"Maori hoopsters standing tall"

Tu Tangata, Issue 26, 1 October 1985, Page 20

"Maori hoopsters standing tall"

by Michael Romanos

Following the flustered birth of the national league in 1981, men’s basketball in New Zealand is no longer an at-risk baby and it is attracting an increasing family of fans.

The impetus and growth for basketballs passage to a national league has come largely from a maori input. Basketball at a New Zealand men’s team level would be nowhere without its maori content.

Internationally, New Zealand took focus 16 years ago with the advent of a programme and a national coach to run it. Over that period up until today, the finest Kiwi players to have represented New Zealand have been Stan Hill, John Hill, John MacDonald, John Rademakers, Tony Smith, Rewi Thompson, Jack Maere, Ngati Smith, John Van Uden, John Fairweather, Dick Agnew and Andy Bennett.

The first eight named are Maori and apart from Ngati Smith, are still prominent on the playing courts. New Zealand has only ever produced one dominant basketballer who could hold his own in any country at any level and that man is centre-forward Stan Hill. Without doubt, Hill is our finest home-grown athlete. Stopping Stan, 29, on a basketball court is not easy. He has a decided advantage at 6ft 9V2in (2.07 m) and 18st 7lb but his talent to play is derived not from his mere physical presence but the way he uses it. He may look a lumbering giant but Hill plays like a graceful deer.

He has been a member of the New Zealand team since he was 17. He can shoot, rebound, handle and pass. As the New Zealand captain over the last three years, Hill has the ability to direct play and he shows impressive speed for one so big. Stan is a much bigger, faster version, if you like, than All Black greats Colin Meads and Andy Haden.

Stan and his younger brother John, 6ft 6Vi in (2.00 m), are sons of Stan Hill snr of rugby fame. S F (Tiny) Hill was nicknamed because of his rangy height but at 6ft 4!/2in (1.94 m) “Tiny”is a dwarf in comparison to his sons. Tiny Hill was a Maori All Black and All Black lock and is currently on the All Black selection panel and coach of New Zealand colts and junior teams. The Hill family were originally from Okato, Taranaki but settled in Christchurch.

Stan jnr spent two years at San Jose State University in the United States on a basketball scholorship and was one of the stars of San Jose’s first division team.

New Zealand has yet to participate in world championships or Olympic Games at basketball. Australia is our stumbling block. We must beat the Aussies in Oceania series to gain entry to the world events. But we never have and Australia have gone from strength to strength fifth at the last world champs and sixth at the Los Angeles

Olympics. Stan was in the New Zealand team which recorded our sole test victory over Australia in 1978 at Walter Nash Stadium in Taita. Stan was also in the national team which first made it internationally when we gained second placing behind Canada in the Commonwealth Champs in Britain in 1978 (Australia was absent). Stan was in the side which won New Zealand’s first and only international tournament: Japan 1983. And Stan was in the side last year which made its inaugural tour to

the home of basketball the United States and achieved a respectable five wins and five closely contested losses against first and second division sides.

This year Stan helped DB Auckland win the Countrywide league proper and finish runner-up to Exchequer Saints of Wellington in the historic league final where the teams tied uniquely 100-100 at the end of ordinary time.

Among 20 imported Americans and top Kiwi players, Stan’s league statistics for 1985 were impressive. He won the New Zealand forward of the year league award in averaging per game 28 points and 10 rebounds with a game high of 56 points and 19 rebounds. He led allcomers in field goal percentages 64.2 and took third in free throw percentages with 80.9. For the third time in four years he was named in the Countrywide league All Star Five.

When the national senior men’s coaching position suddenly became vacant this year. Hill went for the job but missed out to American Bob Bishop. But it appears Hill’s future as the national coach-selector is inevitable.

John Hill, 26, has been New Zealand's rebounding force for the past eight years even though he has not fully utilised his strengths. A strong, quick jumper and honest toiler on the court, John idolises his brother but whereas Stan has shifted around, the quieter John has stayed in Christchurch.

Apart from John Van Uden, John Hill is the only Kiwi player I have seen who can make the “big” rebounds associated with such imported Americans like Angelo Hill, Benny Anthony and Willie Burton.

The first guard national coach Steven McKean (1971-1981) wanted in his New Zealand sides was John MacDonald who McKean rated highly for his leadership and abilities on offence.

MacDonald, a New Plymouth criminal lawyer, captained the national side from 1974 to 1978 in a national team career lasting 12 years up until 1981. The 34 year old 6ft guard also made it happen for New Plymouth. He led New Plymouth to promotion for the 1985 Countrywide league and as player-coach proved he is still one of the best guards in the country.

During the 1985 league, MacDonald averaged over 20 points. His father, Enoka was a Maori All Black and played professional rugby league for Hallifax in England. MacDonald is currently recruiting players to strengthen his 1986 New Plymouth team in the first

division league. John Rademakers, 28, is the Kiwi king of the three point baskets. Of DutchMaori background. Rademakers plays back-court for Canterbury in an intuitive partnership with American Clyde Huntley. This season in the league, Rademakers scored 44 three pointers and average 19 points. The three point perimeter is 6.2 metres from the basket and was first introduced last year. A former captain of the New Zealand team, Rademakers has been our best all-round guard over the years. A younger brother, Inia is a talented 6ft 3in forward who plays for Ponsonby in the league.

While Rademakers was named the league’s New Zealand player of the year in 1984, that award was divided into top guard and forward this year with Tony Smith of Hamilton pipping Rademakers for the top guard trophy.

Smith, 24, has been New Zealands backcourt star since 1984 with his jump shots, dunking and play-making skills. The 6ft 2in guard has yet to complete a United States basketball scholarship. He attended junior college at Rick’s College in Idoho for two years and married an American girl.

This season in the league, Smith averaged 18.7 points, sunk 26 three point baskets and took fifth placing overall in field goal percentages in con-

verting 57.2 per cent. Noticeably, Smith is developing much improved consistency this year. Being a practicing Mormon, Smith is not available for Sunday play which fortunately only kept him out of three league games in 1985. Rewi Thompson is of Chinese and Maori origin which is a pretty useful mix. His Chinese side gave him maturity, cleverness and agility while the Maori provided him with strength, size and handling skills. Combined, Thompson is perhaps second only to Stan Hill in home-grown basketball ability. The Wellington player, now 24, has largely been lost to New Zealand basketball. At 17 he should have been in the New Zealand team not just the squad. Later his commitments were with basketball and education elsewhere. His parents, Hori and Suie set him up with a four year scholorship at Stockton State University in the United States. Having majored in Business Management Rewi married an American and the pair live in the United States with a family of one. Last year when New Zealand toured the United States and Canada, the 6ft lin Thompson was in the team as pointguard.

On vacation in 1983, Thompson played half a season for Centrals of Wellington in the national league. He is the only New Zealander to have mastered the reverse dribble and turn dribble. Rewi’s sister, Veronica is cur-

rently the New Zealand women’s team’s point-guard. She also spent time at Stockton University.

Jack Maere, 28, is a 6ft guard for Napier who repped for New Zealand from 1978 til 1983. Maere has a great love for the game and a fine ability to set up his team-mates for open spots. Known as “Jacklastic” because of the way he stretches and twists to the basket.

Jack and his younger, shorter brother Joseph have combined at guard for Napier in the national league since 1983 and have a fine understanding.

Ngati Smith was a legionary 6ft 3in guard who repped for New Zealand in the mid 1970’5. Ngati was good leaper with excellent skills. He played four years of basketball for Brigham Young University in Hawaii and like Tony Smith (no relation), Ngati was a product of the Mormon, mainly Maori high school, Church College in Hamilton which has been the leading school for basketball in this country.

Those are eight of the 12 best players of New Zealand basketball since 1970. helping to scrub Kiwi preferences and prejudices to what the sport is today a major winter activity and spectactor attraction. New Zealand is battling in basketball at an international level though we would certainly defeat some of the teams at world champs and Olympic Games the regional representation

system works against us for those events but it must be remembered the sports where New Zealand has been excelling in recent years internationally are those of minor sports: netball, squash, canoeing, rowing, softball, hockey, rugby league and even rugby union fall into this category on the world scene. Basketball is one of the world’s top five most played sports. Apart from those mentioned, Maoris are major contributors to every national basketball league side in New Zealand. For instance, Ponsonby have Kim Harvey (NZ team 1984), Tony Cornpain (NZ team 1984) and Paul Ogilvy (NZ team 1983-84); New Plymouth: Wayne Tuki (final NZ trialist), Palmerston North: Maurice Paurini (final NZ trialist); Centrals: Helmut Modlik; Exchequer Saints: Riki Wi Neera; Canterbury: Dave Edmonds (NZ team 1984-85); Otago: Glen Denham (NZ team 1984-85), Auckland: Byron Vaetoe (NZ team 1985); Porirua: Peter Pokai (final NZ trialist). As well there is Craig Furlong the co-coach of 1984 and 1985 league champions, Exchequer Saints. The Maori has succeeded at basketball because of a natural talent for ball games and an exuberance which leads itself to a fast, exciting sport. The following for basketball is high among Maoris perhaps because of the atmosphere and “family” attitude to the game. Also, Maori above the Pakeha have a special affection and appreciation of the masters of basketball: the American blacks. The 1985 12-man New Zealand team which meets Australia in the qualifying series for the 1986 world championships with three tests in Sydney and Melbourne, is likely to contain no less than seven Maori players. The Hill brothers, Rademakers, Tony Smith, Denham, Edmonds and Vaetoe with Pokai and Thomson (if available) other strong prospects.