Ferns Bound For Beijing

The New Zealand Olympic Committee has announced the New Zealand women’s basketball team (Tall Ferns) has been selected to the Olympic team to Beijing 2008.

The Tall Ferns, who qualified for the Olympic Games after beating Fiji in the Oceania Championships in September, have also demonstrated to New Zealand Olympic selectors they are capable of progressing beyond pool play at Beijing next year. The Tall Ferns are currently ranked 16th in the world.

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Breakers Hold Off Dragons

The Harvey Norman NZ Breakers held off a fired up South Dragons side with cool execution in the final seconds, securing a tense 107-104 win in the Australian Hummer NBL Championship at the North Shore Events Centre.

The typically dogged Dragons refused to lie down in Auckland and, spurred along by inspirational player-coach Shane Heal, fought back from an outstanding Breakers third quarter and 14-point deficit to trail by only one point in the last minute.

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Kench, Bowden Sign

The Canterbury Rams have made their first two signings with former schoolmates Jeremy Kench and Gerard Bowden reuniting to form a potent backcourt for the 2008 Dominion Finance NBL season.

Both are former Canterbury age group representatives and Middleton Grange Gators guards, and have had overseas experience. Kench is playing his second year in the Australian NBL season and Bowden recently graduating from a four-year scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, USA.

These signings follows hard on the heels of last week’s announcement that Canterbury coaching stalwart Bert Knops would rejoin the team as head coach on a two-year deal.

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Stephens Takes Reins

One of Dale Stephens’ first clear basketball memories is being flattened by Kiwi legend Stan Hill in a school trial … now he gets to run the game that left him prone on the floor of the St Andrew’s College gym in Christchurch more than 30 years ago.

These days resident in Wellington, the former policeman has resigned as chief executive of Touch NZ to take up the same role with Basketball New Zealand, starting January 2008.

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Awkward Decision

American point guard Ashley Awkward is a game-time decision for the Christchurch Sirens’ Friday road clash with the Australian Institute of Sport in the Australian Defence Force WNBL.

The import sustained an ankle injury in last week’s victory over Sydney Flames and if judged unfit, will be replaced by young playmaker Suzie Bates in the starting line-up.

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T-Ramp Smacks Slingers

Tall Black centre Tony Rampton was one of six West Sydney Razorbacks to score in double figures as they thumped the Singapore Slingers 126-95 in the Australian Hummer NBL Championship.

The Pigs jumped on their rivals early, running up a 34-point halftime lead, before a strong fourth-quarter finish (42-16).

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Opportunity Knops

One of Canterbury basketball’s most respected and experienced figures - Bert Knops - will return to coach the Canterbury Rams for the next two years in the Dominion Finance NBL.

His contract reunites Knops with the franchise after 17 continuous years’ involvement as either a player or coach from 1984-99. During that time the Rams were one of the most successful in the NBL collecting four national titles in 1986, 1989, 1990 and 1992, and finished runners-up on four occasions.

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Boucher Steps Up

Tall Black Dillon Boucher came to the aid of the depleted Brisbane Bullets, helping them to a 121-93 home win over Gold Coast Blaze in the Australian Hummer NBL Championship.

With forwards Sam Mackinnon, Justin Brown and Kiwi Craig Bradshaw sidelined through injury, leading playmaker CJ Bruton struck early foul trouble and logged just 21 minutes.

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Pardon Scores, Bendigo Lose

Tall Fern Lisa Pardon led her Bendigo Spirit in scoring, but had to concede bragging rights to international team-mate Angela Marino as Adelaide Lightning prevailed 92-74 in their Australian Defence Force WNBL clash.

Bouncing back from a scoreless performance in Bendigo’s 88-79 win over Perth the previous day, Pardon shot 6/10 FG, 5/6 3pt for 17 points, adding a rebound in her 21 minutes. Marino logged 20 minutes for eight points (2/5 FG, 2/2 3pt, 2/2 FT), five assists and four rebounds.

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Breakers Get Greene Light

The Harvey Norman NZ Breakers have slam dunked their search for a replacement import, securing three-season NBA player Orien Greene, who was with the Sacramento Kings only a fortnight ago.

Point guard Greene (25) has played 128 NBA games for the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and the Kings, but became a free agent on November 15.

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Apparel Tender

The opportunity now exists for a contract to supply all team uniforms and off-court apparel for Basketball New Zealand from 2008-2010.

Basketball New Zealand is an organisation with an established history of competing at the highest level of the sport with the Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns being well respected globally. The National Basketball League receives excellent television and media coverage.

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Turner Gone For Good

The Harvey Norman NZ Breakers are seeking a replacement for American import Wayne Turner, who has been ruled out for the rest of the Hummer Championship NBL season with a thigh injury.

Turner has not played since suffering the injury making a lay-up in the win on the Gold Coast 15 days ago and an MRI last Friday confirmed he has a quad tendon tear that requires surgery.

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Sirens Sizzle In Boilover

The Christchurch Sirens caused a major boil over at the Cowles Cauldron, demolishing Australian Defence Force NBL frontrunners the Sydney Uni Flames 79-55 in a blowout.

This was the fourth consecutive win for the Sirens, all at Christchurch’s Cowles Stadium, with the home side living up to their marketing billing of being “so hot right now!”

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Winter Sports Funding Winners

Toby Robson, Dominion Post
There are testing times ahead for basketball and bowls following Sparc’s latest round of funding announcements.

The government funding agency will invest $4.9 million in 15 sports in 2008 after receiving 22 applications for its contestable high performance money.

That represents a 12.5 per cent fall from $5.6 million last year, though the $3 million available for performance enhancement grants and scholarships remains the same.

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Lambert, Pearce Back On Board

Veteran guard Stacey Lambert has re-signed as Manawatu Jets captain, joining former league rebound champion Miles Pearce for the 2008 Dominion Finance NBL season.

“Stacey provides us with an experienced NBL guard and great leadership to the team as captain,” says Jets coach Tim McTamney.

Says Lambert: “I am very excited to be part of an organisation that’s going forward.

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X's & O's - Chinese Women's Offence

By Tom Maher, Chinese women's coach and former Tall Fern coach
Our team entered the FIBA World Championships with the goal of preparing for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and performing well there.

Seven players returned from the previous FIBA World Championship in China in 2002 - Song, Zhang, Miao, Ren, Sui, Zhang and Chen. The team is now more mature with an average age of 23 years and, of course, with experience from teh previous FIBA World Championship.

Even though our aim was to do very well in Brazil, the main focus for us has been the 2008 Olympics.

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