Basketball: Family tragedy leaves Bailey out of Breakers

The Breakers flew to Brisbane for pre-season games without new import Brant Bailey and after only two training sessions with their Tall Blacks.

Bailey, whose sister was killed in a car accident, headed back to the United States and is due back in Auckland on September 1, three days before their first game against the Cairns Taipans.

Canadian-Kiwi Brent Charleton, from North Harbour, is standing in for Bailey.

The rest of the travelling side is Paul Henare, Lindsay Tait, Aaron Olson and Mika Vukona from the Tall Blacks, Aussies Ben Pepper and Tim Behrendorff, Turangi-born AJ Majstrovich and import Rich Melzer.

They played the Brisbane Bullets last night and meet the Townsville Crocs tonight before the NBL Blitz, where all 11 league teams are involved in Cairns at the weekend.

Henare has recovered well from the haematoma of the thigh that kept him out of the Oceania series against Australia and has trained this week but his participation in the games would be governed by the medics, said coach Andrej Lemanis.

Melzer twisted his ankle at training this week but is expected to play.

Lemanis said the Tall Blacks were physically tired after the campaign against the Boomers and a balancing act was needed in preparing them for the new season without overworking them.

Games guards sought

The Tall Blacks will be seeking guards for the Commonwealth Games, with Mark Dickel, Phill Jones and Kirk Penney unlikely to be released from their respective teams in Russia, Italy and Israel.

Coach Tab Baldwin is resigned to the unavailability of the trio, so holes appear to be opening for others to join Lindsay Tait and Aaron Olson.

There remains a chance that world governing body Fiba will endorse the Melbourne Games, which would require clubs to release players, as they have to for the Olympics and world champs.

The Boomers are in the same position, unlikely to have NBA players Andrew Bogut and Luke Schensher plus a number who play in Europe.

Loffhagen turns back to Sun

The Tall Ferns' new captain, Donna Loffhagen, has turned down an offer to play for WNBA side the Connecticut Sun, choosing to pursue her career with the Ferns.

The Sun are well up the ladder and Loffhagen would have been the first New Zealander to sign with an American team since Megan Compain, though Compain was always a back-up.

Loffhagen has the contacts to pursue the Sun opportunity once her Ferns commitments are over. After last night's game in Palmerston North, the Oceania qualifying series for the world champs moves to Napier on Saturday, then Te Awamutu on Sunday.

There are only two changes to the side who went to the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. Titans captain Leanne Walker and Harbour guard Charmain Purcell are in, and Lisa Pardon and Stacey Mabey out.

Rodman makes comeback

Dennis Rodman, 44, is making a comeback in Finland.

The much-pierced-and-dyed Rodman, who retired in 2000 after taking five titles, played two games with a Mexican side last year in a planned comeback.

He awarded prizes at the annual wife-carrying world championships in Finland last month. Now a Helsinki team, Torpan Pojat, have signed him for a November game in the hope that his popularity will bring fans and lead to a longer contract.