Worcester Wolves Basketball Club has signed Great Britain squad member Robert Gilchrist on a temporary contract ahead of a crucial Christmas period.
The 6ft 9in power forward will be available to play in tonight's (Friday, December 1) fixture against Plymouth Raiders, where a win would see Wolves climb above their opponents in the British Basketball League.
The club hopes the new addition to the ranks will help to bring about a win for the home crowd at the University of Worcester Arena, following two straight wins on the road against Manchester Giants and Surrey Scorchers.
Paul James, Wolves Head Coach, said: "We are delighted to have secured the services of such a high quality player as Robert Gilchrist. Even though this is a short term solution, we have a very hectic December schedule and this will bolster our squad while we look for a permanent fixture."
Gilchrist joins the University of Worcester-owned side after playing at Spanish side Araberri last season in the Liga Española de Baloncesto Oro, the second basketball division of the Spanish basketball league, where he averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
He played for his country at under 18 and under 20 level and made his senior debut against New Zealand in 2015, scoring 12 points on the night, and has made seven appearance for Great Britain.
He was an outline member of the squad for the EuroBasket qualifiers in 2016 and was also part of the outline squad for this November's World Cup qualifiers for Greece and Estonia.
Born in London, the 27-year-old studied in the United States and spent his college career at Florida State University in the NCAA Division 1.
He began his professional career at German side BG Karlsruhe in 2014 and moved to Greek A2 club Peristeri the following year, where he averaged 12.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He transferred to the club's rivals Holargos, averaging 7.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in the 2015/16 season.
He also arrives just in time for Wolves" cup semi-final tie against Sheffield Sharks, where they will play at home at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday, December 8. This is one of seven games the team will play throughout December
Tickets are available for games by visiting www.worcesterwolves.org.
Picture: credit Florida State University