First Steps
Tagged in: Athletes, Coaching, National Teams, NZ Koru, Officials
Some of New Zealand’s most promising young basketballers take their first tentative steps towards international careers when they contest the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup with the NZ Koru programme, starting today.
For many of the 110 players, their visit to Albury, New South Wales, will be their first time overseas and and certainly their first opportunity to face foreign opposition. They will find their Australian opponents a tough proposition.
“This trip is about development of our players, coaches and referees,” observes Basketball New Zealand player development manager Sue Pene. “Winning would be a bonus.”
The tournament has become a key step in the BBNZ development pathway and although New Zealand has enjoyed some success, the emphasis is very much on introducing participants to another level of competition after their association programmes.
Last year, the U14 Boys Koru defeated Victoria Bushrangers in their final and the youngest group is usually closest to full strength for this event. With U16 and U18 teams scheduled to contest Australian national championship and Oceania series later in the year, several of the top players in these age groups have been held back from the Albury tournament.
Two other issues will take a toll on the Kiwis’ chances of victory. In each age group, the 20 players are distributed evenly to create two teams of roughly equal ability, rather than selecting “A” and “B” teams.
Also, New Zealand’s top U18 players will miss the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup to compete at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney at the same time.
One group already feeling the pinch is the U18 Girls, who arrived in Albury with only nine players and suffered injuries in practice.
For more information on the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup …
www.countrycup.basketball.net.au
U14 Boys
Jayden Bezzant (Western Bay of Plenty), Matthew Bird (Hawke’s Bay), Laughlan Campion (Nelson), Joshua Day (North Harbour), Malcolm Elderton (South Canterbury), Ezrym Ellis (Waikato), Jaylen Gerrand (Hibiscus Coast), Brandon Gleaves (Canterbury), Joseph Kang (Auckland), Benedict Lantin (Wellington), Isaac Letoa (Kapiti/Wellington), Ben Lister, Izayah Mauriohooho Le’afa (Hutt Valley), Deon Mau’u (Massey), Isaac Mullin (Otago), Liam Mulvihill (Central Otago), Darnell-James Shadrock (Canterbury), Whetu Simmons (Waikato), Keanu Singsam (Counties Manukau), Luuk Witteveen (North Harbour)
Coaches - Alby Ellis & Peter Jones
Managers - Maryellen Bezzant & Caroline Upoko
Monday, January 12
1pm
NZ Kea v Albury Wodonga
NZ Koru v Vic Bushrangers
Tuesday, January 13
11am
NZ Kea v SA Sharks
NZ Koru v SA Magpies
5pm
NZ Kea v Vic Goldminers
NZ Koru v NSW Kookaburras
Wednesday, January 14
1pm
NZ Kea v NSW Waratahs
NZ Koru v Vic Goldminers
Thursday, January 15
9am
NZ Kea v NSW Kookaburras
NZ Koru v WA Sandgropers
U14 Girls
Pene Bishop-Paenga (Porirua), Gayle Broughton (Hawera), Georgia Buist-Young (Otago), Leylanni Cameron-Tana (Whangarei), Tarryn Davey (Te Aroha), Petra Dye-Hutchinson (North Harbour), Gabriela Edmondson (Canterbury), Keretina Hakaraia (Waitakere City), Kendal Hastie (Canterbury), Annabelle Jenkins (North Harbour), Breeze Leonard (Counties Manukau), Bronya McMenamin (Gisborne), Rata Ngatai (Buller), Bianca Nukunuku (North Harbour), Gracie Roberts (Nelson), Shevanna Sullivan (Hawke’s Bay), Laken Wairau (Canterbury), Terina Wanoa (Canterbury), Maia Wati-Cooper (Waikato)
Coaches - Helen Richardson & Mary Bates
Managers - Annette Jones & Carmel Cadzow
Monday, January 12
12.30pm
NZ Kea v Albury Wodonga
NZ Koru v Vic Bushrangers
Tuesday, January 13
11am
NZ Kea v SA Sharks
NZ Koru v SA Magpies
5pm
NZ Kea v Vic Goldminers
NZ Koru v NSW Kookaburras
Wednesday, January 14
1pm
NZ Kea v NSW Waratahs
NZ Koru v Vic Goldminers
Thursday, January 15
9am
NZ Kea v NSW Kookaburras
NZ Koru v WA Sandgropers
U16 Boys
Timothy Apisai (Counties Manukau), Logan Botica (Massey), Benjamin Crombie, Aramis Dennan (North Harbour), Taylar Davidson (Nelson), Jordan de Winter (North Canterbury), Jordan Duggan (Canterbury), Izael Ellis (Waikato), Michael Gibson (Wellington), Aaron Keppler (Waikato), Tyler Lapham (Otago), Jordan Letoa (Kapiti), Terrence Lewis Jr (Wellington), Brynn McKenzie (Waikato), Lawson Morris-Whyte (North Canterbury), Quentin Potts (Massey), Joshua Young (Counties Manukau), Thomas Vodanovich (Wellington), Andrew Weston (Wellington), Adam Whybro (North Harbour)
Coaches - Shiv Narayan & James Ballinger
Managers - Chris Webb & Maania Wi-Kaitaia
Monday, January 12
3pm
NZ Kea v Northern Territory
NZ Koru v Vic Bushrangers
Tuesday, January 13
1pm
NZ Kea v SA Sharks
NZ Koru v SA Magpies
Wednesday, January 14
9am
NZ Kea v Vic Goldminers
NZ Koru v NSW Kookaburras
3pm
NZ Kea v NSW Waratahs
NZ Koru v Vic Goldminers
Thursday, January 15
11am
NZ Kea v NSW Kookaburras
NZ Koru v WA Sandgropers
U16 Girls
Marnie Block (North Canterbury), Lee Brill (North Harbour), Jaime Campbell (Marlborough), Shevaun Collier (Nelson), Rikki-Lee Denham (Waikato), Lucy Heenan (Southland), Monique Hornby (New Plymouth), Breana Jones (Buller), Amiria Koopu (Waikato), Isabella Lawrence (Waitakere), Holly Lloyd (Canterbury), Emma Mayo (Wellington), Chelsea McQueen (Western Bay of Plenty), Morgan Roberts (Waitakere), Te Oramae Solomon (Massey), Stacee Sturm (Hutt Valley), Alexandra Svoboda (North Canterbury), Sarah Walsh (New Plymouth), Meaghan Wilby (Wellington), Hana Wilkinson (Nelson)
Coaches - Bert Tobia & Tyler Wilkinson
Managers - Nardi Leonard & Tai Upoko
Monday, January 12
4.30pm
NZ Kea v Northern Territory
NZ Koru v Vic Bushrangers
Tuesday, January 13
1pm
NZ Kea v SA Sharks
NZ Koru v SA Magpies
Wednesday, January 14
9am
NZ Kea v Vic Goldminers
NZ Koru v NSW Kookaburras
3pm
NZ Kea v NSW Waratahs
NZ Koru v Vic Goldminers
Thursday, January 15
11am
NZ Kea v NSW Kookaburras
NZ Koru v WA Sandgropers
U18 Boys
Michael Clarke (Palmerston North), Damon Cleverley (Otago), Luke Corkery (Hawke’s Bay), Nick Davies (Wellington), Benjamin Fraser (North Harbour), Ryan Funnell (Palmerston North), Te Ra Hodges-Tai (Waikato), Shaquille Hohipa-Wilson (Gisborne), Alfonso Horomia (Waikato), Josef Horomia (Waikato), Aled Jones (Palmerston North), Benjamin Mackay (Otago), Mark Overdevest (Waikato), Te Aro Pairama-Lewington (Wellington), Ruihana Te Nahu (Rotorua), Oliver Smith (Otago), Ihaka Steel (Thames Valley), Joseph Webb (Wellington), Gabriel Wills (Rotorua)
Coaches - Greg Davidson & Jamie Hall
Managers - Debbie Webb & Gerard Mullin
Monday, January 12
5pm
NZ Kea v SA Sharks
NZ Koru v SA Magpies
Tuesday, January 13
9am
NZ Kea v NSW Waratahs
NZ Koru v Vic Goldminers
3pm
NZ Kea v Vic Bushrangers
NZ Koru v NSW Kookaburras
Wednesday, January 14
11am
NZ Kea v SA Magpies
NZ Koru v Vicv Bushrangers
U18 Girls
Jaimee Agnew (Otago), Zoanne Cadzow (Otago), Dallas Frederikson (South Canterbury), Elizabeth Hayman (North Canterbury), Freya Newton (Palmerston North), Josephine Stockill (Hawke’s Bay), Hana Tapiata (Rotorua), Brittney Vermunt (Hawke’s Bay), Hannah Wong (North Canterbury)
Coach - Sean Fuller
Monday, January 12
2.30pm
NZ Koru v SA Magpies
Tuesday, January 13
9am
NZ Koru v Vic Goldminers
3pm
NZ Koru v NSW Kookaburras
Wednesday, January 14
11am
NZ Koru v Vic Bushrangers
Tour director - Mel Young
Tour coordinator - Robyn Ruka
Player development manager - Sue Pene
Mentor coaches - Rachel Gwerder (U16), Kennedy Hamilton-Kereama (U18), Tania Hunter (U14)
Physios - Nathen Foulagi & Sharon Choie
Referees - Ken Coulson (coach), Nick Naylor
