Better Than Advertised
Tagged in: NBL
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Kenny Stone still recalls the day the 2007 Dominion Finance NBL Rookie of the Year favourite rocked up to practice for the first time.
ìI recognized his face, but didnít know his name,î admits the Youthtown Auckland Stars coach. ìI thought we could use the numbers.î
That pretty much sums up where the nine-time champions stood as the season began.
Management had used most of their payroll to secure Tall Blacks Lindsay Tait, Dillon Boucher and Casey Frank. With two low-priced imports, they would be expected to play the bulk of the minutes and carry the franchiseís hopes of a 10th title.
The bench that had played such a big part in getting them to last yearís final had gone their separate ways – Judd Flavell to coach the NZ Breakers Academy, Daryl Cartwright to Appliance Shed Harbour heat and Reece Cassidy to Inspire Net Manawatu Jets.
ìWe were late starting and that affected our recruitment,î says Stone. ìWe missed out on some players I would love to have signed and, at that stage, I wasnít in a strong position to pick and choose.î
Frankly, the Stars seemed one injury away from a mid-table finish.
But surprising newcomer Charlie Piho (21) and his unheralded sidekicks have proved an unexpected asset to an organisation still in the thick of the playoff race despite facing more than its share of adversity. American Tashaan Forehan-Kelly missed the opening game while paperwork was processed, Boucher was late returning from the Brisbane Bullets, both imports went AWOL, Frank was suspended a game and replacement imports are still struggling to find their feet at a time when team chemistry should be a given.
Auckland (10-4) may rank only seventh in bench scoring (13.4 points), but that statistic fails to reflect the contribution from their ìno namesî, who had a grand total of 21 NBL games among them before this season began, when called into more prominent roles.
Although the votes are not yet in, Piho (19.5 minutes, 7.8 points, 53.3% FG, 3.4 rebounds) is simply a no brainer for league rookie honours and has actually started six of his 14 appearances. No other newbie has averaged more than 10 minutes or 1.9 points a game.
Guard Josh Clark (23), who had scored 0.9 points over 12 previous outings, has seven starts to his name this year, shooting 40% 3pt among his 7.5 points. While Auckland were importless, he hit two crucial treys to finish the Jets in double OT and then dropped 25 points (5/7 3pt) on Century City Wellington Saints in another dramatic win.
Last week, with Clark nursing a torn chest muscle and new import Brandon Cole still firing mostly blanks, Valance Te Ratana (29) bombed six three-pointers in his 22 points against TET Taranaki Mountain Airs.
No one should have questioned Te Ratanaís ability to rise to a challenge. When the Stars traveled to Napier for the ë05 NBL final, it was the rookie who stepped forward to meet the pre-game haka of Easy LPG Bay Hawks spiritual leader Paora Winitana.
Te Ratana gave as good as he got as the pair went nose to nose in a spine-chilling preview of what was to come and, at the end of the night, Auckland overcame the Hawksí home advantage to steal the narrowest of victories.
Stone has also signed former Junior Tall Black Valance McCarthy mid-season to add size off the pine and when Frank fouled out against the Airs, Stone opted for him over American Corey Hallett.
ìEach of them has had a time when they have stepped up when we needed it. It has always been about ëteamí, and ensuring that we donít rely on Lindsay, Casey and Dillon to do it all.
ìFor us to be a good team, we not only need the imports to perform, we also need some help off the bench. These guys are probably a little better than everyone expected Ö including myself.î
Dominion Finance NBL Guide (Round 13) (pdf 1.2MB)
