Breakers rue missed chance for upset
Laura Langman is a chatterbox, just not about herself. The Silver Ferns captain is set to level retired shooting great Irene van Dyk’s record of most caps for the national side (145) in tomorrow’s Constellation Cup opener against Australia in Brisbane. She is poised to overtake van Dyk in Wednesday’s second test in Townsville.
Langman is happy to speak about the Australian midcourt, how connections are coming together in the Ferns and where they need to improve, but won’t be discussing her looming milestone until it’s achieved.
Speak to those who know the centrewing defence best and that’s unsurprising. She doesn’t like a fuss being made about her .
‘‘That’s once again the type of person she is, humble and a good farm girl at heart,’’ Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua said.
Few people are better qualified to offer insight on Langman’s career than Taurua, her first elite coach with the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in 2003.
The duo have worked extensively over the years and teamed up to capture the Australian Super Netball title last year with the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Langman’s talent was evident from her early training sessions with the Magic as a seventh form student at Hamilton’s Hillcrest High. Despite her youth, Langman refused to take a backward step to her experienced Magic teammates and didn’t care for reputations.
‘‘Because she was only 16 at that time, she didn’t give a beep at who she was playing,’’ Taurua recalled.
‘‘Usually when they’re young they get quite intimidated by a Silver Fern or somebody who’s been around like that. She was on a mission and she was out there to play ,and that stood out to me.’’
Langman and future Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua (nee Williams) burst on the scene at the same time in the Waikato. Kopua (Matamata College) and Langman (Hillcrest) were secondary school rivals, their first encounter leaving a lasting impression on a 16-year-old Kopua.
‘‘I remember her being like an energiser bunny running back and forward everywhere. You always remember that blonde ponytail.
‘‘Right from then you knew she was going to be somebody that was going to be in netball for a long time.’’
Only seven Silver Ferns have reached the 100-game mark. To be on the cusp of overtaking van Dyk’s 145 matches spoke volumes about the durability of Langman, who debuted in 2005.
Langman would have snuck past van Dyk some time ago, had she not been barred from representing New Zealand because she was extending herself in the Australian competition. The 32-year-old didn’t wear the black dress for 695 days.
‘‘I’m really happy that she hasn’t been lost to our game because she’s got so much to offer,’’ Taurua said. ‘‘She’s just a phenomenal athlete and very professional both on and off the court.’’
Settling for just being good has never been Langman’s way. Her competitive drive, supreme fitness levels, and work ethic have been hallmarks of her success.
She shows no signs of slowing down either, being named in Super Netball’s team of the year in 2017 with the Lightning, who’ll she’ll reunite with next year after a season off.
‘‘She’s sort of becoming like a fine wine,’’ Taurua said. ‘‘Every little improvement she makes in her own small increments will make a big difference to her overall game.’’
Kopua, who is working her way back after a foot injury, said there was plenty she admired about Langman.
‘‘She’s somebody that has your back or you want to take to war, you’d take her,’’ Kopua said.
‘‘She just takes anybody or anything on, no matter what. So if you see her busting her gut and doing what she needs to do for the team, it’s just contagious to everybody else.’’
Christchurch-based lawyer Garth Gallaway has been Langman’s manager for 13 years since her Ferns debut in 2005.
Gallaway said she was a shining example not only to her Silver Fern team-mates, but young netballers.
‘‘She’s a player who does not come off looking for excuses when things go wrong and that’s always for me been her greatest value. She doesn’t criticise administrators, managers, and umpires. She looks within to see what she could have done differently.’’
Langman played a staggering 141 tests in succession from 2005-16 before her near two-year exile from international netball.
In the modern professional sports world where coaches rest and rotate players that is some achievement – and one reason Gallaway believed Langman was the greatest Fern.
‘‘You can’t do that unless you’ve got great personal values and great commitment to New Zealand and she richly deserves the record.’’
Taurua agreed there was little doubt about Langman’s place in the pantheon of New Zealand’s finest netballers.
She was ecstatic Langman would eventually be able to finish her international career on her terms.
‘‘I would like to believe she’ll go down as one of the greats of our sport and rightly so.
‘‘It’s around her longevity in the game and her contribution both on and off the court. Living to the standards and the standards that everyone would aspire to.’’
They’re standards that will be the benchmark for future Silver Ferns for decades to come. The Breakers were left wondering what could have been after falling agonisingly short of pulling off an historic upset against the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.
On the back of a game-high 27 points from guard Corey Webster, the Breakers stormed home to draw within four points with a minute to go only for the Suns to hold on 91-86.
The Kiwi franchise stunned the crowd of just over 7000 that turned up to the Phoenix’s Arizona Arena for the pre-season clash, outscoring the Suns 24-14 in the fourth quarter.
But coach Kevin Braswell was left to rue a poor performance from the foul line as they made just 64 per cent (18-28) of their free throws.
‘‘We had our chances. When look at the box score, damn if we could make a free-throw we’d be OK,’’ Braswell said.
Still, there was plenty to like about the Breakers’ first game against an NBA team, particularly after a frustrating pre-season which has been disrupted by injury and international commitments.
‘‘We’ve definitely got better defensively since the Blitz [preseason tournament],’’ the coach added. ‘‘One of my biggest focuses since we came over here was to make sure that when we get back to New Zealand we’ve covered all of our defensive [areas].’’
While missing star guard Devin Booker through injury, the Suns were led well by this year’s number one NBA Draft pick DeAndre Ayton, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds.
But Webster made just as big an impact. The 29-year-old shot 11 of 24 from the floor, including four threes, to record the highest total by an Australian NBL player against an NBA team in the cross-league exhibition series.
He also finished with a gamehigh seven assists while adding four rebounds and a steal.
‘‘He’s a great player, great shooter. He’s obviously their guy and we kind of had him up as the hot guy, the target tonight,’’ Suns forward Ryan Anderson said. ‘‘He got a lot of open looks and opportunities.’’
Webster sparked the Breakers’ resurgence after they lost their way in the third period as the Suns jumped out to a 19-point lead.
Anderson praised the visitors’ resilience and said there was plenty for his team to learn from the game.
‘‘They’re a great group of guys, made a lot of hustle plays, got a lot of offensive rebounds,’’ he added.