What World Cup champ said to Beast Mode Sam and PJC

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World Cup-winning coach Gordon Herbert told his New Zealand Breakers to "throw the first punch," and his star big man Sam Mennenga ($303,100) did exactly that in their 14-point win against Illawarra in New Zealand on September 20, 2026.

The 24-year-old 2.06m centre threw down a monster left-handed tomahawk on the Hawks' frontline in the first quarter, putting the road team on the back foot.

"Coach said prior to the game that it was about throwing the first punch," Mennenga revealed.

"We wanted to be the aggressors.

"I felt that, with the match-ups and me starting at the four, stylistically we could punish some of that.

"It was just about starting off aggressively.

"I made shots to start, and that made it easy for me to gain a rhythm.

"But I think we all started aggressively. Everyone found each other, and everyone played off each other well. We started the game really well and continued that momentum."

Mennenga was outstanding, pouring in 27 points (11-for-17), pulled down eight boards, and +17 in 33:08 minutes. Breakers star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright ($405,200) was equally elite, putting up a 23-point and 13-assist double-double.

Australian Boomers guard William Hickey ($331,600) admitted his Illawarra Hawks' struggles on the defensive side of the ball impacted the playing group.

"We just got down, man," Hickey said.

"We let too many of their key guys, the guys we said we wanted to stop or cut their water off, do whatever they wanted.

"It sort of trickled into our morale and got to us a bit. It was the defensive side of things that I think really let us down."

Herbert, who won the FIBA Men's World Cup as head coach of Germany, said PJC's ability to create off the dribble, Mennenga's size, and Dejan Vasiljevic ($144,000)'s ability to knock down the three-ball would become the cornerstone of the Breakers' offense.

"(DJ) is somewhat of an X-factor for us," Herbert said.

"Even when he's not shooting the ball, he creates space for Sam and Parker to play because they've got to guard him.

"It's nice to have one Serbian mentality with us. His basketball IQ, more so for me, is outstanding, more so than the shooting, if that makes sense."

DJ caught fire early, splashing multiple threes to finish with 24 points on 8-for-14 from the field, including 6-for-10 from deep. He was +18 in 27:20 minutes.

Mennenga responded simply to NBL critics and experts who excluded the Breakers from their early-season playoff predictions.

"I don't care what they say at this point. It doesn't really matter," Mennenga declared.

"All that matters is the opinion we have of ourselves, us as a group, and how we feel.

"Everyone is going to have an opinion. They don't know what we do behind closed doors, so if we focus on that, we're focusing on the wrong thing.

"This one game showcased that we're nowhere near where we want to be. We played well, we played together, we enjoyed being around each other, and we played hard."

What you need to know

• NZ Breakers beat Illawarra Hawks 95-81 at Spark Arena in the first NBL27 game played outside Australia.
• New Zealand led at every break and settled it in the third, winning the quarter 22-14 to go 15 up before Illawarra took the fourth 20-19.
• Sam Mennenga scored 27 on 11/17 and Parker Jackson-Cartwright had 23 points and 13 assists.
• Illawarra won the rebounds 46-39 and still lost by 14, turning it over 10 times to New Zealand's five and shooting 16/25 at the line to the Breakers' 15/16.
• Gordon Herbert won his first game as Breakers coach, with Josiah-Jordan James (hamstring) and Dan Grida (calf) both out.

NZ Breakers

• Sam Mennenga ($303,100) top-scored with 27 points and eight rebounds on 11/17, and was plus 17.
• Dejan Vasiljevic ($144,000) added 24 on 8/14 in his first game for the club, and was plus 18.
• Parker Jackson-Cartwright ($405,200) had 23 points and 13 assists in 35:47, the most expensive player on the floor and the busiest.
• Reuben Te Rangi ($97,100) scored 11 on 4/8.
• Charles Bediako ($277,000) had six points and seven rebounds, and was plus 14.
• Mojave King ($189,100), signed last week as James's injury replacement, went scoreless in 19:44.
• New Zealand shot 10/28 from three and 15/16 at the line.

Illawarra Hawks

• William Hickey ($331,600) top-scored with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 8/11.
• Tyler Harvey ($271,700) had 14 on 4/11.
• Kelan Martin ($277,000) scored 13 but needed 14 shots to get there.
• Milton Doyle ($274,700) finished with 10 points and six rebounds on 2/12.
• Sam Froling ($228,200) had nine points and seven rebounds in 15:14.
• Wani Swaka Lo Buluk ($145,200) was minus 24 in 25 minutes, the worst mark on the floor.
• Illawarra shot 7/31 from three and 16/25 at the line.