Basketball: Henare should put passion where mouth is says Hawks franchise chairman

Keith Price describes the Hawks franchise's viability as "sitting on the knocker", hinging on gaming funding. PHOTO/FILE

Keith Price doesn't doubt coach Paul Henare's credentials as the best in the country but says due diligence suggests employing him in the interim as Hawks mentor is unsustainable.

"We're talking about someone here who has passion for the Hawks and wants to be involved and help them but wants to have options for costs," says Price, the franchise board chairman.

"I don't think that's the way you do it if your passion was there for Hawks. The money shouldn't be in there," says the Napier city councillor of a deal which also included a vehicle, accommodation and some travel.

"I wasn't going to sink the Hawks for that reason. We had Ben [Hill] as a board member so he was prepared to do it for nothing as caretaker coach," he says, adding Hill had, with help of his assistants, Clifton Bush II and Kaine Hokianga, mustered a team in half a day to hit the highway the next day.

Price says someone, who isn't on the board and he didn't wish to name, had approached Henare.

"I was told he wanted to come, a package was there and the simple thing is we couldn't afford him," he says, stressing when he took over the franchise 18 months ago it was in dire straits.

"Some of the financial problems were caused by doing this - spending money that hasn't been budgeted for," says Price.

To stay in the league, he believes, it's imperative to have fiscal sense.

"We have to pay back a lot of money that I inherited a lot of debt on and one of those was IRD."

The board, Price says, had to be ethical as Henare's offer had come after Hill's appointment, thus the perceived "abruptness".

Henare knows Hill and had made a couple of recommendations, including why the Hawks had two No 5s (centres).

"But my focus is to build the Hawks into a 2006-winning team and you've got to have your finances right as it's been shocking for the past few years."

He describes the franchise's viability as "sitting on the knocker", hingeing on gaming funding.

"I can tell you, it's like buying a house and going unconditional before the bank's told you you've got your money."

Despite not winning a single NBL game last winter, Price said it was a good season because the Hawks remained in the league.

"There's a three-year wait to get back in the league."