Otago Nuggets: from noshows to national champs
BASKETBALL NBL Showdown final
HAS there ever been a more improbable champion?
Few would have believed six months ago the Otago Nuggets would return to Dunedin yesterday with their first National Basketball League title.
They did just that though, beating the Manawatu Jets
7977 in an intense final in Auckland on Saturday.
The team had not played a game since 2014 and three months ago that was not going to change until next year.
Then along came a pandemic and almost every sporting league in the world was suspended.
New Zealand went into lockdown. The economy was hit hard but the National Basketball League launched an ambitious plan.
All the teams that were able to enter were to come to one place and play a sixweek season.
It made entering this year affordable and the Nuggets were back.
They preselected a core of local players — six of the 12 are from the region.
From there, they landed the No 1 draft pick.
They chose star Jordan Ngatai and had a stroke of luck as Jarrod Kenny slid to the 14th pick.
Then followed the inspired selections of finals most valuable player Jordan Hunt and Kane Keil.
From there, the team grew every week.
That quartet was influential
— alongside Otago players Josh Aitcheson and Richie Rodger — in the final victory.
Coach Brent Matehaere said the win was ‘‘surreal’’.
It meant a lot for the sport in the region and would be important in attracting sponsors and players for 2021.
‘‘It’s huge for basketball in Otago,’’ he said.
‘‘It just shows when we get athletes that are willing to give themselves and give to the team, you can do things that create a bit of magic.
‘‘We’ve got 2021 ahead of us, but we’ve certainly got a wave of support down there in Dunedin.
‘‘If anyone wants to jump on the bandwagon, come on over.
‘‘We’re looking to grow our group and make sure we’re heading in the right direction.’’
FINALS are often decided in the big moments.
On Saturday night, the Otago Nuggets executed in the biggest moments of all.
They closed out a thriller in Auckland to to claim their first National Basketball League title.
A Jordan Ngatai block with 30 seconds to go provided the key moment as they beat the Manawatu Jets 7977.
The win completed a remarkable comeback for a team which had not played a game since 2014. It was tight and it was tense. The Nuggets trailed for most of the first half, but held a narrow lead throughout the fourth quarter.
Finals most valuable player Jordan Hunt, who topscored with 21 points, helped stretch that gap to eight.
However, the Jets came firing back.
Trailing by one with 30 seconds left, Hyrum Harris looked to have a layup to put the side ahead.
But Ngatai came from nowhere to block his shot, before Josh Aitcheson went to the line to hit the final free throw.
Nuggets coach Brent Matehaere said it was ‘‘surreal’’.
‘‘Just so good that we managed to hang tough and score in bunches at the right times.
‘‘The way we came back out in the second half and got a little run at the start of the fourth.
‘‘I felt even when we had those leads, we were in a better position than they were in that type of game.
‘‘Points on the board, in tough matches that’s what counts.
‘‘We always knew it was going to be hard, we always knew they were going to come out and fight hard.
‘‘It was a real physical battle out there and the guys came out with real mana and made it count when they needed to.’’
While the side had two stars in Ngatai and Jarrod Kenny, it was its depth that was equally key.
The quartet of Hunt, Aitcheson (16 points), Kane Keil (15 points) and Richie Rodger (eight points) was influential, especially with Ngatai in foul trouble for much of the first half.
The Nuggets struggled to get their offence going early and turnovers — 14 before halftime — plagued their game.
That was not helped when Ngatai picked up his second foul late in the first quarter.
Matehaere opted to be cautious with him.
He did not play the second quarter, but the Nuggets’ grit on defence allowed them to stay in touch, trailing 4137 at halftime.
A run to start the third sparked the side, Hunt and Keil both scoring big baskets.
But the Jets hit back again, notably through outstanding forward Tom Vodanovich (24 points). They took a 5552 lead to the final break.
Again, though, the Nuggets started the quarter well.
They went on an 111 run, as Kenny pushed in transition and Hunt and Aitcheson came up with important plays.
Harris and Vodanovich helped pull the Jets back.But a pair of dunks to Ngatai down the stretch, followed by his block helped the Nuggets close out a thriller.