Slam dunk: Breakers shift makes good business sense

By PETER JESSUP

The Breakers' move to the Waitakere City Trusts stadium will have a major impact on their marketing approach next season at both top-end corporate and bleachers levels.

The stadium is purpose-built for court games and offers the Breakers a big increase in corporate space, with attendant revenue. The franchise is also aiming to build a bigger fan base through the family market and juniors and prices will reflect that, they say.

The team management are having some say in the configuration and outfitting of their premises in the $26 million complex in Central Park Drive, Henderson, and will shift their offices there. Players will have their own room, with lockers, as most team training sessions will be at the venue.

The complex includes six basketball/netball/volleyball courts on a sprung wooden floor. The international court the Breakers will play on sits beneath seating for around 1800 spectators on each side and 500 corporate guests in a lounge at one end. A 100-seat stand on wheels will roll up to close in the other. Total capacity will be 5000 after court-side corporates are included.

Breakers coach Frank Arsego is enthusiastic about linking into the West Auckland community and pleased to be out of the city central and harbour bridge traffic.

The Breakers will have to share facilities with community groups at times and will conduct school clinics there.

"We're looking forward to making this a home and developing some real community attachment and spirit," he said.

The Breakers host the Adelaide 36ers in the season-opening game on Wednesday, September 29, in a game to be shown live on Foxtel in Australia with an expected audience of 1 million.

Eighty-five per cent of the 176 league games will be played at the weekend and the competition will finish on February 20.

The finals format will be the same as last season's.

KIWIS AMONG TOP 10

Three home-grown products feature in the NBL's top-10 player rankings after eight of 14 rounds: Breakers Dillon Boucher, Phill Jones and Pero Cameron. Four others feature in the next 10, Breakers Lindsay Tait and Paul Henare, Taranaki's Michael Tompson and Otago's Hayden Allen.

There are seven transplanted Americans, including long-term residents and seven Australian NBL players.

Top 10: Adrian Majstrovich (Hawkes Bay Hawks), Link Abrams (Taranaki Mountain Airs), Geordie Cullen (Waikato Titans), Dillon Boucher (Auckland Stars), Casey Frank (Stars), Axel Dench (Harbour Heat), Ben Knight (Wellington Saints), Phill Jones (Nelson Giants), David Cooper (Manawatu Jets), Pero Cameron (Titans).

Then come Lindsay Tait (Stars), Purnell Perry (Heat), Leonard King (Otago Nuggets), Clifton Bush (Canterbury Rams), Paul Henare (Hawks), Willie Banks (Airs), Mike Chappell (Titans), Andrew Lattimer (Nuggets), Michael Tompson (Airs), Hayden Allen (Nuggets).

DRISCOLL STAYS INVOLVED

Heat coach Colin Driscoll will maintain his junior development role with North Harbour basketball after stepping aside from the NBL job.

Driscoll is the second coach to go because of mid-season malaise, following in the steps of the Rams' John Watson.

The Heat have struggled for momentum and combinations.

Management board chairman Wayne Fowler said Driscoll had done a good job finding talent.

"Unfortunately, they have not jelled yet and Colin wishes to step aside to make way for some new ideas and different approaches," Fowler said.

"We respect his generosity in doing this."

Assistant coach Ollie Bryce takes over.

TALL BLACK JNR

Australian-based Zane Meehl, son of former Tall Black Warwick Meehl, has been named in the Junior Tall Blacks development squad for the Oceania Youth Tournament in Coffs Harbour next month.

The event is restricted to under-20 players so only the younger members of the Junior Tall Blacks team for the Oceania Championships in August are eligible for the Coffs Harbour tournament from June 19-26.

Coach is Theo Tait.

Tournament team: Zane Meehl (Queensland), Everard Bartlett (US), Dylan Perfect-Tait (Auckland), Ryan Beesley (North Harbour), Darryl Jones (Hutt Valley), Mark Morrison (Canterbury), Leon Henry (Harbour), Cowan Finch (Otago), James Paringatai (Manawatu), Isaac Heremia (Canterbury).