in order to avoid future failure.

Director of basketball Mick Donovan said: "This season has certainly been eventful. The fans, players, coaches and management have all taken a bit of a battering in the BBL.

"But the vision of the league for the future and the attitude of the visiting clubs and players has been refreshing.

"We do have a philosophy of developing young English players and a strong partnership with the university that is unique in this country for basketball.

"While some would see this as a weakness at the top level, we see the benefits for the club and the game long-term.

"We could save money by sacrificing our EBL Division Three team that provides opportunities for aspiring, young English players who come to study and play - then fund an expensive foreign import player for the senior team.

"It would be a quick fix' but that is certainly not in our thinking.

"In this country, the universities provide the majority of our internationals for cricket, netball and rugby."

The University of Worcester academy is the strongest in the UK, winning the last three BUSA Championships and finishing runners-up to Leningrad in the World Inter-university Games in 2006.

Donovan said: "We firmly believe we can attract some good players on scholarship contracts but we also believe that, to compete in the BBL, we have to invest in professional players who can bring some experience to the team."

A key feature of the club is the leadership and support of chairman Roger Clarke who lives in Coventry yet, for the past seven years, has invested heavily in the Worcester plan.

Donovan continued: "We are beginning to attract some support from established local businesses, yet really need a main corporate sponsor in order to compete with the big clubs in the league.

"If that does not happen, then we have to be creative and cut the cloth accordingly.

"One of the positive things about working with Roger is that he believes in the club, the sport and has a realistic, positive vision for the future.

"We have gone from Division Three South in 2000 to the BBL in seven years. Now we have arrived in the BBL, we intend to stay there and keep improving. The reality is that off the court we have a handful of people who all have successful careers, giving their time and expertise to serve the club.

"On the court we have to build a stronger team and we are confident that we will spend the summer achieving that aim.

"We have to find investors. However, if that does not happen immediately, we will not go into debt buying imported players for the sake of one season of glory."

He added: "We want to place Worcester at the top of the pile in elite basketball and while our strategy so far has not been traditional, we are moving forwards against the odds.

"Our players are now visiting over 50 schools throughout the year to work with youngsters and teachers in the West Midlands.

"We have never been more excited about the challenge that we face."