Basketball: Judge's daughter ready for her on-court date

Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe will not lack for support or incentive when she joins her Tall Ferns teammates for their Games' opener against Malta in Traralgon tonight.

The support comes from family members, including her mother; the incentive to go further than a New Zealand women's basketball has gone before and win gold.

Her mother, Christchurch District Court judge Jane McMeeken, led New Zealand to bronze in the inaugural Commonwealth Championships in New Zealand in 1983, and arrived here yesterday to lead the cheer squad.

The medal-winning effort was just another chapter in the sporting successes of the Gore family. Kate's grandmother, Linley McMeeken, played netball for New Zealand; her aunt is Shelley McMeeken, the chief executive of Netball New Zealand; her father, Matthew Ruscoe, represented New Zealand in basketball in the late 1970s; and her great-uncle Robin Archer was an All Black.

McMeeken-Ruscoe played a netball season for the Shakers and was a dab hand at volleyball.

Her brother, Luke, also excelled at volleyball, before, like his sister, playing college basketball in the States.

It has not always been plain sailing for McMeeken-Ruscoe. She went close to selection for Sydney 2000 and got even closer two years ago when she was one of the last two to miss the cut for Athens when the squad was reduced to 12.

"That was really upsetting," said McMeeken-Ruscoe, 26, who was the most valuable player in the national basketball league in 2003 while helping the Wellington Swish to the title.

She has had her share of disappointments but there have been many highlights, such as her season of college basketball and her stint in Germany.

Tonight she joins long-time friend Donna Loffhagen on court.

"We played together as juniors for New Zealand at basketball in Australia. Donna is the best. She is a great player. In the role she plays she is as good as any player I have seen."

McMeeken-Ruscoe, who hopes her name will be among the five read out to start tonight, said there was an amazing spirit in the team.

"The funding we have received has enabled us to gain international experience. I'm sure that will be a huge benefit here. We know we can compete against teams like Australia. We just have to get it together."

Australia are at unbackable odds.

But, in pointing to the eight goals they held the Opals to in the first match of their three-test series last year, McMeeken-Ruscoe holds some hope of perhaps going close come the final next Thursday.