Nuggets season By the numbers Record: Played 21, won 10, lost 11 Biggest win: Beat Southland 95-68 Biggest loss: Lost to Tauranga 107-66 Leading scorer: Ethan Rusbatch, 17.4 points Leading rebounder: Craig Moller, 10.6 rebounds Most assists: Alain Louis, 137 Highest score: Rusbatch, 29 points v Sharks ODT awards MVP: Rusbatch was the most consistent contributor throughout the season. He was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 17.4 points. Honourable mention: Moller joined the campaign partway through the season and made a positive impact at both ends. He rebounded strongly (10.6 per game) and was a capable outside shooter when the mood took him. Most improved: Tyson Thata-Paese made the transition from Rapid League star to starting for the Otago Nuggets. Best game: The 92-88 win over the Franklin Bulls in Pukekohe on July 10 revived the Nuggets’ flagging playoff prospects. They followed it up with an unexpected 84-80 win over the Auckland Tuatara two days later. Worst game: Every part of the Nuggets’ game unravelled during a humbling 93-58 loss to the Canterbury Rams in Dunedin on June 13. It was best viewed with your head in your hands. One southern team is in the National Basketball League final, but it is not the Otago Nuggets. Basketball writer Adrian Seconi reviews the season. The Otago Nuggets punched through their own talent ceiling to reach the playoffs this season. That should not be viewed as a backhanded compliment. Rather, they played their hand as well as they could and took a spot in the playoffs ahead of more talented line-ups. You have to tip your hat to coach Jeff Sparrow for that. He made several important calls to put the team in a position where they had an opportunity to hang another banner on the wall at the Edgar Centre. The first was to sign players who would be available a month out from the start of the National Basketball League. They had their game plan down well ahead of the season tipping off and, more importantly, well ahead of many of their opponents. The Nuggets strung together four consecutive wins and got a jump on their rivals. They beat a very understrength Southland Sharks team in Invercargill in round one. They did not play very well, truth be told. They really struggled to keep Sam Timmins off the hoop. That weakness would eventually force Sparrow to make another important decision. The 86-77 win over the Nelson Giants in their next assignment was a marginal improvement. The round three 92-81 win over the Tauranga Whai was a more polished team effort. Michael Henn top-scored for the Nuggets in that match with 19 points. He was on the outer, though. It was very apparent he could not guard the post and was not productive enough at the other end to provide adequate compensation. The Nuggets had a back-up plan. They were expecting forward Jonathan Janssen to return, but he had to pull out due to injury. The Nuggets held off the Manawatū Jets 99-96 at home. But that game further exposed how vulnerable they were around the rim. Henn was on borrowed time. The Nuggets dropped two in a row on the road. Henn was demoted to the bench for the 98-72 loss to the Auckland Tuatara in Dunedin. The Nuggets really struggled with the Tuatara’s size. ©Allied MediaNuggets coach Jeff Sparrow addresses his team. Photo: Peter McIntosh None of that escaped Sparrow. He made a move, axing Henn and bringing in Australian power forward Craig Moller. Moller’s arrival provided a spark at both ends. He proved a very solid rebounder and defender. And, in his first outing for the Nuggets, he slotted 20 points to help his side dispatch the Giants 88-63 and snap a three-game losing streak. By now the league had caught up with the Nuggets. Teams had sorted out their rosters. The Sharks avenged their earlier loss with a 99-89 win in Dunedin. The Nuggets let a victory slip away against the Bulls and the match against the Saints got away from them as well. The home game against the Rams was a write-off. The wheels did not just come off during the 93-58 loss; the chassis experienced what you might describe as a rapid unscheduled disassembly. From that nadir, the Nuggets’ next win looked a long way away. But they rallied to beat the Taranaki Airs 91-87. Moller led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds. American Buay Tuach, who was hot and cold and often in foul trouble during the course of the season, added 18 points and hustled eight rebounds. Otago captain Ethan Rusbatch scored 16 points and grabbed eight boards, and Canadian point guard Alain Louis dished nine assists. The Nuggets split their next two games before making an important road trip for a rematch with the Bulls and the Tuatara. Their playoff prospects hung in the balance, but they posted back-to-back wins to pretty much ink a spot in the playoffs. A 92-79 home win over the Hawke’s Bay Hawks confirmed the playoff berth. The 107-66 loss to Tauranga was irrelevant. The Nuggets rested their starters and had already turned their focus to the playoff against the defending champions. They stuck with the Saints for the first half but drifted off the pace towards the end of the third quarter. To put the 94-81 loss into perspective, the Saints demolished the Tuatara 112-69 in the semifinal to set up a rematch of last year’s final against the Sharks. The Nuggets can reflect on a decent season. They posted 10 wins — seven more than in 2025 — and the home games were reasonably well attended. But they did ship in a more or less entirely new side. The only local talent was deep on the bench, which could be a problem in the future. And outside Moller and Rusbatch, who was the Nuggets’ most consistent performer, they assembled a modestly talented roster. Louis could not finish off his right. Tuach went missing for long periods. Henn went home. Isaac Miller-Jose added some muscle and athleticism around the rim, and Matthew Bardsley brought defensive hustle. But neither player can shoot. Tyson Thata-Paese made the step up from the Rapid League and had some promising moments. Zach McKenzie and Caleb Smiler saw their playing minutes evaporate at the business end of the competition. Making the playoffs was an achievement but it never felt like they could take the extra step and add to the banners they won in 2020 and 2022. That is the big challenge for next season. adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
