Basketball: Jackson's quality hard to replace

Cedric Jackson will be playing in Europe next season. Photo / Getty Images

They knew the news could be coming so the Breakers will spend little time mourning the latest loss in the family.

Cedric Jackson yesterday confirmed what the club had long suspected - he would not be returning to New Zealand for a third season with the Australian NBL champions.

Jackson will instead choose from several offers and take up a lucrative deal in Europe, figuring the flight across the Atlantic Ocean is a lot closer than the bottom of the world to his dream destination.

The 27-year-old remains steadfast in his desire to return to the NBA and, although he was unable to secure a contract during the Summer Leagues, in Europe he will play more often under the watchful eyes of those who matter.

The Breakers, meanwhile, were saddened but not shocked by the email Jackson sent general manager Richard Clarke yesterday afternoon, informing the club of his decision.

Last season it seemed as if the American had outgrown the small pond that is the Australian NBL, winning the MVP in a canter while being the defining factor in the Breakers' third straight championship.

That he has sought pastures new came as a surprise to no one, with Clarke revealing the club has been preparing as if the point guard was no longer on the roster.

"We assumed it was a long shot that Ced would come back," Clarke said. "We have been looking at other options, and our American scout has been suggesting other players and keeping on top of things. So Dean [Vickerman] has spent the last month or so getting in some good research on players."

The trick will be finding a player of Jackson's quality. Dominant at both ends of the floor, Jackson was equally adept pulling in a rebound and kickstarting the offence as he was locating a passing lane for an open teammate.

"I think you'd be finding it difficult to get a like-for-like with Cedric, he's got such a unique skill-set," Clarke said. "We won't be able to get a carbon copy of Cedric but we've been able to get players to replace other very good players over the last couple of years, so we back ourselvesto be able to do itagain."

The Breakers' ability to replace a part and move forward seamlessly has been proven, with the losses of Kirk Penney and Gary Wilkinson resulting in nothing but continued success. It will be more difficult this season, with Dillon Boucher retiring and Andrej Lemanis having left for the Australian national job, but Vickerman remained confident.

"This is the nature of our game," he said, "we have systems in place to cover situations like this and have been through it before." APNZ