Basketball: Local players to take out last five places

By PETER JESSUP

The Breakers will fill their roster from domestic league players, the coaching staff and management agreed after watching final trials in Auckland yesterday.

A dozen locals tried out before Jeff Green and assistant Frank Arsego. All had been invited, and all have a chance of securing a contract to go pro in the Australian league when the Breakers tip off in October.

Green said the talent was there. Arsego agreed, listing size, team defence and the week-in, week-out grind of the Australian league as the factors needing most attention.

Seeking players who could maintain the intensity that the Breakers' starting five put on would be a key, said star Australian buy-in Ben Melmeth, who ran with the squad yesterday and was impressed.

Melmeth has left the championship-winning Sydney Kings and the Australian coach, Brian Goorjian, sparking speculation that he had problems with the coach. But the big centre/forward said he just wanted a break after post-season play with the Boomers over recent years left his body tired and sore.

He had decided four years in Sydney was enough, was looking for a change and when the chance came to be part of the birth of a new franchise he was excited by it.

He had phoned Goorjian to withdraw from contention for the Boomers to concentrate on the ANBL league and the Breakers would benefit.

"It's been a lot of fun so far. I've never been part of a team that gets a shot up so quickly," he said of the fast-break style Green pursues.

"We're going to need to be extremely fit to keep that up through a game."

Seven players are signed - Melmeth, fellow Australians Blake Truslove (who was at the trial yesterday) and Brad Williams (who flew in last night) and Tall Blacks Phill Jones, Paul Henare, Dillon Boucher and captain Pero Cameron.

Green is now looking for five to fill the playing roster and 10 aged 16 to 25 who will form a development squad.

He and Arsego will mull over tapes and continue to monitor the National Basketball League in coming weeks before completing contracts.

Breakers triallists: Lance Baker, Rob Tuilave (North Harbour); Daryl Cartwright, Aaron Olson, Lindsay Tait, Mike Homik (Auckland); David Hopoi (Waikato); Adrian Majstrovich, Willie Burton (Hawkes Bay); Mika Vukona (Palmerston North); Mike Tompson (Wellington); Judd Flavell (Nelson).