NZL - Rare art

AUCKLAND (NBL) - In the days leading up to Sunday’s Dominion Finance NBL semifinal, Arthur Trousdell and his fellow Easy LPG Bay Hawks benchwarmers were put on notice.

Possessing one of the deepest rosters in the league, the defending champions knew they would lose reigning MVP Paora Winitana for their sudden-death road clash with regular season winners Appliance Shed Harbour Heat.

"All of us were aware that, without Paora, someone had to step up," recalls Trousdell (26). "We all had that in our minds."

Almost 12 months earlier, Winitana also missed the 2006 semis for religious reasons and it was Trousdell who emerged off the pine for 11 points (4/6 FG, 3/3 FT) and seven rebounds to help the Hawks past the Nelson Giants.

So it was again. The gangly (2.03m) forward had 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, snaffled 15 boards and stunned everyone, except his team-mates, with three treys that broke the Heat’s spirit down the stretch.

"I was just lucky they left me open," he offers. "I’m not sure if they scouted us too well … I shot the three pretty well in my senior year at college, but other than that, I guess it’s something I do at practice a bit."

As it turned out, the Aidan Daly-to-Trousdell combo that regularly torments Hawks starters with their drive-and-dish routine during scrimmages was the same that finally put paid to Harbour hopes with 1m 57s on the clock and the season on the line.

Simply, it was the finest performance of a 58-game NBL career that cost him dearly during his US university stint. In fact, Trousdell is the cautionary tale for any young player who thinks he can have the best of both worlds – a national league apprenticeship and a college scholarship.

Trousdell played three seasons in the league before heading to NCAA Div II Southwest Baptist University. His arrival in Missouri provided an unexpected boost to his new team and they had already qualified for the conference tournament when, midway through the season, a rival school learnt of his exploits back home and ratted on him.

Because NCAA rules prohibit players from contesting pro leagues, SBU lost their tourney berth, and Trousdell had to sit out the end of his freshman year and the start of his sophomore schedule.

"We were beating people we weren’t expecting to beat, so they looked me up. There were five seniors in our team … it was a hard thing to go through."

The following year, he transferred to Cameron University, where he averaged 14.7 points (55.3% FG) and 5.5 rebounds over two seasons. He shot 15/31 (48.4%) from the arc as a senior.

Since returning to Hawke’s Bay midway through 2006, Trousdell has struggled to find his niche with a franchise in considerably better shape than the 5-11 outfit he last turned out for in 2002. That season, he averaged 15 minutes a game, scoring 10.6 points (61.1% FG, 86.6% FT).

In the past two campaigns, he has logged just under 11 minutes for 4.2 points (45.5% FG, 68.4%), but will suit up for his second successive final in Nelson on Thursday.

Last year, he battled rookie Callum Baynes for back-up minutes behind former MVP Adrian Majstrovich and import Kareem Johnson. This year, Majstrovich has been replaced by Aussie Andrew Rice in the front court.

"I came back to a league that had improved enormously," says Trousdell. "It has been an adjustment for me, but it has been an invaluable experience as far as learning about the game.

"I played a lot in college and had some good training, but have learnt a lot from Shawn Dennis about the little things that are so important. At college, it was more about fundamentals and playing hard … the teams in the NBL are at a level where they are very professional."

With Winitana back in the line-up for the finals, Trousdell knows he will once again be scrapping for minutes in the Hawk rotation and, like last Sunday, he must make the most of them.   

Dominion Finance NBL Finals

Thursday June 28
Easy LPG Bay Hawks v Blue Chip Nelson Giants


Friday, June 29
Blue Chip Nelson Giants v Easy LPG Bay Hawks


Saturday, June 30
Blue Chip Nelson Giants v Easy LPG Bay Hawks
 

NBL Milestones

Easy LPG Bay Hawks point guard Paul Henare needs 17 more points to reach 2000 NBL points and three more games for 200 NBL appearances. He has averaged 10.1 points over 197 games.

Hawks backcourt mate Aidan Daly is also just 13 points shy of achieving 1000 NBL points. He has averaged 6.2 points over 160 games.

Blue Chip Nelson Giants Mika Vukona needs 16 boards to reach 1000 NBL rebounds. He has averaged 7.3 rebounds over 135 games.

Grant Chapman