Basketball: Breakers centre to have scan on foot

New Zealand Breakers basketball centre Ben Melmeth will undergo a scan to determine the extent of his foot injury.

The Australian international hobbled off with an injured right foot during the second quarter of the Breakers' 110-100 win over the Hunter Pirates at the North Shore Events Centre on Saturday night.

The giant centre is likely to have an MRI scan on the injured foot today to diagnose the problem and plan for a rehabilitation programme.

It appears the injury was a continuation of a problem Melmeth has been struggling to overcome in recent weeks and forced him to miss two games this month.

Breakers coach Frank Arsego said he was planning to be without Melmeth for tomorrow night's Australian National Basketball League match against the Perth Wildcats in Christchurch.

"It's highly unlikely at this stage he'd be able to play in Christchurch and I guess we have to be realistic and say he could easily miss the second match against the Wildcats on Friday at North Shore," Arsego said.

"But we'll get a better read on it once the scan is done and we discuss it with the medical team."

Melmeth averages 14.2 points a game and is the leading rebounder for the Breakers this season with 8.4 boards per game.

The 2.08m Australian missed seven matches early in the Breakers' debut season with a thigh injury.


- NZPA