Basketball: The road back

Andrej Lemanis

Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis has won plenty of plaudits from his players for his eternally optimistic approach during hard times when the team couldn't buy a win.

In turn, he thanks the club management and the owners for asking what he needed and how they could help rather than threatening the sack if the losses continued.

"No one was pointing the finger, the owners showed a lot of faith and that was felt right throughout the organisation," he said.

Lemanis is on a three-year contract and that is not under threat despite the team's record - eight wins, 21 losses and four games to come. He has a clear goal of seeking gradual improvement from a young side and is happy with where they're at.

"Ian Stacker [Townsville coach and his old boss] told me we're known around the league as a team that plays hard and we want to keep that reputation. It was always going to take time with a new coach and a new group of players.

"We finally found the right balance in the team with Brian Green, that allowed Rich Melzer to go back to his usual position and we've found the synergy that was missing. Personally, no matter how long you've been an assistant [12 years] it still takes time to find your feet.

"So I'm feeling much more confident now."

He admits to having had doubts about his ability mid-season. Talking to other coaches, including Pat Lam from Auckland rugby and Boomers and Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian, helped.

"I came away from those meetings thinking 'I do know what I'm doing'."

A sports psychologist was also employed by himself and the team, with instructions to focus on the positive instead of the continual barrage of criticism and questioning from fans and the media.

"Changing our mindset helped us - turning a negative downward spiral to a positive upwards spiral."

He's clear what needs to be done now. "The big one is learning to win on the road," he said. The team have just one away win this season.

The Breakers have 52 nights on the road this season, compared with the Sydney Kings' 27. The club is asking the ANBL for a draw that takes in one area of Australia at a time, such as the two Sydney sides, Cairns and Townsville on the same trip, rather than the type of road trip they have just completed with games in Perth, Adelaide, Townsville then Sydney over eight days.

"We lose a day travelling home every time we go to Australia and the next day I'm buggered and I haven't played, so I know how the players must feel. So Sydney and the other teams are training hard and we're not."

He's looking for advice on how the body-clock adjustment can best be handled.

Lemanis wants to keep the core of his side together for the next season, although just centre Ben Pepper is signed so far.

"We've just started to get the best out of Rich [Melzer] on offence, he's a destructive defender. Green attracts a good outside defender so that opens up Aaron [Olson]. Everyone's starting to get more space."

Of the younger guys, he wants to give Lindsay Tait more minutes, and he rates Pepper's back-up, Tim Behrendorff, as having come along "in leaps and bounds".

And of Mika Vukona, "you can never question his effort, it's just technique that he needs and that will come with experience".

Next season, they'll all know each other better so the disruption of the late arrival of Tall Blacks won't be as damaging as it was this season. And hopefully the imports will be settled.

The Breakers play Hunter Pirates in Newcastle tonight and the Kings in Sydney on Sunday, before meeting the Melbourne Tigers twice at Trusts Stadium next weekend.

Lemanis has clear goals. "Win another game on the road, compete well against the top two teams in the league [Sydney and Melbourne], keep the momentum going."