The BNZ Breakers are heading across the Tasman with a revamped roster, a new coach and plenty of firepower as they prepare to defend their NBL Blitz Loggins-Bruton Cup in Bendigo — but club president Dillon Boucher says building combinations for the season ahead matters more than another pre-season trophy.
After two weeks together on the training floor, Boucher is encouraged by what he has seen from a squad combining established Breakers stars with an intriguing collection of new recruits.
The returning core includes Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Sam Mennenga, Reuben Te Rangi, Carlin Davison and Izayah Le’afa, while new coach Gordie Herbert begins putting his stamp on a team looking to hit the NBL27 season running.
For Boucher, himself a multiple NBL championship winner, the early signs are positive, particularly the chemistry developing between players who have arrived from different competitions and basketball backgrounds.
Big imports bring size and athleticism
Among the most anticipated additions are Canadian seven-foot centre Charles Bediako and American forward Josiah-Jordan James.
Boucher says both were deliberately recruited for the specific attributes they can bring to the Breakers.
But the club is also realistic about the adjustment required when imports arrive in the Australian NBL.
For Bediako, one of the biggest tests will be adapting to the physicality of the competition and learning how officials interpret contact around the basket, particularly when protecting the rim.
James will face his own adjustment to the speed of the NBL and the challenge of defending some of the competition’s most dangerous offensive players.
The Breakers are therefore treating Bendigo as an opportunity for both players to learn rather than expecting them to dominate immediately.
Breakers load up from three-point range
One of the most noticeable changes to this year’s roster is additional shooting.
South Sudanese wing Kouat Noi joins Australian guards Dejan Vasiljevic and Preston Le Gassick, providing the Breakers with considerably more perimeter firepower.
Add Te Rangi and Le’afa to that mix and Boucher believes the club has assembled an impressive group of three-point shooters.
Training has already provided glimpses of what that could mean.
The challenge for Herbert will be designing an offence capable of consistently creating open opportunities for those shooters while maintaining the penetration and playmaking provided by Jackson-Cartwright.
If the combinations work, opponents could face a Breakers team capable of stretching defences considerably further across the floor.
Le’afa working back from broken foot
There is also encouraging news around Kiwi guard Izayah Le’afa, who continues his recovery from a broken foot.
Le’afa is progressing towards an early-season return, although his involvement in Bendigo is not guaranteed as the club carefully manages his rehabilitation.
That has created an opportunity for development player Kael Robinson.
Robinson will travel with the Breakers for the Blitz after impressing throughout pre-season.
His pathway has taken him from college basketball into the New Zealand NBL and now into the Breakers environment, where Boucher believes he has earned the chance to take another step in his development.
For New Zealand basketball, opportunities such as Robinson’s are also important evidence of the pathway available from the domestic game into professional basketball.
Winning the Blitz isn’t everything
The Breakers travel to Bendigo as defending Blitz champions, but Boucher is not pretending retaining the trophy is the only objective.
Every time the team takes the floor it will be trying to win, but the greater priority is allowing Herbert to experiment with combinations and determine how his new roster fits together.
Preparation has also been complicated by players arriving after commitments in the New Zealand NBL and the recent FIBA international window.
Some players therefore arrive carrying substantial basketball workloads while others are returning from a genuine off-season.
Managing those different levels of conditioning while avoiding injuries will be critical.
The Blitz gives Herbert competitive games in which to experiment before the results begin counting towards the championship standings.
Sydney and Tasmania first up
The Breakers begin their Blitz defence against the Sydney Kings on September 4 at Red Energy Arena in Bendigo, with tip-off scheduled for 7.30pm New Zealand time.
Two days later they meet the Tasmania JackJumpers at 7pm NZT.
The Australian preparation then continues with closed pre-season friendlies against South East Melbourne on September 8 and Melbourne United on September 10.
Those games will not be televised or streamed.
By the time the Breakers return home, Herbert should have a considerably clearer idea of his preferred rotations and combinations.
September 20 circled on the calendar
Everything ultimately builds towards September 20 at Spark Arena.
The Breakers open their home campaign against the Illawarra Hawks, with tip-off at 5pm.
For Boucher, the prospect of returning to Spark Arena with the new roster has already brought back the competitive excitement of his playing days.
The former Breakers great has helped assemble this team from the front office.
Soon he will find out what it can do on the floor.
Individual home-game tickets have now gone on sale through Ticketmaster alongside season memberships.
A new chapter for the Breakers
The full roster features Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Reuben Te Rangi, Sam Mennenga, Dejan Vasiljevic, Kouat Noi, Carlin Davison, Izayah Le’afa, Preston Le Gassick, Anzac Rissetto, Josiah-Jordan James and Charles Bediako.
Development players Kael Robinson, Tukaha Cooper, Kazlo Evans Junior and Aubrey Chunga add another layer of emerging talent, with Tobias Cameron joining the environment as a training player.
On paper, there is size, experience, youth, playmaking and significantly greater shooting depth.
Now comes the difficult part — turning those individual pieces into a basketball team.
Bendigo will provide the first real indication of what the new-look BNZ Breakers might become. The trophy would be welcome, but finding the combinations capable of delivering when the real season begins on September 20 could prove considerably more valuable.
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