Wary Breakers focus on limiting mighty McCarron

TAIPAN Mitch McCarron is only in his second NBL campaign but the explosive guard’s rebounding ability for his size is already popping up on rivals’ scouting reports.

Ahead of Cairns’ last meeting with New Zealand at home tomorrow night, Breakers assistant coach Michael Fitchett revealed stopping the secondyear guard crashing the boards was one of their key focuses. And with good reason. The last time the two clubs met, McCarron grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds, the most of any Taipan since the NBL switched to the 40-minute game. The Australian Boomer is fourth in the NBL for rebounds per game, grabbing seven a night, up from almost four last season.

“He had those 16 rebounds against us last time, so that is a priority,” Fitchett said.

“We need to finish our plays with a box out on Mitch, every time. “He is pretty special.” McCarron is the only guard in the top 10 of rebounders this season and Fitchett, himself a former Tall Black who played with the Nelson Giants and Otago Nuggets, can see plenty of Mika Vukona in the Taipans’ emerging star.

Vukona, undersized as a power forward, is the Breakers’ all-time leader in rebounds and Fitchett believes McCarron has a similar competitive nature to the 35-year-old.

“It is just the mentality of going to get the ball and doing anything you can to give your team another possession,” Fitchett said.

“You can show players as much tape on stopping Mitch or Mika as you want but it comes down to a battle of the wills and Mitch is strongwilled.”

The men in orange got the Breakers all four times last season but the Kiwis have the ledger at 2-1 so far this campaign.

McCarron has also upped his points per game from 7.2 last season to 11 in 2017-18.