Basketball: Breakers close to strength

By PETER JESSUP

Only Pero Cameron will be missing from the Breakers' top line-up when they face Wollongong in the steel city tonight after centre Ben Melmeth and forward Dillon Boucher passed fitness tests.

Melmeth has a thigh strain and Boucher stretched his Achilles tendon, but both will play in the club's third game.

The Wollongong Hawks whacked the Hunter Pirates 131-108 on Monday night in their first game, and they beat the champion Sydney Kings in a pre-season clash.

Coach Brendan Joyce has been with the side for nine of the 24 years of their existence and won the title in 2001.

The Hawks have been in playoffs four of the past five seasons, so they enjoy a significant advantage in experience.

It's a real test, but Breakers coach Jeff Green said they were not going to lie down for anyone. The team had learned from their 84-73 loss in Cairns, a game he described as "one that got away."

Shooting percentages had to improve and for that to happen, they had to engineer more clear, uncontested looks at the basket.

"They're a pretty tall team, so that's going to be tough."

The Breakers will persist with the fast-break game they had signalled before the season and employed so far.

"We have to run those big guys around," Green said

One of the biggest is Boomer Glen Saville who was in the Australian team beaten out of the world championships and was one of two survivors from that side in the 3-0 sweep over the Tall Blacks this year.

He admitted the loss in 2001 still haunted him.

The game is live on Sky Sport 2 at 10.30pm.

* Sean Marks had his first run in trials with the San Antonio Spurs as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 105-93 in a pre-season exhibition game in Bercy, France.

Marks played nine minutes and shot one from two from the field, took three rebounds and collected five personal fouls.