WORCESTER Wolves star Perris Blackwell is three weeks away from hitting top gear again, according to head coach Paul James.

The giant American returned to action at Sheffield Sharks last Friday after more than a month on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.

Blackwell scored 10 points and made six rebounds in his comeback appearance and is expected to start against Newcastle Eagles tomorrow.

But James admitted he still needed to rack up more court time before fans could expect to see the best of him.

“I think it is going to take two or three weeks to get him match fit and to the level of performance he was at before he got hurt,” James said.

“He is certainly fit as he has been working out but match fitness is totally different because of all the banging and bumping you get on court.

“I thought he did a pretty good job against Sheffield. He gave us that determination and toughness on the court and he is only going to get better game by game now.”

James also revealed forward Ben Eaves, who has not featured since injuring his thumb last month, was on track to make his return.

“We are looking to get his cast off this week and, if that goes well and the wire comes out, it is going be three weeks of rehab before he can be back out on the court,” James added.

He said his players had worked hard in the absence of Blackwell and Eaves during a busy Christmas period and admitted he was now facing the “nice problem” of fitting them into his plans over the coming weeks.

“We had got into some sort of rhythm and rotation of players without Perris but, now he is back, the dynamics are changing,” he said.

“We are going to have to revert back gradually to playing that inside-outside game, so it causes us complications.

“And, of course, when Ben comes back in two or three weeks it is going to be the same all over again but it is a nice problem to have.”