Basketball: Breakers refocus after coaching disruption

By PETER JESSUP

The Breakers players have accepted the unexpected coaching changeover from Jeff Green to Frank Arsego with limited interruption to their routine and are focused on improving their returns in the Australian basketball league.

The same 12 players who let a 19-point lead against West Sydney slip to a five-point loss will front tonight against the Brisbane Bullets in the only game in Hamilton this season.

Star shooter Phill Jones said they were determined to learn from such close losses and to engineer a turnaround in their performance.

He said the six-point loss to Brisbane in Christchurch three weeks ago was another game they felt they had let slip.

The Breakers had not coped well with the Razorbacks' zone offence and had since watched video footage, then practised to break zone defences.



The team would also have to harden up, Jones said.

"We are going well for three quarters then fading."

Jones said he was finding the Australian league challenging because of the reputation he had carried into it from the international scene and the defensive attention that resulted.

"Not having Pero [Cameron] and Ben [Melmeth] hasn't helped."

Jones said Melmeth's presence last weekend had made a huge difference and he was sure the Breakers would start to gel and get some wins.

Arsego has assumed control smoothly and the players are familiar with his style.

"I'd like to think that what I've done at training already would give them some confidence and from the way they're carrying themselves - well, obviously they feel for Jeff, but things are positive and I'm excited about continuing the development of the team," Arsego said.

"At some point we're going to get that 48 minutes of basketball that we've only seen in patches so far."

He said after training yesterday that individual improvement would translate to improvement by the team as a whole.

Most of the players had been fulltime professionals for only a few months. Their body shape was changing with the weights work, and their fitness and ability to play out games would improve.

"They are disappointed at letting slip a 19-point lead, but pleased to find they had the capability to establish a 19-point lead against a good side like the Razorbacks," Arsego said.

The Breakers back up against the Wollongong Hawks in Auckland on Friday night.

NZ Breakers: Pero Cameron (capt), Ben Melmeth (vicecaptain), Paul Henare, Lindsay Tait, Phill Jones, Aaron Olson, Dillon Boucher, Paora Winitana, Brad Williams, Casey Frank, Blake Truslove.