Vukona a Giant boost for Nelson’s NBL hopes
In a move to excite The Hangar faithful, Mika Vukona will be back in Nelson Giants colours for the first time since 2015.
Currently leading the Tall Blacks at the Commonwealth Games, Vukona will take a break after the Gold Coast tournament before making himself available for the Giants’ June 8 home game against the Palmerston North Jets.
Nelson Giants general manager Bill Dahlberg said the return of the 35-year-old – a veteran of over 400 Australian National Basketball League games and five championship titles – was a key addition to the squad not only for his playing abilities, but also his leadership qualities.
Having first played for Nelson as a 17-year-old in 2000, the powerful forward was a fan favourite at the Trafalgar Centre over the subsequent 11⁄ decades, while also gaining experience with three ANBL clubs, NZ NBL sides Manawatu¯ Jets and Harbour Heat and overseas stints in Italy and Lebanon.
‘‘What we’ve got is a young squad and I need a mentor to create that Giants culture – I want to get back to what we had in that 2000-5 [period] and so I talked to Mika about that.’’
Dahlberg said Vukona would play for ‘‘a good chunk of the season’’, before he headed back to Auckland for pre-season duties with the NZ Breakers.
The Giants have already put together a much stronger squad than last year, when they finished with a disappointing 4-14 record, complemented by the appointment of head coach, Australian Jamie Pearlman from the Cairns Taipans.
The Taipans will also provide the services of 2.03m-tall American forward Jerry Evans Junior and Damon Heuir, who will join returning Melbourne United point guard Kyle Adnam as Nelson’s three imports for the upcoming season.
Kiwi Tohi Smith-Milner and NZ Breaker Finn Delany bring the number of ANBL players to five, while Tom Ingham, Ali Granger, captain Sam Dempster and Bronson Beri offer supporters some local on-court influence.
With a proven record in the Queensland League and his role as Taipans’ assistant, Dahlberg said Pearlman was the ideal candidate to get the most from players as the Giants sought their first national title since 2007.
‘‘I wanted a high quality coach, not someone who’s learning ... this is his next step and he is exactly what I wanted – he’s intense and into the Australian way of competing and our guys are getting the up-to-date coaching that’s happening in the ANBL ... I could not be happier.’’
Following the annual Blitz tournament in Palmerston North next weekend, the Giants’ NBL season begins on April 28, with a home game against Auckland’s Supercity Rangers at Trafalgar Centre.
Dahlberg said the early demand from fans had been encouraging, with unprecedented season ticket sales three weeks out from the start of the season.
However, he said all within the Giants camp were determined to turn the team’s on-paper potential into good results on the court.
‘‘There’s lots of expectation, lots of upside talk within the team, but we still have to deliver – talk is cheap.’’
‘‘This is more about playing with intensity and the character that we want from our Giants team, that’s all we want and as an ex-coach and as a general manager our crowds are going to love it.’’