Trousdell in zone at home and away

Arthur Trousdell is in his element, almost blending into the earthy-toned colours of the comfy chair of the modest lounge.
His workout done and the physiotherapist out of the way, the HBS Bank Hawks basketballer succumbs to the physiological desire to sink his teeth into something.
Lunch - a chunky, whole-grain toasted sandwich oozing with mushy avocado - is enough to make anyone do a double take.
It's almost at odds with his rustic colonial cottage parked along Munro St in the southern sprawl of Napier city.
"I'm pretty health conscious when it comes to nutrition. I've always had an interest in it," the 2.03m forward says well after the half-eaten sandwich has lost its crunchiness and the hot herbal concoction robbed off its steam in the arty mug.
That eclectic approach to life pretty much sums up Trousdell, who is among several Hawke's Bay-born players returning to their old franchise to help the Hawks claim their second title in the 2011 Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) campaign.
The relieving teacher at Taikura Rudolf Steiner School in Hastings comes across as an unassuming bloke, content with simply waving the communal card to ward off any self-praise no matter how well deserved it may be in the scheme of things.
The Hawks Renaissance man doesn't have the swagger of Josh Pace. Neither does he carry that intimidatory presence of Galen Young, nor the sheer stubbornness written all over the face of big Benny Hill on the court.
Trousdell almost defies the law of NBL basketball - that is, stand out as a spectacle or fade into obscurity from the floor to the bench and eventually into extinction.
For someone who turned 30 last Thursday, Trousdell seems to carry himself with aplomb amid controlled aggression.
A team-high 21 points and nine rebounds last Saturday away against the Taranaki Mountain Airs was a glimpse of what the quiet achiever can do when the going gets tough.
"I don't think you can ever be satisfied with your game because that's the one thing you can always get better at all the time.
"As soon as you're satisfied then you shouldn't be playing," he says, keen on five more seasons and, hopefully, with the Hawks.
At the Edgar Centre tonight at 7pm and the Vector Arena tomorrow in Invercargill, the Hawks will be comfortable in the knowledge that Trousdell, with the other four starters, will set the tone for the matches against the Nuggets and his last season's teammates, the circling Sharks.
Just turning up tonight, after slipping on compression tights on their flights, won't be enough nor acceptable.
"They [Otago] don't have as much depth but they take care of their defence and they can out-rebound you."
The "sixth man" factor (crowd) in Invercargill won't be underestimated either.
"It's a great atmosphere. You could call them avid fans and they are right into their netball and rugby too," he says, reflecting on a Sharks game last year when about 200 spectators were turned away because of a full house.
Trousdell, who moved back home from Wellington in February, was in the Bahamas with Bay friend William Trubridge, who holds world records in diving.
"I was hanging out and training with him for a few months," he reveals, returning to New Zealand in April last year before finding himself in the Sharks' equation.
While there are suggestions the team are a little rusty, Trousdell feels they are in a good place as they try to understand each other's strengths in building a sense of cohesiveness.
Reuniting with his parents, Iain and Alison Trousdell, who have since gone abroad, and reacquainting himself with old friends in his birthplace was an emotionally cathartic experience.
"It's great to be part of the Hawks because when I was a kid that was my dream," he says, of the old boys' reunion-like moments with player/rookie coach Paul Henare, Paora Wintiana and Aidan Daly.
He's quick to emphasise the significance of having the input of other court-savvy players such as US imports Pace and Young, as well as Hill and Chris Daniel, who have won NBL and other major titles.
He's proud of the youngsters' contribution to prove themselves worthy of selection.
"I realise more now you've got to lead by example in everything you do."
A promising talent in hockey, Trousdell gave up his stick and turf to shimmy and fake at the age of 13.
A group of street-ball players mesmerised him at the impressionable age of 11 when he was a pupil at Rudolf Steiner.
"Some of these guys were just great athletes. You know they could dunk and do all those trick shots.
"I was just amazed because there was so much to basketball - so many different skills and so many patterns.
"I thought, man, this is me," says Trousdell, who went to Havelock North High School before switching to Hastings Boys' High to hone his skills under former Hawks coach Curtis Wooten.
Maury Leitzke refined his court skills even more when he attended the Southwest Baptist University, before finishing at Cameron University, Oklahoma, in the US.
"He was a great influence. I learned a lot from him and I'm still in touch with him today," says Trousdell, as he relishes a globe-trotting nomadic life.