IT’S been a day that he has been waiting for his entire basketball career but on Sunday, Cambewarra product James Hunter will fulfil a lifelong dream.
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The 25-year-old will make his National Basketball League debut for the New Zealand Breakers, when they host the Cairns Taipans from 3pm (AEDT).
“It will be a huge honour to finally have the chance to play in the NBL - it’s a massive achievement for me,” Hunter said.
It will be a huge honour to finally have the chance to play in the NBL - it’s a massive achievement for me
- James Hunter
“A lot of hard work has gone into it, so I’m excited for the whole team to get out there and play.”
“I know all the boys are super keen to test themselves against the other seven teams in the league.”
After returning from his first stint with the New Zealand Tall Blacks at the recent Asia Cup, where the team finished fourth, Hunter and his squad have endured a very busy pre-season.
“Our pre-season has been going real well – we’ve had a number of solid hit-outs against strong opponents, chalking up three wins and two losses,” he said.
“It’s been a solid preparation to the season thus far and it’s now up to us to build on it.
“I’ve been impressed by the way the group has come together, with things currently going in a positive direction.
“On a personal note, it was good to get my first minutes during the pre-season and learn a little bit about the tempo of the game.
“It’s a physical league and look forward to embracing that physicality this season.”
While the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne United officially opened the season with their match on Thursday at Titanium Security Arena, the 206cm Hunter and his team will have to wait until Sunday till their season tips-off against the Taipans at Spark Arena.
“We saw Cairns in the pre-season and they are a strong up-tempo team who like to get out and push the ball up and down the court,” Hunter said.
“We’ve turned all our efforts to Cairns now - so we'll get some video sessions in but at the end of the day, it’s about us playing our game to win.
“Personally, when I hit the court, I hope to bring hustle and physicality off the bench.
“While I’m on the floor, I also intend to be solid on defence, be a target in the post and do what I can to help our team win games.”
Following their round one clash, the Breakers will host Sydney in round two on Friday, October 13, before hosting the same opponent six days later in round three.