Basketball: Bring it on says Titans' coach

By MURRAY McKINNON

Waikato will go into today's league final against the Nelson Giants as underdogs - a rare status for the Titans in the National Basketball League.

But Waikato coach Jeff Green is not fazed by the difficult task they will have to defend the league title.

"It will be totally, totally tough.

"To go into someone else's house won't be easy, but it is all the more sweeter to win away from home," Green said.

Waikato still have a question mark over whether 2.1m captain Riki Strother will start.

Strother tore ankle ligaments two weeks ago and it has been a hard ask to get back into shape.

"He pulled up lame in training on Thursday so there is only a 60 per cent chance of Riki starting," Green said.

The Titans will rely on American import DeWayne McCray and Dillon Boucher to contain Ed Book, the danger man in the Nelson lineup.

Book, who claimed the one naturalised berth in the Tall Blacks team for their world championship campaign, was this week named the most outstanding forward of the New Zealand season.

He is a player that Green fears.

"Ed Book is a much better player than John Whorton from the Rams. Book has a good range on the jump shot that will hurt us. But I'd much rather hold him there than letting him go down low on the post," Green said.

The Titans have the experience to weather the storm that is likely to come from the accurate outside shooting from Tall Black Phill Jones.

He has averaged 20 points a game this season. Book, with his inside dominance, has averaged 19 points and eight rebounds a game.

"We have so many people with playoff experience. We can go down to No 10 on the bench," Green said.

Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron is approaching peak fitness on the eve of leaving for the world championship and he has the ability to fight back and reverse the run of play for Waikato.

Boucher, who has tasted league title status with Auckland, will be one of the defence specialists that will help carry the Titans.

His shooting percentage is high and he regularly gets several steals in a game.

In league matches this season, Nelson won 96-80 in Hamilton and 93-83 in Nelson.

Rookie Brendon Bailey came from nowhere to play a big hand in Nelson's win in June, but Waikato are now fully aware of his capabilities.

At halftime in this afternoon's game, Moira Prue, of Christchurch, will attempt to win $500,000 by sinking a basket from half-court in the Burger King big-shot competition.

Even if she is unsuccessful, she will win $10,000 for making the attempt.