Basketball: Breakers add sting to attack lineup

Brian Wethers in action against New Zealand Breaker Ben Thompson last year. Sandra Teddy / Getty Images

The Breakers have signed the Australian basketball league's Most Valuable Player from the 2003/2004 season as the second of two imports teams are allowed.

Brian Wethers was a star for the Hunter Pirates that season, lifting them to their first playoffs place, before returning to the United States to chase a place in the NBA where his ambitions still lie.

Wethers, 25, starred for the Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkley, and will join fellow American Rich Melzer in a Breakers forward line capable of delivering plenty of points. With Ben Pepper at centre and Kiwi guards Paul Henare and Aaron Olson the imports make a formidable starting five.

Wethers averaged 24.3 points, three assists and 6.5 rebounds a game in his only year in the ANBL and has also played professionally in Shandong, China.

He is now playing for Hyeres-Toulon and living on the French Riviera but is looking forward to joining the Breakers on Henderson Creek.

His old Pirates coach, Dr Adrian Hurley, described Wethers as an outstanding athlete after the forward was named both Pirates and ANBL MVP. "One-on-one he is tremendous. He can shoot the three, yet his main strength is driving into the lane and finishing with a sweet pull-up jumper or a spectacular hang-time lay-up," Hurley said then.

Those are qualities the Breakers hope will be repeated for them.

"I'm confident I can maintain the form I showed [in 2003/2004] and I'm simply keen to work hard, understand the team's systems and get into good practice habits," Wethers said from France. There was an opportunity for him and the team to make an impact.

Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis is also looking at Wethers to attract attention away from his other scorers, inside and on the perimeter. "He loves to get the ball in his hands for the big plays," he said.

"He looks to step up when the game is on the line."

Lemanis is in Australia this weekend scouting a back-up point guard, the last space available on the roster.