Basketballers mark milestone

The Rotorua Basketball Association will be hosting its Diamond Jubilee celebrating 60 years of basketball in the city this weekend.

Association patron Alan Lord said they were expecting up to 50 people for the dinner on Saturday night.

"It will be a time to share memories and meet up with old friends."

Tip-off for the basketball celebrations begins tomorrow night with registrations and a mix and mingle. On Saturday there will be photos, fun activities and a series of exhibition games.

Attending the dinner will be Rotorua MP Todd McClay who will introduce the guest speaker Chas Woolley, former captain of the 1962 Rotorua Men's team, Mr Lord said basketball began in Rotorua in 1952 at the Kahukura Hall and the association's heyday was in the 1960-1970s.

"I had the Combined Services Club with seven teams and Ngaire Lee organised the Kiwi Club, which had nine teams."

The association has hosted overseas teams including university teams from San Jose and Oregon. The famous Harlem Globetrotters played in Rotorua twice in successive years.

Mr Lord said one of Rotorua's top teams was the 1962 Rotorua Men's team which won the New Zealand Men's Indoor Basketball Championship.

Mr Lord also recalled the time when the New Zealand Women's team played a test in Rotorua against Taiwan National Women's team. Mr Lord said there was an international incident. "The Taiwanese team refused to play with the ball because it was made in Communist China. So the match was delayed for 10 minutes while a suitable ball was located."

Basketball stalwart Ngaire Lee has been involved in Rotorua basketball since its inception and, as secretary, is the longest serving administrator.

Mrs Lee said she was looking forward to catching up with people she hadn't seen for years. She is a sport co-ordinator and the basketball coach at Rotorua Girls' High School. She has taken many teams overseas including Rotorua Girls' to the United States last year.

Mrs Lee said school basketball was very strong and even though senior basketball wasn't that good it was making a comeback.

"We always have lot of kids playing but we lose them when they leave school and go away."

She said there would be more than 1000 players, aged from 5 to 50, in Rotorua. It was played at the Rotorua Sportdrome five nights a week.

Mrs Lee said Rotorua had produced some excellent players including the late Debbie Smith, Aroha Jennings and Taki Te Koi. More recently Rotorua girls Moerangi Vercoe, Danielle Marks and Matangiroa Flavell are in the New Zealand Basketball under 16 girls' development squad.