Value Of U.S. Tours Doubted

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31628, 14 March 1968, Page 14

Value Of U.S. Tours Doubted

. Doubts about the wisdom of inviting American university teams to tour New Zealand were expressed by the retiring president (Mr M. A. Henshall) at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Men’s Basketball Association last evening.

Their players were generally not interested in fostering basketball, and their attitude had caused him to have serious reservations whether it was worthwhile bringing them out.

They played basketball much above the standard of that usually seen In New Zealand and were perhaps interesting to watch, but they did not have their hearts in the game. One visiting American team last season had not had any sleep between finishing a game at Dunedin in the evening and leaving for Christchurch the following morning.

“Our own teams can play hookey just like the rest. But that is not what we want,” Mr Henshall said.

Selection Criticised

“All these boys are on university scholarships and I am sure that some of them, if they could attend university without playing basketball, would do so.” Mr Henshall also criticised the composition of the New Zealand invitation team which played Oregon State University in the principal fixture of the season for Canterbury.

“This was a rather one-sided affair, Oregon winning 87-37. While the local team was called a New Zealand team, it was only a last-minute withdrawal which brought a player from the South Island into the team. "The policy of the New Zealand association selecting a side such as this gives the team little chance of success when it only has the opportunity of one practice on the morning of the match. More than likely a well-drilled Canterbury team, which had played together, could have performed equally as well against the visitors/’ Mr Henshall said.

Surprise Election Mr A. W. Barrett was unanimously elected president. A former secretary of the association for many years, Mr Barrett was originally not available for nomination but when his name was put forward in a surprise move he allowed It to stand.

"I am prepared to take this on because I don’t want to see the ship sink," he said.

Mr Barrett withdrew from the management committee of the association towards the end of his term when he was appointed full-time secretary of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association. He was a vice-pre-sident of the basketball association and Is a former New Zealand councillor. Others officers elected were:— Patron. Mr P. J. Skellerup; vice-presidents, Messrs R. C. Curtis, S. A. Bell. B. T. Cocks, M. A. McDougall, C. Blunt, R. S. Thomson, M. A. Henshall; secretary-treasurer, Mr G. Ravey; auditor, Mr N. D. O’Connor; executive, Messrs M. Haberfield, J. Grocott, R. Dew, L. Van Vuuren, M. Gleason, W. Allan, M. Reynolds.