Possibly inspired by his former college Wisconsin reaching the NCAA Championship Final, Kirk Penney helped Sevilla to a convincing 86-60 victory over Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro in Spain. Continue reading
LACEY LOWDOWN
ALL THINGS NEW ZEALAND BASKETBALL
Giants spoil Green’s return
It has been eight years since Jeff Green secured a win in the Bartercard NBL and it will be at least another week before he enjoys the taste of further success. Green is back in the coaching saddle having not coached in the New Zealand National Basketball League since 2007. Continue reading
Viva Espana
Like most full time basketball coaches Sky City Breakers head coach Dean Vickerman finds it difficult to stay away from the game even when on holiday. Continue reading
Kiwis Abroad
Steve Adams continued his strong form for Oklahoma City Thunder as he helped OKC to a road win against Phoenix Suns, 109-97 on Monday (NZ time). Adams played a career high 42 minutes as he amassed 13 points and whopping 16 rebounds. The Kiwi shot 6/9 from the field as the Thunder improved to 42-32, the win their 7th in the last 10 outings. Continue reading
Wynyard helps Rangitoto to 3 on 3 Title
The 3 on 3 Secondary Schools National Slam reached a terrific climax on Saturday at Trusts Stadium, Waitakere. Continue reading
Kiwis Abroad
The Oklahoma City Thunder has put some good results together of late aided by a succession of double doubles from Steven Adams. His latest offering was 10 points and 10 rebounds as OKC defeated the Miami Heat 93-75 (Monday NZ time) to improve their record to 40-30 in the NBA Western Conference. Adams has recorded four double doubles in the last five games. Continue reading
Supercity Rangers content with first showing in 2015
The James Blond Supercity Rangers departed Porirua after the NBL Pre Season Tournament reasonably contented.
Two comfortable victories on Saturday against Hawkes Bay Hawks 94-71 and Manawatu Jets 117-71 was followed by a defeat at the hands of Southland Sharks on Sunday, 123-98.
Head coach Jeff Green was absent from the Sunday game due to business commitments but was content with the performance of his charges, “We were very good on Saturday” enthused Green. “Everyone understood the principles we have been putting in place and it was advantageous to put them into practice in a live game rather than in scrimmage situations amongst ourselves.”Experienced forward Dillon Boucher was heartened by the weekend’s showings. “The performances were encouraging but we are not getting ahead of ourselves as both the Hawks and Manawatu were understrength, lacking some of their starters”.
Boucher added, “Tiredness kicked in a little on day two. When you play an up-tempo style, pressing all game, three games in 24 hours becomes a factor. Credit to the Sharks though, they had the ability to break down our pressure defence”.
Asked about the challenges of putting together virtually a brand new team for the upcoming season Green expressed minimal concern. “Many of the players have played my system at age-group, Junior Tall Blacks or NBL level. The players are enjoying the style of basketball we have introduced but realise there is plenty of work still to do in terms of fitness and execution.”
The Rangers expect to have Reuben Te Rangi on court when they resume training on Wednesday.
The Rangers open their 2015 Bartercard NBL campaign on Good Friday, April 3rd when they entertain the Nelson Giants who are likely to include the evergreen Phill Jones in their lineup. The game will be played at Otara Recreation Centre, 7.00pm tip-off.
Last but not Least – Cedric Jackson
If Mika Vukona is the engine that runs the Breakers, Cedric Jackson is the accelerator that controls the pace and tempo of the team.
There is no better sight than Jackson in full flight as he seizes on an opposition turnover, or gathers an outlet pass, before unleashing a teammate for an early score in transition.
Equally adapt at organizing the offense in half court situations Jackson has demonstrated he is the man for all occasions as his record at the club shows;
3 Seasons
3 Championships
10 Play-off Games
8 Play-off Victories
Fellow players and the Breakers coaching staff have openly spoken about Jackson’s competitiveness and his desire to win.
This will to win is evident at practice and burns like a beacon come game time. Prior to the play-offs it was mentioned in some quarters that Jamar Wilson (Adelaide) and Scottie Wilbekin (Cairns) had perhaps got the better of the Breakers point guard in some of the regular season games. That talk certainly acted as a spur to Jackson, in the semi-final and final, when his performances were truly dynamic.
In each game he ignited the Breakers offence in the opening exchanges helping forge early leads and putting the opposition under scoreboard pressure.
What also impressed me in the final four games was how well Jackson looked after the ball in those high-pressure encounters. For all his offensive prowess he had a turnover rate of 3.3 per game in the regular season – the highest in the NBL. However, in the play-offs, that was down to 1.8 per game with zero turnovers in game one against Adelaide and Grand Final game one in Cairns.
Jackson’s three quarter court buzzer beater in Perth has been viewed over 30,000 times on You Tube but he will be remembered by the 4,000 fans who packed North Shore Events Centre a couple of weeks ago for his outstanding all court display. 15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals earned him the Finals MVP Award.
That display may also have done enough to earn him the 2014-15 Sky City Breakers MVP Award on Friday night. We wait with interest to find out.
Season at a glance;
- 3 seasons with the Breakers – 3 NBL championships
- 2015 Grand Finals MVP
- Led the league in Assists – 193 @6.0pg
- 2nd in the league in steals – 106 @2.2pg
- Breakers all time – 2nd in steals (232)
- Breakers all time – 3rd in assists (625)
- 2 triple doubles this season
Breakers MVP Nomination Number Four
It is difficult to find anything new to say about the fourth nomination for the Sky City Breakers 2015 MVP, Mika Vukona.
Like most basketball scribes I have run out of superlatives for the player who is the engine of the Sky City Breakers and a major factor behind the unparalleled success enjoyed since he rejoined the club in 2010.
Numbers don’t tell the full story but a couple of facts helps illustrate how much the power forward’s drive and commitment has contributed to the run of four championships in five years.
Since rejoining the club from the Gold Coast Blaze in 2010 the Breakers have played 160 games – Vukona has played in every single one of those fixtures, the only player to do so. Resolute, reliable, relentless, a player who just doesn’t seem to break down.
What do the numbers below illustrate?
- 2010-11 58%
- 2011-12 69%
- 2012-13 64%
- 2013-14 78%
- 2014-15 80%
As one who attends Breakers practice sessions on a regular basis it doesn’t surprise me that Vukona’s free throw shooting percentages (shown above) have improved markedly over recent seasons. The man is a punishing trainer, putting as much effort into practice as he does into games. The percentages above show how that practice has paid off.
At the end of the 2010-11 season he ranked 9th out of the 10 Breakers contracted players in terms of shooting % at the foul line. This season he ranks 1st out of 10 at the foul line.
In the last 35 seconds of Grand Final Game 2, Vukona secured two, that’s right TWO offensive rebounds to set up scoring opportunities for Ibekwe and Jackson – you could see it coming.
With 12 seconds remaining he slotted home 2 from 2 free throws, when the pressure was at it’s greatest – you wouldn’t have seen that coming a couple of years ago.
Vukona is the epitome of the old adage that practice makes perfect.
He may not be quite perfect but he would get my vote for MVP!
Season at a glance;
- 5 NBL championships (4 with the Breakers) in the past 7 seasons
- 4th in the league in rebounding – 213 @6.7pg
- Breakers all time – most wins – 153
- Breakers all time – most appearances – 268
- Breakers all time leading rebounder – 1,822
Kiwis Abroad
The Oklahoma City Thunder posted a couple of good wins over the weekend to improve their record to 37-29 and move the 8th spot in the NBA Western Conference.
On Saturday the Thunder accounted for the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-99 and then on Monday (NZ time) defeated the Chicago Bulls 109-100.
Steven Adams came off the bench against the Timberwolves contributing 3p/9r/2a/2s/2b. In his fourth game back after injury on Monday he landed a starting role and contributed significantly to OKC’s success.
The Kiwi centre played 33 minutes, scored 14 points (6/13FG) and added 11 rebounds a couple of blocks, a steal and an assist.
Having caused a major upset last week by beating Spanish League leaders Real Madrid, La Bruixa d’Or Manresa slipped back into losing habits going down at home 79-64 to Gipuzkoa (9-15). Isaac Fotu scored 8 points and secured 7 rebounds for Manresa who, after last week’s performance, would have felt capable of beating their 14th ranked opponents. They trailed by just 4 points with 10 minutes remaining but gave up the final quarter 26-15.
Also in Spain, Sevilla slipped to last on the ladder after losing 87-81 at Real Madrid. Real are top of the table and had built an 18 points three quarter time advantage but Sevilla gave a spirited showing in the final quarter winning the period 32-20. Kirk Penney only managed 2 points (1/4FG) in this game having averaged 15 points in the previous three outings.
Both Sevilla and Manresa have 6-18 records but now occupy the bottom two slots on the ladder.
In Greece KAO Dramas came unstuck against defending champions Panathinaikos going down 81-65. Dramas trailed from the second minute and were playing catch up against their powerhouse rivals who improved to 18-2. Dramas slipped to 7-13, 10th on the 16 team table.
It wasn’t a good night for Rob Loe who failed to score on 4 attempts from the field but did contribute 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Jarrod Kenny is heading back to NZ as his German club Licher Baeren failed to make the play-offs in the German B League. The Bears finished 9th in their division – only the top 8 progressing.
LACEY LOWDOWN 