PLYMOUTH Raiders have been thrown into disarray 14 days before the new BBL season.

Matt Guymon, the only pure point-guard on Raiders' now nine-strong roster, has left the club before he really even arrived.

Coach Gavin Love's new-look squad, so carefully constructed all summer, suddenly lacks a natural ball-handler.

Raiders arguably could not have picked a worse player to lose and now have no budget left to recruit a replacement.

A club statement read this morning: "Plymouth Raiders are disappointed to announce Matt Guymon will not be joining up with the team for the 2010/11 season.

"Guymon has decided that, for personal reasons, he needs to remain closer to home in Southampton."

Love was naturally keen to play down the potentially disastrous affair and told Herald Sport: "Is it a blow? Yes and no. At the end of the day it's purely the player's decision.

"We've started pre-season without him and, as far as I'm concerned, we didn't lose anything because we never had him in the first place."

Love completed a deal for British rookie Guymon (right), who is 23, on July 30.

Raiders reported back for week one of a three-week pre-season training camp on Monday — but minus Guymon, who is now linked with a move to BBL rivals Guildford Heat.

Love said: "We can't replace Matt because he was a scholarship player at Marjon, so we weren't paying him and there's no budget to replace him. It's too late.

"But we have plenty of guards on this team and plenty of talent. It's fine.

"When I found out, I thought about it for five minutes and moved on. It's no problem."

British guard Taner Adu, 26, is now favourite to run Raiders' offence this season, supported by American shooting-guards Cody Toppert, 27, and rookie Brian McKenzie, 22.

Love added of Guymon's loss: "For someone to change their mind, after signing a contract, interferes with your plans.

"It's not ideal but it's his decision. I wish him all the best."

Guymon has admirers in British basketball, but has effectively been dormant for the last two seasons.

He averaged nine minutes and then 17 minutes per game for powerhouse Oklahoma City University, in college basketball in the United States, in 2006/07 and 2007/08 respectively.

But he did not feature at all in 2008/09 and sat out last season, which would have been his fourth and final before graduation.

Guymon, who was born in Southampton, at least got some game-time under his belt for England this summer — and could now return belatedly to American college basketball for his senior season.

Meanwhile, week one of pre-season training has gone well.

"The players are doing great and working hard," said Love. "We're doing two sessions a day and, by the end of it, they're exhausted.

"They're getting a lot out of it, getting to know each other well and getting to know the systems I want us to run this season."

Raiders' opening pre-season friendly is on Sunday-week (September 12) against Team USA at the Pavilions (4pm).

RAIDERS are inviting fans to 'meet the players' at the Devonshire Health and Racquet Club, Derriford from 11.30am to 2pm on Sunday.

Non-Devonshire members can get in free.