Henare remains coy over exit
Paul Henare has spoken for the first time since stepping aside as head coach of the Breakers, but the reasons for his departure remain cloudy.
Henare rejected a contract extension from the Breakers last month, surprising many, including the new owners, with his decision.
Now he’s back in coaching mode, guiding the Tall Blacks as they embark on their Commonwealth Games campaign.
So will he divulge the reasons he left the Breakers?
“No, probably not,” Henare said yesterday. “There’s a bunch of reasons but I’m not going to go into it. I just made a decision and moved on, everyone’s moved on and just looking forward to the Comm Games and the Tall Blacks now.”
Henare claims he hasn’t made any future plans.
“I don’t have any right now, we’ll just see what happens. Obviously it’s good to have something like the Comm Games with this team to focus on, and when we get back, I’ll see what happens.”
The 39-year-old says he has given thought to coaching in the Australian NBL again, but his transition from playing to coaching was so rapid that having some time off to spend with his family was important.
“It wasn’t until I got into this last little period in the last couple of weeks and I realised how fast the last seven or eight years have gone. I want to spend some time with the whanau and base decisions on what’s best for us and for them, and then make basketball decisions later.
“I’ve got the best job in the world coaching the Tall Blacks anyway. It’s not as if I’m going off into some abyss and will never be heard from again.”
The Tall Blacks start their Games campaign against Nigeria on April 6.