Basketball New Zealand

NZ Breakers re-signed import centre Rick Rickert (Photosport)

The NZ Breakers roster for the 2008-09 Australian NBL season has been completed with the re-signing of import Rick Rickert and the addition of University of Denver forward Adam Tanner.

Rickert made a big impact on Breakers fans in 2007-08 before being struck down mid season with a back injury. It has been a long and painful road back for the Minnesota forward, but he now feels he is ready to get down to some unfinished business at the Breakers.

“I absolutely loved my time in Auckland last season – and was just so gutted that the injury happened when it did and kept me from being part of what was a great season,” Rickert said.

“I feel I owe this club something – the players, the people involved, the fans. I’m coming back to make good on that.”

Rickert will arrive in New Zealand shortly before the commencement of Breakers pre-season training on July 24, and will undergo a 3 day series of workouts and medical tests to get a final assessment on his fitness.

Rickert has no doubts this will be a mere formality.

“I wouldn’t be coming down if I wasn’t 100 percent confident of myself and where I am at physically. I’m going to be good to go, I can’t wait.”

As part of the assessment of Rickert’s injury Breakers shooting guard Kirk Penney traveled from his US base in Madison, Wisconsin to work out with the big man in Minneapolis. Going through a series of tough workouts at the Gophers home gym, Penney was impressed with where Rickert was at.

“I pushed him pretty hard, we did everything that would have been expected of him at the Breakers and I was really surprised at what he could do,” Penney said.

“Rick is very honest in his own assessment of himself, and having seen where he is at, if he says he’s ready, then he is ready.”

The final piece of the Breakers puzzle arrives in the form of six-foot-nine Tanner, a Melbourne native returning from four years in the United States, most recently at University of Denver (NCCA Division 1).

The 23-year-old had been on the Breakers’ radar earlier in the recruitment process, but before the club was in a position to act he signed with the Brisbane Bullets. However with the Bullets ongoing ownership issues, Tanner again found himself a free agent.

Coach Andrej Lemanis was in the process of looking at options for the final roster position when advised of the change in circumstance, so the timing was good for Tanner.

“I was in Australia working out some players to potentially fill the position, so it was the right time for Adam to come back on to the scene. Dean Vickerman was very keen on Adam previously, so we had a close look at him when he became available,” Lemanis said.

“We watched a lot of tape on him and got feedback from coaches who have worked with him, both in the States and in Australia. We got nothing but good news on him. He sounds like a good fit for our group, a guy that will really work hard and push the other guys hard every day.”

Lemanis says he’s delighted with the squad the club has been able to assemble.

“It’s a strong roster with lots of experience and guys who have had success at this level,” he said. “I think the team chemistry will be superb and I’m looking forward to the season.”

2008-09 NZ Breakers

CJ Bruton
Paul Henare
Kirk Penney
Phill Jones
Oscar Forman
Dillon Boucher
Tony Ronaldson
Adam Tanner
Rick Rickert
Tim Behrendorff

Development Players
Tom Abercrombie
Corey Webster