Basketball: Confident and quiet - for once

By PETER JESSUP

Is Jeff Green mellowing, or is the workload slowing him down?

Green, who leads the Titans into the NBL final against Wellington in Hamilton tomorrow, also coaches the Lady Titans in the women's basketball league - while juggling both jobs with his new role as coach of the New Zealand Breakers, who start in the Australian league on October 1.

It hasn't been easy and Green admits he will be pleased when his Titans commitments are done. He probably won't be back next season: the Breakers demand full-time attention. He's also had to drop some of his company directorships.



"I've been lucky I've had good assistance. It's been hard juggling the three jobs."

Breakers strength and conditioning coach Deslea Wrathall is coach of the Wellington WNBL team and she and Green trade ideas, if not strategies.

Breakers assistant coach Frank Arsego has been courtside with the Titans, "so October 1 is not the first time we run a game together" Green said. "We've already got a working relationship during a game."

That's a handy input for the final, since the Titans will be without assistant coach Ken Strother tomorrow. Strother's son Riki will also be absent, along with Sam Walker at forward and guards Mason Le Pou and Earl and Ross Smith.

That would devastate another team, but the Titans have a playing roster of 20 and neither Green nor Saints coach Mike McHugh expect the losses to lower the intensity.

On the other hand, Green is confident his team will benefit when McHugh goes to his bench.

"Once they sub George [Leafa] off, or if he gets in foul trouble, they're in big trouble," he said.

"It'll be close and intense, but if we start to get away from them we'll hammer them, we'll demoralise them and they'll go down like a pack of cards."

He has worked hard to ensure the team has depth and now it's paying off. With Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron back from England, rested and ready for international duty and then the Breakers start, the Titans remain in good shape, despite Riki Strother's absences. It's been a quiet week for the Titans. That's not unusual, says Green.

"Some teams like to bring something extra in at this stage - I like to keep everything the same. We'll do our usual routine at training."

For a man who is regularly ejected from courtside, Green seems content and composed now.

He still has arguments with referees. But when he was told to leave Manuwatu's arena in the dying minutes of the Titans-Jets game in July, he went quietly, for Jeff Green.

It's practice for Australia. It's also part of growing older - and about confidence, given the talent he has on court.

That will apply to the Breakers, too: no other Australian national league side has as many internationals.

Those who criticise him for his brash behaviour and derision of other teams and coaches often suggest that anyone could win with the teams Green has.

But good players don't go to a coach they don't respect. And when the coach tells them to sit on the bench, they have to believe in the team ethic, no egos involved.

Tall Blacks coach Baldwin and Green, not always the best of mates have also put egos aside. They recognise that each has a big hand in the direction New Zealand basketball will take.

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