IF it's international week, then it's customary for a Newcastle coach to find himself at the heart of a club versus country battle.

But while Sam Allardyce will be counting down the days until Michael Owen returns from England's football double-header with Israel and Russia, Newcastle Eagles player-coach Fabulous Flournoy is hoping that his own star performer stays away from Tyneside a little longer.

Richard Midgley is part of the Great Britain side that will take on Belarus in the final round of European Championships qualifiers in Minsk this evening.

Win, and the former London Towers point guard will take part in a promotion play-off that will keep him away from his club duties until September 17. Lose, and he will be free to link up with his Newcastle team-mates as they begin a pre-season tour of Norway on September 14.

With the Eagles' opening BBL game against Guildford Heat coming just one week later, Flournoy is understandably keen to have his biggest summer signing available as quickly as possible.

But with the national side closing in on a place in next year's Olympic Games, the Newcastle play-caller is fully aware of the bigger picture.

"We're going to take the brunt of things with him being away," said Flournoy, who is hoping to become the first coach in BBL history to lead his side to four successive victories in the end-of-season play-offs. "But, in the grand scheme of things, I know what's needed for the good of British basketball. I want GB to do the best that they can.

"If GB don't do well, Richard could be here on the 11th, otherwise it will be the 17th. But I'm not hoping he's here on the 11th. I will wait because I want the GB team to be successful.

"When we first got Richard in, we always understood what might happen. But my belief is that if it's good for the country, it must be good for the club."

Midgley helped Great Britain defeat Albania 110-78 in Edinburgh on Monday and, after he previously spent time playing for Tenerife, Flournoy is delighted to see one of his key performers gaining further valuable experience of the European scene.

The rest of the Eagles roster will get their own taste of the continent when they jet to Norway later this month, and Flournoy hopes the forthcoming tour is a pre-cursor to regular European competition.

"I want to play as many games in Europe as possible to start getting some experience of what it's all about," said the American. "It's a big learning curve for the guys and it's important.

"Going to Norway will give us a chance to see where the kinks are and where we need to be improving for the season."