Awards recognise outstanding achievement in NZ Basketball

Excellence, outstanding achievements and true dedication to New Zealand sport was celebrated and recognised at the Basketball New Zealand Awards this evening, held in Wellington.

Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive, Iain Potter, said the awards recognise dedicated individuals throughout the country who embody the true spirit of basketball.

"Basketball in New Zealand is benefitting from incredible growth in so many areas of the game, from record participation at a community level to new elite opportunities through New Zealand's admission into FIBA's new Asia Zone. There's no doubt that New Zealand basketball is poised for great things. None of successes and opportunities would be possible without foundations of game, which have been laid by people who have fostered the game in Aotearoa before now. Without those who have played and contributed in years gone by, basketball wouldn't be rapidly becoming part of our Nation's identity and New Zealand wouldn't be developing into a serious participant on the global stage. That is why we are celebrating their achievements and service to the game," said Potter at the Awards.

The awards recognised excellence and contribution in the 2016 year, plus those who were inducted into the Hall of Fame, and those who received the new pinnacle award, called the Basketball Legend award.

AWARD WINNERS

Patrick Caudle (Wellington) - Winner of a Cedric Cudby Volunteer Award

Patrick Caudle hails from the Kapiti Basketball Association where he has been supporting basketball in his community for the past 17 years. He has held the role of treasurer for Kapiti Basketball and Hoop Club Kapiti where he has put a strong emphasis on removing cost as a barrier to participation. He has streamlined the accounting and admin functions of the Association and helped out in other areas when needed, including stepping into the roles of Chairperson and Secretary.

Sharon Erwood (Canterbury) - Winner of a Cedric Cudby Volunteer Award

Sharon Erwood has been an active member of the Canterbury Basketball Association for many years, but her involvement in basketball started in 1980 with the Nelson Giants. She started by manually managing the stats, but embraced the move to the computerised format in the 1990s when it came along. She was a member of the Nelson Basketball Association Committee for many years, and it was during this time that she started her refereeing career. In 2003 she moved to Christchurch and continued to be actively involved in basketball with the Canterbury Basketball Association. She has managed several school teams, while also providing stats for those teams. She was the treasurer for the former Canterbury Basketball Officials Association, during which time she took up refereeing again. She was called upon to organise the stats roster for the FIBA U19 World Champs in 2009 and was appointed to call the stats for the final.

Gary Smyth (Otago) - Winner of a Cedric Cudby Volunteer Award

Otagos Gary Smyth started his coaching career for Basketball Otago in the 1970s, where hes known for his basketball brain and willingness to share his knowledge. He continues to coach the Otago Under 13 Girls team, a position he has devoted himself to for several years, while also assisting Basketball Otago with their development programmes. In 2015 Smyth was named Basketball Otago Coach of the Year and in 2008 received an award named after him for Services to Basketball. Smyth has refereed and manned score benches at various levels for many years, and travels annually to Tauranga to assist with the running of the Mel Young Easter Basketball Classic.

Melanie Horncastle (Nelson) - Ian Goodwin Services to Officiating Award

Melanie Horncastle has been involved in officiating for the Nelson Basketball Association since 1993. She has been involved in all aspects of officiating the game including refereeing at all levels, attending Basketball New Zealand tournaments as a referee and referee trainer, and has run numerous referee courses for Nelson Basketball. She continues to referee at a senior level within Nelson Basketball while coaching junior referees and mentoring representative level referees that who National Championships

Tim Dennis (Auckland) - SERVICES TO COACHING AWARD.

Tim Dennis has been involved in coaching in the Auckland area for many years across many age-group levels. He has coached at a school level for various high schools including James Cook, Papakura, Rosehill and Avondale. His coaching career has also seen him in the role of Development Officer at Auckland Basketball Service Ltd and in the leadership of the Auckland Air Raiders Basketball Club.

Lori McDaniel (Canterbury) - CAROLYN GREY FEMALE COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

Lori McDaniel is employed by the Canterbury Basketball Association as their Community Coach and Womens Development Manager, as well as an Academy Coach for the Mainland Eagles. McDaniel was the Head Coach of the Canterbury Wildcats Team that went undefeated in the 2016 Womens Basketball Championship and was also an Assistant Coach for the NZ Select Womens team that competed against China B in a two-test series in Auckland in June last year. She is the Head Coach of the New Zealand Under 17 Womens team, which will compete at the FIBA U16 Womens Asian Championships in India this coming October.

Daryl Cartwright (Auckland) - KEITH MAIR MALE COACH OF THE YEAR.

Former Tall Black Daryl Cartwright is no stranger to the pressure of international competition. Last December Cartwright coached the Junior Tall Blacks to an historic win over the Australian Emus in the final of the 2016 Under 18 FIBA Oceania Championships to qualify for the Under 19 World Cup, to be held this July in Cairo, Egypt. This is the first time that a NZ Junior team has qualified for a FIBA World Cup.

Charlisse Leger-Walker (Waikato) - THE MCGLOUGHLIN TROPHY FOR FEMALE JUNIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

It was a unanimous decision from all coaching staff of the Junior Tall Ferns to nominate Charlisse Leger-Walker for this award. In their words, Leger-Walker demonstrated the skills, attitude and professionalism, and performed to the highest standard in her age group. During 2016 Leger-Walker was named Most Valuable Player for both the Under 17 and New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships. Internationally, playing for the Junior Tall Ferns team, she was the most consistent performer during their campaigns in China, Fiji and back here in New Zealand. Leger-Walker was also a valuable member of the womens Under 18 team that came fifth at the FIBA Under 18 3x3 World Championships in Kazakhstan last year, the best placing ever for one of our womens teams.

Sam Waardenburg (North Harbour) - THE AMBASSADORS TROPHY FOR MALE JUNIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sam Waardenburg had an outstanding year both in New Zealand and abroad. He was chosen to attend several basketball camps overseas including the NBA and FIBA Basketball Without Border Asia Camp in Melbourne where he was named Most Valuable Player. This led to a selection for the NBA and FIBA Basketball without Borders Global Camp in New Orleans, as well as the Adidas Nations Tournament in Los Angeles. Waardenburg was an integral member of the Under 18 3x3 World Cup team which finished fourth in Kazakhstan. Most notably he was a member of the Junior Tall Blacks team that beat Australia at the FIBA Oceania Under 18 World Qualifying tournament in Fiji and was named in the All Star Five for the tournament. He played for the Rangitoto College team that won the Secondary Schools National Championships and was also named as MVP for that tournament. Waardenburg is currently studying and playing NCAA Division 1 basketball on scholarship for the University of Miami.

Stella Beck (Wellington) - FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Tall Fern Stella Beck is currently a playing NCAA Division 1 basketball on scholarship for Saint Marys College in San Francisco. She was named in the All-West Coast Conference Second Team and the Conference All-Academic team in 2016. (In 2017 she was once again selected for the conference All-Academic team and was also elevated to the Conference First team). Stella led the West Coast Conference in field-goal percentage for the second consecutive season and averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Gaels during the season. A regular in the Tall Ferns, Stella will embark on her final season at St Marys later this year.

Isaac Fotu (North Harbour) - MALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

At just 23 years old, ISAAC FOTU has cemented his reputation as one of the most important players in the Tall Blacks. Team Manager Andrew Dewhurst said his quiet leadership and drive to win is matched by his remarkable athleticism. Fotu has been a standout performer in arguably the toughest league outside the NBA, averaging 21 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and shooting at over 50 percent from the field for his Zaragoza team in the professional Spain league. His numbers have improved in the current 2017 season as he further underlines his ability in a great league.

Despite a late injury in the last Tall Blacks game of the 2016, Isaac had an outstanding campaign with the Tall Blacks in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in the Philippines, and also during the tour leading up to that event. At the Atlas Tournament in China, where New Zealand finished third, Isaac scored 13 points in the first up 80-65 win over Belarus, a 15/12 double-double in the 76-68 victory over Japan, and 10 points and nine boards in the 98-74 success over China. That was followed by 20 points in the Semi Final defeat to Lithuania and 21 points on eight-of-13 shooting in the 90-84 playoff win over China.

At the OQT that followed, he was again a leading performer in the win over the Philippines (17 points and 5 rebounds) and close losses to number five ranked France (8 pts, 10 boards) before his tournament was cut short with a calf injury early in the nail biting loss against Canada in the semi-finals.

Jillian Harmon - MOST VALUABLE PLAYER FOR 2016

World class scorer Jillian Harmon helped the Tall Ferns to its first ever win over eventual Olympic Silver medallists Spain in the 2016 campaign for Rio qualification. The power forward was the MVP of that campaign, particularly for two stand-out performances against France and Cuba when she scored over 20 points in each game. In 2016 she was a member of Le Mura Lucca in the Italian Serie A competition, one of the premier leagues in Europe. That year she averaged 18.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as Lucca finished runner-up in the Italian Championship.

This year Harmon has just finished her second season for Lucca where she led the team to winning the title (More here).

Canterbury Basketball Association - ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

CEO of Canterbury Basketball, Paul Duggan, accepted this award on behalf of the Canterbury Basketball Association. The Association started the year with the highest participation numbers ever for a Burger King 3x3 Quest Tour event. They hosted the AA Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 4 Girls events (Qualifier & Non-Qualifier) and the U13 Southern Regional Championship (Mainland & Southern Zones). In addition, they hosted the China U19 team who played our Junior Tall Ferns.

The Association showed remarkable leadership in the womens game, developing a professional structure and commercial strategy to support their WBC team, the Alloyfold Wildcats. They have demonstrated innovation in developing and supporting a club-based approach to the sport in their region, and have the highest participation numbers in secondary school age groups in both male and female players with a 12.1% growth rate. Their female to male ratio is outstanding and shows a real commitment to women in basketball. To make their achievements even more impressive, theyve done this while overcoming the adversity of the 2011 earthquake which saw a distinct lack of facilities in the region.

Graham Legge (North Harbour) - 50 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE

Graham Legge was introduced to basketball when he was at intermediate school as a young boy. Upon entering secondary school at Westlake Boys High School, he immersed himself in the game and was in the first Westlake Boys team to win an Auckland Championship. In 1969, as an 18 year old, Graham made the squad for the Auckland Mens team. In the 1970s he played for the Northern Club in the Auckland Club Competition.

By 1973 Legge played for the Panmure team, under Coach Steve McKean, which won the National title. Legge was fortunate to be involved in a number of coaching courses where he refined his skill as a leader. Many of these were course were run by prominent NBA coaches. By 1979 Graham had played in teams that had won three New Zealand Championships. In 1982, Legge was instrumental in setting up the North Side Club on the North Shore of Auckland.

Over the years he has ensured that the North Side Club has been successful including coaching and organising Sunday night scrimmages. He is also an active member of the Harbour Association where he is a referee, most recently refereeing for the World Masters Games.

Barry Wilson (Wellington) - MURRAY MCMAHON MEMORIAL AWARD

This new award recognises someone who has made a notable contribution to mens basketball in New Zealand. The first ever recipient is Barry Wilson who started his basketball career as a player in 1952 carrying on through to 1992 (40 years). During this time and beyond he has been an avid administrator of basketball, totalling 51 years service. He has held numerous administrative positions including with Wellington YMCA Basketball, Wellington Basketball Association, New Zealand Mens Basketball Council, sole administrator for the Boys Institute Basketball, he founded and administered the Central City Basketball League, which was a sub-Association to Wellington Basketball, with over 100 teams which he ran for 23 years.

Wilson worked as a Wellington Basketball Association Executive and then Chairman for several years. He formed and administered the Centrals Club which had 14 teams in the Wellington Association. Wilson was an executive member of the New Zealand Basketball Federation for 14 years. He also initiated the formation of the New Zealand National Basketball League and was the League Commissioner for seven years, Executive Member for four years and Chairman for two years.

Wilson joined the Basketball New Zealand Board from 2007 to 2011, as well as being the Basketball New Zealand representative on the NZ NBL Board from 2009 to 2011. He was also the NZ NBL Disputes Commissioner from 2011 to 2015. Barry is a Life Member of Basketball New Zealand and the Wellington Basketball Association, and was inducted into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2016.

Ross Williams (Auckland) - THE ZENA GAY MEMORIAL AWARD

This award recognises a notable contribution to womens basketball in New Zealand, which was awarded to Ross Williams. Ross played basketball in Auckland from 1957 to 1968. During this time he took up the role of coach for the Auckland Womens team, which he did for many years. He was also the Secretary and Treasurer to the Western Suburbs Basketball League for 21 years. In 1971 he coached the New Caledonia Mens and Womens National Teams at the South Pacific Games in Tahiti.

Williams coached and selected many New Zealand and North Island A and B womens teams from the late 1970s into the early 1980s, and was also the President of Auckland Womens Basketball Association for more than 30 years. In 1985 Ross was the very first recipient of the Sir Lance Cross Memorial Award and in the same year was appointed as Executive Officer for the New Zealand Basketball Federation. 1987 was a busy year for Williams as he also organised the Oceania Qualifying Tournament. 1987 was also the year that the New Zealand mens and womens teams toured USA on funds raised by Williams. In 1989, Ross was appointed the New Zealand representative at the FIBA Oceania Congress.

Williams involvement in the game extends beyond coaching to include being Commissioner to the National Basketball League, Chef de Mission, Secretary and Treasurer of the Basketball Referees Association of New Zealand, and as an administrator at a local, regional and national level.

Williams, along with his wife Betty, were both awarded Life Members of Basketball New Zealand in 1997. In 2005 Ross was awarded an Auckland City Council Sporting excellence Award for Basketball.

Ian Mischefski (Taranaki) - SIR LANCE CROSS MEMORIAL AWARD.

Ian Mischefski has been involved in basketball in the Taranaki region since the 1980s. During this time he has been a player, committee member, referee, coach, President for New Plymouth Basketball Association, and a radio and TV commentator for local stations. Mischefski also has history as the Director of the Taranaki NZ NBL team when they were known as the BP Bears (now called the MountainAirs).

Mischefskis passion for basketball has seen him bring his skills and love of the game to Special Olympics New Zealand. As a basketball coach for Special Olympics North Taranaki team, he attended two National Games, two Trans-Tasman Games and many regional events. He was also selected as a coach for the New Zealand Special Olympics Basketball Team which competed at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

The following awards recognise those people who have made a distinguished contribution to the sport of Basketball in New Zealand, which include the induction into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame and the Basketball Legend Award.

HALL OF FAME AWARDS: The Hall of Fame inducts people through four categories: Coach, Player, Technical Official and Contributor.

Frank Baldwin (Nelson) - HALL OF FAME - PLAYER

As an 18 year old in 1949, Baldwin made the Nelson Representative team and played for the region for the following 14 years. In 1957 he joined the New Zealand Team (now known as the Tall Blacks) and was awarded the New Zealand Guards Trophy in the same year for best forward in New Zealand basketball. Baldwin was a member of the New Zealand team through to 1962, finishing his time as a player with a six week tour through South East Asia, New Zealand Basketballs first major overseas tour. Frank was still playing basketball in the 1960s but had also become a talented referee, serving as New Zealands referee on the 1967 New Zealand Mens tour of Australia.

In the late 1960s Baldwin, along with a passionate group of Nelson basketballers, built Nelsons own basketball stadium, a New Zealand first. It was named the Jack Robbins Memorial Stadium and was opened in 1971. It still serves the Nelson community today. In the 1970s Frank also served as the Manager of the New Zealand Mens Basketball team, making him and Sir Lance Cross the only people to have represented New Zealand as a player, referee and manager.

In addition to his basketball accolades, Baldwin was also a successful businessman, City councillor and as Chief Executive was responsible for the reforms of the Nelson and Wellington Harbour Boards, and the New Zealand and Australian Civil Aviation Authorities. These are just some of the many projects that Baldwin was involved in.

Baldwin passed away in March 2013. His award was accepted by Baldwins children Tony Baldwin and Raewyn Baldwin-Denton.

Graeme Davey (Canterbury) - HALL OF FAME - CONTRIBUTER

Graeme Davey is remembered by the basketball community for his administrative work for basketball in New Zealand, but his career started in Canterbury as a player.

During the 1970s Davey held various roles on the executive of the Canterbury Basketball Association and also had a stint as the secretary and treasurer of the Basketball Referees Association of New Zealand (BRANZ). At the time, the New Zealand Basketball Federation, the predecessor to Basketball New Zealand, was located in Christchurch and Davey became its President from 1980 to 1986. During this time, in 1980, Davey and other members of the executive travelled to Russia to promote New Zealand basketball at the Moscow Olympics.

During his time as President, New Zealand hosted the one and only Commonwealth Basketball Tournament in 1984. In 1986 Davey hosted the then General Secretary of FIBA, Boris Stankovic and his wife for a week in New Zealand. This groundwork helped with New Zealands invitation as a wild card entry to the World Championships in Spain in 1987 and the emergence of New Zealand basketball on the international stage.

Davey spent several years on the executive board of FIBA and was also the President for FIBA Oceania, one of few New Zealanders to achieve this honour.

Davey passed away in February 2015. The award was accepted by Graemes wife Bev Davey.

Bruce McCormack (Canterbury) - HALL OF FAME - Technical Official

Bruce McCormack was one of the early pioneers of basketball in New Zealand. His involvement began in 1947, when along with a number of other enthusiasts, he assisted the sports infant beginnings in the YMCAs and military gyms throughout the country.

McCormack real passion though was refereeing for which he was selected as a FIBA referee in 1963. From 1966 to 1972 he served as an executive member of the New Zealand Mens Basketball Referees Association and was secretary of the Association between 1974 and 1976.

McCormack was also a rules interpreter for 10 years, starting in 1973. In the same year he commenced his involvement with the Canterbury Paraplegic Association and began Wheelchair Basketball in Canterbury. This lead to over 25 years in national and international level disabled sports events. Some of the many highlights were when Bruce was chosen as the Chef de Mission for the 1984 Paralympic team to New York, and again for the 1986 FESPIC Games in Indonesia.

In 1983, after a 30 year career as New Zealands most respected referee of the time, Bruce retired from this aspect of the sport. He continued his involvement with the Paralympic movement and as a Manager of the Tall Blacks for several Tours.

McCormack was made an honorary international referee, the first in New Zealand to be granted this honour and a life member of BRANZ. In 1984, Bruces commitment to the sport of basketball was recognised with an Order of the British Empire award in the New Years Honours.

McCormack passed away in October 1998. The award was accepted by McCormacks wife, Marion McCormack.

Robin Milligan (Christchurch) - HALL OF FAME - Technical Official

Robin Milligan was predominantly involved with basketball as a referee and administrator. He controlled local matches in Canterbury and National Tournaments during the 1960s and 70s, but his real emergence into international refereeing came after he was awarded a FIBA Referee Badge in 1978. This resulted in regular appointments overseas, especially throughout Asia. Prior to Robins FIBA appointment there had been a 22 year hiatus since a New Zealand basketball referee had been appointed to an overseas tournament.

Milligan was also involved with BRANZ, serving two terms from 1989 to 1992 as a rules interpreter, and 1995 to 1998 as a technical administrator. He was also on the executive of BRANZ and was awarded a Life membership.

In 1988 Robin refereed at the Womens Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Malaysia and then later that same year at the Seoul Olympic Games. He was the first New Zealand referee to officiate at an Olympics since 1960. Following this he accepted the role of Technical Commissioner for the Oceania senior Championships in 1989.

Milligan continued his referee duties at several international events throughout Asia into the 1990s. In 1994 he was appointed as Team Manager for the Tall Blacks through to the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Milligan passed away in August 2016. The award was accepted by Milligans wife Shirley Milligan.

Keith Mair (Wellington/Canterbury/Hawkes Bay) - HALL OF FAME - Coaching

Keith Mairs involvement with coaching started 48 years ago in the Hutt Valley. His involvement spans every level of coaching, from club teams, Secondary School teams, Rep teams, the NZ NBLs Canterbury Rams and the Hawkes Bay Hawks, and at the international level. He was the Assistant Coach for the 1980 Senior Womens Team and the New Zealand Junior Mens Team Coach from 1980 to 1983. He was also Assistant Coach from 1984 to 1987 for the New Zealand Senior Mens team.

From 1996 to 1997 he was the New Zealand Under 23 Mens Head Coach. Mair coached international teams for 21 years, 13 of those as head coach for the Tall Blacks. He was the New Zealand Senior mens head coach from 1988-2000. During this time his achievements were many, including achieving the first ever test series win over England in 1990, followed by series wins over Japan in 1990 and 1994, South Korea in 1996 and England once more in 2000.

Mair also oversaw the first win over a US Division One College team in 1994, wins against the Netherlands, Cuba, Czech Republic (twice) and Canada. Under his direction as head coach, the Tall Blacks won the William Jones Cup Tournament in Taiwan in 2000. In the same year he took the team to Sydney where they were the first New Zealand mens team to make an appearance at an Olympic games.

Mair was member of the Basketball New Zealand board for 18 years, including six years as Vice President. He was also Head of Sport Development for the Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure from 1988 to 2002 and the Chief Executive of England Basketball from 2003 to 2013.

Mair currently resides in Wales. His award was accepted on his behalf by Hilary Carr.

Leone Patterson (Wellington) - HALL OF FAME - Player

Leone Patterson started her basketball career at Mana College. She was an Under 20s player for Porirua from 1979 to 1981, where her team made the National finals in 1981. She was part of the New Zealand junior team from 1979 to 1980 and then the New Zealand National Team in 1980.

Patterson gained a scholarship to attend Chapman University in California from 1982 until 1986 where she was awarded Conference Freshman of the Year, MVP for two years and First Team All American in her senior year. She was awarded Female Player of the Year in 1991 by the New Zealand Basketball Federation. Leone played for New Zealand in the 1982 Commonwealth Games and at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Megan Compain (Whanganui/Wellington) - HALL OF FAME - Player

Megan Compain began her basketball career in Whanganui where she played for her high school team. She left New Zealand at the young age of 16 as an exchange student to attend high school in the United States. Megan went on to attend St Josephs University in Philadelphia, playing for the St Joseph Hawks (STJ), where she was twice named Atlanta 10 Player of the Week, won selection in the All-Atlanta 10 Team in her senior year, was the 1997 Big Five Player of the Year and was named in the Big Five Hall of Fame after leading STJ to victory in the Atlanta 10 championship. Over her four years at STJ she finished with 1497 points, 443 rebounds and an 82.4% accuracy from the free-throw line.

Compain made history in 1997 when she became the first New Zealand player to secure a contract to play professional basketball in the United States, signing on with the Utah Starzz for the inaugural WNBA championships. She was also the youngest NCAA player in the league that year at the age of 21. In 2015 Megan was inducted into the Saint Josephs University Womens Basketball Hall of Fame.

Compain was selected to the Tall Ferns in 1998 and competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Sean Marks (North Harbour) - HALL OF FAME - Player

Sean Marks began his basketball career at Rangitoto College. In 1992, he moved State-side to study and play for the University of California, Berkeley. He was the first New Zealand-born player to play in the NBA. In the 1998 NBA draft Marks was drafted by the New York Knicks, but went on to play for the Toronto Raptors.

Between 1998 until his retirement from playing in 2011, he played for the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets and the Portland Trail Blazers. He also did a brief stint in Poland playing for Slask Wroclaw between 2000 and 2001. Upon retirement from the game he took up a position in 2012 as Director of Basketball for the Spurs, and a year later became Assistant Coach for the team. In 2015 he returned to the front office becoming Assistant General Manager of the Spurs.

Career highlights included playing for the Spurs who won the 2005 NBA Championship. The Spurs won the NBA Champs again in 2014 while Sean was Assistant Coach. He played for the Tall Blacks in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics, and was part of the Tall Blacks team that finished fourth at the 2002 FIBA World Championships held in Indianapolis, USA. That team went on to be awarded New Zealands team of the year and overall winners of the Halberg Awards for that year.

In February 2016, Marks started as General Manager for the Brooklyn Nets, part of the reason he was not able to attend the awards. His father, Gregory Marks, attended to accept the award on Sean Marks behalf.

Gina Farmer (Christchurch) - HALL OF FAME - Player

Gina Farmer had an outstanding career both on the domestic front and overseas. She attended East Central University in USA where she was the 1993 to 1994 the Sooner Athletic Conference women's basketball player of the year.

Farmer was a member of the New Zealand team from 1992 to 2004, and competed at the 1994 World Championships in Sydney. She was also a member of the Tall Ferns team that competed at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

Farmer played overseas from 1999 to 2004, predominantly in Hungary for team Szolnoki, where she helped them to win the Hungarian Cup Final in 2004 and also made the Europe Cup Final in the same year. Farmer was awarded Best Forward in the 2003 Europe Cup.

Farmer is currently assistant coach of the Alloyfold Canterbury Wildcats, currently defending champions of the Womens Basketball Championships.

Judge John Macdonald (New Plymouth/Otago) - HALL OF FAME - Player

Judge John Macdonald started his basketball career in New Plymouth where he was a dynamic Point Guard and a driving force in Taranaki basketball.

Judge Macdonald was selected to the New Zealand mens team in 1970 and remained an important member of the team through to 1981. During this time he captained the team three times, firstly in 1972 and again in 1975, where he was the leading scorer at the first and only New Zealand Games, which were held in Christchurch. He captained the side and was again the leading scorer in the three match series against Australia in 1978, which was when New Zealand cemented an historic first win over Australia, beating them 67-65. In the same year the New Zealand mens team won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Tournament Championship in Britain.

In recognition of his abilities as a Point Guard, the NZ NBL has named the John Macdonald Trophy for Most Outstanding Guard after him. This is still awarded.

Judge Macdonald is also known for career in law, especially when he was appointed a District Court Judge in 1990, going into semi-retirement in 2009, but still retains an active warrant today. Judge Macdonald was elected as Patron of Basketball New Zealand in 2012, a position he still holds today.

LEGENDS OF BASKETBALL: These are awarded to any person who has achieved legend status in basketball and whose service to basketball is worthy of this highest honour at the Basketball New Zealand awards. Only those who have previously been inducted into the Hall of Fame can be selected for this award.

Zena Gay (Nelson) - LEGEND OF BASKETBALL

Zena Gay hailed from Nelson. In 1946 Gay became the President of the New Zealand Womens Indoor Basketball Association, only one year after the Associations inception. She continued this role through to 1972 when it merged with the New Zealand Mens Basketball Association. She was the inaugural Vice President of the newly formed New Zealand Basketball Federation and served a further six years on the executive committee.

Gay managed the 1958, 1960 and 1964 New Zealand Womens Basketball teams. In 1970 she received the British Empire Medal for services to community, especially for her devotion to Womens Indoor Basketball. Her contribution to womens basketball is also recognised through the Basketball New Zealand award that is named after her - the Zena Gay Memorial Award for notable contribution to womens basketball. Zena was inducted into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2016.

The award was accepted on her behalf by her son Mike Gay.

Sir Lance Cross (Born in Dunedin/ Lived in Hamilton and Wellington) - LEGEND OF BASKETBALL

Sir Lance Cross was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 for his contribution to basketball and is also the name behind one of Basketball New Zealands longest standing awards - the Sir Lance Cross Award for exceptional services to basketball.

Sir Cross started his basketball career in 1931 while working for the YMCA, and by 1933 was the YMCAs physical education director. From 1936 to 1939 he was a physical education specialist at Hamilton Technical School. He represented New Zealand and was president of the New Zealand Mens Basketball Association from its foundation in 1946 until 1971. He was also coach of the national team and he served as a Vice President of the International Amateur Basketball Federation.

From 1939 Sir Cross worked as a physical welfare officer for the Department of Internal Affairs, initially in Palmerston North and then later in Wellington. In this capacity he helped to lay down the principles of physical education in schools, inculcating in New Zealand youth the worth of star-jumps, press-ups and other forms of activity on wintry school mornings.

During the Second World War he spent three years as a physical education and recreational training officer, first in the Air Training Corps and then in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was Chairman of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, and was also Head of Sports Broadcasting for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation.

In 1969, he became a member of the New Zealands International Olympic Committee, a position he held for 20 years. Sir Cross was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to sports administration, in the 1973 New Year Honours. He was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1977 New Year Honours, for services to sport as a member of the International Olympic Committee and Chairman of the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor for services to sport in the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours.

The award was accepted on Sir Cross behalf by his daughter Pamela Meekings-Stewart.

Carolyn Grey (Waikato) - LEGEND OF BASKETBALL

Carolyn Grey was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year for her contribution as a Player. She played for New Zealand from 1977 to 1978, then 1980 to 1983, and again in 1985 when she was team Captain.

Grey was awarded the Zena Gay Award in 1996 for her notable contribution to womens basketball. Her representative basketball career spans more than 30 years and she was still playing in the Womens Basketball Championships for Waikato in 2012. Caroline is still actively involved in coaching basketball through her role as Director of Sports at Hamilton Girls High School.

Stan Hill (Christchurch) - LEGEND OF BASKETBALL

Stan Hill was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year for his contribution as a Player.

Hill played basketball for New Zealand for 14 years, nine of them as captain. A high point of his long career was leading New Zealand to a historic victory over Australia in 1978 under the direction of Coach Steve McKean.

Hill played in New Zealand for several provincial and franchise teams, helping each to become national title contenders, and he also played successfully in the United States for San Jos State and in England. He was offered a chance to play in the American NBA, but opted for a club in England instead. Hill later turned to coaching, including being assistant coach of the national team.

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand