Basketball: Impact of Penney's absence still unknown

Kirk Penney. Photo / Brett Phibbs

With Kirk Penney's status unlikely to be resolved any time soon the questions over the Breakers aren't going to go away.

Just how big a hole Penney leaves - if he leaves for the NBA - won't be known until the regular season begins. The signs from the weekend's pre-season Top End Challenge in Darwin are at least encouraging.

The Breakers went into the tournament without Penney and with injured star CJ Bruton reduced to shuttle bus driving duties, but still managed to scrap their way to two wins from three matches.

The opening victory, when they came from 14 points down in the first quarter to beat the Crocs by 12, was their most impressive effort. Even without the free scoring Penney and Bruton they notched 100 points.

The positivity produced by that effort somewhat ebbed following a split series with last year's beaten finalists Wollongong. New import Gary Wilkinson aside, the Breakers shot poorly - particularly from the free throw line - and usual suspects Dillon Boucher and Mika Vukona got themselves into foul trouble as they lost the first match.

They were a little better in Saturday night's rematch, particularly at the defensive end, but the shooting woes remained.

They won 72-64 but converted just 8/18 free throws and landed just 2/17 three-pointers.

Wilkinson landed both long bombs, rounding out a deeply impressive tournament in which he top scored for his new club in every match.

A nuggety forward in the mould of the retired Tony Ronaldson, Wilkinson's sweet shooting was one of the highlights of the annual pre-season event.

"He has been very pleasing," coach Andrej Lemanis said of his new recruit.

"He is a player who can help us. He fits into our team structures.

"He is prepared to move it on when he is supposed to move it on and he is prepared to go to work when he is supposed to go to work."

With Sean Marks also potentially to become available if his trial with the Washington Wizards is unsuccessful, it's conceivable Wilkinson's place on the roster could come under threat. One scenario would see Marks slot into Penney's spot but if both Penney and Marks fail to gain NBA contracts the club would have to shed a player to make room for both Kiwis.

The points cap system would almost certainly mean an import would have to be cut, however Wilkinson's form would make such a decision far from clear cut.

Guard Corey Webster, who benefited from Bruton's absence with some extended court time, also turned in a strong display in the final match of the tournament. Webster's potential has long been noted, but against the Hawks he displayed an ability to penetrate on the dribble and score that could be a huge asset this season.

"Corey has always had potential," Lenamis said. "He can be great for patches and then he can waver a bit mentally. If he can get that solid for all the time he is on the court he can really help us."

Point guard Kevin Braswell showed he is capable of picking up some of the scoring slack in Penney's absence, although Lemanis was a little underwhelmed with his shooting numbers.

"It would be nice if he made a few more shots. He is frustrated himself at how many shots he has made, but he is comfortable in that role."

The Breakers now travel to the Gold Coast for a match against the Blaze.

Their NBL season begins on October 16 with a trip to newcomers Sydney Kings.