Basketball: Breakers iron out mistakes

By PETER JESSUP


After the Breakers lost the first game of their new season to the Adelaide 36ers, coach Frank Arsego was rarin' to get back into action, not pleased his team had to wait 10 days for a second encounter in the tough Australian NBL.

But now Arsego is pleased he's had the time to address what went wrong against the 36ers and to flog the team a couple of times in training to ensure their intensity is up for their second game, at home to defending titleholders Sydney Kings, tomorrow.

"We've had to hurt for a bit longer, but we have addressed those concerns. They created chances and didn't execute, they lost the offensive rebounding battle and they let Adelaide score in runs.

"That was disappointing because we had agreed that if we were having trouble scoring we'd put the clamps on teams, and we didn't do that. We trained for it but we never took it on the court."

This week the Breakers have been trying to replicate the Kings' fast-break style to prepare to play against them.

"They're going to be all over us," Arsego said of the Kings' smother defence.

There have been some fearsome sessions. On Thursday the Breakers had weights at 8.30am, court time from 9.15 to midday and another lengthy session after lunch.

But at the lunch break new forward Shawn Redhage was still on the court shooting hoops by himself.

The young American said he had learned a lot after his first game in the NBL. The bodies he faced were bigger and stronger than those he had beaten in the interstate league, where he dominated for the Northwest Tasmanian Thunder.

Arsego wants more intensity and commitment. "It's about applying yourself. When it really mattered against Adelaide, we didn't.

"They [the Kings] are a very aggressive team."

The Breakers had the personnel to score, and Arsego predicted a range of players would contribute to the top-three scoring through the season. Defence had to be intense.

On Wednesday the 36ers beat the Crocodiles 111-91, after losing to the same team 111-114 in Townsville. This is the Kings' first competition game after a bye in the first round. They beat Hunter Pirates 112-107 and 92-82 in pre-season.

The Teams

NZ Breakers

Pero Cameron and Paul Henare (co-captains), Ben Pepper, Dillon Boucher, Mike Chappell, Blake Truslove, Ben Thompson, Shawn Redhage, Lindsay Tait, Mika Vukona, Hayden Allen.

Sydney Kings

Jason Smith (captain), C.J. Bruton, Brett Wheeler, Ben Knight, Luke Kendall, Luke Martin, Brad Sheridan, B.J. Carter, David Barlow, Graeme Dann, Thalo Green.