Slam dunk: Lucky break as big American Samoan brought in

By PETER JESSUP

The Breakers are lucky that big American Samoan centre Iona Enosa was quickly available to fit into their roster for the game against the Melbourne Tigers at the North Shore Events Centre this Sunday after injury took Ben Melmeth out.

Height was one area where they struggled against the Wollongong Hawks and the 2.08m, 113kg Enosa will go some way to filling the hole at centre left by the 2.10m Melmeth.

The Australian NBL is still to process Enosa's registration but no problems are likely. Enosa is due in Auckland today after further medical examination of the thigh injury Melmeth has been carrying since the pre-season suggested he needed up to six weeks out. He top-scored for the Breakers in their first two games but the injury suffered in August at the pre-season tournament in Coffs Harbour has failed to respond to treatment.

Enosa, who played for BYU University in Hawaii and as a pro in Poland and South Korea, was part of Breakers' coach Jeff Green's 2003 Titans side. He went away with the squad for pre-season games when the Tall Blacks were in Europe so is familiar with both the coach and players.

He shot 61 per cent of field goals in the NBL season, averaging 12 points and six rebounds.

Dillon Boucher, stand-in captain since both Pero Cameron and Melmeth are out, again turned the ankle he hurt in training last week but is expected to be right for Sunday.

Cameron is recovering from foot and knee injuries and is expected to resume full training next week.

The Tigers lead the NBL table with three wins and were to play the West Sydney Razorbacks overnight.

They were written off in the season build-up as being too old. Star Andrew Gaze is 38, as is Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke is 35 and in the off-season their big buys were Chinese forward Wu Zheng, 36, and Darryl MacDonald, 39. Gaze, son of coach Lindsay, feels the balance of youth - with half the team 26 or under - and experience - the other half over 35 - is perfect.

Zheng has a calf strain and is out for a month, replaced by Canadian international Dave Thomas.

The Tigers' guards are as big as the Breakers' forwards. The home team will need better accuracy than they showed in Wollongong, especially from three-point shooters Phill Jones and Aaron Olsen if they are to compete.

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The Nelson Giants have shown how serious they are in pushing for the 2004 NBL title by settling their roster, with the surprise sacking of captain Judd Flavell.

Coach Nenad Vucinic said he felt a complete change was needed and in going after Breakers' development guards Lance Baker from North Harbour and Mika Vukona from the Jets he had to offer them a realistic chance of game-time, which would not have been the case had Flavell stayed. Phill Jones and Ed Book are re-signed, along with the majority of the 2003 squad.

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Sean Marks led the San Antonio Spurs in rebounds (8) and scored four points plus made two assists in a 15 minute spell against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Spurs won 85-78 for a 3-0 record in pre-season.

Kirk Penney had 26 minutes for the Minnesota Timberwolves in an 89-98 loss to Atlanta. Penney hit five from eight field goals, one miss at a three, and two from two from the free-throw line. He had two rebounds and an assist.

They are 2-1 and play the Toronto Raptors today then Indiana, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

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Domestic league imports John Smith from North Harbour and Mike Pegues, who was at the Rams then Nuggets, have joined up with the Leicester Riders in the England competition. Rams' import John Whorton is with the London Towers. Canterbury captain David Langrell has gone back to Ireland to the Neptune club.

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Former Australian Opals' coach Tom Maher is the star attraction at a coaching clinic hosted by Basketball New Zealand over Labour Weekend. Maher led the women to bronze medals at the Atlanta Games and 1998 world champs and a silver at Sydney.

He remembers well several games against the Tall Ferns, where the scoreline did not indicate the effort the Kiwis put in. He'd look at the score at the end, often wins by an average 45 points, but the body language of players from either side did not reflect that. The Tall Ferns never gave up and would be burned out and the Opals relieved because they had been pressured all the way in physical contests.

Maher, who is assisting Sydney Kings' coach Brian Goorjian, recommended that BBNZ arrange a talent scout in Australia. The under-12 girls team to the New South Wales state title contained three young New Zealanders living across the Tasman and he was sure more budding Ferns could be unearthed.

Also on the agenda at the clinic are appearances by Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin and Mike McHugh of the league-winning Saints.

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The Olympic draw to determine seedings at Athens will be held in Madrid, Spain, on November 8. The 12 teams will be divided into two groups, with all teams playing each other in its pool and the top four finishers going on to knockout quarter-finals, semis and the final.