Petteri Koponen: Breakers Coach on Tacko Fall joining the team, previews the pre-season clashes

One of the tallest basketballers ever has had his first practice with his new team, the New Zealand Breakers, in Utah. 

Former NBA center Tacko Fall is 2.29 meters tall – seven feet six inches. 

Fall has joined the Breakers for pre-season games against NBA sides the Utah Jazz, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Coach Petteri Koponen joined D'Arcy Waldegrave out of the states to preview their opening clash.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sports Breakfast podcast with Dancy
Waldegrave from News TALKSB State Side.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Now we are the Breakers are off to America. Three
games against NBA teams. First up and is a Utah.
We're joined by coach Kopp Terry Covenant. As we look
toward these three fecture's pretty exciting for you, coach, to
take your team, your fresh team over to the States
and take on some of the rock stars of the game.
This must be right up your animate.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Well, yeah, it's.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
First of all, it's a great experience for whole group,
you know, to be here together, you know, compete against
some of the best players in the world, best teams,
and you know, one more opportunity to us improve as
a team, get better.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
During this you know week, and obviously you know it's
going to be a great challenge, but you know, it's
a great experience for the guys and for the whole
whole group, and we're looking forward to it.

Speaker 4 (01:00):
You're going to.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Rotate the teams through so everybody gets a good crack,
so they all get that experience of NBA basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Well, yeah, I think that's the plan.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
You know, first of all, you know, first goal tried
to keep everybody healthy. It was long travel, thirty six
hours we traveled, and we arrived yesterday and then we
have a little practice today, little shoot run tomorrow, and
then we have to have to play the game. And
the plan is try to rotate all the other players
so everybody can have that experience how it feels to

(01:31):
play against those top players in the NBA floor and
go from there. What do you have to.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Come away with at the end of the three games?
Is a key outcome for you from a coaching perspective, No, I.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
Mean the key is to keep on working on our
things and try to do the things what we've been
practicing now pretty much one month and just try to
you know, improve day by day. Use this time also
as a group to get better and then compete. Like
I said, have this experience and you want not always
compete against the best best in the world. And now

(02:05):
the it's great for the guys to see where the
different top players are and how they can compete with them.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
And I think that's that's the main thing.

Speaker 4 (02:14):
And in Jorge's experience, experiment, experience and how you know,
three good games.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Coach Copp joins us from the Breakers Taco fall. Now
there is a big human you'd be looking forward to
working with someone of that size. He's two meters twenty nine, coach,
and that is one big man.

Speaker 4 (02:37):
Yeah, we have. We had first practice. We didn't play yet,
but you know, Taco was there in the practice and he's,
like you said, he's just really really tall human being
and you can you can really notice it when he
steps on the floor. And then he special players, special
kind of player vote you know, offensively, defensively, what he brings,

(02:58):
he's special. There are not too many Taco force in
in the planet. And the way how he plays basketball,
and it's going to be interesting into to see now
during this this trip what he can bring to the
table and we get to work with him and get him,
you know, inside the group and get on the same
page with that rest of the group.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Brilliant. And the turnaround when you come back to the NBL,
that'll be interesting. Straight off the playing back into it again,
it's hope your bodies are all fit and healthy, because
that's when things really start counting to and so far
things going all right, aren't they.

Speaker 4 (03:29):
Well? Yeah, you know, like I said, that's the really
important part of this thrip. Also, like like I said,
it was long, difficult travel three three games here in
Stays and then we could come back and continue the season.
And the main thing is to stay everybody healthy and
it's not easy when we get back, try to keep

(03:49):
keep going, saying with the same energy how we we
were able to start the season. But that's the goal.
And then we go straight straight to Brisbane and we
start from there and then it's home game against birth
so two really important games against good opponents. So the
goal is to go there and continue the way we
have been improving and.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
Improve our game and try to try to take those wins.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Stay safe, stay fit, stay healthy. But Terry, come on
and coach cop thanks very much for your time. Yeah,
look after yourself. I promise you so much. I'm kind
of jealous, mate, I really am.

Speaker 4 (04:25):
All right, thank you, thanks, thanks for having me and
we actually we were just here in Utah in the
top of the mountain, so now we are heading down.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
So for more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to news talks it'd be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.