But for import forward Freddie Gillespie serving a one game suspension the BNZ Breakers would potentially have had nine debutants for their Australian NBL opening round clash with the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday.
Despite Gillespie’s absence the Breakers could still field as many as eight new faces when they take the court against the Bullets in Perth – the most since their inaugural game against the Adelaide 36’ers back in October 2003. At the North Shore Events Centre that night all eleven players used were of course Breakers debutants.
Gillespie will miss the opening game of the season after being given a one game ban by the NBL Game Review Committee for planting a Liverpool Kiss on Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce in last Friday’s Blitz game.
The high volume of debutants comes about following a roster makeover during in the off-season. As a result only American point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Aussie forward Dane Pineau remain from the contracted group that was assembled this time last year at Atlas Place. Max Darling, a Development Player in 2023-24, took to the floor briefly in one game during the last campaign but otherwise the class of 24-25 are Breakers rookies.
Likely to hit the pine on Friday in Perth are American guard Matt Mooney, Canadian Next Star Karim Lopez, Australians Mitch McCarron, Grant Anticevich, Jonah Bolden, Sean Bairstow, Mojave King and Sam Mennenga. Mennenga, a former Westlake Boys High and Harbour Basketball standout, is back in familiar surrounds for his second NBL season following a year with the Cairns Taipans.
Mennenga and Darling are the only Kiwis on the roster although King, born in Dunedin and raised in Australia can, at a push, be classified as a New Zealander.
Whether it’s two or three New Zealand passport holders, the number of Kiwis on the main roster is the lowest ever. Last season there were four NZ passport holders in Izayah Le’afa, Tom Abercrombie, Dan Fotu and Finn Delany but that quartet have all moved on for different reasons.
Back in 2008-09 the outstanding foursome of Kirk Penney, Phill Jones, Paul Henare and Dillon Boucher were the Kiwi mainstays but since then, and until the last couple of years, the local contingent has hovered around the half dozen mark.
It’s zenith was in 2017-18 when a near all-Kiwi lineup was made up of Delany, Abercrombie, Shea Ili, Kirk Penney, Mika Vukona, Rob Loe, Jordan Ngatai, Alex Pledger and Americans DJ Newbill and Edgar Sosa.
It may be a while before we again see that depth and quality of Kiwi talent in Breakers uniforms.
LACEY LOWDOWN 