Basketball New Zealand

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Harbour Heat guard Hayden Allen (Photosport)

Appliance Shed Harbour Heat co-captain Hayden Allen has been through high and lows in the National Basketball League Ö mostly lows.

Over a decade, he has endured six frustrating seasons with his home team, the Otago Nuggets, and more recently, a couple of tumultuous seasons with the Heat under firebrand coach Steve Done. Even when he won a title with Waikato in 2002, Allen started the season late with injury and never really found a niche in the rotation.

In nine previous years, that championship was the only winning campaign Allen had experienced. His career record was 60-100 (37.5%).

So capturing the 2007 Dominion Finance NBL regular season title has definitely been a career highlight.

ìIt has been awesome Ö and not just the basketball,î he says. ìIíve never really had a team like this to play with.

ìI struggled through the Otago years, went to Waikato for that title, went home and struggled again, then came up here and struggled. Winning has made a real change.î

That this success has come with Harbour, a franchise that has largely underachieved through its 22 years in the league, is even more surprising. Part of the problem has undoubtedly been an inability to find a coach capable of forging a tight unit from the talent available.

They almost had it in Done, who seemed on the right track through the first half of 2005 before his authoritarian style wore his players down. In laidback Aussie giant John Dorge, the Heat have found that fit.

ìTheyíre like chalk and cheese,î grins Allen, when comparing his last two coaches. ìThey have completely different styles.

ìDorge, being an ex-player, looks at things from a different perspective that the boys can appreciate. He and [assistant coach] Tony Webster are a perfect combination for us.

ìDorge is firm, but fair. He lets us play ball, but will step in if he thinks things are going haywire.î

But while he finished with a 15-21 (41.7%) record and probably isnít regarded as a raging success north of the Harbour Bridge, Done did leave an important legacy with the Heat that has served them well in this breakout season. Their stingy defence has restricted opponents to just 76.4 points and 39.5% FG, both league lows.

ìI think Steve Done helped put in really good defensive intensity,î acknowledges Allen. ìHe got us all on the same page and Dorge has really carried that on.

ìIt has definitely been an influence on myself, Jarrod [Kenny] and ëCharlieí [co-captain Brent Charleton], who were here last year.î

Allenís comfort in the new culture is clearly reflected in his own performance this season. Leading his team with 17.1 points, he has certainly had higher-scoring years (21.4 in an injury-abridged 2005, 20.0 for the 3-13 2001 Nuggets), but probably not within as balanced an offensive scheme.

His best stats for the í07 Heat – his career-high 48.4% FG and 2.93 steals – have him a somewhat surprising second (behind Nelson import Josh Pace) in an NBL website poll on this yearís Most Valuable Player race.

ìIíve played better than last season [14.3 points, 38.9% FG, 1.78 steals],î he observes. ìBut the way our team play, if you get some points each night, itís a bonus.

îIíve happened to have a couple of nights where the boys have passed it to me and I got a few lay-ups.î

Defensively, Allen ranks among the league leaders in steals and has been positively Boucheresque in his harassment of opponents.

ìWith guys like Tim Behrendorff, Oscar Foreman and Daryl Cartwright back there Ö theyíre pretty nice people to have your back. That allows the rest of us an opportunity to gamble.î

But as great as this season has been for the 14-3 Heat, perhaps the real secret to Dorgeís influence was evident at their official watering hole in Takapuna, scene of the post-game gathering after clinching season honours against Century City Wellington Saints last Wednesday.

There was no champagne and no high fives Ö just a bunch of guys quietly enjoying the moment and then moving on. Never too high, never too low.

ìEven after our big games, there is no hooping and a-hollering,î assures Allen. ìItís another day tomorrow.

ìThis isnít really finished until the end of the season.î

Dominion Finance NBL (Round 14)
Monday, June 4
Napier
Blue Chip Nelson Giants 95 (Josh Pace 28, Ed Book 17, Mike Fitchett 14, Mark Jones 12, Mike Vukona 10) Easy LPG Bay Hawks 86 (Everard Bartlett 21, Andrew Rice 13, Paora Winitana 12, Callum Baynes 10)
Quarter 21-26
Halftime 40-52 (19-26)
Threequarter 70-71 (19-30)
Fulltime 95-86 (25-14)

Auckland
Appliance Shed Harbour Heat 82 (Brent Charlton 28, Hayden Allen 17, Daryl Cartwright 12, Tim Behrendorff 10) Youthtown Auckland Stars 80 (Casey Frank 27, Lindsay Tait 24)
Quarter 16-22
Halftime 47-46 (31-24)
Threequarter 73-65 (26-19)
Fulltime 82-80 (9-15)

Wednesday, June 6
North Shore
Appliance Shed Harbour Heat 94 (Hayden Allen 18, Daryl Cartwright 18, Nat Connell 16, Tim Behrendorff 14, Dan Ryan 12) Century City Wellington Saints 74 (Troy McLean 17, Bakari Hendrix 17, Leon Henry 10)
Quarter 22-19
Halftime 47-38 (25-19)
Threequarter 70-48 (23-10)
Fulltime 94-74 (24-26)

New Plymouth
TET Taranaki Mountain Airs 102 (Garry Hill-Thomas 31, Link Abrams 20, Kaine Hokianga 14, Gabe Stephenson 10) Scenic Circle Canterbury Rams 84 (Mychal Green 21, Jeremy Kench 20, Michael Joiner 16)
Quarter 33-26
Halftime 56-38 (23-12)
Threequarter 77-62 (21-24)
Fulltime 102-84 (25-22)

Thursday, June 7
Te Awamutu
U Park It Waikato Pistons 101 (Ben Hill 20, Kevin Smith 19, Puke Lenden 12, Luke Martin 11, Jason Crowe 11) Scenic Circle Canterbury Rams 70 (Michael Joiner 23, Mark Morrison 16)
Quarter 27-18
Halftime 54-33 (27-15)
Threequarter 80-51 (26-18)
Fulltime 101-70 (21-19)

Saturday, June 9
Palmerston North
Inspire Net Manawatu Jets 103 (Brandon Payton 36, Reece Cassidy 21, Matt Te Huna 18) Century City Wellington Saints 84 (Nick Horvath 25, Jonathon Southey 10, Corey Vessey 10, Bakari Hendrix 10)
Quarter 24-14
Halftime 51-34 (27-20)
Threequarter 72-56 (19-22)
Fulltime 103-84 (31-28)

Auckland
Easy LPG Bay Hawks 110 (Andrew Rice 28, Paora Winitana 22, Aidan Daly 21, Kareem Johnson 17, Paul Henare 16) Youthtown Auckland Stars 99 (Lindsay Tait 26, Dillon Boucher 18, Casey Frank 16, Charlie Piho 14)
Quarter 23-24
Halftime 52-45 (29-21)
Threequarter 72-73 (20-28)
Fulltime 110-99 (38-26)