Slam dunk: Imports set to add some heat

By PETER JESSUP

NBL teams continue to chase imports, with the Harbour Heat welcoming the arrival of Axel Dench from the Wollongong Hawks and Pernell Parry from the United States.

Heat coach Colin Driscoll hopes both will play on Friday against the Manawatu Jets at the North Shore Events Centre.

Perry, 33, has been here before but will remember few of the players on the Heat's roster. He has been playing in Korea and flies in tonight. Dench's arrival time was still uncertain yesterday.

Driscoll was not worried about fitting the pair into the game-plan.

"I think they'll complement what we've got."

He was looking for Perry to play a perimeter role and for Dench to help inside.

He is looking for leadership from the experienced pair, especially after the Heat folded in the last quarter against the Auckland Stars in their opening game.

Wellington have signed former Boomer Derek Moore for four games as they seek cover for Ben Knight, who looks likely to go on to national honours at Athens.

Like Dench, Knight and fellow Hawks team-mate Adam Caporn are free after Wollongong exited the Aussie playoffs earlier than expected.

Saints coach Mike McHugh can't use all three Aussies, but will fill both his import spots with two of the three - he's just not sure which two.

"We're interested in signing Derek longer-term but he may have commitments in Europe where he has played before.

"If we can see that Ben is going to miss a lot of games we'll look at extending his term."

Knight is named for the first of two Boomers camps, the timing of which does not conflict heavily with the Saints schedule, "but we expect him to go on."

If he does he might be out for as many as 10 games.

Knight and Caporn were expected to be part of the team who take on Nelson next Wednesday and be in the side who play Otago in the next round, he said.

The Titans play Otago in Hamilton on Friday night with hopes that Hawk Geordie Cullen will also be available from the Hawks. The Jets back up against Auckland, Taranaki host Otago on Saturday night and the Giants and Rams play in Nelson on Sunday.

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The Breakers' negotiations with management of the North Shore Events Centre and the new $28 million Waitakere Stadium continue with no decision expected until next week. It's expected they'll go to Waitakere.

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Kiwi forward Glynn Turner and his Liberty University Flames will face top-seeded St Joseph's University in the first round of the NCAA national college tournament in the United States. St Joe's won 27 consecutive games this season but stumbled to their only loss (to Xavier University) in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament. Liberty qualified for the tournament with the Big South tournament and regular season titles.

The two teams will meet at East Rutherford on March 17.

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The two Sydney ANBL grand finalists have time on their hands this week, prompting a sledging match.

Both sides have rekindled comments they made last year which has given an edge to the series between the arch-rivals. It begins on the Kings' floor at the Sydney Entertainment Centre next Wednesday and continues at the West Sydney State Sport Centre on Friday with the third game back at the Entertainment Centre on Wednesday 31.

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Dual international Belinda Colling has withdrawn from the Tall Ferns squad preparing for the Athens Olympics in August.

The squad, under coach Carrie Graf, assemble next week for a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

But Colling, who won a world netball title with the Silver Ferns last year, has decided not to press her claims for a spot on the Olympic basketball roster.

The Cantabrian missed the 2003 Oceania series against Australia when the Tall Ferns ran their transtasman rivals closer than ever before.

She participated in her first camp under Graf this year, suffering an ankle injury that took several weeks to heal.

Although she recovered from the physical toll, the experience showed Colling she had much ground to make up if she was to make the 12-strong roster for Athens.