Source: Radio New Zealand
Breakers coach Petteri Koponen Blake Armstrong/Photosport
The New Zealand Breakers have not won any silverware in more than a decade but that could change next month.
This week the Breakers cemented their place in the final of the Ignite Cup, thanks to other results going their way, and they will face in-form NBL team the Adelaide 36ers in the decider of the new in-season competition on the Gold Coast on 22 February.
Making history as the inaugural Ignite Cup champions would be a boost for the team operating under new ownership and fighting to get into the play-offs for the NBL Championship.
Knowing the Cup champions take home $300,000, while the runners-up will get $100,000, with 60 percent of the prize money going directly to players, is a boost of a different kind.
The Breakers’ second-season head coach Petteri Koponen has not yet lifted any trophies with the Auckland-based club and said getting a trophy of any kind in any season was “not easy”.
With the Ignite Cup final a month away, Koponen does not want to look too far ahead as he realises his injury-hit roster still need to win the six remaining NBL regular season games before the focus can turn to the final to be played three days after their last scheduled game.
“Before this we have still other goals we try to achieve and we keep fighting for the play-in spot until the end, but really happy about [the Ignite Cup] and one game everything is possible.”
The back end of the season will be a battle for the Breakers who have not won more than three games in a row this season.
To achieve a run of victories without one of their standout players this season in Sam Mennenga, who broke his wrist and will miss the remainder of the season, will be a challenge that Koponen believes he has the roster to achieve.
“Rob Loe, Max Darling need to take his minutes, it’s hard to replace [Mennenga] but they need to do their job and find their way how they can help the team but everything starts from the defensive end if you can get stops and run and get to the open court everything becomes easier unfortunately we’re missing Sam but the next guys need to be ready.”
Not only will the Breakers have Mennenga missing from the starting five they are also without injured American import Rob Baker who was getting regular minutes from tip off.
Koponen will make some tweaks to the game plan but admitted not a lot could change.
“Luckily we have enough guys, Carlin Davison, Reuben Te Rangi can play a bit more at the four spot and Reuben’s been playing really well the last few games and Max and Rob are going to take the five spot and help the team.
“It’s opportunities for other guys to step up and play more minutes and show what they can do. We still have enough depth and enough quality to compete and it’s just the mentality needs to be there and the guys that maybe didn’t play so many minutes in the beginning of the season, or a big part of the season, now with the opportunities they’ve got they need to be ready to take it.”
Koponen was not yet thinking of resting players ahead of the Ignite Cup final.
“Every game for us is like a final at the moment so every game is important and we treat it that way, we try to take it one game at a time but one month [until the final] is a long time so we don’t have that opportunity to start to think that yet, later on [maybe] but every game is the next big thing.”
Fourth placed Melbourne United are the next challenge on Friday at Spark Arena before the Breakers back up against Tasmania JackJumpers on Sunday.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
