New Zealand Breakers
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Breakers are a professional basketball
team competing in the Australasian
National Basketball League
. The Breakers joined the NBL for the 2003/04 season (along with the now-defunct Hunter Pirates
) as one of two expansion clubs. The club is based in the city of Auckland
, New Zealand
and play their home games at the North Shore Events Centre
. They are currently owned by Paul Blackwell, owner of a local Pak'n Save
supermarket.
They are the only team from outside of Australia to compete in the National Basketball League. In 2011 the Breakers won their first NBL championship title, becoming the first New Zealand first-grade team in any sport to win an Australian-based sporting championship (The New Zealand Warriors
under-20 team having won the 2010 Toyota Cup
in Rugby league
.)
in Waitakere
and have played matches in the Pacific Centre in Manukau, while they have also taken NBL games to Christchurch
Westpac Arena, Wellington Queens Wharf Events Centre and Hamilton Mystery Creek in their inaugural season. A bid was also made to host several matches in the South Island, but since the franchise was based in Auckland this did not eventuate.
in the first ever regular season match, the Breakers went on to lose ten of their next eleven games to languish near the bottom of the NBL ladder. The inaugural coach, Jeff Green, was subsequently fired and succeeded by Frank Arsego, who was initially assistant coach.
The addition of former MSU star Mike Chappell
breathed new life into the Breakers season. After languishing with a 2-10 record, the Breakers experienced a mid-season resurgence, capped off by a five-match winning streak towards the end of the season which gave them a realistic shot of qualifying for the playoffs. Needing to win both of their final games in the final week of the regular season to claim a playoff berth, the Breakers lost both, to end equal ninth (officially tenth).
left the Breakers despite a year still being left on his contract to play in Italy. The Breakers signed Shawn Redhage
after the American's stellar play in SEABL. Redhage started his NBL career well with an eye-opening 27-point performance in his debut match, but was later cut after a series of poor performances. Redhage later made the Breakers regret their decision, signing with the Perth Wildcats
, becoming one of the best players in the NBL, and representing Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The Breakers finished in last place in the eleven-team league, with a woeful 9-23 record. All was not well internally, with an alleged text message from Dillon Boucher
to former coach and friend Green complaining about Arsego's style of coaching and his lack of game time. The Breakers severed ties with Arsego after the dismal season, and after much speculation about New Zealand Tall Blacks
head coach Tab Baldwin
taking over as head coach, Andrej Lemanis, a Townsville Crocodiles
assistant coach, was appointed in a somewhat surprising decision, at least to New Zealand basketball followers.
, the saviour of the Breakers' first two seasons in the NBL, was jettisoned in favour of Rich Melzer
. The move was at first frowned upon by those in the basketball fraternity, with Melzer's pedigree that of an NCAA Division III school (compared to Chappell, who won a national title at Michigan State).
Lemanis' first season in charge was not particularly memorable, with the Breakers finishing the regular season in ninth spot out of 11 teams, with a 9-23 record. During the season, the Breakers endured a club-record eleven straight losses as they slipped to a 3-17 record. However, after Melzer returned to action, he returned a changed player after an indifferent start, which ultimately led to an NBA contract(see next paragraph). Melzer teamed up with centre Ben Pepper
and with steady contributions from import Brian Green and Kiwi Aaron Olson
, the Breakers split their final twelve games of the season, including inflicting the only home defeat for the Sydney Kings
in the regular season.
team the San Antonio Spurs
. On 16 August 2006 the Breakers signed former West Sydney Razorbacks
point guard Adam Darragh
, who became the Breakers back-up point guard
behind captain Paul Henare
. The following day on 17 August it was announced that the Breakers had signed Ricardo "Carlos" Powell
, Melzer's replacement.
On 28 August 2006 the Breakers also unveiled a new look for their uniform, the primary colour of their jerseys changing to black, to represent New Zealand as they are the only New Zealand team in the competition.
The Breakers struggled in the 2006-07 season finishing with an 11-22 record, despite being 8-9 at the halfway point. A ten-match losing streak killed off the Breakers chances of qualifying for the playoffs. The play of American import Carlos Powell
was entertaining to watch. The former USC standout led the league in scoring, including a 50-point game against the Melbourne Tigers
, but in a losing effort. It would become a theme of the Breakers' second-half to the season, with Powell's spectacular individual performances often in vain. Powell even won Player of the Week in a week where the Breakers went 0-3, after gargantuan 43 and 50-point efforts. It was thought that the lack of success of the Breakers cost Powell the MVP award in the league. After the 2006-07 season, original Breaker Aaron Olson
announced his immediate retirement, and despite the Breakers trying hard to retain him, Powell opted to test NBA waters in his native America.
, and current Tall Blacks Phill Jones
and Paora Winitana
. The biggest signing however for the Breakers was New Zealand's marquee player Kirk Penney
after a distinguished overseas career. Penney was only the second New Zealander to play in the NBA (behind Sean Marks
) and had also played for European powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In the 2007-08 season, with the overhauled roster, the Breakers set out on intent on making the playoffs for the first time in their history, thanks in part to the form of import Rick Rickert
, a friend of Penney. Despite season-ending injuries to Rickert and fellow import Wayne Turner, their replacements Derrick Alston
and Orien Greene
helped the Breakers to seal their maiden NBL playoff berth. In their first playoff match, they defeated the Cairns Taipans
in Cairns 100-78 to set up another elimination final against the defending champion Brisbane Bullets
. However, this proved a bridge too far for the Breakers, defeated in Brisbane to bring the curtain down on their season.
and former Breaker Dillon Boucher
, whilst losing Kiwis Paora Winitana
and Mika Vukona
.
The Breakers started the 2008-09 season with a roar, sitting atop the NBL ladder with a 15-4 record heading into 2009. Bruton joined forces with Penney in what turned out to be the All-NBL First Team backcourt, and had support from Oscar Forman
, Tony Ronaldson
and Phill Jones
.
However after Bruton suffered a high ankle sprain in a victory over the Perth Wildcats
- the Breakers last match in 2008 - the Breakers stuttered through January 2009 without their talismanic leader, losing eight of their next nine games as his ankle fully recovered.
After a successful last week of the regular season, the Breakers finished with an 18-12 record (surpassing the 2007-08 record of 16-14), setting the team up with their first ever home playoff in the NBL. The Breakers went on to win their elimination playoff, routing the Adelaide 36ers
131-101 to set up a best-of-three semi-final series with the defending champion Melbourne Tigers. Sadly, the Breakers dreams of winning the championship were stopped at the semi-final stage, beaten 2-0 in the best-of-three series by the Tigers.
to their ranks in their only major roster addition of note. Phill Jones
was the major casualty, departing from the Breakers for the second time.
Tipped by some as championship favourites (due to the demise of the South Dragons and the off-season surgery to the Melbourne Tigers' lynchpin Chris Anstey
, the Breakers began the 2009-10 NBL season in ominous fashion, sweeping to a 95-75 win over the Cairns Taipans
with Penney and Bruton running amok. However after just three games, it was revealed that star guard Kirk Penney
was to be sidelined with a back injury (eventually missing nine games). The wayward Storey was then replaced by Australian veteran John Rillie
in a move that did not pay dividends for the club.
The Breakers eventually worked themselves back to a 9-9 record as Penney returned to the fray, before inconsistency returned, with the Breakers blowing potential match-winning leads over a three-week period which saw them lose four consecutive games to slip to a parlous 9-13. The addition of import Kevin Braswell sparked a late-season flurry, with the Breakers winning their last six matches to finish with a 15-13 record. But the late-season winning run proved to be in vain, as the Breakers agonisingly missed the playoffs, despite finish just two wins off minor premier (and eventual champion) Perth Wildcats
.
retiring, Oscar Forman
surplus to requirements, and Rick Rickert
later jettisoned, the Breakers re-added Mika Vukona
to their ranks, whilst adding former Utah State standout Gary Wilkinson
to the mix. The Breakers successfully re-signed Kevin Braswell for the season, after Braswell hinted that he wanted to stay.
The Breakers' pre-season was hampered by the involvement of Tall Blacks' Penney, Abercrombie
, Vukona and Dillon Boucher (the assistant coach) in the 2010 FIBA World Championship
. Penney was later signed to a non-guaranteed contract with NBA franchise the San Antonio Spurs
, but was later cut during the preseason. Penney drew interest from former club Maccabi Tel Aviv
, but it is understood that Penney's Breakers' contract only has an NBA out-clause, which he exercised to go to San Antonio.
The Breakers opened the new season with an 83-70 win over the returning Sydney Kings
in Sydney's first home game back in the competition after a two-year hiatus due to financial problems.
In the first home game of the regular season the Breakers played the Perth Wildcats
and won 96-94 after coming back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit.
The Breakers won their first five games of the season - four of which were without Penney - before losing 114-74 to the Perth Wildcats
in Perth.
The Breakers led the NBL from 17 December onwards after a gripping 89-85 over the Wollongong Hawks in Wollongong, snapping their 15-game home winning streak.
The Breakers finished the regular season with a 22-6 record, qualifying as the top seed in the playoff series.
In the finals series, the Breakers lost Game 1 of their semi-final series to the Perth Wildcats 78-101 on 7 April at home, but summoned the strength to win Game 2 in Perth (93-89) on 10 April before closing out the series at home 99-83 on 13 April.
The Breakers met the Cairns Taipans
in the best-of-three Grand Final series that was to result in one of the teams winning their maiden NBL championship (it was also the first time that both teams had made the Grand Final). The Zealand Breakers came out in front after the first home game, with a 85-67 win after leading by as much as 31 in the third-quarter. The teams then fought out a gripping Game 2 in Cairns. Tied 60-60 at the end of the regulation and 73-73 at the end of overtime, it was Cairns who prevailed 85-81. The series went back to the sold-out North Shore Events Centre where they played the deciding match. The Breakers scored a comfortable 71-53 win to claim their maiden championship title.
left the Breakers to join Spanish ACB team Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
. The Breakers signed fringe NBA player Cedric Jackson
and picked up Daryl Corletto
after the Australian was controversially made to step aside from the Melbourne Tigers to accommodate NBA player Patrick Mills
.
Source: www.NBL.com.au
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team competing in the Australasian
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
. The Breakers joined the NBL for the 2003/04 season (along with the now-defunct Hunter Pirates
Hunter Pirates
The Hunter Pirates were an Australian basketball team, based in the city of Newcastle, that competed in the National Basketball League.-Team history:...
) as one of two expansion clubs. The club is based in the city of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and play their home games at the North Shore Events Centre
North Shore Events Centre
North Shore Events Centre is an indoor arena, located in Auckland, New Zealand. The arena opened in 1992 and has a capacity of 4,500 people.The Centre primarily hosts basketball games and is the home arena of the New Zealand Breakers who play in the Australasian NBL. It also hosts concerts and...
. They are currently owned by Paul Blackwell, owner of a local Pak'n Save
Pak'n Save
Pak'n Save is a New Zealand discount food warehouse chain owned by the Foodstuffs cooperative.Founded in 1985, Pak'n Save was the last of the five current major New Zealand supermarkets to be founded...
supermarket.
They are the only team from outside of Australia to compete in the National Basketball League. In 2011 the Breakers won their first NBL championship title, becoming the first New Zealand first-grade team in any sport to win an Australian-based sporting championship (The New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
under-20 team having won the 2010 Toyota Cup
2010 National Youth Competition season (rugby league)
-Grand Final:Three second-half tries in 10 minutes helped the Warriors run all over the Rabbits in Sydney.After holding a slender 12-10 lead at the break, the Warriors turned on the after-burners with halfback Shaun Johnson leading the charge through an impressive kicking and running display.Though...
in Rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
.)
Home Games
In past seasons the Breakers had been based at Trusts StadiumTrusts Stadium
Trusts Stadium is an indoor arena located in Waitakere City, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a multi-purpose stadium that primarily holds sports events and music concerts...
in Waitakere
Waitakere
Waitakere City was the name of a city which existed from 1989 until 2010 in the Auckland region. It was New Zealand's fifth largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%...
and have played matches in the Pacific Centre in Manukau, while they have also taken NBL games to Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
Westpac Arena, Wellington Queens Wharf Events Centre and Hamilton Mystery Creek in their inaugural season. A bid was also made to host several matches in the South Island, but since the franchise was based in Auckland this did not eventuate.
2003-04
After a 111-110 victory over the Adelaide 36ersAdelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
in the first ever regular season match, the Breakers went on to lose ten of their next eleven games to languish near the bottom of the NBL ladder. The inaugural coach, Jeff Green, was subsequently fired and succeeded by Frank Arsego, who was initially assistant coach.
The addition of former MSU star Mike Chappell
Mike Chappell
Michael Lawrence Chappell is an international professional basketball player.-College career:After being recruited heavily by the top universities in America, Mike Chappell attended college at Duke University from 1996–1998 and was coached under Mike Krzyzewski. At Duke, Chappell started in over...
breathed new life into the Breakers season. After languishing with a 2-10 record, the Breakers experienced a mid-season resurgence, capped off by a five-match winning streak towards the end of the season which gave them a realistic shot of qualifying for the playoffs. Needing to win both of their final games in the final week of the regular season to claim a playoff berth, the Breakers lost both, to end equal ninth (officially tenth).
2004-05
Phill JonesPhill Jones
Phillip Charles George 'Phill' Jones is a New Zealand professional basketball player. Jones who stands at 1.96 metres tall, is the highest New Zealand points scorer in NBL history....
left the Breakers despite a year still being left on his contract to play in Italy. The Breakers signed Shawn Redhage
Shawn Redhage
Shawn Redhage is a naturalised Australian professional basketball player, originally from the United States...
after the American's stellar play in SEABL. Redhage started his NBL career well with an eye-opening 27-point performance in his debut match, but was later cut after a series of poor performances. Redhage later made the Breakers regret their decision, signing with the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
, becoming one of the best players in the NBL, and representing Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The Breakers finished in last place in the eleven-team league, with a woeful 9-23 record. All was not well internally, with an alleged text message from Dillon Boucher
Dillon Boucher
Dillon Boucher is a New Zealand professional basketball player.Boucher plays for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League from their inception in 2003 until 2005 when he signed for the Perth Wildcats for whom he played in the 2005/06 Australian NBL season...
to former coach and friend Green complaining about Arsego's style of coaching and his lack of game time. The Breakers severed ties with Arsego after the dismal season, and after much speculation about New Zealand Tall Blacks
New Zealand national basketball team
The New Zealand national basketball team represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. It is nicknamed the Tall Blacks, derived from the name of New Zealand's Rugby union team, the All Blacks.-History:...
head coach Tab Baldwin
Tab Baldwin
Thomas Anthony "Tab" Baldwin ONZM is an American-New Zealand basketball coach,-History:Baldwin was born in Florida and came from Jacksonville Beach to New Zealand in 1988 to coach the Otago Nuggets....
taking over as head coach, Andrej Lemanis, a Townsville Crocodiles
Townsville Crocodiles
The Townsville Crocodiles are a professional Australian basketball team based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in the National Basketball League...
assistant coach, was appointed in a somewhat surprising decision, at least to New Zealand basketball followers.
2005-06
Mike ChappellMike Chappell
Michael Lawrence Chappell is an international professional basketball player.-College career:After being recruited heavily by the top universities in America, Mike Chappell attended college at Duke University from 1996–1998 and was coached under Mike Krzyzewski. At Duke, Chappell started in over...
, the saviour of the Breakers' first two seasons in the NBL, was jettisoned in favour of Rich Melzer
Richard Melzer
Richard Melzer is an American professional basketball player who has played in the Australian National Basketball League, the German Bundesliga, NBA D-League, Continental Basketball Association, as well as stints in France and Israel...
. The move was at first frowned upon by those in the basketball fraternity, with Melzer's pedigree that of an NCAA Division III school (compared to Chappell, who won a national title at Michigan State).
Lemanis' first season in charge was not particularly memorable, with the Breakers finishing the regular season in ninth spot out of 11 teams, with a 9-23 record. During the season, the Breakers endured a club-record eleven straight losses as they slipped to a 3-17 record. However, after Melzer returned to action, he returned a changed player after an indifferent start, which ultimately led to an NBA contract(see next paragraph). Melzer teamed up with centre Ben Pepper
Ben Pepper
Ben Pepper is an Australian basketball player, who played for the twelve seasons in the National Basketball League.-Professional career:...
and with steady contributions from import Brian Green and Kiwi Aaron Olson
Aaron Olson
Aaron Duane Olson is a former professional basketball player who played for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australasian National Basketball League...
, the Breakers split their final twelve games of the season, including inflicting the only home defeat for the Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
in the regular season.
2006-07
On 14 July 2006 it was announced that Melzer had signed a two-year contract with NBANational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
team the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
. On 16 August 2006 the Breakers signed former West Sydney Razorbacks
West Sydney Razorbacks
The Sydney Spirit were a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League...
point guard Adam Darragh
Adam Darragh
Adam Darragh is an Australian basketball player, currently playing guard for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL. Darragh attended college at Martin Methodist College in Tennessee, USA in 2001-02...
, who became the Breakers back-up point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
behind captain Paul Henare
Paul Henare
Paul Donald Henare is a former New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australasian National Basketball League....
. The following day on 17 August it was announced that the Breakers had signed Ricardo "Carlos" Powell
Carlos Powell
Ricardo Auturo "Carlos" Powell is an American basketball player for Maccabi Haifa B.C. of the Israeli Basketball Super League. He is notable for receiving the NIT Most Valuable Player award, in the NIT tournament. Other honors he has received include 2003-2004 All SEC, 2004-2005 Preseason All SEC,...
, Melzer's replacement.
On 28 August 2006 the Breakers also unveiled a new look for their uniform, the primary colour of their jerseys changing to black, to represent New Zealand as they are the only New Zealand team in the competition.
The Breakers struggled in the 2006-07 season finishing with an 11-22 record, despite being 8-9 at the halfway point. A ten-match losing streak killed off the Breakers chances of qualifying for the playoffs. The play of American import Carlos Powell
Carlos Powell
Ricardo Auturo "Carlos" Powell is an American basketball player for Maccabi Haifa B.C. of the Israeli Basketball Super League. He is notable for receiving the NIT Most Valuable Player award, in the NIT tournament. Other honors he has received include 2003-2004 All SEC, 2004-2005 Preseason All SEC,...
was entertaining to watch. The former USC standout led the league in scoring, including a 50-point game against the Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
, but in a losing effort. It would become a theme of the Breakers' second-half to the season, with Powell's spectacular individual performances often in vain. Powell even won Player of the Week in a week where the Breakers went 0-3, after gargantuan 43 and 50-point efforts. It was thought that the lack of success of the Breakers cost Powell the MVP award in the league. After the 2006-07 season, original Breaker Aaron Olson
Aaron Olson
Aaron Duane Olson is a former professional basketball player who played for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australasian National Basketball League...
announced his immediate retirement, and despite the Breakers trying hard to retain him, Powell opted to test NBA waters in his native America.
2007-08
In the following off-season the Breakers signed Australian veteran Tony RonaldsonTony Ronaldson
Anthony Dean "Bear" Ronaldson is a former Australian basketball player who last played for the NZL National Basketball League team, Waikato Pistons.-Playing career:...
, and current Tall Blacks Phill Jones
Phill Jones
Phillip Charles George 'Phill' Jones is a New Zealand professional basketball player. Jones who stands at 1.96 metres tall, is the highest New Zealand points scorer in NBL history....
and Paora Winitana
Paora Winitana
Paora Winitana is a professional New Zealand basketball player. He was ordained as a Mormon bishop in 2005 and chooses not to play basketball on Sundays. He currently plays for the New Zealand NBL team Hawke's Bay Hawks...
. The biggest signing however for the Breakers was New Zealand's marquee player Kirk Penney
Kirk Penney
Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :...
after a distinguished overseas career. Penney was only the second New Zealander to play in the NBA (behind Sean Marks
Sean Marks
Sean Andrew Marks is a New Zealand-American professional basketball player. He is the first native New Zealander to play in the NBA.-Basketball career:...
) and had also played for European powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In the 2007-08 season, with the overhauled roster, the Breakers set out on intent on making the playoffs for the first time in their history, thanks in part to the form of import Rick Rickert
Rick Rickert
Rick Rickert is an American-born basketball player. He is a 2001 graduate of Duluth East High School where he was a basketball star and highly recruited college prospect. He was named 2001 Minnesota Mr...
, a friend of Penney. Despite season-ending injuries to Rickert and fellow import Wayne Turner, their replacements Derrick Alston
Derrick Alston
Derrick Samuel Alston is an American professional basketball player.Alston played basketball at Hoboken High School in Hoboken, New Jersey.-Basketball career:...
and Orien Greene
Orien Greene
Orien Randolph Greene II is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Halifax Rainmen of the National Basketball League of Canada. His first two seasons were spent with the NBA's Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, respectively...
helped the Breakers to seal their maiden NBL playoff berth. In their first playoff match, they defeated the Cairns Taipans
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. The club is based in the northern Queensland city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake native to Australia, entered the NBL in the 1999/2000 season...
in Cairns 100-78 to set up another elimination final against the defending champion Brisbane Bullets
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy...
. However, this proved a bridge too far for the Breakers, defeated in Brisbane to bring the curtain down on their season.
2008-09
Prior to the 2008-09 season, the collapse of the Brisbane Bullets saw the Breakers swoop and sign influential players CJ BrutonCJ Bruton
Calvin Thomas Bruton Jr., commonly known by the name C. J. Bruton , is an American-Australian professional basketball player in the National Basketball League. Bruton moved to Australia at the age of three when his father Calvin Bruton, Sr...
and former Breaker Dillon Boucher
Dillon Boucher
Dillon Boucher is a New Zealand professional basketball player.Boucher plays for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League from their inception in 2003 until 2005 when he signed for the Perth Wildcats for whom he played in the 2005/06 Australian NBL season...
, whilst losing Kiwis Paora Winitana
Paora Winitana
Paora Winitana is a professional New Zealand basketball player. He was ordained as a Mormon bishop in 2005 and chooses not to play basketball on Sundays. He currently plays for the New Zealand NBL team Hawke's Bay Hawks...
and Mika Vukona
Mika Vukona
Mika Vukona is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Australasian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers and for the New Zealand Tall Blacks...
.
The Breakers started the 2008-09 season with a roar, sitting atop the NBL ladder with a 15-4 record heading into 2009. Bruton joined forces with Penney in what turned out to be the All-NBL First Team backcourt, and had support from Oscar Forman
Oscar Forman
Oscar Forman is a basketball player who currently plays for the Wollongong Hawks in the Australian National Basketball League. Forman played for the Adelaide 36ers from 2001 until 2006, winning a championship in 2002, before moving to the Breakers at the end of the 2005-2006 season...
, Tony Ronaldson
Tony Ronaldson
Anthony Dean "Bear" Ronaldson is a former Australian basketball player who last played for the NZL National Basketball League team, Waikato Pistons.-Playing career:...
and Phill Jones
Phill Jones
Phillip Charles George 'Phill' Jones is a New Zealand professional basketball player. Jones who stands at 1.96 metres tall, is the highest New Zealand points scorer in NBL history....
.
However after Bruton suffered a high ankle sprain in a victory over the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
- the Breakers last match in 2008 - the Breakers stuttered through January 2009 without their talismanic leader, losing eight of their next nine games as his ankle fully recovered.
After a successful last week of the regular season, the Breakers finished with an 18-12 record (surpassing the 2007-08 record of 16-14), setting the team up with their first ever home playoff in the NBL. The Breakers went on to win their elimination playoff, routing the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
131-101 to set up a best-of-three semi-final series with the defending champion Melbourne Tigers. Sadly, the Breakers dreams of winning the championship were stopped at the semi-final stage, beaten 2-0 in the best-of-three series by the Tigers.
2009-10
The Breakers added Burger King as their primary sponsor after going without one for the previous two seasons. The Breakers added former NBA player Awvee StoreyAwvee Storey
Awvee Storey is an American professional basketball player. He plays the shooting guard/small forward position.-High school career:...
to their ranks in their only major roster addition of note. Phill Jones
Phill Jones
Phillip Charles George 'Phill' Jones is a New Zealand professional basketball player. Jones who stands at 1.96 metres tall, is the highest New Zealand points scorer in NBL history....
was the major casualty, departing from the Breakers for the second time.
Tipped by some as championship favourites (due to the demise of the South Dragons and the off-season surgery to the Melbourne Tigers' lynchpin Chris Anstey
Chris Anstey
Christopher John Anstey is a former Australian professional basketball player. At 7'0" his career included stints in the NBA, Russia and Spain. Anstey was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft. He played for the Melbourne Tigers in the Australian NBL...
, the Breakers began the 2009-10 NBL season in ominous fashion, sweeping to a 95-75 win over the Cairns Taipans
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. The club is based in the northern Queensland city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake native to Australia, entered the NBL in the 1999/2000 season...
with Penney and Bruton running amok. However after just three games, it was revealed that star guard Kirk Penney
Kirk Penney
Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :...
was to be sidelined with a back injury (eventually missing nine games). The wayward Storey was then replaced by Australian veteran John Rillie
John Rillie
John Rillie is an Australian basketball player. Rillie previously captained the Townsville Crocodiles in the NBL but his contracted was not renewed. In his first season in the NBL, Rillie won Rookie of the Year honours playing for the Brisbane Bullets. He is known for his long range shooting...
in a move that did not pay dividends for the club.
The Breakers eventually worked themselves back to a 9-9 record as Penney returned to the fray, before inconsistency returned, with the Breakers blowing potential match-winning leads over a three-week period which saw them lose four consecutive games to slip to a parlous 9-13. The addition of import Kevin Braswell sparked a late-season flurry, with the Breakers winning their last six matches to finish with a 15-13 record. But the late-season winning run proved to be in vain, as the Breakers agonisingly missed the playoffs, despite finish just two wins off minor premier (and eventual champion) Perth Wildcats
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
2010-11
With Tony RonaldsonTony Ronaldson
Anthony Dean "Bear" Ronaldson is a former Australian basketball player who last played for the NZL National Basketball League team, Waikato Pistons.-Playing career:...
retiring, Oscar Forman
Oscar Forman
Oscar Forman is a basketball player who currently plays for the Wollongong Hawks in the Australian National Basketball League. Forman played for the Adelaide 36ers from 2001 until 2006, winning a championship in 2002, before moving to the Breakers at the end of the 2005-2006 season...
surplus to requirements, and Rick Rickert
Rick Rickert
Rick Rickert is an American-born basketball player. He is a 2001 graduate of Duluth East High School where he was a basketball star and highly recruited college prospect. He was named 2001 Minnesota Mr...
later jettisoned, the Breakers re-added Mika Vukona
Mika Vukona
Mika Vukona is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Australasian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers and for the New Zealand Tall Blacks...
to their ranks, whilst adding former Utah State standout Gary Wilkinson
Gary Wilkinson (basketball)
Gary Kristopher Wilkinson is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australasian NBL. He played college basketball at Utah State and has played previously for professional teams in Greece and South Korea.-Early life:Wilkinson was born in...
to the mix. The Breakers successfully re-signed Kevin Braswell for the season, after Braswell hinted that he wanted to stay.
The Breakers' pre-season was hampered by the involvement of Tall Blacks' Penney, Abercrombie
Thomas Abercrombie (basketball)
Thomas Iain Abercrombie is a New Zealand professional basketball player. He played in the United States for one year at Washington State University, before returning to his home country to play in the Australasian National Basketball League and the New Zealand National Basketball League .-High...
, Vukona and Dillon Boucher (the assistant coach) in the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...
. Penney was later signed to a non-guaranteed contract with NBA franchise the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, but was later cut during the preseason. Penney drew interest from former club Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv is the biggest sports club in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs many sports club and teams in Tel Aviv, which compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, judo, swimming, handball, and others....
, but it is understood that Penney's Breakers' contract only has an NBA out-clause, which he exercised to go to San Antonio.
The Breakers opened the new season with an 83-70 win over the returning Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
in Sydney's first home game back in the competition after a two-year hiatus due to financial problems.
In the first home game of the regular season the Breakers played the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
and won 96-94 after coming back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit.
The Breakers won their first five games of the season - four of which were without Penney - before losing 114-74 to the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
in Perth.
The Breakers led the NBL from 17 December onwards after a gripping 89-85 over the Wollongong Hawks in Wollongong, snapping their 15-game home winning streak.
The Breakers finished the regular season with a 22-6 record, qualifying as the top seed in the playoff series.
In the finals series, the Breakers lost Game 1 of their semi-final series to the Perth Wildcats 78-101 on 7 April at home, but summoned the strength to win Game 2 in Perth (93-89) on 10 April before closing out the series at home 99-83 on 13 April.
The Breakers met the Cairns Taipans
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. The club is based in the northern Queensland city of Cairns. The Taipans, named after a species of venomous snake native to Australia, entered the NBL in the 1999/2000 season...
in the best-of-three Grand Final series that was to result in one of the teams winning their maiden NBL championship (it was also the first time that both teams had made the Grand Final). The Zealand Breakers came out in front after the first home game, with a 85-67 win after leading by as much as 31 in the third-quarter. The teams then fought out a gripping Game 2 in Cairns. Tied 60-60 at the end of the regulation and 73-73 at the end of overtime, it was Cairns who prevailed 85-81. The series went back to the sold-out North Shore Events Centre where they played the deciding match. The Breakers scored a comfortable 71-53 win to claim their maiden championship title.
2011-12
Prodigal son Kirk PenneyKirk Penney
Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :...
left the Breakers to join Spanish ACB team Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
Baloncesto Fuenlabrada, S.A.D. is a professional basketball team based in Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain, currently playing in the Liga ACB. The club was founded in 1981 as C.B. Fuenlabrada, and promoted to the Spanish Top Division in 1996...
. The Breakers signed fringe NBA player Cedric Jackson
Cedric Jackson
Cedric Jackson is an American professional basketball player with the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL. While playing for the Cleveland State University Vikings, he had a game-winning full court shot against the Syracuse University Orange...
and picked up Daryl Corletto
Daryl Corletto
Daryl Corletto is an Australian professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL. He is a 6'4" shooting guard....
after the Australian was controversially made to step aside from the Melbourne Tigers to accommodate NBA player Patrick Mills
Patrick Mills
Patrick "Patty" Sammie Mills is an Indigenous Australian professional basketball player who plays as a point guard for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers....
.
Honour Roll
| NBL Championships: | 1 (2011) |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 3 |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 1 (2011) |
| NBL Minor Championships: | 1 (2011) |
| NBL Most Valuable Player: | Kirk Penney Kirk Penney Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :... (2009) |
| NBL Most Valuable Player (Finals Series): | Thomas Abercrombie Thomas Abercrombie (basketball) Thomas Iain Abercrombie is a New Zealand professional basketball player. He played in the United States for one year at Washington State University, before returning to his home country to play in the Australasian National Basketball League and the New Zealand National Basketball League .-High... (2011) |
| All-NBL First Team: | Carlos Powell Carlos Powell Ricardo Auturo "Carlos" Powell is an American basketball player for Maccabi Haifa B.C. of the Israeli Basketball Super League. He is notable for receiving the NIT Most Valuable Player award, in the NIT tournament. Other honors he has received include 2003-2004 All SEC, 2004-2005 Preseason All SEC,... (2007), Kirk Penney Kirk Penney Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :... (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), CJ Bruton CJ Bruton Calvin Thomas Bruton Jr., commonly known by the name C. J. Bruton , is an American-Australian professional basketball player in the National Basketball League. Bruton moved to Australia at the age of three when his father Calvin Bruton, Sr... (2009), Gary Wilkinson Gary Wilkinson (basketball) Gary Kristopher Wilkinson is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australasian NBL. He played college basketball at Utah State and has played previously for professional teams in Greece and South Korea.-Early life:Wilkinson was born in... (2011) |
| Leading NBL scorer: | Carlos Powell Carlos Powell Ricardo Auturo "Carlos" Powell is an American basketball player for Maccabi Haifa B.C. of the Israeli Basketball Super League. He is notable for receiving the NIT Most Valuable Player award, in the NIT tournament. Other honors he has received include 2003-2004 All SEC, 2004-2005 Preseason All SEC,... (2007), Kirk Penney Kirk Penney Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :... (2009) |
| NBL Best Sixth Man: | Phill Jones Phill Jones Phillip Charles George 'Phill' Jones is a New Zealand professional basketball player. Jones who stands at 1.96 metres tall, is the highest New Zealand points scorer in NBL history.... (2009), Kevin Braswell (2011) |
| NBL Defensive Player of the Year: | Dillon Boucher Dillon Boucher Dillon Boucher is a New Zealand professional basketball player.Boucher plays for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League from their inception in 2003 until 2005 when he signed for the Perth Wildcats for whom he played in the 2005/06 Australian NBL season... (2010) |
| Coaches: | Jeff Green 2003, Frank Arsego 2004-2005, Andrej Lemanis 2005–present |
Source: www.NBL.com.au
Current squad
Depth Chart
| Pos. | Starter | Bench | Bench | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Gary Wilkinson Gary Wilkinson (basketball) Gary Kristopher Wilkinson is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australasian NBL. He played college basketball at Utah State and has played previously for professional teams in Greece and South Korea.-Early life:Wilkinson was born in... |
Alex Pledger Alex Pledger Alex Pledger is a New Zealand professional basketball player. He is a 7 ft 0 in tall, 249 pound center... |
||
| PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low... |
Mika Vukona Mika Vukona Mika Vukona is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Australasian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers and for the New Zealand Tall Blacks... |
B. J. Anthony B. J. Anthony Benny Anthony Jr., commonly known by the name B. J. Anthony is a New Zealand professional basketball player. He plays for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australasian National Basketball League as well as the Otago Nuggets in the New Zealand National Basketball League... |
Isaac Fotu | |
| SF Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall... |
Thomas Abercrombie Thomas Abercrombie (basketball) Thomas Iain Abercrombie is a New Zealand professional basketball player. He played in the United States for one year at Washington State University, before returning to his home country to play in the Australasian National Basketball League and the New Zealand National Basketball League .-High... |
Dillon Boucher Dillon Boucher Dillon Boucher is a New Zealand professional basketball player.Boucher plays for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League from their inception in 2003 until 2005 when he signed for the Perth Wildcats for whom he played in the 2005/06 Australian NBL season... |
Leon Henry Leon Henry Leon Henry is a New Zealand professional basketball player. The small forward was selected to join the Tall Blacks squad on 16 July 2009 for the first time. He participated in the FIBA Oceania Championship 2009.... |
|
| SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... |
C. J. Bruton | Daryl Corletto Daryl Corletto Daryl Corletto is an Australian professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL. He is a 6'4" shooting guard.... |
Dion Prewster | |
| PG Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that... |
Cedric Jackson Cedric Jackson Cedric Jackson is an American professional basketball player with the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL. While playing for the Cleveland State University Vikings, he had a game-winning full court shot against the Syracuse University Orange... |
Josh Bloxham Josh Bloxham Joshua Bloxham is a New Zealand basketball player for theNelson Giants and the New Zealand Breakers. He played six matches for the Nelson Giants in the 2006 season and two in 2007, when his availability for selection was limited by injury and national youth team commitments... |
Jarrod Kenny Jarrod Kenny Jarrod Kenny is a New Zealand professional basketball player. The 188 cm point guard was selected to join the New Zealand Tall Blacks squad on 16 July 2009. He is currently playing for the New Zealand NBL team Hawke's Bay Hawks and the New Zealand Breakers.-References:... |