Basketball: Breakers chase Polyblank now Pepper secured

The Breakers have finally had the signature of centre Ben Pepper registered with the Australian NBL and will build the team around him, with Tall Black Brendon Polyblank high on the wish list.

Coach Andrej Lemanis went to Wellington to watch Saints forward Polyblank and guard Troy McLean and was impressed with both.

Polyblank, aged 25, a 2004-05 Tall Black, was rookie of the year in the local league in 1997, then had a US college career before going on to Italy and Greece.

He holds a European passport and the bigger money on offer there will be a major incentive.

Lemanis said he would definitely like Polyblank in the 10-man squad and negotiations were continuing.

The Breakers are also close to singing two New Zealand players, believed to be Auckland point guard Lindsay Tait and Nelson forward Mika Vukona.

The Breakers believe they may be able to benefit from any lock-out of NBA players as their wage negotiations come to a head before the pre-season summer camps.

A suspension of play may allow them to secure a better-class American player and they could get him earlier than the end-of-July usual decision-making time.

The Breakers have one import spot left and four for Aussies or New Zealanders.

The franchise has secured games against Brisbane then Townsville on the way to the Cairns Blitz tournament at the end of August. Lemanis is chasing down two US college teams who are touring Australia in the hope of luring them here for games.

Meanwhile, he praised Pepper's commitment to the team by buying a home in Auckland and putting his two children in school.

The 2.13m Pepper is one of the biggest players in the league and the Breakers are hoping 13-year ANBL player and former Olympian John Dorge will get the best out of him and the team's forwards on offence.

Boucher signing

Dillon Boucher has signed for the Perth Wildcats for a year in a move that is essentially a swap for A. J. Majstrovich, who joins the Breakers for 2005-06.

Both played 30 games last season. Boucher executed 47 of 118 attempts at goal for a 40 per cent shooting average. He took 126 rebounds, made 77 assists, 18 blocks and 53 steals, while giving 62 turnovers.

Majstrovich scored 278 for the Wildcats, with 111 of 241 shots successful for 46 per cent accuracy. He took 168 rebounds, made two assists, four blocks and took 14 steals while giving 33 turnovers.

So the Breakers swap a defensive hustler for a points-scorer.

Hectic schedules

It's make-or-break time for the Wellington Saints in the local league, with three games in four days.

They hosted Nelson last night then face Waikato at the Te Awamutu Events Centre tomorrow and Taranaki on Sunday.

The Auckland Stars have two away in Dunedin and Christchurch, as do the Harbour Heat, in Hawkes Bay then Palmerston North.

With just three rounds to come after this weekend, those teams with road doubles need to make a statement.

Larsen backed

The Manawatu Jets, one of two teams seemingly out of contention for the 2005 NBL playoffs, have restated their support for young coach Darron Larsen, despite his 3-9 record this season.

The Jets have only a mathematical chance of qualifying for the post season after dropping both legs of their road trip through Wellington and Nelson last week.

Larsen is in his first season as a national league coach after a 12-year, 160-game playing career with Manawatu, and has obviously found the step up challenging.

"Darron has poured his heart and soul into the team and never more than this year as the head coach," said Jets chairman Clive Pedley.

"He and the team are working really hard and I know they believe they still have plenty to play for.

"It is never easy dealing with losses, especially in some cases by a narrow margin, but these guys still believe in each other and there are still some positive things happening in the team."

Prillman all class

Canterbury Rams forward Ryan Prillman has proved his class, earning his third NBL Player of the Week award in his team's surprise 98-71 win over Bay Hawks last Sunday.

Prillman took two awards early in the season as the Rams sprang out to a 5-1 start, but both he and his team have ridden a roller-coaster over the past few months.

Walker shines

Tall Ferns captain Leanne Walker was Player of the Week in the women's NBL after leading the Waikato Lady Titans to their first win of the season, 79-37 over Wellington Swish.

Walker took over the coaching reins of the Lady Titans last week, but showed she was not ready to move to the sidelines on a fulltime basis, unleashing 29 points (8/13 3pt), eight rebounds, six assists, five steals and a block on the Swish.