Basketball New Zealand

Conference Basketball League Finals

Jeff Green knows his Waikato Titans have a target on their backs ahead of the 2008 Conference Basketball League Finals and that’s fine with him.

“That’s the way we like it,” the notorious four-time NBL and three-time CBL winning coach said on Wednesday.

“At the end of the day it’s our championship and it’s ours to lose. You hear talk all the time from the other teams about how good they are and what they’re going to do. We don’t worry about what other teams are doing.”

The Titans rightfully have those targets, having won back-to-back-to-back CBL titles with similar rosters.

While six of Green’s Fraser High School senior team have played a prominent part of the Titans 20-4 regular season in the Northern Conference, the teenagers will not be making the trip to the Capital, instead preparing for the their secondary school zone two premiership tournament in Tauranga next week.

What is left is an experienced bulk of the three-peat CBL champs.

NBL Finals MVP Puke Lenden and Waikato Pistons team-mate Ray Cameron head the group, which also includes Kurtis Elliot, Danny Williams, Ross Smith and the experience of captain Kazlo Evans, Parlayne Hawea, Earl Smith and Robson Tavita, the only member of the squad not to have won an NBL, CBL, under-23 or under-21 title.

“The older guys liked having the young guys there because they do all the running. The old guys just had to do the rebounding and concentrate on defence,” Green said. “But because of the way we play it hasn’t affected us at all.”

Lining up with the Titans in section A will the Harbour Heat Reserves, who posted the Northern Conference’s best record at 21-3; Wellington, a team chock-full of current and former NBL players; and the Turanga Health Rising Suns, a perennial CBL Finals team that accepted a wildcard berth this season after Northside’s late withdrawal.

The Heat Reserves will be without the Northern’s leading scorer Dan Ryan, who was averaging 30-plus points per game before a torn patella tendon and ensuing knee surgery three weeks ago limited him to coaching duties.

Even without him, the Heat Reserves did not falter in the final three weeks, including a confidence-boosting comeback win over Northside, with the play of Reece Beardsall, Michael Dawson and Valance McCarthy lifting them.

Current Wellington Saint Troy McLean leads a Wellington team that took three out of four games against the Central Conference champion Wellington Saints this season.

With a roster that includes seven current or recently former NBL players, Wellington has the experience and big game temperament that player-coach Jonathon Southey believes will be crucial in cut-throat section play and Friday night’s semifinals.

The loss of Bay Hawks import Kareem Johnson with two weeks remaining in the regular season put a big hurt on the Rising Suns chances of automatically qualifying for the CBL Finals but coach Dwayne Tamatea was happy accept the wildcard ticket to the dance on Monday.

The Rising Suns managed to pick up Johnson’s NBL team-mate Damien Ekenasio before the end of the regular season but will also be without former NBL point guard Willie Banks for the entire tournament.

SECTION A

Waikato Titans

Kazlo Evans (c), Puke Lenden, Ray Cameron, Parlayne Hawea, Kurtis Elliot, Earl Smith, Ross Smith David Burgess, Robson Tavita, Kelly Anderson, Danny Williams
Coach: Jeff Green

Harbour Heat Reserves

Sefo Leusogi-Ape, Karl Noyer, Reece Beardsall, Shawn Nance, Connor Kerlin, Lydon Aoake, Michael Dawson, Valance McCarthy, Kael Tarawa
Coach: Dan Ryan

Wellington

Troy McLean, David Hopoi, George Le’afa, Jonathon Southey, Jon Cartwright, Corey Vessey, James Paringatai, Johan Gray, Tom Westlake, Nick Edmonds, Andrew Cassels, Chas Taurima
Coach: Jonathon Southey

Turanga Health Rising Suns

Reg Namana (c), Rob Tuilave, Damien Ekenasio, Leityn Swann, Robbie Wilson, Anton Riri, Shaquille Hohipa-Wilson, Jason Tuapawa, Errol Wilson, Kitione Maile
Coach: Dwayne Tamatea