Basketball New Zealand

July 20, 2010

Oceana Otago Goldrush coach Brent Matehaere isn’t sure he’ll get to play his ace at this week’s Women’s Basketball Championship tournament … but he may not have to.

The WBC second round tips off on Thursday at Waitakere Trusts Stadium and Matehaere is still awaiting word on whether double international and Beijing Olympian Suzie Bates will return to New Zealand in time to play any part.

She has been touring England with the White Ferns national women’s cricket team and is expected back sometime this week … maybe Friday, maybe Saturday.

“I’m not sure what sort of state she’ll be in after traveling and she won’t have played much basketball for a while,” Matehaere shrugs.

But he can take heart from his team’s strong showing without their star in last month’s round at New Plymouth, eventually bowing to defending champions NZ Force Harbour Breeze 64-70 in the final.

The Goldrush, runners-up to the Breeze in 2009, entered this season’s competition with low expectations, hoping only to establish themselves in the top half of the field for the final round in Dunedin next month.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” reflects Matehaere. “We went from strength to strength and while we never really put anyone away, we improved every day.”

Perhaps their best performance came on Day Two with a 74-67 win over the highly fancied Taranaki Trojans that secured top spot in their pool.

Otago led Harbour by as many as 13 points in the second quarter of the final, but could muster only seven points in the final period to let the titleholders off the hook.

This is a much bigger Goldrush outfit than last year’s version, helped by the return of Patrice McKenzie from her US college stint and the curious addition of German ring-in Anke Becker.

With Junior Tall Fern forward Samara Gallaher, the outside presence of former Taranaki shooter Bella McCallum and the addition of ex-Wellington guard Soraya Jensen-Umaga, they already look a balanced squad.

They will only get stronger by the time the trophies get handed out on their home court in August. Bates should be back in the fold and American prospect Casey Lockwood, hoping to earn an international call-up for the Tall Ferns, may also take that opportunity to push her case.

This weekend, they have avoided Harbour and Taranaki in pool play, but will have to contend with the surprising Palmerston North Storm, the youthful NZ Force Waikato Cougars and Mt Albert Grammar, and the wily Waikato Wizards.

Play begins at 9am Thursday with the Cougars facing MAGS and NZ Force Women’s Academy v Te Wanango O Aotearoa.

In games that could decide eventual finalists, Taranaki meet Harbour, while Otago encounter Palmerston North, both at 7pm.

2010 Women’s Basketball Championship

Round Two

Waitakere
July 22-24

Section A
NZ Force Harbour Breeze
Taranaki Trojans
Hutt Valley Flyers
NZ Force Womens Academy
Te Wanango O Aotearoa

Section B
Oceana Goldrush
Waikato Wizards
Mt Albert Grammar School
Palmerston North Storm
NZ Force Cougars

Thursday, July 22
9am
NZ Force Womens Academy v Te Wanango O Aotearoa
NZ Force Cougars v MAGS

11am
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Hutt Valley Flyers
Palmerston North v Waikato Wizards

2pm
Taranaki Trojans v Te Wanango O Aotearoa
Oceana Goldrush v NZ Force Cougars

5pm
NZ Force Womens Academy v Hutt Valley Flyers
MAGS v Waikato Wizards

7pm
Taranaki Trojans v NZ Force Harbour Breeze
Palmerston North Storm v Oceana Goldrush

Friday, July 23
9am
Te Wanango O Aotearoa v Hutt Valley Flyers
MAGS v Palmerston North Storm

11am
NZ Force Womens Academy v Taranaki Trojans
Waikato Wizards v Oceana Goldrush

2pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Te Wanango O Aotearoa
NZ Force Cougars v Palmerston North Storm

5pm
Hutt Valley Flyers v Taranki Trojans
Oceana Goldrush v MAGS

7pm
NZ Force Womens Academy v NZ Force Harbour Breeze
NZ Force Cougars v Waikato Wizards

Saturday, July 24
9am
A4 vs B4
MAGS vs Te Wanango O Aotearoa

11am
A2 v B2
A3 v B3

1pm
1st Section A vs 1st Section B

2010 WBC Rosters (July) (pdf 15kb)