Basketball: McHugh was cue for Saints revival

By PETER JESSUP

Mike McHugh was eminently qualified to take over the Wellington Saints when the franchise fell in a hole early this season, but it was the last thing on his mind.

The 52-year-old Australian, who has a long background in coaching basketball at the Australian Institute of Sport, with the Canberra women's team and with the national side the Opals, had given the court away to come to New Zealand to lead a Sparc programme.

His job is to find the best coaching methods across all sports and produce a formula that can be generally applied, to distribute that from school to elite level and to provide the back-up for sporting bodies as the programme is implemented.

It involves a lot of travel. More he didn't need. But McHugh wanted to help the Saints when coach Dean Vickerman walked out because of financial uncertainty.

They had won two, lost two. Assistant coach Matt Ruscoe took them against Auckland that weekend and they lost again.

McHugh spoke to the players at training the following week and they convinced him that they were there to win. The Saints surprised everyone by sneaking up to the top-four with a winning streak. After the last round, they were equal with Auckland and Palmerston on the ladder, but away wins and better defence gave them the No 2 spot in the league.

McHugh's first weekend with the Saints was a glorious success: they dumped the Stars 86-77, then North Harbour 81-72. That has gelled the side and has kept them confident. McHugh said they were go to Hamilton this weekend expecting to win.

The Saints would not lose the final, he said. "They'll have to win it."

Every team had found it hard to tie down their front line of Brendon Polyblank, Ben Knight and Michael Tompson. "They can stop one or two but they can't stop all three."

And when those three had found it hard, guards Terrence Lewis, George Leafa and Troy McLean, who top-scored in the semifinal over the Jets, had stepped up.

That had been the secret to the Saints' success, McHugh said. "We're a very balanced side."

He had challenged them to "take ownership" of the defensive aspect in every game and they had, holding other NBL sides to a low average.

"If the Titans score 100 on Sunday they'll have won; if we can keep them to 80 it'll be very close," he said, a comment opposite Jeff Green agreed with.

McHugh said selection of Polyblank and Tompson in the Tall Blacks had lifted the side mid-season.

Personally, he had enjoyed watching the improvement in young players. Saints would be better next year regardless of the outcome this weekend, he said.

McHugh said he had studied the video of the Titans' only two losses, away to Otago and the Jets, but felt there was little to learn as they had played poorly on both occasions. The Saints had to take the game to the Titans, he said, take the initiative away from them.


INSIDE TRACK:

Name: Mike McHugh.
Age: 52.
30 years as a basketball coach.
15 years as a pro-coach with the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.
Coach of the Opals Australia women's team at the Sydney Olympics.
2002: Hired by SPARC as national coaching co-ordinator.
2003: Appointed coach of the Junior Tall Ferns.
Took over the Saints five games into the season when their record was won two, lost three.
His record since is won 11, lost three; beat Palmerston Jets in the semifinal last weekend.