Otago Nuggets centre Antoine Tisby has been in fantastic form for the franchise this season.
He is towards the top of all the statistics which count when you play with your back to the post but the quietly-spoken 2.03m forward only really cares about one statistic - the win column.
The Nuggets have started the season with three wins from seven matches. That would be a modest-to-fair return for most other teams in the National Basketball League but for the Nuggets it represents a huge improvement.
The last time the Nuggets won three games in a season was six years ago and Tisby, who is in his third stint with the franchise since 2008, hopes the team can lift its total to four with a victory against the unbeaten Hawkes Bay Hawks at the Edgar Centre tonight.
The teams met on Monday night, when the Hawks eased to a 99-76 win at Pettigrew Arena, so the Nuggets have some improving to do if they are going to bridge the gap.
They're not letting on how they might do that.
"It is, as they say, a trade secret," the laid-back American said.
Fair to say, the franchise needs to make a dramatic improvement to its outside shooting game after landing just one of its 15 attempts from beyond the three-point line in the loss to the Hawks.
That is not an area Tisby can do much about. His role is to grab the rebounds, block shots and muscle the ball to the hoop and he has been remarkably successful at it.
Tisby was the rebounding champion when he was with the Nuggets in 2008 and this time around he is averaging 11.7 rebounds and a league-leading 2.1 blocks. Only Nick Horvath (Manawatu Jets) is averaging more rebounds.
The Kansas City-based centre has also been productive at the other end, averaging 21.9 points.
He was named player of the week following his 23 points-15 rebound double against the Southland Sharks in Invercargill earlier this month, and after six rounds he was ranked No 2 on the league's player power rankings. His team-mate and fellow American Akeem Wright was in third spot.
Tisby and Wright form a formidable combination, and with Tall Black point guard Mark Dickel calling the plays and controlling the tempo, the Nuggets are a vastly more competitive side than they have been in the past five years.
When Breakers duo Leon Henry and BJ Anthony become available later in the month, the Nuggets will boast an impressive starting five.
In the meantime, it is up to the likes of Tisby to carry the load. He has done a mighty job so far and has noticed a big change in the franchise since he first played here four years ago.
"We are working a lot harder and working on a lot of stuff at practice. And the atmosphere within the team has changed now that we are competitive."
Tisby was playing in the Canadian National Basketball League just before he returned to the Nuggets and was drawn back, partly because of convenience and partly because he enjoys the environment.
The accolades which have followed Tisby's performances "don't mean so much" to the man himself.
"I just do the same each week. I give my best effort to try and help the team win. I leave it to the statisticians and whoever else to do the rest of the stuff.
"I feel like I'm doing well but every game there is always a little bit more you can give, another step to build on. That is where I'm at right now."
Nuggets v Hawks
Edgar Centre, tonight, 7pm
Otago Nuggets: Mark Dickel (captain), Akeem Wright, Antoine Tisby, Sam King, Riki Buckrell, James Ross, Matt Trueman, Steve Robinson, Ethan Carruthers, Tom Allan, Olly Smith, Damon Cleverley.
Hawkes Bay Hawks: Everard Bartlett, Jarrod Kenny, Paora Winitana, Alonzo Burton, Morgan Natanahira, Aidan Daly, Ben Hill, Galen Young, Kareem Johnson, Damon Davies.
