April 5 2015

The bookmakers might have written Canterbury off, but Wellington Saints coach Pero Cameron is on red alert as his team eye their NBL home debut against the the Rams at TSB Bank Arena on Monday.

Canterbury tipped off their season with a 114-98 win over the Manawatu Jets at Christchurch’s Cowles Stadium on Friday night, the perfect way for new Rams coach Mark Dickel to begin his tenure in charge after being player-coach of the Otago Nuggets last season.

Canterbury put on an offensive show, scoring 114 points on 50 per cent shooting [43/86] from the field. They landed eight of their 19 three-point attempts [42 per cent].

Cameron is well aware of the hoops acumen of his former Tall Blacks team-mate Dickel.

“I think Canterbury are going to be tough, just knowing the coaches and how they play and how they get organised,” Cameron said.

Rams’ co-captain Ethan Rusbatch gave his side a pass mark first-up.

“Our main focus is defence. If we can stop the other team from scoring, offence isn’t going to be a problem,” Rusbatch said.

“[There were] first game jitters, definitely, but we got the first quarter out the way and we started looking a bit better.”

The Saints opened the defence of their title with a 102-93 win over the Taranaki Mountain Airs in New Plymouth on Thursday night.

Lindsay Tait, Torrey Craig and super-sub point guard Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa all performed strongly.

Saints: Lindsay Tait, Dion Prewster, Torrey Craig, Leon Henry, Kareem Johnson, Brendon Polyblank, Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa, Damien Ekenasio, Hugh Quinlivan, Jordan Mills

Canterbury: Jeremy Kench, Ethan Rusbatch, Richie Edwards, Kyle Coston, Mickell Gladness, Tony Tolovae, Marty Davison, Joe Cook-Green, Shou Nisbet, Marques Whippy, Sam Timmins

 – The Dominion Post