If it had not been for the presence of a reporter and photographer from this newspaper, many people at Hawke's Bay Airport yesterday morning wouldn't have realised that someone important was arriving in town.
Either way, most would not have recognised the fit, middle-aged bald man getting off the plane
from Auckland.
It was a very low-key welcome for a man of his stature, but he probably preferred it that way. The man in question is supercoach Tab Baldwin, who most people will remember for his role in catapulting our national basketball team, the Tall Blacks, into the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup.
Baldwin, an American by birth who regards New Zealand as his home, has built a reputation as a top coach.
The good news is that he is now our coach - having arrived to guide our beloved Hawke's Bay Hawks as they strive to win their second Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) title this year. He replaces his former player Paul Henare, who guided the Hawks to the 2011 NBL final last season, but has signed with the Southland Sharks.
