Basketball: Olson set to become breakers' highest ever scorer

Breakers player Aaron Olson in action during the NBL Basketball match between the New Zealand Breakers and the Wollongong Hawks. Picture / Dean Purcell

New Zealand Breakers basketballer Aaron Olson needs just 17 points against the Wollongong Hawks this weekend to become the all-time top scorer in the Breakers' short history.

Shooting guard Olson sits on 1018 career points for the Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League (ANBL), just short of American former import Mike Chappell on 1034.

Along with captain Paul Henare, 195cm tall Olson has featured in every one of the Breakers' 73 matches.

Henare is the club's fifth highest scorer having notched his 500th point in the last away game against the Cairns Taipans.

Third on the scoring list is former captain Pero Cameron. Big Australian centre Ben Pepper sits fourth.

The Breakers will on Sunday host the Wollongong Hawks, and will be hoping to kick-start a season which sees them languishing second from the bottom of the ANBL table with just two wins from eight outings.

The Hawks will bring their Tall Blacks centre Tony Rampton.

The Breakers have been more in their element playing at home this season, shooting better both inside and outside the arc, making more steals and conceding fewer turnovers.

The third highest scoring team in the ANBL, the Breakers' poor win record may be a result of having the league's worst foul and turnover records.

With Rampton topping the league's rebounding statistics, Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis said today keeping the Hawks off the boards was a big focus for Sunday's game.

The match tips off in Waitakare Trusts Stadium at 4.30pm on Sunday.

- NZPA