Basketball: Youngster out to make a big impression

Depending on how tightly you stretch the tape, Tom Rowe is either 2.01m or 2.02m tall.

He is listed at 2.01m but is claiming the extra millimetre.

And who is going to argue?

Since he played for the Nuggets as a 17-year-old two seasons ago, the former Otago Boys High School forward has packed on about 5kg and the rake-thin physique has given way to a more muscular frame.

"I'll crack 100kg eventually," he said.

And he will probably need to, to survive the rigours of the National Basketball League.

There is still room for the odd stilt but, if you going to be jostling for position and wrestling for space with some of the biggest guys in the league, every last kilogram - and millimetre - counts.

"We are a small team so we need to box out and stop anyone coming into our space.

"It is going to be a very physical year."

The 19-year-old is one of the younger members of a team dubbed the "Baby Nuggets".

He played five games for the franchise in 2008 but probably spent more time on the court in Saturday's 99-82 loss to the Harbour Heat than he did all up two years ago.

While he produced a modest return of six points and three rebounds, Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge was impressed with Rowe's 20 minutes.

"Tom's a different player now," Arlidge said last week.

"He really stepped up and I think he's going to have a good season."

Rowe did not sit around twiddling his thumbs during the Nuggets' hiatus in 2009.

He spent the year at the Breakers development academy and was part of the Junior Tall Blacks squad which contested the under-19 world championships in Auckland in July.

"It was a really good experience.

"I got to train with some good players," he said.

"It was disappointing [the Nuggets were not part of the league last year] but I had a good year at the academy.

"I learned a lot and got the opportunity to improve.

"But I'm happy the Nuggets are back and I've come back to play for them."

The Nuggets fielded a young team under former coach Don Sims in 2008 and struggled to compete, losing 16 of their 18 matches.

Despite the lean run, Rowe believes it was a valuable experience.

"It was good to be thrown in the deep end as a young guy and see what it was like to play in the league . . . and it helped me to get noticed for national teams and things like that."

Rowe will hover between the No 4 and No 3 spots, and Arlidge has asked the youngster to concentrate on rebounding and getting into space to provide a scoring option.

That sounds easy enough, but the Nuggets have not had much success in the past and will go into most games this season as the rank underdog.

They are basically an amateur team playing in a semi-professional league.

But they have picked up two quality imports in Antoine Tisby and Tyler Amaya.

Tisby has proved his worth, claiming the league's rebounding title in 2008, and Amaya had a useful opening game and will get better as the season goes on.

"Playing against Tisby [in practice] has been great, and the same with Tyler.

They are two players I look up to," Rowe said.

The Nuggets' first home game this season is against the Christchurch Cougars on Saturday.

Tip-off is at 8pm.