HEAD coach Ty Shaw expects Darell Combs to bring an “explosiveness” to Worcester Wolves following his long-awaited arrival at the club.

Wolves announced the signing of Combs in early August but due to a month-long process to secure a visa the 24-year-old American missed the opening two games of the British Basketball League season.

Combs is now set to make his debut when Wolves visit London Lions on Friday (7.30pm) and Shaw said he was delighted to have the combo guard on board.

“Darell got in on Tuesday so having him this weekend and available going forward will definitely be a bonus for us,” Shaw said.

“I am sure there will be some guys who will appreciate a quick breather.

“It will be fantastic to have him in the team and he has been great so far.”

Combs attended Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis where he played for the NCAA Division One team IUPUI Jaguars.

He began his rookie year last season at Italian Serie A2 team Roseto Sharks, averaging 13.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, but moved to Stjarnan in the Iceland Dominos league at the end of the campaign.

Shaw said: “Darell has got a little bit of explosiveness to him.

“He is a pretty good handler of a basketball and his ability to change pace and direction and keep the defence on their toes is something we will be expecting from him.

“He has got a skill set that is somewhat similar to a lot of our guards but he can do a little bit of everything and might be able to handle things a little bit more.”

But 6ft 8in centre Quadir Welton, who also signed for Wolves last month, remains in America as he awaits approval on a visa.

“Unfortunately we are still waiting for the process to be finalised,” Shaw said.

“When he is here, he is here. As soon as something has been stamped I will know.

“Right now we have just got to worry about the guys that are here.”

With Combs and Welton unavailable last weekend Wolves beat Plymouth Raiders 93-81 at the University of Worcester Arena before losing 91-83 at Cheshire Phoenix.

Dean Wanliss joined Worcester on the eve of their league opener with Raiders and Shaw was impressed with the 29-year-old’s efforts.

The British forward, who has had spells at Manchester Giants, Leicester Riders and ex-BBL outfit Leeds Force, notched eight points in each game.

“Dean did really well on the weekend,” Shaw added.

“He played on Friday night and had not even been here for 24 hours.

“I thought he did a fantastic job in that regard and is a great addition as he is veteran player with a big presence and can do a few different things.

“His arrival was pretty good timing and our guys really needed him on the weekend.”