Busiest national basketball season yet

Press, 3 February 1983, Page 30

Busiest national basketball season yet

By

FRANK DUGGAN

The New Zealand Basketball Federation has announced its programme for the 1983 season — the busiest in the history of the sport in this country. International games will extend over four months for both men and women, and the season has been extended because of various championship and league commitments. The Countrywide senior men’s league will start on May 7, according to the federation’s executive director, Mr Joe McLeod, of Christchurch, and the final

will be played at Hutt Valley on Sunday, July 24. 3ZM Canterbury, which finished third in the league last year, is one of the eight teams in the competition. Five of the Countrywide games will be featured on television. A second division league is also proposed, but is still in the planning stages. Twelve or 14 teams will take part. A similar situation exists with a women’s league. Sixteen teams have indicated their intentions of playing and it is now a matter of confirming that intent and finalising the league structure.

The big news, however, is the invitations to the New Zealand men’s team to take part in an extensive tour of South-East Asian associations in the middle of the year, which will involve several countries. The federation has accepted an invitation to compete in ah international tournament in Taipei, Taiwan, from July 2 to July 15. It is also understood that New Zealand will be invited to an international tournament in Japan in June. South Korea has also asked the New Zealand Federation to play in Seoul, and other invitations include

Hong Kong. Medan, Manila and Kuala Lumpur. Because of the long season, the federation has decided not to accept some of the invitations as it would involve a seven to nine-week tour. When the New Zealand team returns it will face its most dramatic period. Not only is there the Commonwealth championships in August — the men’s final will be held in Christchurch on Saturday, August 27, the women’s on Sunday, August 28, at Auckland — but at Tauranga on September 1, 3 and (if required) 4, best of three series between the

New Zealand and Australian men’s teams will be staged to decide the Oceania zone qualifier for the 1984 Olympic Games at Los Angeles. Internal tours during the season will include Port MacQuarrie Dolphins (senior men’s; both islands between March 25-April 18); Puget Sounds Girls’ High School, U.S. (N.Z. junior women; both islands between June 18-June 29); Mercer Island Boys’ High School, U.S. (both islands between July 10-July 25); North Adelaide women (senior women; North Island only; July 15-July 19); West Adelaide women (senior women North Island between May

16-May 26); and Yavapai College or Mississippi College, U.S. (N.Z. senior women; both islands between July 16 and July 31). Both the senior and junior New Zealand women’s teams will play “tests” against the Puget Sounds Girls’ High School and the Yavapai and/ or Mississippi teams. The federation has also reintroduced a national men’s open championship, which will be held at New Plymouth. The tournament will cater for all teams, either club or provincial, with the exception of teams from the Countrywide first division league.