As the only candidate the club were considering to replace Andrej Lemanis, it is no surprise Vickerman was tonight confirmed as the three-time defending champions' new mentor.
And, having been Lemanis' right-hand man during the sustained stretch of success, it is also unsurprising to hear Vickerman is hoping to continue breaking new ground with the North Shore club.
With Lemanis having left to coach the Australian national team, Vickerman made no bones about the hard act he is following, but he sees the change at the top as just another challenge for his record-breaking charges to overcome.
"I'm not going to hide behind it," Vickerman said. "The challenge is to do something that's never been done before - win four in a row. That's something that this group has been all about the last few years - they get into things that they've never done before."
The Breakers have certainly demonstrated that and, with Vickerman's promotion having been forecast for some time, there is no reason to think Lemanis' departure will create a storm.
Vickerman said he was hoping to recruit one of the Breakers' favourite sons, retired guard Paul Henare, to take over as defensive assistant, while fellow Kiwi Judd Flavell will continue as assistant in charge of offence.
Roster-wise, the club will leave the decision over the two import spots until late in the off-season, giving Cedric Jackson - and the likes of Tom Abercrombie, whose contract contains an exit clause - the chance to crack the NBA.
Once the playing group is finalised, Vickerman will then get down to the business of ensuring Lemanis' foundations are further built upon.
"What [Lemanis] achieved in the last three years has been amazing," Vickerman said. "My job is to try to continue that. The club's put itself in a fantastic situation, where the support structure around the coach is just so good.
"I think when you've got that and everybody is pulling in the same direction, you can only succeed."
Meanwhile, Jackson completed a predictable clean sweep at the club awards dinner tonight. The league's most valuable player was named as the Breakers' MVP for the second straight season, while also picking up the players' player of the year and fans' MVP.
Winners at New Zealand Breakers awards dinner:
Most Valuable Player: Cedric Jackson
Players' Player of the Year: Cedric Jackson
Fans' MVP: Cedric Jackson
Paul Henare Award (young player): Tai Webster
Clubman of the Year: Anousith Bouaaphone
- Kris Shannon of APNZ
