Solent Stars begin their National Conference League campaign tonight when they entertain Manchester Magic (Fleming Park Leisure Centre, 8pm).

Manchester have won seven of their National Trophy pool matches, including a 96-50 win over Hull Icebergs last weekend.

Boasting a young side, the Manchester club has just moved into its own arena where it acts as a focus for basketball in the Manchester area.

The club has a long history of developing young talent and has survived even through the demise of the local Basketball League outfit, Manchester Giants.

Last season, Manchester finished one place below Solent in the league but lost out in the Championship play-offs to eventual winners Teesside Mohawks.

Mark Scott, the Solent Stars coach, is upbeat about his charges despite no success in the ten National Trophy games.

"The spirit is good, the guys get on well with one another and the recent arrival of Dominique Jones means that we are now more competitive," he said.

Jones scored 27 points in last weekend's two matches, having only arrived in the country the day before the first game.

The 6ft 5in 25-year-old from Toledo, Ohio will be looking to make his first serious impression tonight.

With a point-scoring pedigree, his University coach described Jones as "a physical, agile and versatile interior finisher with the ability to score consistently from the three-point arc."

Jones will look to the service he receives from the Solent guards and, if Mark Jackson can reproduce the form displayed in last week's match against Worthing, then Solent should provide a threat to in-form Manchester.

There are no injury worries Solent as they start a run of three successive home games at the start of the league season.