Basketball: Teams part company with imports

Hawkes' import Kareem Johnson leads the NBL scoring averages. Picture / Hawke's Bay Today

Three National League teams lose their imports this week.

The Harbour Heat have parted company with Anthony Susjnara and brought in a higher-scoring American who they hope will contribute more.

The Manawatu Jets have ditched forward Jamar Brown and are not sorry to see him go. Brown is happy to leave after telling people he thought his agent had signed him to an Australian league team.

And Otago's captain and best scorer Nate Connolly has succumbed to a knee injury suffered in the Nuggets' first game of the season and needs either surgery or prolonged rest.

The Heat have signed Anthony Lackey, a 1.98m power forward from Portland State and he arrived yesterday, with the club pushing to get paperwork through so he could be registered to play Auckland last night.

"We've been relying too much on our shooters so I think he'll help us out," said assistant coach Alex Stojkovic, expecting Lackey to provide more scoring options. Lackey will play their next game against Canterbury at the North Shore Events Centre on Saturday.

Jets coach Darron Larsen didn't know whether Brown's decision to leave brought on the bad-tempered game he played in his last appearance against Auckland last weekend. The American flew back to the United States telling some he thought he was coming Downunder to play in Australia.

"Excuses, excuses, excuses," was Jets coach Darron Larsen's reaction. "I don't believe someone would fly half way around the world not knowing where they were playing."

The Jets have signed 2.05m Ryan Randle, 25, formerly from the University of Maryland. "We hope he'll be more of a force," Larsen said.

"Jamar left to look for a place in the NBA. I think he's going to need more than the eight points and five rebounds he averaged in New Zealand."

Connolly has two options, knee surgery or eight weeks off. Otago boss Mark Rogers said he had expressed a desire to return in 2007. Their new US import is small forward Brandiunn Fullove, 24, from California.

Rogers said there was plenty of spirit in the Nuggets despite their zero-from-six record so far, only one of those at home.

"In a way that is a bonus because we get a run of home games. Things are always going to be frayed when you're 0-6 but we have a better team than last season, we're going the way we want to," Rogers said, believing a win was not far away.


Johnson in front

After three rounds the Hawkes' import centre Kareem Johnson leads scoring averages in the NBL with 66 per cent. Johnson is sixth on the points average board with 22 per game.

Leading is Taranaki's American forward Garry Hill-Thomas with an average 27.7 points per game.

Best Kiwi is the Pistons' Ben Hill, who has been averaging 22.8.

Of the top-20 scorers, nine are imports and of the 11 residents, three are naturalised Americans Terrence Lewis, Casey Frank and Link Abrams.

Otago's Miles Pearce leads the rebounding with an average 11 per game.


Adelaide in hunt

Breakers forward A.J. Majstrovich, who has an option to leave the franchise, has become a target of the Adelaide 36ers, who have lost their whole forward line to other clubs.

Majstrovich played just 12 games for the Breakers in 2005-06 after ongoing leg problems. He averaged eight points and four rebounds.

Breakers manager Richard Clarke said they were still negotiating.

The Breakers are expected to announce the signing of a new import next week.

Only the spot held by Majstrovich and the back-up point guard position vacated by Lindsay Tait remain available and the point guard spot is about to be finalised. Coach Andrej Lemanis returns from the US this weekend and a contract will be signed if he is happy after watching the player in the NBL.


Interim position

Barry Wilson will take over as Basketball New Zealand's interim chief executive when chief executive David Crocker leaves on April 28.

BBNZ president Barbara Wheadon expects Wilson to stay in control for at least 10 weeks until a permanent replacement is found for Crocker, who is taking a post with the Australian Sports Commission.