RAMS
SHOOT FOR THREE AT HOME
23 MAY 2001
by Corey Brown and Piet Van HasseltThe WestpacTrust Canterbury
Rams fifth game of the 2001 National Basketball
League is against last season’s champions
Blockbuster Auckland, on Sunday afternoon.
Nestled in the top half of the points table and
traditional foes in every sporting code, Auckland
and Canterbury are both in search of early
victories in the 2001 competition.
The Rams go into the game after a comfortable win
over Southern rivals, Otago Nuggets 118-110 last
weekend in Dunedin. The Rams full-court pressed
the Nuggets into numerous turnovers, resulting in
many easy point scoring opportunities. The
Canterbury guard-line of captain Dave Langrell
and NBL veteran Carlo Varricchio combined to post
59 points, including seven three-pointers. John
Whorton also chimed in with 22 points from 9 of
13 shooting along with nine rebounds.
This solid performance was capped off this week
with the inclusion of three Rams in the Tall
Black training squad: Langrell, Luke Ruscoe and
Andrew Gardiner. These three players were also
named in the South Island team for the Burger
King All Star game along with the Rams dominating
centre Whorton.
Blockbuster Auckland travel to Christchurch after
facing the Nelson Giants on Saturday night. With
the significant loss of team MVP Pero Cameron in
the off-season, coach Tab Baldwin has promoted
many promising youngsters and recruited star
Australian restricted centre Ben Pepper. Last
weekend the Auckland side had an inspiring
last-gasp victory against the Kings 78-77 when
guard Paul Henare converted a three-point play as
the buzzer sounded.
The match-up to watch will be between the two
“big-men” on the low-block; Whorton and
Pepper. These two lead their teams in scoring and
rebounding, averaging 24.0 and 15.7 points and
9.5 and 8.3 rebounds per game respectively.
Pepper is 8cm taller but Whorton has proven this
season that he can use his superior strength
against any opponent.
The match will tip-off at 2pm with a special Rams
Legends match starting at 12noon. The Legends
roster is stacked with past Canterbury stars
including: Clyde Huntley, John Rademakers, Ian
Webb, John Hill, Bob Manthei and Terry Brunel.
Half-time entertainment will highlight these
legends with a ceremonial roll-call.
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