The Pahīatua Blazers played their games with immense heart.
The Pahīatua Blazers played their games with immense heart.
A resurgence in the popularity of basketball in Pahīatua brought an opportunity for Under-13 boys and girls.
Ten boys and 10 girls represented the area in two regional basketball competitions.
A trial selection brought together a team of kids from many local kura ranging from Pahīatua, and reaching as faras Dannevirke. For some of these rangatahi it is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Pahīatua Blazers U13 Boys were able to attend the two tournaments with months of training from coach Justine Tui.
The first tournament the boys attended was in Levin for the full day. They were well supported by parents who came along to watch as they took the court, and for some, the first time at this level. Levin was a great stepping stone towards heading to Wellington for the four-day tournament they travelled to at the beginning of October.
Wellington High School accommodated the teams in their wharenui and gave a warm cultural welcome upon arrival for both the Pahīatua Blazers U13 boys and Tararua Mana U13 girls. With an incredible amount of fundraising and support from whānau and community members, the teams were well-fed and energised for the week ahead of them which saw them playing two games a day over four days. Games were played at the Akau Tangi Sports Centre in Kilbirnie, Wellington, against teams from Central North Island.
The 10 boys selected to represent Pahīatua/Tararua in this competition were Billy Aspinall, Blake Greaves, Kingstons Bryant, Jaydon King, Leejin McLean, Zane Holloway, Liam Brown, Kahurangi Horsefield, Koben Skipper and Khyran-Lee Dixon.
These boys played their games with immense heart against some big competition and were well tested. The Pahīatua Blazers finished ninth in the competition with an electric finish to their tournament. They were able to gain exposure to competition basketball outside of the district, increase their court skills and etiquette, as well as be provided with some key foundational experiences and skills to take with them in their future of basketball.
Manawatū Basketball was able to support the boys and provide them with trophies to reward them for their hard work.
The coaching staff would like to congratulate all boys for their contribution and again to those receiving awards.
Both Pahīatua Blazers and Tararua Mana were supported by exceptional coaching and management staff that included (Pahīatua Blazers) Justine Tui (coach), Jason Edwards (manager) and (Tararua Mana) Bonnie Scott (coach), Jake and Jo Tipene (managers). The coaching staff went above and beyond for the rangatahi with organising, funding, and sourcing gear for the team to travel away in.
The teams would like to extend their thanks to Tania Hunter and Bonnie Scott of Basketball Manawatū. It is because of them an opportunity was able to be offered for the rangatahi and their support throughout the process was amazing.
The teams would like to thank all the rangatahi and their whānau for their commitment and wish them all the best for their future basketball endeavours.
