Sullivan Phillips has predicted a bright future for himself and the Birmingham Bullets.

Although the English basketball team were on the losing end of their opening European Champions Cup encounter on Tuesday night, going down 68-63 in Portugal to Oliveirense, Warwick-born Phillips believes given time they can become a force.

Coach Tony Garbelotto has had a busy summer assembling a team that he believes is capable of challenging for both European and domestic honours and Phillips could be key to that aim.

The 23-year-old former Bermuda Institute student was playing for Colombia Union University in the US last year and averaged more than 13 points and seven rebounds.

He was snapped up over the summer when Garbelotto was recommended to the player by his agent.

The subsequent contract offer marks the achievement of a dream that began many years ago on local soil.

"When I was 12 and 13 I used to play with a group of guys and I guess it came naturally. It wasn't that hard, it was actually kind of easy," he said. "I wasn't particularly tall, I didn't really grow until I was about 15 or 16. It just came down to skill."

Although the sport is played on the Island, it is by no means one of the bigger activities.

"I went to a couple of camps in Bermuda but I really got exposed to it after I had moved overseas," said Phillips.

Leaving Bermuda in 1997, Phillips went to Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts and then on to Columbia Union.

It is there that his game really began to develop.

"I worked a lot of the basics and they give you a lot of strength training to make you a lot stronger," said the 6ft 6ins forward. "They didn't go in for a lot of tricks, they just want to win."

Ironically, Phillips' rise to stardom came about somewhat inadvertently.

"Last year when I was playing at Columbia Union I was playing against this guy in Pennsylvania," he said. "A lot of scouts were there watching him and although we lost the game I guess I outplayed him. The scouts were talking to me and then I was invited to a pro camp in Utah. It was like a free agent camp and that was where I met my agent and it went from there."

From the US Phillips travelled to Spain where he hoped to land a deal in the Spanish league.

"My agent and I were really looking at Spain as we had some good contacts there," he said. "I hoped to go there but they wanted a long term contract."

It was shortly after that the Bullets swooped "out of the blue".

"My agent knows the coach at Birmingham and he saw some tapes of me playing and he really wanted to make a deal," he said.

Phillips said he thought a while before signing.

"At first they were trying to get a two or three year deal," he said. "But being my first year (as a pro) I didn't want to be restricted to a long term contract in case I didn't like it."

Garbelotto said he believed Phillips would become a major asset to the club. "I am very excited about Sullivan coming to Bullets," he said shortly after securing his signature. "He is a new talent who has excellent all-round basketball skills. He is an athletic, unselfish player who runs the floor well and runs it hard all the time.

"I think that with his positive attitude and work ethic he can help us to success this season. He is fresh out of college but I don't think that will daunt him, and he will be one of our key players."

Phillips said the lure of European action was key to his decision.

"I guess what really spurred me on to coming out here was the fact they play in the European League," he said. "That is a very good league with a lot of good teams.

"We came back from Portugal today and it was good exposure. There was a big crowd and you see their coaches watching you and you never know what might happen."

The trip to Portugal was described by Garbelotto as a 'nightmare' and that was in part due to an incident involving Phillips.

The player was held at passport control for what the coach called a 'baloney' reason.

"I have a Bermuda passport and it's probably different from a lot of the other players," he said. "I have dual citizenship so my passport says 'overseas citizen' whereas most people's just says 'British citizen'.

"Because I had that on my passport they said I had to get a visa so they made me stand there for about an hour and a half."

As a result the team arrived later than expected at the game.

"We were scheduled for a practise but because we got there so late we only got a real short one," he said.

However, Phillips denied that that contributed to the way the game went with the Bullets losing a lead they had held until the last five minutes.

"I don't think it affected things," he said. "We control our own destiny. The game was there for the taking."

Phillips believes a lack of experience proved their downfall in the end.

"We have a lot of young guys and it was one of those things where they (Oliveirense) have been together for about five or six years and we have been together for a couple of weeks," he said. "We are still learning about each other, but even so we should have won."

Phillips, who scored seven points, was realistic about his own performance.

"Promising - I would guess that is the best word I could use," he said. "I had spells where I was very pleased with my activity but, like my coach told me, I think I have to be more assertive.

"I was passing the ball too often when I could have been scoring."

Given time though Phillips believes that both he and the Bullets will live up to their potential.

"It's going to be a good year," he said. "I think at first it's going to be shaky - I won't lie. Until we really get to understand each other it will be shaky but we have a good group of guys who will put it all on the line so it will be good after a while."

The Bullets open the new British Basketball League season against title favourites London Towers at home today and travel to Chester Jets tomorrow.