Basketball: Closer a starter in title bid

Kevin Braswell has thrived coming off the bench for the Breakers, a rarity for an imported player. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A closer is one of the most important roles in any baseball team. They come on to pitch the last innings to win a match and the best ones, like the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera who earns US$15 million a year, are well paid and respected.

Basketball has closers, too. But they are also starters. Not Kevin Braswell.

The 32-year-old American has found himself in the unaccustomed position of starting on the bench and playing intermittently during the game before coming on in the final quarter to close out the match.

It's clearly something that works, because the Breakers have won 19 of 23 games since Braswell's arrival towards the end of last season, including an 11-game winning streak, and are favourites to win a first NBL title.

But it's not what imports normally do. They are usually the ones who start and finish and play most in between.

"It's been pretty cool," he says in his relaxed way. "It's a new one, though. Usually I play the majority of the minutes. Here you come to a team and you're needed in a different way.

"The role I have taken shows the character I have as a person. I'm taking more of a back seat. I always know I will be in at the end of the game. That's when the game means the most to me, it's the most important, so I'm happy... but if I had my way I would start, too."

That role goes to the retiring Paul Henare. Henare is less of a scoring threat but sets the tone with his defensive intensity before giving way to Braswell.

Braswell is still averaging 12.8 points a game, third at the Breakers behind Kirk Penney (19.6) and Gary Wilkinson (15.3), as well as 4.2 assists.

Last week he was named as the league's best passer in a players' poll - Penney was voted the player most would pay to watch, Thomas Abercrombie the best dunker and best athlete and CJ Bruton the best trash-talker - and he shoots an impressive 91 per cent from the free-throw line.

His presence has also allowed the smaller Bruton, who was being roughed up by opposition teams, to move from the point to shooting guard position and they have adopted a high-paced running game since his arrival.

The Breakers hope he returns next season and Braswell is keen to extend his stay. But little is certain in Braswell's world.

He's been a professional for a decade and has played in Greece, Italy, Russia, Turkey, Israel, Belgium, Bosnia, France and the Dominican Republic. He's never had a contract beyond one season and even after this season he hopes to return to Europe for a short-term contract somewhere.

It's a lifestyle that wouldn't agree with everyone and Braswell shows signs of wanting to slow down, if only a little.

"When I was younger I enjoyed the freelance lifestyle," he says. "I loved that. Now I'm 32 and it's the time to find somewhere where I'm comfortable. Look at CJ. He's been here three years. Same with Kirk. That's a comfort level.

"For me, it comes down to money. I'm happy to stay. It's the best organisation I have played for in my whole professional career. I would love to come back."

But money isn't the only thing. Braswell has been joined by his 16-year-old brother, who goes to school in Auckland, and it has changed things. He's never had to think of anyone else before and it's a major consideration now.

But firstly there's the small matter of winning an NBL title. With a 13-3 record heading into today's match in Cairns, and injuries hitting rivals like Perth and Wollongong, the Breakers are in pole position.

They have all the tools to win a championship and a point guard who knows how to win games. Now they just have to close it out.