Star player becomes club manager

Once a Hawk always a Hawk, as Jarrod Kenny takes over as general manager at Hawke's Bay's NBL club after 13-14 years as a player. Photo / Warren Buckland

The days of splitting time between basketball leagues on both sides of the Tasman are over for Hawks star and Tall Black Jarrod Kenny, who’s become general manager of home club the Taylor Hawks.

Amid his appointment announced in Napier today by Hawks chairman Keith Price, the 37-year-old says his full-time professional days are over, but he will play for the Hawks so long as the new job allows it.

Although brought up in Auckland - Westlake Boys’ High School - and graduating from Auckland University of Technology with a physiotherapy degree, Kenny says Hawke’s Bay is “home”, living and settled with Irish fiancé Ailed, and now working in the region he’s represented as a Hawk on the court since 2009.

He’d already had about six years splitting time with North Harbour side Harbour Heat in the NBL and his studies, but once in Hawke’s Bay developed a full-time career in the game, including a season with Licher BasketBärena in Germany in 2015.

Having spent several seasons as a practice squad member with Australian league side the New Zealand Breakers, in the Australian Basketball League, he was picked up by Perth Wildcats for the 2015-2016 ABL season, helping the ‘cats to ANBL titles in his first two seasons.

Playing out the Australian competition since 2018 with Cairns Taipana, he played more than 200 games in the ANBL.

He began playing for the Junior Tall Blacks in 2002, was in the New Zealand Universities team at the 2007 World University Championships in Bangkok, and made his Tall Blacks debut at the FIBA Oceania Championships in 2009.

Playing in several Oceania championships, he also played for the Tall Blacks in the 2012 Olympics qualifying tournament. Ruled out of the Tall Blacks’ 2016 Olympic campaign due to injury, he bounced back to play in the 2019 World Cup in China.

He’s continued with the Hawks throughout, although in 2020 when the Hawks opted out in the confusion of the first Covid-19 lockdowns, he played for Otago Nuggets.

It’ll be down to business straight away, with Kenny able to put a new angle on coach selection, for which nominations close on Friday with interest from around the World, Price says. Kenny will also be looking at travel and accommodation during the NBL, which is expected to start with two away games in early April, although the draw is yet to be confirmed.

Price said Kenny was approached barely a month ago to assess his interest in the club management role, and Kenny was immediately keen.

“I’ve been here 13-14 years,” the two-metres-tall basketballer said. “It’s always felt like home.”