Dexia Mons-Hainaut must quickly get over the unexpected departure of coach Chris Finch to the United States and get ready for their Eurocup Qualifying Round showdown with Spanish juggernauts Valencia Basket Club on October 20.

Finch, who is also the boss of Great Britain, elected this week to accept an offer to coach the Houston Rockets' developmental team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

"We accept and understand that this is an opportunity for Chris Finch that may not come again for him but the timing for us has been horrible," team manager Thierry Wilquin said.

"We are without a coach and this team was entirely constructed and chosen by Chris Finch, by his ambitions and by his philosophy, so the new coach will have to adapt to the players, to the philosophy."

Finch, an American, leaves for the United States on October 6 and Wilquin doesn't believe there will be a shortage of candidates for the post.

"It's difficult to give a profile of what we are looking for, but obviously we are looking for someone who has knowledge of the Belgian competition, knows a little bit about our players, to be intelligent, to impose his own ideas but to also be able to adapt," Wilquin said.

"We have to look at the possibilities, at the coaches who may be available. I'm sure we will have plenty of candidates because to work at Dexia is a prestigious opportunity."

A person who is crucial for the club to have a smooth transition from Finch to his replacement is Johan Roijakers, the assistant coach who will remain in that role.

"The new coach will have the support of the assistant coach, who will definitely be staying at Dexia," Wilquin said.

"The role of the assistant coach will be key because he will be the link between the Finch period and the future coach."

Dexia host the first leg of their EuroCup Qualifying tie with Valencia and then travel to Spain for the second game on October 27.