Wellington Saints chief executive Jordan Mills is starting to look like a genius.
Five weeks ago, the National Basketball League powerhouse, who have won a league-best 12 titles, including last year’s crown, were in a bleak spot with a 3-7 record.
Mills, the son of longtime Saints’ owner Nick Mills, acknowledged something needed to change, replacing Tall Ferns coach Guy Molloy with club legend Troy McLean.
Parting ways with a coach mid-season doesn’t always fix a struggling team’s issues, but Mills’ brave decision has so far proved the right call.
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Under McLean, the Saints have gone 5-1 and rattled off four straight wins to jump to 8-8.
They are right back in the top six finals mix and if they can win their final two round games against the league-leading Nelson Giants (on August 2) and the Auckland Tuatara (August 6), they’ll be playing playoff hoops.
Should the Saints punch their ticket to their finals, which will be held at Auckland’s Eventfinda Stadium over August 10-13, they would be a formidable challenge for whoever they face.
Taane Samuel and the Saints have got their NBL campaign back on track, winning five of their past six games.
The Saints have been a different side since moving on from Molloy with the acquisition of American forward Reggie Upshaw also proving a savvy move. The experienced Upshaw, who has played pro hoops in Europe and Israel, has given the Saints additional scoring punch and some much-needed rebounding.
Wellington are hitting form at exactly the right stage of the season.
After crushing the Hawke’s Bay Hawks 117-87 last week in a rematch of last year’s grand final, they steamrolled them again in Napier, cruising to a 107-80 win on Thursday.
Two days later, the Saints produced another convincing win, thumping the Manawatū Jets 109-70 on Saturday in Palmerston North.
The game was effectively over after the first quarter with the Jets scoring a paltry four points and the Saints racking up 32. By halftime, the Saints were ahead 61-24 allowing McLean to give most of his bench players decent minutes.
Joe Allison/Getty Images
Sam Thompson shone with 27 points as the league-leading Nelson Giants beat the Rams in Christchurch.
In other games, the Giants locked up a two top spot for the finals, which puts them directly through to the semifinals, beating the short-handed Canterbury Rams 85-74 in Christchurch on Saturday.
Played in front of more than 4000 fans at Christchurch Arena, as part of a Rams-Mainland Pouākai women’s Tauihi doubleheader, the Giants outscored the hosts 23-17 in the third quarter to take a 64-55 lead into the fourth.
The Rams produced a valiant showing, missing starters Taylor Britt (Tall Blacks), Max Darling (knee), Sam Smith (illness), and Sunday Dech (personal) with the loss all but ending their finals aspirations.
Nelson, who improve to 12-4, were well served by their outstanding American trio with Sam Thompson scoring a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists. Trey Mourning chipped in with 22 points and 12 boards, while guard Jarrod West added 14 points.
Southland have had a tough season by their high standards, but made it back-to-back wins, knocking over the finals-bound Taranaki Airs 81-74 in Invercargill.
The Airs bounced back in style, thumping the Otago Nuggets 98-73 on Sunday in Dunedin to earn their 10th win of the season.
In Sunday’s Battle of the North, the Tuatara snapped a two-game losing run, beating the Franklin Bulls 89-68, courtesy of a 28-9 fourth quarter finish, to stay in the hunt for a top two finals berth.
AT A GLANCE:
NBL round 13:
At Pettigrew Green Arena, Napier: Wellington Saints 107 (Reggie Upshaw 26, Tom Vodanovich 22, Xavier Cooks 18, Taane Samuel 18) Hawke’s Bay Hawks 80 (Hyrum Harris 24, Derone Raukawa 21, Tajuan Agee 14) 1Q: 20-27, HT: 45-41, 3Q: 81-58.
At Stadium Southland, Invercargill: Southland Sharks 81 (Daishon Knight 21, Alonzo Burton 17, Brayden Inger 12, Mojave King 10) Taranaki Airs 74 (Anthony Hilliard 23, Javonte Douglas 19, Marcel Jones 11, Shaun Willett 10) 1Q: 13-19, HT: 28-40, 3Q: 56-59.
At Christchurch Arena, Christchurch: Nelson Giants 85 (Sam Thompson 27, Trey Mourning 22, Jarrod West 14) Canterbury Rams 74 (Larry Austin 21, Walter Brown 19, Joe Cook-Green 12, Matt Moyer 11) 1Q: 19-20, HT: 41-38, 3Q: 64-55.
At Fly Palmy Arena, Palmerston North: Saints 109 (Vodanovich 20, Kenneth Tuffin 20, Rangimarie Mita 18, Cooks 16, Samuel 12) Manawatū Jets 70 (Nathaniel Salmon 13, Shane Temara 12, Robert Crawford 11) 1Q: 32-4, HT: 61-24, 3Q: 87-49.
At Edgar Centre, Dunedin: Airs 98 (Hilliard 25, Douglas 23, Jones 19, Willett 18) Otago Nuggets 73 (Tray Boyd 29, Keith Williams 27) 1Q: 25-17, HT: 49-45, 3Q: 84-59.
At Franklin Pool & Leisure Centre, Pukekohe: Auckland Tuatara 89 (Rob Loe 26, Siler Schneider 20, Dontae Russo-Nance 14, Brayden Iuli 14, Nick Barrow 10) Franklin Bulls 68 (Corey Webster 17, Giddy Potts 16, Leon Henry 12, Anzac Rissetto 10) 1Q: 16-19, HT: 39-39, 3Q: 61-59.
Standings: Giants 12-4, Airs 10-6, Tuatara 10-7, Saints 8-8, Nuggets 8-8, Hawks 8-8, Bulls 7-8, Rams 7-9, Sharks 5-10, Jets 5-12.
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