KEY POINTS:
The Breakers' loss has been Harbour Heat's gain.
Last year's National Basketball League regular season table toppers with a 14-4 record, the Heat had been facing the prospect of heading into tonight's season opener against Wellington Saints without the heart of their roster.
A Breakers win last Saturday
would have seen the Heat forced to cope without imports Oscar Foreman and Tim Behrendorff and star signing Mika Vukona.
Instead, the Breakers' exit at the hands of the Brisbane Bullets has meant all three Breakers will start the New Zealand season with the Heat.
The trio trained with the team and new coach Tony Webster for the first time last night and all are likely to start. Point guard Hayden Allen is unavailable because of a heel injury he suffered playing for the Singapore Slingers. But Tall Black Daryl Cartwright, Dan Ryan, Jarrod Kenny and Michael Dawson are all back from last year's team.
The departure of Nat Connell and Brent Charleton to Otago should be offset by the recruitment of Vukona, who was a key component in Nelson's title run last year.
He said he and his fellow Breakers wouldn't be suffering any hangover from their NBL exit. "I'm actually pretty amped up for it," Vukona said.
"Everything was going well [with the Breakers] and for it to end so abruptly left an empty feeling, so to get on board with Harbour and start playing again will make that disappear.
"It's a new [competition] and a new team and I'm really looking forward to playing for them."
Auckland Stars begin their season on Saturday night at ASB Stadium when they also take on the Saints.
Coach Kenny Stone has boosted his squad with the recruitment of Adrian Majstovich from Wellington and Dylan Perfect-Tait from Hawkes Bay but has signed just one import, American point guard Larry Bratcher.
Stone said the club would consider bringing in a second import when finances allowed.
He admitted there would be question marks over the side, particularly given the absence of star guard Lindsay Tait, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury suffered playing for Wollongong in the Australian NBL.
Casey Frank linked with the team yesterday after completion of his ANBL duties but former Tall Black Dillon Boucher is still with the Brisbane Bullets.
Boucher's absence and the lack of a second import meant the Stars were starting the campaign short-handed, admitted Stone. "How well we go will depend on how quickly we pull together as a team," he said.
THE MATCH
Harbour Heat v Wellington Saints
North Shore Events Centre
Tonight 7.30pm
