IF Durham Wildcats head coach Dave Elderkin needs some advice about moulding a side capable of competing at the highest level of British basketball, he could do worse than talk to one his star American imports, Fred Hinnenkamp.

As well as helping the Wildcats find their feet in the rarefied environs of the BBL, Hinnenkamp is also studying for a masters in financial management at Durham University.

He has spent most of this week completing a formative assignment on organisational behaviour, so when it comes to organising a side to beat Worcester Wolves on Saturday, he should be able to offer some pretty sage advice.

"It's been a challenge to join a new team and try to get right up to speed with the style and pattern of their play," said Hinnenkamp, who left highly-rated US college side Houston Baptist Huskies to move to Durham. "But that's nothing compared with the challenge of some of the things I have to do at college.

"It's been pretty intense, but I guess that's what you expect when you come to somewhere like Durham, one of the top universities in the world.

"I guess it doesn't make it any easier when you're trying to combine your college work with training and playing for the Wildcats and helping out with the club's community work, but it's something I've been doing for a while now and I'm used to it.

"Durham is a fantastic place to live. It's smaller than Houston and the scenery and air quality is brilliant, and of course it always helps when you're playing for a winning team too."

That win came at the sixth time of asking last weekend, with the Wildcats edging out Cheshire Jets 74-72 to claim their first win of the season in their maiden BBL League fixture.

Previous defeats in the Trophy and Cup had confirmed Durham's ability to compete at elite level, but a first BBL win still represents a hugely significant milestone in the club's development.

Hinnenkamp was integral to the victory, claiming 16 points, and having arrived with a reputation as one of the most highly-rated players in US college basketball, the 23-year-old is certainly living up to his billing.

"I've been really impressed with the level of the British game so far," he said. "And I'm obviously pleased that, as a club, we've proved we can be really competitive.

"The emphasis on possession is slightly different over here - there's much more of an emphasis placed on keeping the basketball - and the unselfishness of the players is something different as well.

"I'm very pleased with the level of the league I've joined - I just hope I can train to the maximum and fit in with it.

"Saturday was a big night for everyone in terms of that process because it's lifted a huge weight off our shoulders.

"We always knew we would get that first win eventually, but until it actually happens, people are constantly asking you when it's going to come. Now, we can look to the future and move forward."

That future involves a long trip to Worcester to face the Wolves, before Glasgow Rocks visit Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre in nine days time.

Thanks to his time at Houston, Hinnenkamp knows all about long away days. But a 12-hour round trip on a bus still threatens to be an unpleasant new experience.

"We played in the Great Western conference at Houston, but some of those games still took us to the north and east of the States," he said. "But a lot of the time we would fly to away games.

"That obviously isn't really an option here, so I'm still getting used to travelling the length of the country on a coach.

"We'll be travelling to Worcester on the day of the game, and it's a different challenge to do that and still make sure you're in peak condition on the court. It's a mental thing more than a physical one, but I'm up to it."