Webster to play before court date
Breakers coach Paul Henare has confirmed that Corey Webster will suit up in Melbourne today (5pm tipoff, NZT) after having served the one-game suspension imposed for breaching team ‘‘values’’ following his midweek arrest for an alleged assault at a Takapuna nightspot.
Webster, who stayed away from Friday’s loss to the Hawks, has told the Breakers he did not commit an assault and would be defending the charge ‘‘vigorously’’ in court.
They are maintaining a watching brief on that process, but say they’re disappointed in him being out so late so close to a game and also his subsequent communication with them.
Henare admitted it had not been an automatic return for last season’s leading scorer and he had needed to discuss his Tall Blacks guard’s mindset before he could be sure he would contribute positively to an important game for the Breakers.
The Kiwi club is not only dealing with the Webster fallout but is now mired in a three-game losing streak that has them plunging south in the tightest table this league has ever seen.
Entering this ninth round, and the halfway point of the season, just one loss separated the top club from the bottom one on the standings. Friday’s defeat puts the Breakers at 6-7 and into the wrong half of the table.
A further loss against an improving 5-7 Melbourne outfit that has Chris Goulding back, and firing, and a replacement import who has already assumed hero status at Hisense would accelerate the freefall.
Webster’s return for a likely shooting showdown with Goulding should help. If Henare has read the situation right.
‘‘I had a good chat with Corey [on Thursday], and wanted to put the ball in his court, so to speak, and see if Corey could come to me confidently and say ‘yep, I can be there’,’’ Henare said .
‘‘That’s part of the reason why he wasn’t here [for the Hawks game]. He didn’t want to be a distraction with everything that’s gone on this week. He said I want to be with the team, go play and help the team. I trust he’s doing the right thing by the team.’’
Henare’s message to Webster around his expectations is also a simple one.
‘‘I just want him to be him, to step on the floor and let everything else go and just play. It’s going to be our first time in a while where we’ve got our full-strength team, so it’s going to be about guys playing at the required intensity, especially at the defensive end. We’ll be able to hold guys accountable there, and if they’re not getting the job done we’ve got bodies who can come in.’’
Henare has had enough of his team’s lacklustre starts, and their poor ball security.
They have coughed up a halfcentury of first-half points in all off those three straight defeats (a first for them in the 40-minute era), and turnovers have plagued them too.