2010 Bartercard NBL Round 7 (April 16-17) Exodus Saints v Christchurch Cougars 0800 Easy LPG Bay Hawks v Harbour Heat OceanaGold Nuggets v Zerofees Southland Sharks McDonalds Manawatu Jets v Harbour Heat Fico Finance Giants v Christchurch Cougars www.basketball.org.nz STANDINGS Team P W L Win % GB Pts Waikato Pistons 7 6 1 85.7 0 12 Harbour Heat 5 5 0 100.0 0 10 Fico Finance Nelson Giants 7 5 2 71.4 1 10 0800 Easy LPG Bay Hawks 7 4 3 57.1 2 8 Wellington Saints 7 4 3 57.1 2 8 Taranaki Mountainairs 7 4 3 57.1 2 8 Christchurch Cougars 8 3 5 37.5 3.5 6 Zerofees Southland Sharks 8 3 5 37.5 3.5 6 McDonalds Manawatu Jets 5 0 5 0.0 5 0 Oceanagold Otago Nuggets 7 0 7 0.0 6 0 Win % - Win Percentage, GB – Games Back LAST WEEK Bartercard NBL - Round Six Thursday, April 8 At Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North McDonalds Manawatu Jets 73 (Richard Jeter 25, Matt Te Huna 13, Hugh Quinlivan 13) Waikato Pistons 95 (Hayden Allen 25, Alex Pledger 22, Eric Devendorf 14, David Gruber 14) Jets v Pistons Boxscore (24 KB html) Friday, April 9 At Pettigrew Green Arena, Taradale 0800 Easy LPG Bay Hawks 78 (Josh Pace 20, Everard Bartlett 18, Ben Hill 12) Waikato Pistons 73 (Hayden Allen 21, Eric Devendorf 20, Alex Pledger 10) Hawks v Pistons Boxscore (24 KB html) At Southland Stadium, Invercargill Zerofees Southland Sharks 72 (James Paringatai 19, Rene Rougeau 19, Luke Martin 14) Fico Finance Nelson Giants 74 (Michael Harrison 19, Mike Fitchett 18, Mika Vukona 14) Sharks v Giants Boxscore (24 KB html) At TSB Arena, Wellington Exodus Saints 98 (Lindsay Tait 25, Erron Maxey 23, Troy McLean 18) Taranaki Mountain Airs 71 (Demarshay Johnson 21, Aaron Bailey-Nowell 13, Alex Wastney 10, Jack Leasure 10) Saints v Airs Boxscore (24 KB html) Saturday, April 10 At Edgar Centre, Dunedin OceanaGold Nuggets 71 (Tyler Amaya 23, Sam To’omata 12 Matt Gillan 11) Fico Finance Nelson Giants 102 (Darryl Jones 14, Mika Vukona 13, Sam Dempster 12) Nuggets v Giants Boxscore (24 KB html) NBL Trivia of the Week Which NBL team had the longest current winning streak up until Round Six and how many games was it? (Answer at the end of Media Guide) THIS WEEK 2010 NBL Round Seven Friday, April 16 Exodus Saints (4-3) v Christchurch Cougars (3-5), 7pm At TSB Arena, Wellington Referees – Dallas Pickering, Yalla Edwards, Kieran Udy Head to Head*: Saints 2 Cougars 1 Last Meeting: Saints 85-72 (Round Two, 11th March 2010) Projected Starting Five Saints Cougars Point Guard Lindsay Tait Jeremy Kench Shooting Guard Troy McLean Paora Winitana Small Forward Erron Maxey Mark Morrison Power Forward Leon Henry Trent Wurtz Center Casey Frank Tim Behrendorff Leading Scorers (Points per game) Saints Cougars Erron Maxey (18.3) Paora Winitana (20.0) Lindsay Tait (16.5) Tim Behrendorff (15.7) Troy McLean (13.1) Jeremy Kench (12.9) Team Leaders in Other Categories (Per game) Saints Cougars Rebounds Erron Maxey (8.3) Mark Morrison (6.8) Assists Lindsay Tait (4.0) Jeremy Kench (5.3) Steals Lindsay Tait (3.0) Jeremy Kench (2.3) Blocks Nick Horvath (1.0) Three Tied (0.5) Notes Saints have had a mixed start to the season with four wins and three losses forcing management to make a change signing former Pistons Eric Devendorf. Unfortunately that came at the loss of Darryl Hudson who was the Saints leading scorer and very strong defender for his side. Cougars have also had mixed results this year, but if there was a time to turn it around it would be now playing against the Saints and then the Nelson Giants on Saturday. The Cougars maybe a little happy that Hudson is not playing after the last time the two teams met in Round Two he scored 33 points in the 85-72 victory. Cougars did not have centre Tim Behrendorff in that Round Two loss. Behrendorff has been solid but not spectacular for the Cougars this season averaging 15 points and nearly 6 rebounds. 0800 Easy LPG Bay Hawks (4-3) v Harbour Heat (5-0) At Pettirgrew Green Arena, Taradale Referees – Melony Wealleans, Shane Nikora, Wayne Start Head to Head*: Hawks 2 Heat 5 Last Meeting: Heat 83-73 (30th May 2009) Projected Starting Fives Hawks Heat Point Guard Josh Pace Kavossy Franklin Shooting Guard Everard Bartlett Corey Webster Small Forward Chris Daniel Dillon Boucher Power Forward Dave Langrell Beny Anthony Center Jamil Terrell Rick Rickert Leading Scorers (Points per game) Hawks Heat Josh Pace (20.0) Corey Webster (24.0) Everard Bartlett (15.4) Rick Rickert (20.0) Chris Daniel (13.4) Kavossy Franklin (18.0) Team Leaders in Other Categories (Per game) Hawks Heat Rebounds Jamil Terrell (11.4) Rick Rickert (12.4) Assists Josh Pace (4.0) Dillon Boucher (6.8) Steals Everard Bartlett (2.0) Corey Webster (5.0) Blocks Jamil Terrell (1.6) Two Tied (1.0) Notes Hawks have been giant killers of late at home first beating the Saints and then the previously unbeaten Waikato Pistons last week. Hawks will now have arguably their hardest test in Round Seven when they host the Harbour Heat who are still unbeaten in 2010. Hawks Josh Pace played his first game for the Hawks and made an instant impact with 20 points in 4 assists in the 78-73 win. Both teams boast a strong guard lineup, Hawks with Pace and Everard Bartlett who combined for 38 points in their first outing together. But the Heat have the highest scoring back court in the league of Corey Webster and Kavossy Franklin who average a combined 42 points a contest. If the Hawks want to win they will have to contain the Heat on the boards, Heat have two players who average over 10 rebounds a game (Rick Rickert 12.4 & Dillon Boucher 10.5). Rickert will have his most physical match up by far this season going up against Jamil Terrell who is averaging 11.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game. Saturday, April 18 OceanaGold Nuggets (0-7) v Zerofees Southland Sharks (3-5), 7pm At Edgar Centre, Dunedin Referees – Raewyn Willocks, Hayden Pipe, Matt Bathurst Projected Starting Fives Nuggets Sharks Point Guard Sam To’omata Luke Martin Shooting Guard Riki Buckrell Mike Helms Small Forward Matt Trueman Rene Rougeau Power Forward Tyler Amaya James Paringatai Center Antoine Tisby Martin Iti Leading Scorers (Points per game) Nuggets Sharks Antoine Tisby (23.5) Rene Rougeau (16.1) Tyler Amaya (20.0) Luke Martin (11.2) Sam To’omata (6.3) James Paringatai (11.1) Team Leaders in Other Categories (Per game) Nuggets Sharks Rebounds Antoine Tisby (2.3) Rene Rougeau (6.8) Assists Tyler Amaya (3.8) Luke Martin (4.8) Steals Antoine Tisby (1.5) Rene Rougeau (3.1) Blocks Antoine Tisby (0.7) Rene Rougeau (1.6) Notes The Deep South derby will begin for the first time in Round Seven when the OceanaGold Nuggets host the Zerofees Southland Sharks. The Nuggets need to step up if they do not want to be in the same boat as the 2009 Taranaki Dynamos and the 1998 Northland Suns who are the only teams in the NBL history to go through a season winless. Currently at 0-7 the Nuggets have been losing by an average margin of 25 points which is the second most losing margin average (Jets are the worse at 29 points). Sharks could potentially have their import Mike Helms playing in his first game of the season. Helms was a dominant scorer in the Australian league averaging over twenty points a game for the Singapore Slingers for two seasons. The Sharks will need Helms’s offence after losing Mike Rose who averaged 22 points in the seven games he played. Sharks coach Richard Dickel played for the Nuggets in the late 1990s and also had a three-year stint as assistant coach with the franchise. Hopefully the Nuggets will have their leading scorer Antoine Tisby back, who missed the loss against the Giants with a foot injury. McDonalds Manawatu Jets (0-5) v Harbour Heat (5-0), 6pm At Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North Referees – Andy Thackray, Sean Cronin, Yalla Edwards Head to Head: Jets 1 Heat 6 Last Meeting: Heat 105-73 (26th March 2010) Projected Starting Fives Jets Heat Point Guard Paul Bristol Kavossy Franklin Shooting Guard Kaine Hokianga Corey Webster Small Forward Matt Te Huna Dillon Boucher Power Forward Richard Jeter Beny Anthony Center Chris Reay Rick Rickert Leading Scorers (Points per game) Jets Heat Richard Jeter (24.8) Corey Webster (24.0) Kaine Hokianga (11.2) Rick Rickert (20.0) Matt Te Huina (9.2) Kavossy Franklin (18.0) Team Leaders in Other Categories (Per game) Jets Heat Rebounds Chris Reay (6.0) Rick Rickert (12.4) Assists Matt Te Huna (2.8) Dillon Boucher (6.8) Steals Matt Te Huna (3.2) Corey Webster (5.0) Blocks Adrian Torries (0.7) Two Tied (1.0) Notes Both teams met in Round Four, the Heat winning 105-73. But the Jets did play hard in the first half down only three. It seems to be a common theme this year with the Jets, playing well for two or three quarters but also having disastrous quarters such as the loss against the Christchurch Cougars when they lost the second quarter 27-4 after leading the first by nine. The Heat has had a week off after having their closest game of the year beating the Nelson Giants 83-79.