Canterbury will want to atone

Press, 25 July 1986, Page 22

Canterbury will want to atone

There is no rest for the wicked is a well-known saying and Converse Canterbury players paid the price for complacency this week with its loss last Saturday evening against Bowater Cars Nelson.

The Canterbury coach, Mr Gary Pettis, stepped up the training programme, sometimes gruelling, for its match against 898 FM Hamilton at Cowles Stadium tomorrow evening. Top-of-the-league Canterbury should win, but if it plays like it did against Nelson it will be once again on the end of another defeat.

“I am not happy,” said Mr Pettis after the Nelson defeat. "I planned to peak against Rheineck Hawke’s Bay at Cowles Stadium

the next Saturday. Perhaps the peak will have to come earlier.”

Wins against Hamilton and New Plymouth would definitely give Canterbury top qualification and it would then play the fourth qualifier in the semi-finals at Wellington on Friday, August 15. Should the present champions, Exchequer Saints (Wellington), succumb in the next couple of games and finish up the last of the qualifiers, then Canterbury could have difficulty in reaching the finals.

Only at Cowles Stadium does Canterbury compete equally with Saints. In Wellington it is generally a white-wash for the North Islanders. Canter-

bury “freezes” on Wellington courts; it is not because of a lack of ability but it appears to be psychological.

Canterbury has had no such problems playing Hamilton in the past and it would come something of a surprise if Canterbury is beaten tomorrow evening. Hamilton has won four of its 16 games this season, including a 89-94 loss to U-Bix Palmerston North last week-end. It has mixed its performances, but still has sufficient ability to make a real game of it. Mr James Logan is an astute Hamilton coach. He divides his time between the emerging national women’s team and the men’s league side. The women have responded to his coaching, while the men have played to their abilities although it lacks bench strength.

Hamilton has a good guard-line, including Steve. Agnew and a former Canterbury and University player, Colin Crampton, a New Zealand representative for the last two years. Crampton is a “pure” shooter, one of the few in New Zealand and, given room, can “pot” his rivals off the court.

Hamilton will miss Tony Smith, one of New Zealand’s best guards in recent years. After playing in the World Cup in Spain, he has decided to stay in the United States until New Zealand’s next league season. Not only does he play basketball with dedication but he does it with flair. His impassive facial expres-

sion on court belies an astute and analytical mind. When he decides to “go” on the charge it is like replacing a 50 watt bulb with a 150 watt one . . . pure lightning.

The return of Glen Denham from the World Cup will benefit Hamilton. There are few better forwards around.

A leading Hamilton official, Mr Brian Monds, sees a five-point difference. “Do not ask me which way,” he said earlier in the week. “In Hamilton we cannot work out why Hamilton loses continually,” said Mr Monds. “Even the coach, James Logan, is puzzled.

“Hamilton has won four games, three on the ‘trot’ and one since then. But in the latest sequence of losses there has been an average of only a threepoint margin,” he said. “What have we got to do to win?” he asked. However, Mr Monds senses a long overdue win against Canterbury tomorrow. “Canterbury suffered a demoralising defeat against Nelson on Saturday and could still be on a low. That is our chance to pin another one on them,” he said. Defence seemingly is the name of the game for Hamilton, but its leading American forward, Sam Potter, is an exception. He is the third highest points scorer in the league and a redoubtable rebounder. A fellow American, Chris Carlson, a late replacement for Tony Randolph, who returned to the United States early in the season because of personal reasons, is gradually becoming accustomed to

the New Zealand pattern.

Hamilton has asked Potter to return next season.

“The Hamilton-Canter-bury match will never get over the 100-point mark,” predicted Mr Monds. “We tend to play it tight; after all I think we hold the national league record for the lowest-scoring match, 58 or 59.”

Canterbury has to settle down. Its highs and lows this season have been like an irresponsive yo-yo. Its main defect is defence. It lacks consistency on the rebounding boards, the only player to continually take his share of the work being Angelo Hill.

The other defenders are too spasmodic in performance.

Consistency is the key to any sport; Canterbury is riding a high with a sixpoint league lead, but it plays in variance, not bpcoming of trend-setters. Again the word complacency enters the discussions. Because it is “cock-of-the-hoop,” it has become lethargic in some areas; it is over-confident because it is already assured of a place in the finals. Better, perhaps, for Canterbury to finish the qualifying rounds in a blaze of glory than sit on early-season laurels. Everything is going for Canterbury, but often it does not reach its real potential. Players like Clyde Huntley, Angelo Hill, John Hill, lan Webb, Andy Bennett, John Rademakers, Bert Knops, Kelvin Duff and Graham Timms should realise that there is no easy ride to a national final. Complacency is one thing; success is only from hard work.