Christchurch Cougars mourn lost season

STACY SQUIRES/The Press

SHOOTER GROUNDED: Dan Peck was expected to fill the shooting guard role for the Cougars before the February 22 earthquake forced the team's withdrawal from the national league.

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The Christchurch Cougars have held an emotional farewell to their National Basketball League season that never was.

The squad gathered two nights ago to mourn the season they were denied when the February 22 earthquake forced the Cougars out of this season's championship that starts next month.

It will be the first time in the league's 30-year history that a team from Canterbury, a foundation member, has not been represented.

Coach Craig Hickford said the meeting was a sad one.

"There were a lot of tears that the heart of this team has been ripped out before it even began."

However, Hickford is confident that from the ashes of the tragedy will rise a national league team from the region again next season.

Last-gasp meetings last weekend of the franchise, owned by Amy and Andrew Gardiner, attempted to stitch together a rescue package to save the Cougars' season but ultimately the level of financial risk was too great for a team that has previously been beset by money issues since its hurried inception two seasons ago.

"At one stage there we thought we were going to do it but we could not quite sell it to the NBL board. I'm sure we will be able to get something going to have national league basketball back in Canterbury next season," Hickford said.

Hickford paid tribute to the team of 2011 who he believed would have been highly competitive in the league and had worked "their butts off" in the months leading into the now nine-team competition.

The team's marquee player Tall Black Jeremy Kench is already on the move, poised to sign for another franchise having had several approaches once the Cougars' fate became known.

However, Hickford hopes it is only a year deal and that point guard Kench will return to his home province next season.

Hickford had been about to name his 15-man squad when the earthquake intervened.

Hickford said Kench had been heading a guardline which touted Marty Davison and Junior Tall Black Chris Duthie, of Nelson, who is at Canterbury University.

The shooting guard spots were filled by Dan Peck, who made big strides last season, along with Adrian Taylor and Chris Thomson. Hickford was confident they would have been the equal of many teams from shooting outside the arc.

Import power forward Javari Williams never got to Christchurch having been scheduled to arrive on February 26 and he was to have filled the small forward role alongside Inga Solofuti who had attended the Breakers Academy and naturalised New Zealander Kevin Smith.

Smith, an American, was another just days away from joining the side and it is believed he is now linking with Auckland.

The power forward roles were to have been filled by Sam Crozier, the athletic Mike Townsend who had returned to the Cougars after being a former Canterbury Ram, and the evergreen Lionel Hopgood who seemed to get better with age.

The team was to be rounded out by an unnamed 2.05m unnamed American centre who, Hickford said, would have complemented the team's ability to play the transition game. Three development players were Lucas Hill (ex-Shirley Boys' High School), Croydon Thomson from Christchurch Boys' High School and seven-footer Vinny George.

Hickford was being assisted by David Harrison and Ash Rees with Grant Robinson from the University of Canterbury providing the strength and conditioning programme which Hickford claimed had the players in the best shape possible.

"A lot of these guys will still be around Canterbury next year. We have seven at university here and I'd like to think they would want to have another crack."

- © Fairfax NZ News