Basketball: Community backing major winner on day

Northland's Jamie Lee Tito goes around her 'Hoops for Health' opponent at ASB Stadium during last week's transtasman face off. Photo / John Stone

Community support outweighed the results from a transtasman face-off between the Northland Suns and an Australian team.

A good turnout from Northlanders proved to be the silver lining Northland Suns basketball development coach Aaron Sadler was looking for, with just one of the four local teams picking up a win.

Sadler said the New South Wales Hoops for Health teams - which are part of an Australian health programme - that toured last week may have taken the spoils, but Northland was the winner on the day.

"The community support was massive, we had a good turnout and it turned into a real family day," he said, adding aunties, uncles, and siblings had turned out to support each other.

"That's a really good day for us.

"One of the main objectives for this series is to re-create within Northland that basketball is a spectator sport, not just at club level.

"Having people come and watch their cousins, brothers, sisters, and nephews play is all helping bring basketball back to the forefront and can be celebrated.

"We also had past Suns players come to give back to the programme ... giving back by giving advice to men from the bench and supporting."

A highlight for the men's team was receiving a phone call from Basketball New Zealand, and Northland sporting legend, hall of famer Pero Cameron, before their game.

Sadler said Cameron called to give them some words of encouragement and explained what playing for Northland meant.

"He gave them a history on what it means to be from Northland and what it means to be there [playing for the region].

"That was massive for the boys to have a hall of famer and former Sun take time out of his schedule to talk to them."

The women's team were the only Northland side to pick up a win on the scoreboard - winning by about 20 points. Also competing were Northland's under-15 and under-17 boys, along with open-age men's side.