Basketball: Heat on for NBL opener

By PETER JESSUP

There will be plenty of feeling in the opening games of the National Basketball League this weekend after off-season manoeuvring with players.

Former Waikato forward Tony Brown was the subject of a tussle which Wellington won after legal mediation, and he can expect to be under pressure when he fronts up in Hamilton with the Saints tonight.

Auckland captain Pero Cameron, now with Waikato, will confront his old buddies when the Titans go to Auckland's home at Unitec tomorrow. There is plenty of interest in this year's league, not least the tinkering with rules. Games will be of 10-minute quarters, up from eight.

Imports are down from two to one, although the number of Americans in New Zealand for three years or more and with resident status is growing.

There is still a glaring lack of local centres - tall players with ball distribution ability - and that is the position most teams have looked overseas to fill.

There are big questions posed of last season's finalists.

* Can Tab Baldwin bring through the youngsters to maintain Auckland's top-four status without Cameron's presence on court?

* Can North Harbour do without sharpshooter Kirk Penney and livewire guard Mark Dickel, who are both staying in the United States, and will veterans Larry Hubbard, aged 40, and Purnell Perry, 37, be able to avoid injury?

* Can Waikato coach Jeff Green mould his gang of big names, all calling for the ball, into a winning team?

* Can Nelson coach Nenad Vucinic recover and rebuild after the loss of so many key players? The Giants look as though they have left it a season late to bring on the young guys.

Answers to the above: Yes. No. Who knows? Yes.

Green rejects the assertion that he will have too many selfish ball-hoggers on court.

The attack will come from everywhere, although he agrees, "They'll have to play five-on-five defence on us."

He is happy with the rule changes to speed up the game because it will give defences six fewer seconds to organise.

Fatigue will definitely be more of a factor this season.

At Harbour, coach Tracy Carpenter is pleased with the early-season form of Hubbard and of second-division graduates Milos Pejovic - a Yugoslav here for three years and now able to go up without costing the side an import option - and Chris Renata.

Carpenter knew import Brian Gomes from California days. Gomes shifted over after a season with Dandenong in the Australian league.

American resident and league veteran Ronnie Joyner trained with the Kings early. But he has a problem with a hand injury which has not recovered after off-season surgery and he may not be right all season.

Auckland's big guy, Ben Pepper, arrived from Australia on Tuesday night and was met by captain Dillon Boucher and Tall Black Paul Henare. He had his first practice with his new team on Wednesday with assistant coach Adrian Boyd in charge.

Baldwin may be back from attending his father's funeral in the United States just hours before the game starts.

Basketball is enjoying an improved profile after the efforts of the men's and women's sides at the Sydney Olympics.

Television One will show games, including tomorrow's Auckland-Waikato clash live, and Radio Sport starts a specialist show from 8 pm to 9 pm on Sunday.