Mody Maor rapt to have Finn Delany back on board for NZ Breakers

New Zealand Breakers coach Mody Maor calls it the “highlight of my off-season” and it is not difficult to make the case that the re-signing of experienced Tall Blacks forward Finn Delany edges the Kiwi club back into the championship conversation in the Aussie NBL.

Until this week the Breakers had had an unspectacular off-season, with the early re-signing of star Aussie point guard Will McDowell-White the sole highlight. That had been more than offset by the defection of all three standout imports from the ‘22-23 march to the championship series, as well as the loss of Kiwi stalwarts Rob Loe (to retirement) and Tom Vodanovich (to a deal in the Philippines).

But now the roster has had the significant upgrade it desperately required with confirmation out of the club that the 27-year-old Delany is returning after a standout year in the German league with Bonn.

As first revealed by Stuff on Wednesday, Delany is returning to the club he spent sevens seasons with from 2015-22 on a two-year deal that provides them with a second world-class local player. He will be the starting power forward in a rotation that is suddenly starting to take shape.

“Finn wanting to return to the Breakers is the highlight of my off-season’” Breakers coach Mody Maor said from the NBL Summer League in Las Vegas. “Finn chose to join the Breakers after his phenomenal season in Germany because he wanted to part of what he saw from afar last season.

“I am extremely appreciative to Matt Walsh, and the ownership group, for making Finn’s signing a possibility.”

Delany averaged 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the German regular season as Bonn went 32-2 to top the standings, eventually pipped 3-1 in the grand final by Ulm. He shot 48% from the floor and 38 from beyond the arc.

He also went at 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in Bonn’s charge to an historic Champions League title (Fiba’s European club competition that rivals the more established Euroleague) to wrap up a strong debut season in the north.

The 2.0-metre Nelson product has played 162 times for the Breakers (eighth all-time), with 1519 points at a 46.9% clip. In 2020-21, he was the only player to appear in all 36 games in the first Covid season based in Australia – averaging 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, and named second team All-NBL and club MVP.

Delany joins McDowell-White, Tom Abercrombie, Izayah Le’afa, Cam Gliddon, Dan Fotu, Mangok Mathiang and Next Star Mantas Rubštavičius on a roster suddenly starting to take shape, with just three import slots to be filled..

American forward Zylan Cheatham, who also played in the German league last season, is expected to be the first of those restricted players to be confirmed soon. Maor is currently scouting for the remaining two spots in the US.