2005-06
Mike Chappell, the saviour of the Breakers' first two seasons in the NBL, was jettisoned in favour of Rich Melzer. The move was at first frowned upon by those in the basketball fraternity, with Melzer's pedigree that of an NCAA Division III school (compared to Chappell, who won a national title at Michigan State).
Lemanis' first season in charge was not particularly memorable, with the Breakers finishing the regular season in ninth spot out of 11 teams, with a 9-23 record. During the season, the Breakers endured a club-record eleven straight losses as they slipped to a 3-17 record. However, after Melzer returned to action, he returned a changed player after an indifferent start, which ultimately led to an NBA contract(see next paragraph). Melzer teamed up with centre Ben Pepper and with steady contributions from import Brian Green and Kiwi Aaron Olson, the Breakers split their final twelve games of the season, including inflicting the only home defeat for the Sydney Kings in the regular season.
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