Basketball: Lean Greene's the man

No points for guessing who was always going to walk away with a lion's share of the silverware at the basketball awards last night in Napier - that is, American import Brian Greene.

You do claim points for guessing who was going to receive the HBS Bank Hawks 2013 Players' Player of the Year Award, if you correctly picked Dan Evans.

Now if you also knew Greene, who jetted off to Las Vegas for a basketball camp on Sunday after the final round-robin Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) match here against the Waikato Pistons on Saturday night, had instructed the Hawks franchise to ask Evans to receive any trophies on his behalf then you're entitled to bonus points.

If you blinked during the NBL season and scratched your head trying to figure out who Evans is and which games he played then that's understandable, too.

He is the 30-year-old, 1.73m guard who came off the bench for a cameo 2min 21sec appearance in the season-opening 89-56 win over Southland Sharks at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale, on April 21.

With fellow Hawks voting for the players' player, the question was: "Who would you most like to play alongside next year?"

For those who know Evans that won't come as a surprise at all.

He's the sort of bloke who wouldn't think twice about crossing the street to greet you with a handshake before engaging in convivial conversation.

"Dan turned up to trainings and played his heart out," someone in the know said last night shortly before the awards at the Kennedy Park Top 10 Resort.

With a shoulder injury hampering his season, Evans focused on his teacher's course at the Eastern Institute of Technology after quitting as a Maori development employee of Sport Hawke's Bay this year.

The former Napier Boys' High School basketballer transferred to Taradale High School where he helped his new school historically qualify for its maiden national school's finals in 2002. The following year he was in the Hawks squad before playing in division two for the next two years. Predictably slasher Greene, who is eyeing a 2013-14 ANBL contract, was named the 2013 Hawks MVP as well as claiming the top rebounder/points scorer award.

Dion Prewster is the best Kiwi forward and captain Paora Winitana the best Kiwi guard.

Hawks emerging player award went to Alonzo Burton while point guard Jarrod Kenny got kudos for the best defence.

The Andy Edwards Award for long-term contribution went to outgoing franchise general manager Paul Trass.

"It's a real honour as Andy Edwards is still our team doctor since 1988 so that's pretty special," said Trass who got his 50th year award from Basketball New Zealand last year.

He joins the elite company of other stalwarts such as Kevin Atkinson, Curtis Wooten and Jeremy Bayliss.

Trass was also assistant Hawks coach to Kirstin Daly-Taylor and Wooten.

The Tab Baldwin-coached Hawks have missed the NBL playoffs to be staged at PG Arena this weekend.