Gordon Herbert <\/a>arrives with a championship pedigree few coaches in the NBL can match. The Canadian has coached at the highest levels in Europe and spent a season as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors, but his greatest achievement came in 2023 when he guided Germany to the Fiba World Cup title. <\/p>\n\u201cNo one thought we could bring him to New Zealand, but we were able to do it,\u201d Mitchell says. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s excited to be here.\u201d <\/p>\n
Herbert is supported by a coaching group that includes New Zealanders Matt Lacey, Quinn Clinton and Josiah Maama, as well as lead assistant Sebastian Gleim, who previously coached the Franklin Bulls in the New Zealand NBL. <\/p>\n
The international reach of the new-look Breakers is a reflection of Mitchell\u2019s broader ambition. He believes the club is now a destination for players who might previously have overlooked New Zealand. <\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, we brought in a lot of players who I think in years past might not have taken a hard look at coming to the Breakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re well represented around the world, but I think the Breakers brand is something that people now know and we\u2019re going to be competitive in our league.\u201d<\/p>\n
While ambition is high at the Breakers, pundits across the Tasman are writing the team off already, with many predicting they will finish near the bottom of the table. <\/p>\n
That is largely because they are the only team in the league without experience of America\u2019s NBA, but Mitchell feels that is just a \u201cquirk\u201d and that having players who have played in the biggest league in the world doesn\u2019t guarantee anything. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our guys are NBA level, played in the G League, played at high levels around the world, so it\u2019s not necessarily a prerequisite. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost years our team and all the teams in the league have guys in the NBA, but that\u2019s just a little quirk. We\u2019ve found the right guys for this year and the guys who fit well together with the locals that we brought in before. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe league\u2019s in a great place. For us to be the one team in New Zealand that represents our country in the league is really an honour.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"NZ]()
NZ Breakers during a training session. Photo \/ Jason Dorday <\/p>\n
There has been talk of the NBL expanding, with teams in the Gold Coast and Canberra being touted, and a return to Asia. The NBL requires new arenas to hold between 8000 and 12,000 fans, meaning it is unlikely a second New Zealand team will join the league unless other arenas are upgraded, but Mitchell isn\u2019t ruling anything out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think right now what the league is looking to do is more about expansion of the footprint around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe into Asia a little bit. I think we\u2019ll start to see more games for us played there in the pre-season, for example. We want to continue to expand the Breakers\u2019 presence around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
While there is focus on winning now, there is also an eye on the future, with the Breakers bringing back their academy after a six-year hiatus. <\/p>\n
The initial intake to the academy is 20 male athletes from school years 11-13 from six Auckland high schools. <\/p>\n
In past years, it has helped unearth talent like Mennenga, Reuben Te Rangi and Anzac Rissetto, all of whom are currently at the club. <\/p>\n
Mitchell wants young New Zealanders to have opportunities to earn college scholarships and experience the trials and tribulations that come with the sport. <\/p>\n
It is part of a philosophy that runs through almost everything Mitchell talks about when discussing the Breakers. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe academy is really important because it is for the entire country to highlight the best young players. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne day we want them to be Breakers, but they\u2019re not all going to be Breakers. But … it allows them a pathway to continue to play at a high level, potentially to go to college and to use the sport for all the positive things that it can bring.\u201d <\/p>\n
While Mitchell understands why people could be sceptical, considering his involvement in the previous ownership group, he insists he has the right intentions, highlighted by his personal connections to New Zealand. <\/p>\n
His wife Jessica is a Kiwi, and they and their three children have lived here. Mitchell splits his time between Los Angeles and New Zealand, but plans to be in the stands for most home games in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n
![\"The]()
The Breakers have won four NBL titles. Photo \/ Jason Dorday<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve moved on from that era, and it started by bringing in people like Dillon, bringing in people like Paul and Liz Blackwell, who are always part of this. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as I\u2019m part of this, they will be a part of this. It\u2019s about the history, and it\u2019s about doing things the right way. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first 18 months that we lived here was during Covid, and the borders were closed. I\u2019ve been coming to the country for 21 years with my wife, and I\u2019ve really enjoyed all parts of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s love for sport, particularly basketball, came from growing up in Los Angeles during the Lakers\u2019 Showtime era of the 1980s under the organisation\u2019s legendary owner Jerry Buss and a team that featured Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. <\/p>\n
Mitchell, who is still a Lakers season-ticket holder, got to experience what their success did for the community, and he wants the Breakers to emulate that. <\/p>\n
In 2023, he was behind a consortium that tried to launch an Auckland-based A-League football team, but was beaten by a bid that featured Bill Foley, Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray.<\/p>\n
He has since joined the ownership group of EFL Championship club Swansea City, which includes TV personality Martha Stewart, footballer Luka Modric and Calvin Cordozar Broadus jnr, better known as Snoop Dogg.<\/p>\n
![\"Swansea]()
Swansea City co-owner Snoop Dogg. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Swansea\u2019s team includes All Whites World Cup stars Elijah Just and Marko Stamenic. <\/p>\n
\u201cSports in general to me is a passion. And when this came about, it was something I looked hard at and something I couldn\u2019t pass up,\u201d Mitchell said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey approached me to be involved, and I was happy to join the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, has he had the chance to meet Snoop Dogg?<\/p>\n
\u201cI have, but not in this context, actually. I look forward to meeting him and the rest of the other investors shortly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did spend some time with my family in Swansea in July and got to meet the coaches, the front office, the players and get a sense of what they\u2019re up to, and they\u2019re doing great.\u201d <\/p>\n
As of Friday morning, Swansea sat second on the Championship table.<\/p>\n
Mitchell teased that there could be further developments into other New Zealand sports, but one idea that has got the green light will take place in January when the Breakers plan to host their first annual Celebrity Golf Invitational.<\/p>\n
![\"The]()
The Breakers play their season opener on Sunday at Spark Arena. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Mitchell says there has already been a strong response, and he feels golf is a good way to showcase the country, while bringing international names to New Zealand and using the event to support basketball development.<\/p>\n
Despite everything, the goal remains another championship to add to the four they won in the 2010s.<\/p>\n
They were the first New Zealand side in an Australian sporting competition to win a title, which further showcases their history.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, we were off to a good start, we won the pre-season tournament, we won the in-season tournament, but that\u2019s not why you play,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are steps along the way. The ultimate goal is to get to a championship, so we\u2019re trying to do everything in our power to allow our guys to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to take best practices from around the world and put a little Kiwi dust on them and bring them to New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben Francis<\/a> is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Things largely stayed the same for the first season. Then Mitchell went to work as the club acquired…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[125510,95,4057,3392,18399,40476,13687,52041,61895,5430,1304,298051,166446,111,43,139,69,90,2738,48886,196031,6926,47108,40475,4497,223,80],"class_list":["post-604660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-125510","tag-and","tag-behind","tag-breakers","tag-christmas","tag-dogg","tag-franchise","tag-lakers","tag-marc","tag-mitchell","tag-morning","tag-motivations","tag-nbl","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-on","tag-owner","tag-rebuilding","tag-represents","tag-season","tag-showtime","tag-snoop","tag-start","tag-the","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}