The Aon Under 15 National Basketball Championships tip off on Wednesday in Auckland at the Pulman Arena. This years tournament will mark the first time a National Championships has been held at the Pulman Arena and Auckland Basketball Services Limited (ABSL) have been working hard to ensure the 2018 event is one to remember.
A total of 20 boys' teams will come from around the country to compete for the top spot and the competition is wide open. Hawkes Bay will return as defending champions after beating Tasman in the final 85 to 81 in 2017. In what was an overtime thriller, the 2018 boys' draw is just as unpredictable.
On the girls side, Waikato will return to defend their title after claiming last years final 58 to 46 in a back and forth final against Waitakere West. The 20 girls' teams will descend on Takanini, each one hoping to stamp their name on the 2018 trophy.
Basketball New Zealand High Performance Manager, Leonard King, will be attending the tournament. Mr King says hes is looking forward to watching his first Aon U15 National Basketball Championships.
"Im excited to see all of the talent on display. Obviously this is the entry competition for the Nationals so its a new experience for the players.
"Based on what weve seen at the Under 17s and Under 19s, the Under 15s should be a really competitive tournament with a lot of close games which should make for some great basketball," said King.
The Under 15s is the most unpredictable of all the national championships with young players showing their skills for the first time on the national stage. 2018s tournament should be no different and will make for an exciting four days.
The tournament starts on Wednesday, with a number of Friday and Saturdays games being livestreamed at www.nz.basketball/tv, including all the semi-finals and two grand finals.
For the full draw click here.
All team rosters are available here.
Livestream
Friday 20 July:
10:45am: Boys QF4
12:30pm: Boys QF3
2:15pm: Girls SF1
4:00pm: Girls SF2
5:45pm: Boys SF1
7:30pm: Boys SF2
Saturday 21 July
9:00am: Boys 5th/6th Playoff
10:45am: Girls 3rd/4th Playoff
12:30pm: Boys 3rd/4th Playoff
3:00pm: Girls Grand Final
4:45pm: Boys Grand Final
For more go to www.nz.basketball and Basketball New Zealands social media channels: @BasketballNZ Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand
Aon U15 National Basketball Championships to tip-off in Auckland on Wednesday
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