Basketball: Stockill's banking on win-win situation

Josie Stockill (with ball) and Khaedin Taito conducting a children's clinic in Napier. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

It's not a position Josie Stockill is looking forward to but she is quietly confident come time everything will work itself out.

The former Napier Girls' High School student is facing the dilemma of playing for her country, the Tall Ferns, or her American college team, Colgate University, next month.

"It's a very difficult choice and I'm still limited with it," says Stockill, who returned to Auckland for trials yesterday with the New Zealand women's basketball team, after a week-long holiday in Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands.

"The Tall Ferns is the highest honour but Colgate have been very resourceful to me and I've made some sort of contractual obligation to fulfil with them," says the 21-year-old neuroscience major, who will graduate early next year after returning with her varsity team next month.

Stockill is hopeful it will boil down to Tall Ferns coach Kennedy Kereama and Colgate counterpart Nicci Hays coming to some sort of arrangement whereby she will be able to realise both goals.

Colgate University, who call themselves the Raiders, are touring New Zealand from August 6-15, playing against WNBL teams Auckland, Wellington and a Hawke's Bay Invitation side at the Hastings Sports Centre on August 11.

Stockill, who has played for WNBL side Taranaki, has had a stellar season for Colgate in their division one conference, despite the team finishing seventh out of 10 in the "mid-major" category.

"I broke the season record and I'm hoping to break my career record next year."

The 1.90m junior class forward, who started in all 31 matches, claimed a season-record 68 blocks, finishing runner-up in the Patriot League at an average of 2.2 blocks a game.

She smashed the Cotterell Court women's record and had a personal high in February with seven blocks in the 67-54 victory over Boston University.

Stockill enters her senior year runner-up on the number of career blocks (136) for Colgate. She is second in the team in scoring and 16th in the conference at an average of 10.3.

She ranks third on team rebounding and 16th in the Patriot League at 5.8. Add to that a fifth league placing with 79 per cent free-throwing, as well as picking up the first three double-doubles of her career.

The member of the Patriot League Academic Honour Roll is fifth in her team in steals and assists. She will return for her senior stint on 699 career points and 408 career rebounds.

"I'm older, more experienced and I made the Tall Ferns last winter so all that gave me more confidence," said Stockill when asked what the catalyst to an enviable varsity season was.

She will share more responsibility as a leader on the court with Colgate's versatile guards Randyll Butler and Paige Kriftcher.

"I'm expected top lead on other facets and be a rock on Dee and call a bit more confidence on offence."

Stockill emphasises Colgate should finish better on the table next season after breaking a record on close games.

"Thirteen times we were close to a point and lost one game on the buzzer."

The trick, she says, is to play against bigger teams (major/major league div one) next season in the NCAA tournament in the lead-up to securing the Patriot League title.

Having returned to the Bay in May, Stockill was desperate for a "quick holiday" although it wasn't the ideal way to arrive in Auckland for the Tall Ferns trials.

"I'm having some summer [in Rarotonga] after six long winters in a row," she says, biking and engaging in beach activities to stay in shape.

The prospect of three tests against Japan, in Ashburton and Christchurch, early next month excites her in what is the first home series, apart from the Oceania, in a decade.

The last time the Tall Ferns hosted a nation in a series, bar the Australian Opals, was India in 2006.

But the Japanese series is a platform to build towards qualifying directly to the Rio Olympics next year, provided they eclipse the Opals in Melbourne and Tauranga on August 15 and two days later, respectively.

Stockill found last winter's tour of China invaluable to her cause.

"It was an amazing experience and a good feeling to wear my national number on the back of my top," she says after starting in a couple of games and mustering minutes against China as the Tall Ferns came close to beating Slovenia.

She relishes the beneficial position of "upskilling" on a US scholarship, as well as honing her prowess on a dose of athleticism and exposure on the international front.

No doubt, displaying her range of skills at the Hastings Sports Centre in the 7.30pm tip off will be a highlight after coach Hays opted for a New Zealand tour in adhering to the seasonal ritual of playing at different teammates' home turf.

"It's very exciting and I can't wait to have them home to familiarise them about New Zealand things," says the English-born of the weather, beaches and "chilled-out attitude of Kiwis".

It "remains a mystery", even to her, whether she'll carry on with post-graduate studies or play basketball after graduating next year although she does stress it's very difficult to break into the American WNBA because talent scouts focus on "major-major" league college players.