Rickert Doubles Up For PoW
Tagged in: NZ Breakers
The National Basketball League has named New Zealand Breaker’s star import Rick Rickert as Player of the Week for Round Nine after the American big man guided his team to a perfect 2-0 record.
Rickert averaged a double-double of 21.0 points per game and 11.0 rebounds as he helped his team to a pair of tough road wins over the Cairns Taipans (93-81) and Townsville Crocodiles (119-108).
Rickert’s award win gives the Breakers their second consecutive weekly honour, after teammate Kirk Penney also took the gong in Round Eight, and is their third of the season.
The 211cm forward helped the Breakers dominate the Taipans inside the paint on Wednesday night at the Cairns Convention Centre with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Rickert played an even better game against the Townsville Crocodiles on Saturday, scoring 26 points, making 75% of his free throws (6-of-8) and 77% of all field goal attempts (10-of-13) during the game. He also nabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and added one assist and two blocks.
Despite being happy to be named the NBL’s best of the round, Rickert has his sights firmly focused on the week ahead, which features a top-of-the-table clash between his Breakers and the South Dragons on Thursday night.
“Last week was a good week, for me personally and for the team as a group,” Rickert said. “I feel like I am playing some good basketball at the moment and finding some rhythm after an okay start to the season.”
“My numbers were good last week but obviously any good individual performance is largely a consequence of all the guys doing their jobs and clicking as a team. Last week we certainly did that but that was last week, the key for us is to always be looking forward and to continue to improve on the standards we are setting for ourselves and each other in practice and on game nights,” he added.
New Zealand’s other major offensive weapon, Penney, was another leading contender for Player of the Week honours in Round Nine. Penney had 22 points, two rebounds, and two assists against the Cairns Taipans and 34 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal against the Townsville Crocodiles.
Other red hot candidates for the Round Nine weekly honour included South Dragons centre Matt Burston, who helped beat the Adelaide 36ers, 97-82, with 25 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks and two steals and Adelaide’s Adam Ballinger, who averaged 22.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and one steal in his two games against the Dragons and Gold Coast Blaze.
Others in consideration for Player of the Week included Brad Williamson (Townsville), Dusty Rychart (Wollongong), Kavossy Franklin (Wollongong), Glen Saville (Wollongong), Mark Worthington (South), CJ Bruton (New Zealand), Oscar Forman (New Zealand), Alex Loughton (Perth), Derrick Low (Sydney), and Gary Boodkinoff (Cairns)
NBL Championship Player of the Week 2008/09
Round 1 – Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
Round 2 – Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 3 – Mark Worthington (South)
Round 4 – Darnell Mee (Cairns)
Round 5 - Joe Ingles (South)
Round 6 – Luke Schenscher (Adelaide)
Round 7 – Sam Mackinnon (Melbourne)
Round 8 – Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
Round 9 – Rick Rickert (New Zealand)
