Mennenga "sick of losing" and triumphs

Christmas Day was a turning point on a number of fronts for the New Zealand Breakers and that's when Sam Mennenga decided that the only way to get over being sick of losing was to take on more responsibility himself.

By the time the Breakers lost to the Tasmania JackJumpers on Christmas Day by 15 points, things were about as low as they could get with the eight consecutive defeats, and then Parker Jackson-Cartwright being suspended for five games.

It had the potential to be a disastrous rest of the season, but they have now played six strong games since for two wins and it easily could have been a couple more.

The Breakers hit back on New Year's Eve winning in Cairns and then on Thursday night won at Spark Arena for the first time since November 2.

In between, New Zealand put in competitive performances against Brisbane, Illawarra, Melbourne and Perth that could have gone either way.

Upon reflection, Mennenga remembers feeling after the loss on Christmas in Hobart that he was sick of losing. He hoped his teammates felt the same way, but ultimately all he could do was set the example and lift his efforts in all areas.

"By the time Christmas came along, we had lost a few games and we had got sick and tired of losing," Mennenga said.

"So we started playing a little bit more like that and pieced together two or three good quarters, and we started to find some rhythm as a unit.

"I think that's been my mentality for these last few games because I'm actually sick of losing, and we've got to play like it."

The result has been the second-year big man producing an outstanding last three games firstly with 24 points and four rebounds against the Hawks, and then 18 points and five boards against Melbourne.

He then had the best performance of his NBL career on Thursday in the win over Tasmania with 29 points and nine rebounds on a mighty efficient 13/15 shooting from the floor and going 3/4 from downtown.

Mennenga started his first season in New Zealand after beginning his NBL career with Cairns with a brilliant HoopsFest performance with 22 points and seven rebounds.

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the 23-year-old since, but one thing you could never question is his pride in representing the Breakers and how much he cared.

"I took it upon myself to do a better job helping this team by leading by example, and focusing on the energy plays, physicality and really bringing the fight to whoever we're playing," Mennenga added.

"That's allowed me to find a good rhythm and a flow, and play off my teammates well. We're going to continue to do that, but for me the biggest thing was leading by example with the energy, the effort and the fight.

"We struggled with some ups and downs this season, but I think showing the guys that we're never out of everything, and playing with pride has been the biggest emphasis."

Above everything else what the win over the JackJumpers was for Mennenga and his Breakers teammates was validation that their work is starting to pay off.

"It feels validating when this team goes through the stretch that we went through, sticks together and fights every day," Mennenga said.

"There's a lot we do behind the scenes, in the gym and everything like that, and this just validates what we're doing and makes us understand why we do it. Everyone's feeling good and enjoying this feeling while recovering, and hopefully we can keep this going."

Speaking of Mennenga, coach Petteri Koponen has always had faith in what he can do and was glad to see it come together stemming from his defensive efforts.

"It was a great performance and one of the big reasons we won, and with Sam tonight he was really unbelievable in the defensive end," Koponen said.

"It all started there, he set the tone there with the physicality, being on time with the shows and then offensively the guys found him and Sam made big shots, and was making plays.

"We always knew the talent is there but the focus, concentration and leading by example and focusing on the right things made it a great performance overall.

"Sam is one of the hardest workers in the team, he's always there early and taking extra shots, and trying to get better which is the key. He's still a young guy trying to take the next step and that's the way to do it."