Webster denies club in downward spiral
Corey Webster says the Breakers are not a dysfunctional club falling apart at the seams, Dan Shamir can coach, Matt Walsh has a master plan and this NBL season can still be saved. Oh, and that ankle injury of his is nothing he can’t shake off in a week, or even sooner.
A bullish Webster, the Breakers’ best player by some distance throughout a troubled
2019-20 Australian NBL season, spoke to the media yesterday club headquarters after returning from the latest misstep in this seemingly ill-fated campaign in Adelaide.
On Sunday Webster rolled his ankle early in the second quarter as the Breakers stumbled to their fifth straight defeat, 117-100, at the hands of Joey Wright’s Adelaide
36ers. That dropped the Kiwi club to 2-8 which became the woodenspoon spot courtesy of Illawarra’s
114-106 OT thriller over Cairns on Monday night.
It is a long, long way back from here. The Breakers are wedged firmly between a rock and a hard place, not only stuck in a losing skid but also giving every appearance of being a club coming unstuck as it deals with serious culture issues to go with some destabilising injury woes.
Over the last few months the Breakers have had to deal with a legal wrangle over the sacking of head coach Kevin Braswell; the sudden and murky exits of General Manager Dillon Boucher and assistant coach Mike Fitchett; Webster himself seeking a contract release to play in Turkey; the questionable decision to call up serial offender Glen Rice Jr as an injury replacement; his subsequent arrest for a late-night incident; owner Walsh being suspended for a verbal altercation with the league commissioner; and then police having to deal with misbehaving, alcohol-fuelled players on a flight back from Perth.
There have also been Aussie media reports of alcohol being ‘‘stolen’’ by players from Perth Arena on their last visit there, which the club has denied. By their account, a ‘‘misunderstanding’’ has been cleared up between the two outfits.
If that hasn’t been enough, injuries to Finn Delany (just back from ankle issues), Rob Loe (fractured skull), Scotty Hopson (knee) and now Webster (ankle) have conspired to leave them short-handed in key positions.
All the while they’re being guided by 18-year-old point guard RJ Hampton who may be an NBA star in the making, but is patently ill-equipped to provide the immediate leadership and steady hand this faltering club requires.
Webster, though, says there is not only still the time, but the desire and ability to turn this season around.
To that end, Webster confirmed his own absence with the ankle sprain he suffered after playing just 11 minutes against the Sixers should be a short one. He reckons he’s a rough chance to play Saturday’s must-win clash against LaMelo Ball and the Illawarra Hawks at Spark Arena.
‘‘If I can keep making progress, there’s definitely a chance,’’ he said. If not then, he is hopeful of being back for next Friday’s visit to Cairns.
Webster is desperate to get back on court after averaging
19.20 points, 4.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 44 per cent from the floor, 39 from deep and 88 from the line in just over
30 minutes an outing through the first 10 games.