Basketball New Zealand

Basketball New Zealand

Basketball New Zealand president Barbara Wheadon has stepped down from her position, handing the reins to deputy Mel Young until the 2009 annual general meeting in Auckland in February.

In her eighth year as president, Wheadon had previously signaled her intention not to seek re-election for another two-year term, but has decided to stand down immediately and officially handed her resignation to the BBNZ board at its last meeting on October 30.

Overseas business commitments and work in her other basketball roles as president of FIBA Oceania and a member of the FIBA Central Board, will keep Wheadon out of the country for most of the rest of 2008 and January.

With the board due to sign off on BBNZ calendars, business and high performance programme plans and budgets for 2009 in the next month, Wheadon felt her schedule would not allow her to participate in that process and decided to step down three months early.

“I wanted to clearly signal that I’m moving on and, with the international commitments that I have coming up, I just wasn’t going to be around at all,” Wheadon said from Coffs Harbour on Wednesday night.

“I see my job now as furthering the game internationally. We’ve got a great board, a great new CEO and great staff in the office, so it was a good time for a change in leadership.

“I absolutely remain committed to the sport and the organisation. And with my work internationally I will still be working hard to further the sport for the whole zone.”

Wheadon became a BBNZ board member in 1998, was vice president in 2000 and ascended to the presidency in 2001, taking national basketball administration through a major change in professionalism.

She was awarded an NZOM for service to sport in 2006, following a 30-year involvement in basketball, firstly with the North Harbour Basketball Association.

“The smiles I will take away are that we have made a huge impact on the world stage and back home, many many more young people have an opportunity to play our game and many more people are employed through the business of the game

“The significant thing is that we’ve grown a little sports business, a little basketball business. We used to have no money when I started. We used to have about a $350,000 budget back then and now we’ve got a small sustainable business, that’s growing.

“And it’s the growth of our local associations. Many of them have professional staff and in their own way have created sustainable businesses in their own communities.

“Another highlight would be that we’ve won the right to host a FIBA event for the first time, which is big for New Zealand.”

Wheadon will continue in her roles with FIBA Oceania and the FIBA Central Board until the 2010 World Championships.

A new BBNZ president will be elected by association representatives at the next AGM.