Jaks-H.S.O.B. seeking third success in a row
Fears that the present fuel crisis might have forced a cancellation of this year’s Easter South Island inter-club basketbail tournament, or at the very least seriously reduced the number of entries, have not been realised, and the competition promises to be one of the best ever. Indeed, organisers of the tournament have been amazed at the number of teams entered, some from as far afield as Greymouth, Nelson and the traditional entrants, Dunedin.
Some clubs have had to forfeit the tournament, a measure no doubt forced on them by the restrictions of the sale of fuel. Teams affected include those from Hokitika, Westport nad Twizel, but those losses, while a dis-< appointment, are compensated by a big increase in support from local Christchurch teams. A total of 61 teams have entered the 1979 competition, an increase of 15 over last year. Fifteen additional local sides have entered, and two out-of-town teams — bring the numbers up from the 44 who competed in 1978.
All of which will make the task of getting to the national club championships an even harder proposition, for both the men’s and women’s Easter championships have assumed a greater than usual importance with the side, too, will attract a lot recent cancellations of the
Qualifying tournaments for the nationals. The New Zealand Basketball Federation will now invite appiications for the club finals instead of holding the qualifying tournaments that have been a part of the nationals since their inception in 1973. The executive officer of the federation, Mr Joe McLeod, will be looking closely at the results of the Easter tournaments here in Christchurch and also in Napier and Tauranga when considering the applications \om clubs. Some teams entered for the tournament here in Christchurch have probably already worked their ticket for the nationals, none more so than JaksHigh School Old Boys. Jaks must be the pretournament favourites for the men’s A grade and if it wins it will be its third consecutive success. Jaks indifferent performance in the pre-season league will be a vague memory when it steps out onto the court tomorrow morning for its first game against Burnside, and with an impressive and talented line-up, bolstered by a keen determination to retain its national club title later in the year, will make the side a strong prospect. With the national representatives John Hill and David Usmar in good form, and the former New Zealand player John Whe-
lan still as good as any around, Jaks will be particularly tough. Denis Barry, the former Checkers stalwart and Canterbury guard, is now in the team and Alan Manco has returned from Wellington. Jaks could count itself decidedly fortunate that it even made the final in last year’s tournament, let alone win it. Beaten in the round-robin competition by Y.M.C.A. 65-67, Jaks only made the final by virtue of its “second-best” placing in the section play. Y.M.C.A. may have spent itself in the Jaks game, for it went down by 16 points to Nelson Athletic in one semi-final, Jaks defeated Mairehau 72-61. in the other semi to make the last two, and then brushed Nelson’s challenge aside to win the final 86-55. Y.M.C.A. might well lodge a stronger challenge this year, for the side has had several notable gains over the summer. Dutchie Rademakers, the former Otago and New Zealand player, has joined the’ club, and the 2.1 m John Bosch, returned from a two-year sojourn in Australia, will add muchneed height to the side. Other players include Tom Newman, Murray Turner, Peter Kuipers and Chris Dobbs, so Y.M.C.A, can be expected to provide Jaks with some stem competition. The new-look University
will attract a lot of attention, not least for the fact it has a new and experienced coach in the American Bob Bishop. University has a lot of talent in depth and is another team sure to extend the top-ranked sides. Peter Logan comes from representative basketball in Otago and Robert Ruwhui has played for Wellington. Other gains include Gareth Hare and Matt Ruscoe (Jaks) and Carl Stent and John Caldwell (Mairehau). How University fares against Jaks and Otago University, the only South Island teams to qualify for the nationals last year, will generate a good deal of interest, too. The Otago University side always boasts a strong lineup but has lost Rademakers (to Y.M.C.A.) and Logan (to University). Nonetheless, the team can be relied on to do well, and will not be far away when the seedings for the nationals are made.
Checkers, with an impressive and confident unbeaten performance in the pre-season league, will be anxious to maintain its form for the tournament. Led by the wily Carl Dickel, the young Checkers team could surprise a number of the morefavoured sides in the A grade. Nelson Athletic, in section one, is up against Jaks and if the side can measure up to those of
previous years — Nelson Old Boys won the title in 1976 — it will do well, and K-Vees (Dunedin), with the former New Zealand representative Glen Allen, should be stronger than in the past.
Mairehau. another outsider, should nonetheless go well spearheaded by the seasoned provincial representatives Gordon Phillips and Mike Seaward and supported by the new 2.1 m acquisition, Kevin Currie. Burnside and Aranui, too. could produce upsetting form although neither team can boast ’’name” players.
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Press, 12 April 1979, Page 8
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893Jaks-H.S.O.B. seeking third success in a row Press, 12 April 1979, Page 8
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