NBL Champion Tom Vodanovich: Is he feeling Deja Vu at the Breakers?

2022 NBL Champion Tom Vodanovich is not feeling Deja Vu just yet, but could he be the lucky charm in the Breakers roster?

The Tall Black won a ring with the Sydney Kings last season with that club going on an incredible winning run – their record 17 game winning streak away only being snapped earlier this week.

Now Vodanovich finds himself on a team with another winning streak.  

The Breakers have won their last six away games and are sitting top of the league at 10-3 for the season.

"It's still early, we are still developing as a group and as a team, but it feels similar to the championship run I experienced with the Sydney Kings last season," says Vodanovich.

"What's shaped our identity is winning together, winning on the road, some tough road trips, a lot of time together at airports and hotels, and its all sort of done us well, which we will keep building on."

After a gruelling travel schedule, the Breakers face the luxury of three consecutive home games – albeit one involves a little travel to Christchurch.

These three fixtures will really expose the true credentials of this Breakers outfit.  

Games against the champion Kings, the arch-rival Wildcats, and an encounter with the Phoenix, the only team to comprehensively beat the Breakers this campaign.

That clash is tomorrow night at 7.30pm on Sky Sport 4.

"We all remember that game we had last time at Trusts, and that hurt," says Vodanovich, of the game which they lost by 22 points.

"We've got a bad taste about that game, and we will come out with that game in that memory and go get it done."

Vodanovich was with the Breakers for two years before COVID hit.  He then got picked up by the Kings and is now back playing for the team he holds dearest.

He, more than anyone, is best placed to explain what is different at the club this season.

"I think the ways the guys have bought into what Mody's doing here," he says.

"Right from the jump, everyone's bought into a defensive mindset, and it's showing out on the court.

"Mody is trying to develop everyone into the best player they can be.  When we came in here at the start of the season and spoke of us all and having a bigger role than on the teams we were on last season.

Everyone here wants to say they achieved something this year, and as a group, we work at that day in and day out, and it's showing.

"We've put in a lot of work with a demanding travel schedule, and we have come out and proven we deserve to be on top.

"It's crucial to make winning a routine and not become complacent.

"It's important to enjoy the wins, but it's also important to remember we are not halfway through the season."