Wheelchair basketball: Te Raki Troopers ready to roll at nationals

Northland's Te Raki Troopers are looking to make their presence felt at the National Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Auckland. PHOTO/ANDREW JOHNSEN

Te Raki Troopers are primed to make a big impression at the National Wheelchair Basketball Championships this weekend.

The side have brought in a new coach in Glenn McDonald and have worked together to implement a more professional culture which hopes to pay immediate dividends in the form of the second division title.

McDonald said they had got the preparation right for the tournament even though it required some creativity.

"Our preparations have been the best this club has had in recent years from what I've heard. Although the numbers at training sessions have fluctuated throughout the year, we have made the most of who we have," he said.

"Unlike my experiences coaching with Auckland (around 20 players per night), we do not have large numbers (averaging six to seven each night) and therefore are not able to practice five on five drills, which is not ideal.

"Instead we adapt drills to still keep things relevant for a 5 vs 5 game. At the beginning of the year I focused a lot on fitness and individual skill development. We then progressed into team structures, whilst maintaining fitness and skill development.

"We have played in five tournaments throughout the year, which has enabled us to apply our team structures in real game situations, and then go back to training and work on them further."

With the newer more professional environment, the internal expectations on the side have subsequently gone up.

McDonald said the goal was clear.

"Our expectation is that we will win the second division [for the first time] after having been the bridesmaid the past two years in a row, and hopefully to be competitive in the crossover game with the bottom placed first division team," he said.

Team member Cameron Leslie has been impressed with the new setup and, through his involvement with Parafed Northland, knows there is a huge opportunity for those interested in playing the sport.

"It has been a great year so far with the support we now have with the team. Having Glen and Josh Hodgson [team manager] on board really complements what Theresa Lynn [team manager] and others have worked towards over several years," he said.

"Wheelchair basketball is a sport which caters for a wide range of disabilities, which is rare in para-sport, but thankfully Parafed Northland has a number of different wheelchairs which can be used by players.

"We have some inexperienced players who are learning but I know for a fact there are so many more people within Northland who could get involved with the sport."

McDonald said building their player pool's ability was another goal.

"We most definitely want to build depth," he said.

"In fact, we have a few inexperienced players who we want to give court-time and specific roles to, so that the standard of all our club members lift, rather than just focusing on our best players.

"We have really seen the level of our support players lift this season, which has been a huge weakness previously.

"In terms of player numbers, yes, I would like to get to a point where we have two squads - an elite and a development side."