Basketball: Breakers go north in positive mood

The Breakers have no injury worries ahead of their two-game trip to North Queensland, although import Brant Bailey has been training with an ice bag strapped to his left ankle.

Bailey rolled the joint a week ago but it is healing well and he is expected to play against the Townsville Crocodiles tomorrow night and the Cairns Taipans on Sunday.

The coaching staff are not pressing their querying of travel calls against Bailey for fear that will bring further inspection of the spin-and-pass or shoot move that has already attracted attention.

They have shown Bailey tape of the moves that brought calls against him, and asked him to adjust.

"Brant has adjusted - we have to play to what the ref calls," said assistant coach Wayne Brown.

Despite head coach Andrej Lemanis' eight-year stint as assistant to Ian Stacker at the Crocs before crossing the Tasman, and the time the other assistant coach, John Dorge, had at Cairns, the Breakers claim no advantage in the coming games.

"We have knowledge about individual players but Cairns has a different head coach, a different system," Dorge said.

"We know the tendencies of individual players but it's one thing knowing about it, another stopping it."

"Cairns in Cairns are tough as hell," Dorge said.

"Townsville in Townsville are tough as hell."

Lemanis knows what sort of welcome to expect at "The Swamp" from the Crocs.

"They have a presentation staff who brainstorm the best ways to get under the skin of opposition coaches and players," Lemanis said.

"I suspect they'll have something witty to throw at me.

"It's not just music. Last year when the Breakers played in Townsville they had a guy in a big sumo suit wearing a Breakers uniform with Pero Cameron's name and number on it.

"He was eating everything in sight and he'd fall over and need assistance to get back up - it was very funny.

"One time when the Crocs hosted the Cairns Taipans, the promo people stood in behind the Cairns bench with a live snake - this huge python.

"One of the Cairns American imports saw it and bolted - he just took off out of the stadium."

The NBL players' poll identified Townsville as the most uncomfortable stadium in which to play.

But there is new spring in the step of the Breakers after their first win of the season, said Brown, centre Ben Pepper and captain Paul Henare.

Brown said the side knew they could improve on their first performance against Cairns.

Said Henare: "We've addressed the problem of not playing for 48 minutes.

"We've got some strategies to make sure we're switched on when we come out for the third quarter.

"The game against Brisbane was encouraging. The effort was always there, and then again when we beat Hunter.

"Now we have to push ourselves; raise the bar again," Henare said.

"I've told Andrej I'll do whatever he wants, whatever it takes to get us there."

Lemanis had given them free rein to make decisions during the game and that had the team feeling good. Confidence would come as they got to know one another better and the win-rate improved.

"Andrej has taken the leash off and said 'Just go out and play'. Aaron [Olson] and Lindsay [Tait] are just blooming and they can pile up a lot of points for us.

"If you make a mistake trying to be aggressive and make a play, the coach is not going to get down on you about it and so that is not in the back of your mind," Henare said.

The 2005-06 Breakers were starting to find more offensive options as a result.

The aim for the weekend is at least one-from-two, "and if we can't do that then to at least keep improving".

"Play good basketball on the road trip and then come home and take care of business there."

The next home game at Trusts Stadium is against West Sydney on October 2.