Koponen: 'Response proved who we really are'

For Petteri Koponen, the Breakers’ weekend was about pride and proof of ability, rather than numbers or standings.

Less than 48 hours after their worst performance of the season, his group showed the resilience he’s been preaching, with imports Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Izaiah Brockington and Rob Baker II driving a much-needed response.

Their turnaround from the Sydney loss to the Illawarra win was dramatic, but Koponen’s focus remained on what it said about his team’s competitive spirit and top-six intent.

"We are not that bad of a team that what we showed last time against Sydney and this was a great way to respond," Koponen said.

At 9–15, the Breakers are still chasing momentum, but their coach left the weekend convinced that Friday’s collapse was the outlier and Sunday was a reminder of who they actually are.

"We were much better with the energy, the fight and everything was there, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but at least you want to see that competitiveness every time and we came here to compete," Koponen said,

There was still frustration in the group, but Koponen viewed that as a sign of standards rather than sulking.

"You can see the frustration in the locker room in their faces, but mentally this was a strong performance and a way to bounce back."

Part of that mentality shift involved Baker II, whose defence has been a season-long project for Koponen. After the well-publicised frustration following the Kristian Doolittle matchup in Perth, the coach has continued to push his power forward to round out his game.

His offensive output against Illawarra - 17 points on 4-of-8 from deep, plus clutch free throws - was only part of the picture. Koponen highlighted his rebounding and work ethic as evidence of growth.

"It's nothing new, I've pretty much been on his arse about his defence all of the year to try to get it better and there are some matchups in this league that are difficult for him," Koponen said.

"But at the same time he is a really important player for us with his shooting and how he can stretch the floor, and open the court, and tonight he was excellent."

Ultimately, it was a night that underlined Koponen’s approach: challenge players, demand competitiveness, and celebrate progress when it shows.

"As a coach you always try to challenge the player to be even better and better, and tonight a big reason why we won the game was Baker who had a great game like all our starting unit."

Izaiah Brockington’s 20 points, five assists and three rebounds on efficient shooting were part of the performance, but his outlook was just as important. He remains bullish about the Breakers’ ability to make a late push, pointing to the strengths and balance of their starting group of Sam Mennenga, Karim Lopez, Jackson-Cartwright, Baker II and himself.

"Yeah (confident of still being successful) just because we've got a really good group of guys," Brockington said.

"Bakes is one of the best shooting bigs in the league, when Parker's really on he's MVP level, Sam is the Most Improved Player this year, we've got the [best] Next Star in the league and I feel like I'm one of the best two-way wings in the league.

"And then we've got guys off the bench that can really come in and get after it, and keep that pressure up so if we can start off building that, and they just continue it and it doesn’t stop through our rotations, I feel like we can give a lot of teams trouble."

His belief centres on role clarity, shooting, defensive versatility and depth - qualities he feels give New Zealand a genuine chance to surge if they keep building in the right direction.