NEW ZEALAND GAMES Finance will not hinder basketball

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33611, 13 August 1974, Page 24

NEW ZEALAND GAMES Finance will not hinder basketball

I By

R. O. DEWI

“On financial grounds, in relation to the teams we have in mind, there is no possibility of men’s basketball withdrawing from the New Zealand Games,” the president of the New Zealand Basketball Federation (Mr M. A. Henshall, of Christchurch) said yesterday.

“This will b« the biggest thing that has happened to men’s basketball in New Zealand. We have held major matches before, but we have never had the opportunity of having an international tournament such as this. It is an opportunity we do not intend to waste.”

Boxing, which is standing by in case men’s basketball is unable to meet the financial requirements, now appears to have no more than a very remote chance of late inclusion. Mr Henshall said that his executive had met and enthusiastically accepted the invitation to participate in the ; Games. The original cost of staging a tournament with the four preferred national teams — New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, and the Philippines — had been $25,000. A fresh look had been taken at this since and it had been found that it was possible to reduce this figure. “The financial side does not appear to pose a problem ;if the teams to be invited are all prepared to come. If we have to look further afield, this might increase the costs,” Mr Henshall said. Australians willing ) Contact had already been made with the selector-coach of the Australian Olympic team (Mr L. Gaze), who is also the convener of the tours committee, and he had intimated that his team was prepared to come to New Zealand. Approaches to Tahiti and the Philippines would be left to the organising committee of the Games, he 1 said. i The possibility of the . Philippines playing in the Games tournament is particu1 larly welcome. The team is ranked in the top 12 in the

world through its participation at the Olympics and World Games, and might prove to be the one to beat. “It has always seemed a shame to me that we have

never got them into this part of the world before. They are closely compared with the United States,” Mr Henshall said. The teams will all be expected also a play in matches in other parts of the country. The Games tournament will be held in Cowles Stadium, which will require some maintenance work to bring it up to standard. The floor will have to be repaired, sanded, and polished, and temporary seating will have to be erected on the second court. It is estimated that a mini-

mum of 1250 spectators will pay to watch the basketball on the four nights (January 23 to 26). “The equipment at Cowles Stadium is adequate, but 1 consider that the opportunity should not be lost to make it more sophisticated,” said Mr Henshall. “The electronic scoreboard could be extended Ito provide first-class information for spectators and players.” Cowles Stadium will be available for practice on a roster system from the scheduled date for the opening of the Games village, January 18. The tournament will be on a round-robin basis for the first three nights, the top two teams playing off on the final night. The third and fourth teams will play off for third place. Choice a surprise Mr Henshall said yesterday that he had been surprised when basketball was chosen as the fourth sport for the Games. Although an Olympic sport, it had not been on the Commonwealth Games programme. The organisers’ wealth of experience related to the Commonwealth Games, and they could not be expected to be familiar with basketball. The desire to introduce a team sport to the Games as well as the knowledge that basketball was spectacular spectator fare and that its administrators were strong enough to do a good job had probably influenced the organisers, he said. The New Zealand Basketball Federation has appointed Mr Henshall its representative on the Games organising committee. He will attend the 'first meeting on August 22. after which a control committee will be formed. Because of the Games, a request from Tasmania for permission to send its men’s and women’s representative teams on a tour of New Zealand in February has been declined. An alternative time in July has been offered.