Harbour Heat this weekend face a road trip to test even the best of teams in the Bartercard National Basketball League, and right now the league table suggests they are the best of all teams in the league with a perfect 7 and 0 start to the season.

But Head Coach Judd Flavell knows that the Pistons (Thursday night) and the Mountain Airs (Saturday night) will combine for the most difficult double header his team will likely face this season, on the road anyway. Flavell is working hard to ensure the good start to the campaign isn’t a partner to complacency.

“Last time I checked there was no one knocking on the door at the end of April handing out trophies and I don’t think this season will be any different. One of the keys to any good side is their ability to stay level headed and perform to similar but gradually improving high standards week after week, regardless of results. While we are yet to be beaten this year that record counts for very little and if anything it just puts a target on our backs for the likes of Waikato and Taranaki to aim up for.”

And the Heat need only look back to their last game against the winless Jets last weekend to appreciate how tenuous their unbeaten run is, taking two overtime periods to quell the challenge of one of the league’s so called ‘easy beats’. Flavell knows that Waikato will be that much tougher on Thursday night as they look to draw level with the Heat at the top of the table.

“We were untidy at times against the Jets and didn’t execute as well as we have been so far this year, albeit we did come through double overtime away from home. I’m not sure if it was the travel from the Hawkes Bay or the Jets record that contributed but either way I don’t care. There can be no excuses for our own performance; a repeat on Thursday will see us beaten for sure.”

That aside, while Flavell is keeping a tight reign on his team and their emotions, the statistics make for impressive reading for the Harbour Heat side with individuals and the team featuring highly in the rankings 7 rounds into the season. Corey Webster leads the league in steals (4.1) and is third on the scorers list (25.4 per game), Dillon Boucher leads the league in assists (5.7pg) and is second in shooting percentage from the filed while Rick Rickert is second on the rebounding charts. The Heat collectively remain the only team in the league averaging over 100 points per game, emphasizing the offensive threat posed by both the front and back court.

Brent Fair Memorial trophy up for grabs

Saturday night against the Taranaki Mountain Airs will see the Heat put the Brent Fair Memorial trophy on the line for the first time in a number of years. The trophy is in memory of popular American coach Brent Fair who passed away on Waitangi Day in 1997 of an enlarged heart at the age of just 37. In his time in New Zealand Fair coached both North Harbour and New Plymouth before heading back to the States to coach at College and High School level on the West Coast.

Donated by the Boucher family (Dillon’s older brother Greg was playing for Harbour in the mid nineties when Brent passed away), the trophy has not been played for between the two provinces for some time, but Harbour Basketball CEO Steve Dally is pleased to remember someone who contributed greatly to both regions in a brief time.

“I wasn’t even aware that there was a trophy when I arrived in the role some 12 months ago but was told of its existence just recently. When I heard of the history and spoke with the likes of Dennis Boucher (Dillon’s father) and some of the players it became clear that we had to do the right thing by Brent by putting the trophy on the game this Saturday. I’m sure there will be many in the Taranaki region that will remember Brent and perhaps be tempted to come along and support the Mountain Airs as a result, and that has to be good for the league.”

Brent Fair coached the Poenamo Vikings as they were known in 1993, a team that included a very fresh faced Sean Marks at just 17 years of age but already 2.07m tall and a player going places quickly.

He also coached the New Plymouth side in 1988 with import Jacques Tuz. Many thought New Plymouth would have won the league that year but for the late season injury to Tuz. Perhaps one of the best moments for Fair as coach was the game against the Saints late in that season when a Kenny McFadden and Kerry Boagni led Saints came to town full of confidence against an ‘importless’ New Plymouth, minus also a number of Kiwi players who had withdrawn during the week. New Plymouth won by 8 with a flurry of last minute points to set the YMCA alight that night with Fair in charge.

Brent Fair

Born 21 August 1959

Died 6 February 1997 NZ Waitangi Day age 37 (of an enlarged heart)

Coached:

Crystal Palace U20 (England)

New Plymouth 1988

Golden West College Huntington Beach California 1988-89

(Assistant Coach Brent Fair)

North Harbour (Poenamo Vikings) 1993

Fullerton Indians High School, California 1994-95

Pacifica High School, California 1995-96

See attached:

• Programme cover for the Poenamo Vikings in 1993
• Copy of the League Guide for 1988, New Plymouth Team

For full round preview and Bartercard NBL information visit www.basketball.org.nz