Coach Shamir Returns to Training Tomorrow

A healthy Dan Shamir will return to the helm of the Sky Sport Breakers tomorrow.

The Israeli has opened up for the first time about contracting COVID and revealing two of his daughters also caught the virus.

He admits it has been a rough fortnight – made worse by the team's season-opening loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

But things can only get better for him and the team.

"I was dysfunctional for those days, just mentally so worried, I couldn't even sit down to watch a TV show I didn't have the focus or the mental energy," said Shamir.

"I've never in my life missed a practice, not for the birth of a child, definitely not for being sick.  Never missed a game; it's not something where I come from is in the culture."

In total, nine people in the Breakers' 39 strong touring party contracted the virus.

"Obviously, the things you're thinking about while you are sitting for ten days with high fever in the middle of a world pandemic the things that go through your mind are not great, and all of a sudden you're thinking 'What's going to happen if something bad happens? What's going to happen to my family? How are they going to get back home? what is going to be the situation?' - a lot of bad thoughts."

Having watched the opening game from afar, Shamir admits the team has regressed in the last two weeks.

Especially considering the Breakers were coming off back-to-back pre-season wins Before the team was hit with COVID.

Watching without having influence over what was happening was "very strange," he said.

"You're used to watching the game from the inside as things happen, and all of a sudden, you're not, so it was very weird.

"There's not a lot I could do; I shouldn't over-react thinking that I am coaching the team. I was not with them for two weeks."

Shamir says the team showed on the court all the effects of the adversity they've been faced with, in the last two weeks.

"It's a setback, and at the same time, us as coaches and us as sportsmen, we always have to think about what is in our control and what we can and should do.

"I believe we are going to have a list of things we that need to do better next week, and we'll get right back at it dealing with it tomorrow, and hopefully from next week, we look different."

The Breakers' next game is a return visit to the South East Melbourne Phoenix at John Cain Arena on Friday.