Indoor basketball - winter's in-game

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 336, 15 May 1990, Page 9

Indoor basketball - winter's in-game

The History of Indoor

Basketball in New Zealand by

'Slam

Dunk1

When James Naismith hung up a peach basket in his office in 1891 and proceeded to attempt to fill this with rounded scraps of paper, little did he know the impact that this would create on the sporting world. Yes, the sport of basketball has come a long way since those early days. Names such as Wilt (the Stilt) Chamberlain, Harlem Globetrotters, Abdul Jabbor Kareem, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan are now household names In fact, Michael Jordan is one of the highest paid sportsmen of all time with his earnings plus endorsements expected to reach around US$7 million this season alone. In NZ the sport did not really take off until after World War 2, helped no doubt through the presence of Americans on R&R from the Pacific zone. Stadiums were being built around the country to accommodate the interest being shown and in the early 60's regular home and away games were held on a provincial basis. In 1964 this developed into a weeklong National provincial tournament with the strength of the game, in those days, generally lying with Nelson and Otago. In 1967 'Jim Beam' sponsored a National Club championship for the first time. This competition saw club teams strengthening themselves by bringing out players from the States. While their first priority was to the team, most used their imports to promote the game further, particularly among the schools. The club championship soon fizzled out and towards the end of the 70's NZ Basketball Federation instituted a National League. The first year saw 8 teams participating on a home and

away basis but with the League proving such a success, Countrywide Building Society (as it was then), stepped in and agreed to sponsor the League. This quickly expanded to 10 teams with the bottom placed team each year dropping down to 2nd Division. Each team was restricted to 2 imported players so it very quickly became a case of teams endeavouring to recruit the best of its Kiwi players. Over the past few years the League has grown considerably in both prestige and popularity. The NZBF sold the marketing of the League 2 years ago to an Auckland Company, so it is now up to that company to arrange sponsors etc. Perhaps the major change was the 'dropping' of Countrywide at the end of the 1989 season with the League now running under the banner of the 'Rheineck National League.' The teams themselves, however, are still responsible for obtaining their own sponsors and with each teams expenditure for the season running at between $150,000 and $220,000 the importance of obtaining a major sponsor is quite clear. In addition, some teams have opted to tag a label after their name as more of a gimmick, eg. you find the Wickliffe Press Otago Nuggets, $tars Travel Waitakere Rangers (quite a mouthful for commentators!) This year's National League has been extended to 12 teams Auckland Vita - Fresh Cannons The team with 2 of the longest serving imports in Benny Anthony and Ronnie Joyner. Both are in their early 30's but are more than capable of scoring 30-40 points

per game. Their depth . with Kiwi players is not as great as other teams but ex NZ Rep Alan Ovens still has a deadly 3 point shot. U-Bix Canterbury Rams Last season's champion team beating Auckland in the final. Unfortunately they lost Clyde (The Glide) Huntley just before the start of the season but his replacement Greg Lockhart is already making a name for himself. A very capable team under the control of the NZ team coach Keith Mair. The Bay Hawks Any team including Jamie Dixon must be tough to bowl. Dixon was voted top guard last year, averaging an incredible 45 points per game.Fellow import Eric Clarke is an aggressive rebounder while their Kiwi contingent are all relative youngsters. Stars Travel Waitakere Rangers Probably one of the more underrated teams who have shown al- , ready this season that they will take some of the top scalps.Old campaigner Lamar Jackson is back again and he was just pipped for the leading rebounder title last season. Warwick (Ice-man) Meehl spearheads the Kiwi clan. Mita North Harbour Last year's North Shore team who tailed the League but managed to stay in through the decision to increase the number of teams. In Michael Foster they have one of the slickest imports here but orie player doesn't mean you have a great team. Dowlenco New Plymouth With Steve McKean moving south and taking Byron Vaitoe with him, New Plymouth are strong contenders for the title. They have a

very usetul Kiwi lme-up and excellent imports in Greg Trapp and Christen Harper. You can expect to see this team in Auckland at Finals weekend. Waikato Warriors Slightly disappointing so far this season but with Steve Jackson they have an excellent 'inside man'. On their home court at Church College they are extremely tough so Waikato should secure its share of home game victories. Nelson Giants The suprise package of the league so far and in fact it was lowly Waikato who spoilt their unbeaten record. If their disputed '3rd import' Nenad Vucinic is allowed to play the 2nd round this team will go from strength to strength. Wickliffe Press Otago Nuggets Promoted to the 1st Division this year in controversial circumstances but this level appears too much for them. Still to record a victory although they have taken a couple of teams to the wire. Sure wooden spooners. Hutt Valley Lakers Another promoted team but got there on merit. The Lakers took a gamble and brought our two guards from the States and so far this is paying off. They have a close knit team which is already showing many other teams the meaning of 'team-work.' Exchequer Saints While sponsored by a nightclub you don't see any of these guys there on Friday night. Undoubtedly the glamour team in the league and as such are under extreme pressure each time they take the court. Will still be in Auckland on the weekend of 1 September.

U-Bix Palmerston North Always leave the best to last (the writer of this article claims he is unbiased at this point but I have my doubts). With 2 of last year's All Star Five, Tyrone Brown and Willie Burton back again and supported by Stan Hill (ex NZ Captain) and Nick Pearce (current NZ team member) U-BIX have unfortunately hit with early injuries. Back to full strength they are nigh on unbeatable and finished with a 15-3 record in last year's league My tip for top team in 1990!! With 7 games (of the 22) completed, Nelson hold a slender lead of 2 points over Hutt Valley, New Plymouth and Waitakere with only Auckland, Hawkes Bay and Otago seemingly out of the running. The team that will make the greatest impact on remaining games will be Palmerston North who have had 2 of their top men in Stan Hill and Nick Pearce out of action most of the season. Stan 'The Man' resumes this weekend while Pearce will be back for round 2. One can never discount Exchequer Saints, the 'Liverpool' of the basketball league in this country. The introduction by TV1 of delayed broadcast of one game per week on a Saturday evening has also done a lot for the profile of the sport so if you have

nothing to do on a Saturday evening around 10.30 tune into TV1. As mentioned earlier, basketball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and here in Ohakune there are a number of players who already show promise. Form your own team and be prepared to travel to further your game.