Slam dunk: Waitakere poised to make a return to the NBL

By PETER JESSUP

A Waitakere team might be back in the national basketball league next year.

Proteam Holdings, the New Zealand Breakers backer, is looking at doing a deal to help with staff and overheads in return for a feeder-club relationship.

Breakers CEO and part-owner Michael Redman said Proteam and the Waitakere Basketball Association had reached agreement in principle and were working through the details.

Waitakere was last in the top grade in 1995 after starting as Waitemata in 1989. Performance was always a problem, Waitemata second-last of 10 teams in 1989 and Waitakere third-last of 13 in 1995. Their best effort was eighth of 12 teams in 1991.

But the area has always had a strong junior base.

"It makes sense for us to align ourselves with the national league because that's where we see the bulk of our players coming from," Redman said.

The deal would not see Breakers players turning out for Waitakere.

"We want players to go back to the NBL teams they came from. We want a strong league nationally. It's not in our interests to have strong teams in Auckland and others struggling," Redman said.

He scotched suggestions the Breakers could use NBL teams to spread payment to star players. This would allow the value of contracts registered with the Australian league to be downgraded with an eye to the A$750,000 ($840,000) salary cap.

"The rules in terms of dual contracts are very strict. The efficiencies we're looking at making are in terms of marketing, sale of sponsorships, management and so on."

Redman said there was a "high chance" Waitakere would enter the NBL next year, taking the number of franchises to 11 if Basketball New Zealand approves.

All the others are strong bar Taranaki, but after a slow start to the season they finished with a reasonable record. The increased television coverage the league is receiving will no doubt encourage sponsors, making life easier for all.

Waitakere is still a shareholder in the NBL under a 10-year agreement signed by all teams in 1994, and next season is its last chance to reactivate its licence as of right provided BBNZ criteria are satisfied.

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The Breakers begin their warm-up - and play their first-ever game - against the West Sydney Razorbacks this Saturday and face the Hunter Pirates on Sunday, both in Coffs Harbour. They then play the Sydney Kings - the defending champions - in Sydney on August 26.

The Breakers begin their season on October 1 at home against the Adelaide 36ers who have lost forward Paul Rogers to Spanish club Girona.

Adelaide coach Phil Smyth said Rogers' departure would be a test of character for the club.

Smyth's only game at the North Shore Events Centre was as coach of the Boomers when they lost the third and deciding game of the three-test series in 2001. The Tall Blacks won the spot at the world champs in Indianapolis and Smyth got the sack.

The Breakers were to have unveiled their playing strip yesterday but it got stuck in Brisbane. The launch was rescheduled for today at their training base the Millennium Institute on the North Shore.

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Basketball New Zealand intends taking advantage of the game's rising profile and has hired former golf club pro Richard Nauck as marketing manager.

Nauck was head pro at the Poppy Hills golf course at Pebble Beach, California, and has worked in information systems management at the University of Auckland.

Most recently he was manager of the Kauri Cliffs Golf Course near the Bay of Islands.

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The hero of the Australian team that won the world junior title, 19-year-old Andrew Bogut from Melbourne, has already received multi-million-dollar offers to go to Europe.

A Croation club offered Bogut A$3.4 million ($3.8 million) but he has elected instead to play for nothing at the University of Utah, where he wants to work under famed college coach Rick Majerus.

Bogut scored an average 26 points in world championship games. Majerus, having watched tapes but not seen him live, has already said he's sure Bogut will play in the NBA.

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The Boomers finished their European tour with a two-win, six-loss record.

Scores were 59-70 and 76-89 against Greece, 72-88 and 88-101 against Lithuania, 85-98 against Latvia, 68-89 against Yugoslavia. The wins were over Bulgaria 101-79 and Russia 75-74. Guard Shane Heal suffered an ankle injury but is expected to be available for the series against New Zealand in two weeks.