Nov 16 2018
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Age Group Basketball

Tauranga City representative trials begin this weekend.

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Excitement is building ahead of the trials to find next year’s Tauranga City Basketball representative teams.

Four weeks of trials will be held at Aquinas College over four consecutive Sundays from November 18 through to December 9.

Tauranga City Basketball are hoping to build on the successes enjoyed in 2018 the U15 Girls team finished runners-up to Capital at the National Championships.

In addition both the U13 A Boys and A Girls finished runners-up to Waikato at the U13 Northern Regional Championships. To cap off a successful tournament the U13B Boys won the B Boys title.

The Under-15’s, Under 17’s and Under-19 boys’ and girls’ teams will be selected from the four trials.

Tauranga City Basketball General Manager, Mark Rogers, says competition for places is stronger than it ever has been.

“We have gone with four weeks of trials to ensure everyone gets seen multiple times and we can assess everyone to a high level before selecting teams,” Mark says.

“Last year we had 22 rep teams, which was up from 10 teams in 2010. We have multiple teams in each grade and last year had B teams qualify for the national finals tournament for the first time at under-15 level.”

Players are expected to attend all four trials.

If you can’t make all four dates or for further information, please email Director of Development, Rachel Gwerder, at development@taurangacitybasketball.co.nz or phone 578 0405 before the first trial.

The cost to take part in all four trials is just $15 per player if pre-registered or $20 per player registered at the first trial.

To register go to http://taurangacitybasketball.co.nz/register. If you have already registered use your existing login and password.

The final date to pre-register is Friday November 16 at 5pm.

Good luck to everyone trialling for the teams.

 

Trial age groups/ trial times all four weeks Aquinas College

Under-15 boys, born 2005 or 2006, 10am – 12.30pm

Under-15 girls, born 2005 or 2006, 12.30pm – 3pm

Under-17 boys, born 2003 or 2004, 3pm – 5.30pm

Under-17 girls, born 2003 or 2004, 12.30pm – 3pm

Under-19 boys, born 2001 or 2002, 12.30pm – 3pm

Under-19 girls, born 2001 or 2002, 3pm – 5.30pm

 

Nov 15 2018
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James Blond Supercity Rangers, Kiwi's Abroad, Tall Blacks

One win apiece for Fotu and Webster after latest EuroCup encounter

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Tall Blacks Isaac Fotu and Tai Webster locked horns in EuroCup action overnight in Istanbul where Fotu’s Ratiopharm Ulm visited Webster’s Galatasaray.

When the two teams met back in October it was the German club that prevailed in overtime (103-92) but on Wednesday it was the hosts that came out on top winning 77-69 in regulation.

Despite the win it wasn’t a game that will live long in Webster’s memory. The Kiwi point guard entered the contest averaging 13.8 points and 5 assists per game but, restricted by foul trouble, managed just 2 points and 3 assists in this one – fouling out in just under 19 minutes.

Fotu led the Ulm rebounding count with 7 boards and also added 9 points but it wasn’t enough to stave off defeat.

Both clubs have a 3-4 record with three games to play in Group A of the Eurocup. The top 4 teams in each pool progress to the last sixteen and it would appear that both clubs will need to win two of their final three games to be sure of progressing.

With both players missing the Tall Blacks World Cup Qualifiers in Christchurch and Wellington at the end of the month it will likely be February before the two get together again when the New Zealand team travels to Lebanon and Jordan.

Nov 12 2018
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College Hoops, Kiwi's Abroad, Womens Basketball

NCAA Div 1 Women Start Strong

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There have been some good performances by Kiwi women in the opening rounds of NCAA Division I college basketball.

2018 Tall Fern Tera Reed led Virginia Commonwealth Rams with 15 points as the Rams proved too good for Longwood winning 84-55. Reed added 5 rebounds in front of a bumper crowd of almost 4,000.

Mary Goulding put in a strong performance for Fordham University Rams in its 58-54 loss at Washington. The Cantabrian forward played all 40 minutes collecting 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kendell Heremaia chipped in with 5 points and Zara Jillings a brace for the Rams.

Also playing 40 minutes was Krystal Leger-Walker for Northern Colorado Bears that were beaten 62-57 by LSU at Baton Ruge. L-W produced 9 points, 5 rebounds and 5 dimes for the Bears that slip to 1-2 on the season.

Shalae Salmon had 9 rebounds including four at the offensive end as BYU Cougars edged UC Riverside 72-70 in an exciting overtime win. The Kiwi forward in her junior year at BYU was called on to play 42 minutes as she added 4 points and an assist.

Tegan Graham was in good form for Colgate University. The starting guard led the Raiders scoring with 18 points but it was a second straight loss for Colgate going down 67-58 at Dayton.

Kayla Manuirirangi scored 14 points for Tulane but the Green Wave crashed 62-56 to Texas Southern.

Freshman Amiee Book made a very promising start to her college career. Book scored 15 points (3/4 3PG) as Cal State Fullerton went down 83-74 at Washington.

Nov 09 2018
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College Hoops, Tall Blacks

Kiwis in Men’s Division I colleges take to the court

 

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Yuat Alok (35) in action for TCU

In a week when news has emerged that Kruz Perrot Hunt (South Dakota) and Anzac Rissetto (North Carolina Charlotte) have committed to Division I colleges next season many of the current crop of Div 1 players have seen action this week. To be more accurate eleven of the sixteen Kiwis playing in top flight of college basketball have hit the pine in the last couple of days.

Starting centre Jack Salt was only required for 19 minutes by Virginia University as the Cavaliers breezed past Towson 73-42. The Tall Blacks big man contributed 3 points, 3 rebounds and a block for the Cavs, ranked 5th in the NCAA Division I pre-season polls.

Ranked (25th) in the preseason for the first time since 2011, the Washington Huskies overcame a sluggish start to beat Western Kentucky 73-55. Another player to have worn the Tall Blacks singlet in recent times, Sam Timmins, came up with 6 rebounds and 4 points for the Huskies.

Placed five spots above Washington are Texas Christian University. Yuat Alok scored 11 points in his first outing for the Horned Frogs as they edged past CSU Bakersfield 66-61. In front of almost 7,000 fans the former Rangitoto College big man also added 6 rebounds and a block in a solid 25 minutes of action.

Point guard Isaac Letoa played 8 minutes for Dartmouth Big Green as they rampaged past Newbury College 114-39. The Tall Blacks guard produced 4 assists in that time as well as a couple of rebounds.

Tobias Cameron scored his first basket in Wildcats colours as Abilene Christian thumped Arlington Baptist 107-54. Cameron also snared 5 rebounds.

Brother Flynn played 7 minutes for De Paul Blue Demons making one of two shots and adding 4 rebounds.

Another debutant scorer was Manawatu big man Callum McRae who ended with 4 points and 6 rebounds in his first outing for University of California Riverside beaten 72-59 by Oregon State.

Also playing their first game were Dan Fotu and Quinn Clinton – both came off the bench in the closing minutes for St Mary’s College California Gaels in the 87-65 win against McNeese State. Both managed to convert their only three-point attempt inside the last two minutes of the game – Clinton’s effort came courtesy of a Fotu assist.

A Cantabrian like Clinton, Jackson Stent also connected from long range as Houston Baptist fell 90-60 to Arizona. Stent finished with one from three triples but fouled out in 16 minutes.

In his third outing of the season for the University of Portland Taki Fahrenson scored his first points for the Pirates in a high scoring 111-103 victory against Multnomah.

Nov 09 2018
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College Hoops, School Basketball, Tall Blacks

Kruz to be a Coyote

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It’s been a good week for Rosmini College combo-guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt.

Perrott-Hunt was named in Paul Henare’s 14-man Tall Blacks squad on Wednesday and today revealed he has become the latest young Kiwi to secure an NCAA Division I University basketball scholarship.

 

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The 17 year-old has committed to the University of South Dakota (USD) and will begin his college career with the Coyotes in the 2019-20 season.

It’s been a hectic few days for Perrott-Hunt who squeezed in a whirlwind visit to USD last weekend before beginning his NCEA exams this week.

Full story here

Nov 08 2018
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College Hoops, Kiwi's Abroad

Kiwi women in action as American college season begins

 

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Double-double for Shalae Salmon

The waiting is over – the US college season is underway and in this post we take a look at how a number of Kiwi women playing NCAA Division I hoops have fared in the first days of the season.

Tera Reed started off from where she finished last season with a double-figure contribution as Virginia Commonwealth proved far too good for William & Mary winning 72-55. The Tall Ferns swingman scored 11 points on 4 from 9 shooting.

Krystal Leger-Walker filled up the stats sheet for Northern Colorado Bears as they lost 77-69 to local rivals Colorado. Leger Walker filled the stats line with 12 points (6/10FG), five rebounds, three assists and three steals but did also had 5 turnovers.

Shalae Salmon was in good form for Brigham Young University as the Cougars eased to an 83-56 home win against Dixie State – the BYU forward produced a 12 points (4/7FG) and 10 rebounds double-double. Kaylee Smiler didn’t make any points but did dish an assist in her first appearance for the Cougars.

Sophmore Michelle Nicholls enjoyed her first start for La Salle Explorers grabbing 7 rebounds to go along with 9 points in a low scoring 57-54 loss to Howard University.

Wellington College alumni Tegan Graham scored 7 points and dished 5 dimes for Colgate University in their 80-61 defeat by Yale.

Sophmore guard Joellen How distributed a team high 5 assists to match 5 points for Wagner College but the Seahawks were drowned 95-40 by Seton Hall. How will lineup against two former Junior Tall Ferns teammates at the weekend when Wagner head to the Bronx to take on Zara Jillings and Kendell Heremaia at Fordham University.

Freshman Sariah Penese was handed a starting guard spot for Maryland Baltimore Retrievers in their 65-51 win against Gettysburg. She didn’t nail any points but did nab 4 rebounds an assist and a steal in 19 minutes of action.

News has come through that McKenna Dale incurred an ACL injury during pre-season training at Brown University. Unfortunately the injury is season ending and Dale, who will redshirt her sophomore year, has begun rehabilitation in order to be fully fit for the 2019-20 season.

We wish her well.

Nov 07 2018
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School Basketball

Rosmini College heading to World Cup in Greece

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The Rosmini College Premier basketball team has accepted an invitation from the International School Sport Federation (ISF) to participate in the 25th Basketball World Schools Championship.

The 2018 Schick Secondary Schools Champions will travel to Heraklion on the island of Crete for the 24-team tournament beginning April 12, 2019.

Rosmini are following in the footsteps of Rangitoto College that attended the last World Schools Championship held in Croatia in 2017.

Rosmini Head Coach Matt Lacey is looking forward to the prospect of leading his team against some of the top secondary school teams in the world.

“Following our success at the 2018 Schick Nationals in October we were all thinking the season was over and were ready for our team to part ways. However this is too great an opportunity to miss and we are delighted to be headed to Crete next April.

“It’s exciting to be invited to a world championship event and is a fitting reward for an outstanding group of players, many of them having played together for the past five years. The year thirteens in the team now get an opportunity to extend their school basketball careers for a further six months,” said Lacey.

Unlike the 2017 Rangitoto team that was deprived of three starters (Sam Waardenburg, Braydon Inger and Dan Fotu) for their Croation expedition, Rosmini will be travelling with all but Joseph Hylton from the twelve-player squad that won Nationals in October.

“Due to the timing we were unfortunately unable to take the full team that won the 2015 Schick Secondary Schools National Championship,” said Rangitoto Coach Kenny Stone.

“It will be a fantastic experience for the Rosmini boys. The bulk of the teams are from Europe and those from Turkey, France, Croatia and Spain were very strong in 2017. The team from Turkey that won the event that year would have beaten our New Zealand NBL teams. All the European teams arrive in good shape because their season is just coming to an end in April,” added Stone.

For three of the Rosmini team it will be a second trip to a World Championship event in ten months. Mitch Dance, Kainoa Lepou and Marvin Williams-Dunn were all members of the New Zealand team that attended the FIBA U18 World Cup in Argentina in June.

Rosmini team:

Terence Abdon, Jayden Boucher, Mitchell Dance, Kainoa Lepou, Reihana Maxwell-Topia, Tyler Martin, Thomas Morgan, Sean Murphy, Taine Murray, Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Tom Seuren, Marvin Williams-Dunn

You can follow the team’s journey through their Facebook page, click here.

For information on how you can assist the team in their quest to attend ISF Basketball World Championship click here.

Nov 06 2018
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Tall Ferns, WNBL

Farnworth and Lynx get the double plus news on other Tall Ferns overseas

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There were some strong performances by New Zealand national team players based overseas at the weekend.

Perth are top of the Australian WNBL table with a 5-1 record after getting a road double by defeating Sydney 78-62 and Townsville Fire 79-71. Perth skipper Toni Farnworth came up with 10pts/3rebs/2a/2steals against Sydney and 7 points and 5 rebounds against the Fire.

For the Fire, that slip to 2-3 for the season, Micaela Cocks scored 10 points and added 4 rebounds and a pair of steals.

Josie Stockill made her WNBL debut for Melbourne Boomers in its 101-75 demolition of Dandenong. The Tall Ferns centre is a Development Player with the Guy Molloy coached Boomers and came on for the final two minutes of the tie and knocked down a free throw to get on the scoreboard.

On Melbourne Cup Day eve Melbourne were kept to just nine points in the closing quarter as they fell 60-58 to Bendigo Spirit in front of almost 3,000 of their own fans. Kalani Purcell snared 9 rebounds, including 5 off the offensive glass, for Melbourne in addition to 3 points, 2 assists and 3 steals but the Boomers slip to a 3-3 record.

In Italy Jillian Harmon will have taken quiet satisfaction from Ragusa’s 67-56 win against Lucca. Harmon played for Lucca in its 2017 championship winning season but on Sunday helped plot Lucca’s downfall scoring 13 points to go with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Ragusa moved into the Serie A top four with a 3-2 record following the victory.

Tessa Boagni produced a monster double-double of 14 points and 17 rebounds for Hatchers Valhyries in the Malaysian League. Hatchers beat Red Barron 58-48 and are fourth on the table with a 2-1 record.

Nov 05 2018
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College Hoops, Kiwi's Abroad

Kiwi men gearing up for new college season

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In a week when Anzac Rissetto became the latest Kiwi to commit to an NCAA Division 1 university – he will head to University North Carolina Charlotte in 2019 – those New Zealander’s already on scholarships in the States are gearing up for the new season beginning this week.

A few Kiwis have featured in pre season games in the last couple of days.

Tall Black Sam Timmins came up with 9 rebounds for the University of Washington Huskies in their 70-61 victory over Seattle Pacific. The former Otago Boys High big man also contributed 6 points and a block.

The Huskies are ranked 25th in the ESPN Pre-Season polls – its first serious outing is next Friday (NZT) against Western Kentucky.

Ex Westlake Boys forward Matt Freeman scored 8 points, secured 4 rebounds and came up with a block as Oklahoma Sooners accounted for Pittsburg State on Friday cruising to a 92-58 win.

The University of Miami Hurricanes blew past Barry University 91-61. Sam Waardenburg started for the Hurricanes but was limited to just one shot (unsuccessful) in 21 minutes of play. The sophomore forward came up with a rebound, block and steal in front of 5,500 fans at the Watsco Centre.

Flynn Cameron debuted for De Paul Blue Demons in the 72-65 win against Rockhurst. The Junior Tall Black point guard came off the bench for five minutes of action claiming just the solitary rebound.

More reports in the pipeline as we follow the fortunes of the 40 Kiwis on NCAA Division I scholarships.

Nov 04 2018
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College Hoops, Kiwi's Abroad

Kiwis feature in college pre-season action

The 2018/19 American college basketball season begins in earnest in the coming days. Ahead of a deluge of action a few Kiwis have featured in pre season games this week for their NCAA Division I colleges.

Kayla Manirirangi go her season off to a flyer as Tulane University beat Loyola-New Orleans 80-49 on Thursday.

The Taranaki native and 2017 Tall Ferns triallist, in her third year at Tulane, dropped 20 points on 8 from 10 shooting and added 8 assists for good measure for the Green Wave.

One player who has pulled on the Tall Ferns singlet is Krystal Leger-Walker. The sophomore guard also made a strong start to the season with 6 points (4/6FG), 5 rebounds and 6 dimes. Picking KL-W will dish more dimes than any other Kiwi college player this season.

As last season the Fordham University Rams have three Kiwis in its lineup and all contributed to a first up win against New York Institute of Technology.

The Rams won 75-54 with Mary Goulding close to a double-double (8 points and 11 rebounds), Kendell Heremaia contributing 6 points and 3 rebounds and Zara Jillings remaining scoreless but dishing 2 assists to accompany 5 rebounds.

The first game is in the book for Book. Freshman Aimee Book came off the bench for California State University Fullerton as the Titans beat Concordia 69-44. Book was one of only three Titans to make a three and finished with 5 points (2/4FG) and a rebound.

Cantabrian Esra McGoldrick also made her NCAA Division I debut. North Carolina State Wolfpack comfortably beat Anderson University 83-57 with McGoldrick securing an offensive rebound and a steal in 8 minutes of court time.

We will have more news next week when most of the Kiwi college players are in action.

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