Rademakers makes last stand

Press, 22 July 1989, Page 34

Rademakers makes last stand

By

FRANK DUGGAN

This evening at Cowles Stadium will mark the last appearance at Cowles Stadium of one of New Zealand’s finest basketballers for more than a decade, John Rademakers. More commonly known as “Dutchy,” he will retire at the end of the season and it is fitting that his last home match will be against Nelson in a Countrywide Bank national league fixture as the northerners have provided him with some of his more memorable moments.

Rademakers, aged 33, came to Christchurch in 1978 after graduating from the University of Otago where he spent four years and it was there in 1976 he

first represented New Zealand. After that he was always the first guard named for national teams. Apart from one overseas tour in 1984 when he was not available, he played in every New Zealand team until his retirement from the international scene several seasons ago. He was the national captain in 1982. He played on 12 overseas tours — Australia (three times), Taiwan (3), the United States (2) and one each in South Korea, the Canary Islands, Spain and United Kingdom. Rademakers has represented Canterbury for the last 11 seasons and has been one of the main contributors to the province’s high league

ranking. Now he wants to play golf. “I’m going to have a complete break from basketball,” said Rademakers, who is on a six handicap. “Perhaps I might have a rethink about basketball in a couple of years.” Looking back over a career which is almost on a par with the legendry Stan Hill, he has two notable memories. The first is being part of the first and only New Zealand team to beat Australia in 1978 and Canterbury’s first league championship in 1986.

He wants a third before retiring and that is helping Canterbury make the fourteam playoffs for the national title in Auckland

next month. “When that is accomplished I’ll know that all those previous years have been worth it,” he said.