Basketball: Breakers to play half home games at Vector

The Breakers will play seven games at Vector Arena in the upcoming season. Photo / Richard Robinson

The Breakers will raise their third championships banner and retire Dillon Boucher's singlet when they host Wollongong at Vector Arena to begin the new Australian NBL season.

The opening night date with the Hawks on October 10 will be one of seven home games this season at Vector Arena, with the remaining seven at the North Shore Events Centre, the Breakers' spiritual home.

That marks an increase on the two previous campaigns in which the Breakers have taken games to the downtown venue, with Vector's 8000-strong capacity proving alluring for a club that barely broke even last season despite their success.

"It is nice to see how the club is continuing to grow as well, with an even split of games between Vector Arena and the North Shore Events Centre providing a great balance at two different but equally great home stadiums," said new coach Dean Vickerman.

The Breakers' opening game at the NSEC on October 24 will mark their first encounter with Perth since the Breakers swept the Wildcats to clinch their third successive championship last April.

And, as has become tradition, the club will spend the Christmas and New Year period playing on the road, allowing a strong run at home to finish the regular season with four of their final five games on home territory.

There will again be eight teams competing in the league, including the new community-owned Townsville Crocodiles, with every team playing 28 games over 23 weeks.

If the Breakers are to earn an unprecedented fourth straight title they will again have to advance through a four-team, best-of-three playoff format, with the grand final series set for mid-April.

Vickerman said for him and the players the release of the draw is another step towards planning their campaign.

"Coaches and players worry less about the draw than others," he said. "For us it is more about the day-to-day and week-to-week scouting and preparation for each team in the league.

"It will be an honour, however, to start the season at Vector Arena and to once again raise a championship banner, and of course to retire Dillon's singlet alongside Paul [Henare's]."