Basketball: Fine big surprise to Boucher

By JULIE ASH

Breakers forward Dillon Boucher was unaware yesterday afternoon that he had been fined for an inappropriate text message he sent to former coach Jeff Green.

Boucher fronted the Breakers board on Saturday and was judged to have brought the club into disrepute.

The board yesterday issued a statement saying Boucher had shown genuine remorse for his actions and that it deemed a fine appropriate punishment. The amount of the fine was not revealed.

However, when contacted yesterday afternoon, Boucher knew nothing about the fine.

"I am not aware of anything. I didn't even know there was a fine.

"I have met with them but I didn't know they had decided the outcome. This is the first I have heard of it."

The statement said Boucher was told that it was only coach Frank Arsego's decision to play him at the weekend that had saved him from suspension.

Breakers chairman Keith Ward said many coaches in the league would have immediately benched a player who had acted like Boucher.

The Tall Blacks forward sent a message to Green, one of his long-time friends and mentors, after the Breakers' 104-78 loss to the Adelaide 36ers. It is understood the message was critical of the Breakers team and organisation and was scathing of Arsego.

"By playing Boucher, coach Arsego once again demonstrated his resolve and commitment to the greater good of the Breakers team," said Ward. "Dillon is extremely fortunate that he has a coach of the character of Frank Arsego.

"We have a fine coach who has the total support of the Breakers organisation."

Boucher has apologised to the team and coaching staff and told Breakers general manager Peter Chapman that he sent the text in frustration.

Chapman: "He told me, 'Look, I was just frustrated I only had six minutes on the court. I was on the team bus, I just fired the text off, I didn't think it was going to go anywhere and I am very surprised that a friend would go to the media with that sort of information'."

It is the second time Boucher has been in trouble. In January he was suspended for two matches and fined A$1000 after being found guilty of striking Perth Wildcats import Rashad Tucker in a carpark confrontation in Christchurch.