Nuggets v Pirates
Edgar Centre, tonight, 7pm
Otago Nuggets: Antoine Tisby (captain), Leon Henry, Akeem Wright, Michael Fitchett, James Ross, Riki Buckrell, Sam King, Ethan Carruthers, Matt Trueman, Hayden Miller, Steve Robinson, Olly Smith.
Auckland Pirates: Lindsay Tait, Alex Pledger, Dillon Boucher, Hayden Allen, Ron Dorsey, Ismail Muhammad, Daryl Cartwright, Nick Barrow, Duane Bailey, Brook Ruscoe, Houston O'Riley.
The 2m swingman had helped the Breakers win back-to-back ANBL titles the previous Tuesday.
He did a lot of celebrating, packed his belongings for the move south, went to the Breakers awards evening on Friday night and then got up on Saturday morning and flew to Dunedin for the Nuggets' double-header against Taranaki and Nelson.
"It was pretty tough, mate," Henry said yesterday.
"There was a lot going on."
Understandably, Henry had a quiet debut for the Nuggets but still managed to grab 14 points, six rebounds and three steals.
The Nuggets rebounded from the 90-81 loss to the Mountain Airs to beat the Giants 97-93 in overtime the following night.
Henry was just short of posting a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
It was good effort considering he had only just met his new team-mates and had not trained with the squad before the weekend.
The NBL uses a different ball and Henry said he was still getting familiar with the rims at the Edgar Centre. For a three-point shooter, those little things can make a big difference.
A likeable chap with possibly the best tattoos in the league, he has vowed to step up his game for tonight's match against the Auckland Pirates.
"The Nuggets have given me an opportunity to come down here and shoot the ball. That is what I'm good at and hopefully, a lot of them will drop.
"But as long as we have Akeem [Wright] and Antoine [Tisby] playing they way they are, then it is our job to help them."
Two of his Breakers team-mates will be suiting up for the visiting side. The vastly experienced Dillon Boucher and centre Alex Pledger are expected to take the court.
How much court time they will get is unclear. They have had a heavy workload and the Pirates are expected to use the pair sparingly.
"Pledger has been tweeting me, saying he is going to play quite a few minutes, so it is going to be a tough battle.
"I really think he is one of the most underrated big men in the Australian league. If he got 20 to 30 minutes a game he'd probably be one of the best in the competition."
The bad news for the Nuggets is classy point guard Lindsay Tait is unlikely to spend much time on the bench.
Shutting him down will be one of the keys, Henry said.
"He is their general on the court and does what he does, season after season.
"He is the toughest point guard we have in this league.
"He penetrates and at the same time he can dish the ball really well when he needs to.
"Containing him will be the major key and our best chance of stopping the Pirates."
The Nuggets should have plenty of insight as to how the Pirates might approach the match.
Michael Fitchett helped out the Auckland coaching staff when head coach Judd Flavell was away with the Breakers.
Fitchett retired this season but answered an SOS for the Nuggets when Mark Dickel was ruled out with an injury.
He found some of his old touch in the win against the Giants with a trio of three-pointers in the second quarter.
The Harbour Heat posted its third win this season with a surprise come-from-behind win against the Manawatu Jets in Auckland on Wednesday night.
The Heat trailed by as many as 20 points but rallied through Justin Bailey. The former Nuggets point guard scored 33 points to help seal a 94-90 win.
