Veteran Rillie ready to shoot it up for Breakers

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Veteran guard John Rillie believes the excitement of returning to the Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) will help him through any fitness issues tomorrow night.

Rillie, 38, is on stand-by to make his debut for the NZ Breakers against competition leaders Perth, having arrived in Auckland this week at short notice.

The Australian was called up as the Breakers struggle with a depleted squad, with both star guard Kirk Penney and back-up centre Alex Pledger still sidelined with injury.

The options were further reduced with the release of American import Awvee Storey yesterday after just nine games.

After five seasons with the Crocodiles, Rillie was cut in mid-year and his recent basketball has been at club level in Townsville.

"I've been working and playing in the local competition and, whenever I get a chance, I'm out there shooting some hoops," he said today.

"Obviously, it's not at the level or the intensity of the NBL."

Rillie said it was hard to gauge where his match fitness was at, and he would get a good idea if he got on court against the Wildcats.

"We can run around here at practice all day but it's when the bright lights come on that I can see exactly where I am," he said.

"It will be a step up, no doubt, so I'm hoping maybe the nervous energy and just the excitement of getting to play will get me through."

Rillie, a former Australian representative, was "ecstatic" to be getting the chance to revive his ANBL career.

He was disappointed at the manner of his departure from the Crocodiles and hadn't been ready to retire.

A prolific three-point shooter, he expected his role at the Breakers to be the same as what all his coaches had asked him to assume.

"My job is to come in and perform from the perimeter, knock down some shots," he said.

"But it will also be to bring some energy to this group right now."

Energy is something that wouldn't go amiss with the Breakers, who have dropped their past two games - including away to Perth last weekend - to fall from third to fifth on the table.

Rillie wasn't anticipating that it would take him long to integrate into the Breakers, most of whom knew how he played and vice versa.

"I'm fortunate that New Zealand is an experienced team, so in one shape or another I've had contact with the majority of them," he said.

"They know what I'm about and I know what they're about. The beauty is, when you're thrown in, you don't have time to think about it. You just go out there and play."

Rillie is a noted blogger, and he has already written about his arrival in Auckland, telling about how he had to carry his new teammates to a win at a local trivia quiz night.

"My trivia skills are unbelievable," he said with a laugh today.

"I just hope my jump shots are working as good as my trivia."

- NZPA