Basketball New Zealand

Zoe Kensington (Dave Lintott)

Tall Ferns guard Zoe Kensington will head the New Zealand contingent to the Australian U20 state basketball championships at Gawler, South Australia, next week.

Basketball New Zealand is fielding men’s and women’s teams at the event from February 20-27 in an effort to bridge the athlete pathway between secondary schools and senior ranks.

Kensington, who led New Plymouth Girls High School to the 2010 NZ Secondary Schools Championship final, is an example of someone who has graduated through the BBNZ age group programme into international basketball.

She was part of the Emerging Tall Ferns outfit that finished runners-up to Australia at last year’s FIBA Oceania Tournament in the Northern Mariana Islands under coach Tania Hunter. In August, Kensington debuted for the national women’s team against Japan and then took the court against the world champion Opals at the FIBA Oceania Championships.

“Zoe is just one person,” observes Hunter. “But the experience with the Tall Ferns last year has seen her grow as an athlete.

“In Saipan, last year, she was also one of my leadership group. Zoe has also grown in that aspect and will have a bigger role this year.”

Another of the women’s roster – Otago forward Samara Gallaher – also participated in the Emerging Tall Ferns and NZ U18 programmes last year. She was invited to Tall Ferns camp, but missed her chance at even higher honours when she suffered concussion on the eve of the national trials.

Nelson guard Jelena Vucinic, daughter of Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic, is another Hunter hopes can lead her team against their talented opposition.

But even more than last year, this lineup will be handicapped by a lack of height and experience. Hunter identifies North Harbour’s Ashleigh Poto, at just 1.78m, as the team’s only legitimate “big”.

“Everyone needs to know how to play every spot on the floor and we’ll just have to utilize our speed against their ‘bigs’.

“We’ll have to play a bit more physical and do a job on the boards.”

The men’s line-up, coached by Ollie Bryce and assisted by former Ferns coach Mike McHugh, includes five of the Emerging Tall Blacks who were often overwhelmed by older and bigger opponents at the Oceania tournament in Saipan.

This competition will see them more evenly matched against their peers, albeit well-drilled Australian sides that will give no quarter.

NZ U20 Men

Jake Ashby (Porirua), Duane Bailey (West Auckland), Christoph Fahrensohn (Waitakere City), Daniel Green (Porirua), Phillip Green (Porirua), Hemi Joyce-Gay (Waikato), Winston Li (Wellington), Hayden Miller (Otago), Hemi Pairama-Lewington (Wellington), Inga Solofuti (Canterbury)
Coach Ollie Bryce
Assistant coach Mike McHugh
Manager Shona Miller

Pool Schedule
Sunday, February 21
7.30pm v Victoria

Monday, February 22
1pm v West Australia

Tuesday, February 23
7pm v South Australia

NZ U20 Women

Nadia Anderson (Counties-Manukau), Samara Gallaher (Otago), Courtney Hamblin (North Canterbury), Zoe Kensington (New Plymouth), Adoniah Lewis (Te Tai Tokerau), Hannah Mackay (Canterbury), Bella McCallum (New Plymouth), Freya Newton (Palmerston North), Ashleigh Poto (North Harbour), Jelena Vucinic (Nelson)
Coach Tania Hunter
Assistant coach Helen Richardson
Manager Philomena Terei

Round Robin Schedule
Monday, February 22
9am v South Australia
7.30pm v Tasmania

Tuesday, February 23
3pm v West Australia

Wednesday, February 24
3pm v Queensland

Thursday, February 25
3pm v Victoria

Friday, February 26
3pm v New South Wales