Gore product secures role with Breakers

Southland basketball product Mitchell Newton has been picked up by Auckland-based Australian National Basketball League team the New Zealand Breakers.

Newton, who hails from Gore, has previously played a bench role with the Southland Sharks in New Zealand’s league but in the past couple of years has been living in Australia where he has been playing in the the South East Aust- ralian Basketball League.

Yesterday the Breakers revealed Newton as one of the club’s development players for the 2017-18 season.

He reunites with Breakers coach Paul Henare who Newton played and trained under when Henare was coach of the Sharks.

Newton was obviously delighted to pick up an opportunity with the Breakers.

‘‘I did all of my schooling [in Gore] before I then moved to Invercargill after I finished school for two years,’’ Newton said.

‘‘I started playing when I was about 14 or 15, I didn’t make a lot of teams. It wasn’t until I was 17 and was a development player for the Sharks I started taking it seriously.

‘‘This [Breakers spot] means everything really. I remember writing it down for one of my goals back in school, and people laughed at me when I said it.

‘‘What I want to get out of the season is just to learn as much as I can and work as hard as I can to get better.’’

Newton joins popular Southland Sharks player Derone Raukawa as part of the Breakers development group.

Raukawa already has an impressive CV after he just returned from the Fiba Asia Cup, impressing in his backup role at point guard.

‘‘I am very thankful again to be part of the team for a second, year, it was a great family environment to be part of and I am stoked to be involved again. ‘‘