WORCESTER Wolves have once again turned to Lithuania to strengthen their squad with the signing of Robertas Bitinas.

The 30-year-old shooting guard, who stands at 6ft, has been brought in as cover after Disraeli Lufadeju suffered a knee injury which could keep him out until the end of the season.

A deal to bring Bitinas to the University Arena club was completed at the 11th hour to beat the British League’s transfer deadline.

He will become the second Lithuanian to feature for Wolves this season following in the footsteps of centre Donatas Visockis, who left the club in November.

Worcester have strong links with Lithuania, who are a powerhouse in European basketball, and seen players from the country link up with them in the past.

Head coach Paul James said: “We are conscious of the fact that we have lacked depth in certain areas within the team and bringing in Robertas will give us not only a shooting threat but also brings a wealth of extensive experience to the club.

“Clearly, once again it has been helpful to have great links in Lithuania in terms of identifying this player but special credit has to go to our administrators within the club who excelled during such a short period of time to make this happen.

“We managed to prepare all of the relevant paperwork and have everything in place with 30 minutes to spare.”

Binitas is set to meet his new team-mates this week and could make his debut in Friday’s league match against Plymouth Raiders at the arena.

His career has included spells with Neptunas, one of Lithuania’s leading clubs, while he has also played in Spain.

Meanwhile, Wolves are in talks about creating a partnership with Euroleague outfit Valencia.

Officials from Wolves met with Valencia sporting director Chechu Mulero to discuss a potential link.

A partnership could include training camps and friendly fixtures for Valencia’s senior team in Worcester, coaching clinics and player development schemes.

Mulero said: “I had heard a great deal about the basketball programme and the international reputation of Worcester before my visit.

“Having now been able to see for myself that, together with excellent facilities, the university has a very exciting programme. I can see that it is something which our club would be happy to be associated with.

“The people here have a real passion for the sport and some very good ideas for the future. We look forward to working with them.”

Wolves managing director Mick Donovan added: “We were thrilled to receive such a positive response.”