Basketball: Mount Maunganui's Broughton family living the dream

The basketball-loving Broughton family. Parents Joe and Pauline pictured with son Salem and twin daughters Charis, front left, and Shamar. PHOTO/JOHN BORREN

If ever a family lived the sheer joy of the game of basketball it is the Broughton whānau from Mount Maunganui.

The commitment to the game from parents Joe and Pauline, sons Shalom and Salem and twin daughters Charis and Shamar is total.

Take dad Joe. His job involves plenty of night shifts but sleep or no sleep he is there helping run the Basketball Pathways Academy every weekday morning from 6am-8am. He is also director of the basketball programme at Mount Maunganui College.

He coaches at Mount Intermediate and at Te Akau ki Papamoa schools, where his 8-year-old twin daughters are already showing they have their big brothers' basketball talent.

Under Broughton's watch the number of students playing basketball at Mount Maunganui College has increased dramatically in the past four years.

"I oversee all the coaches and players. We have 180 children this year. But the key thing is, our philosophy is we are giving these kids a tool for their future. They will meet some new people, get confident in life and get to universities or wherever they can dream of getting through a sport," he says.

"From primary, intermediate to college we are nurturing kids and helping them through with basketball."

Mum Pauline manages and coaches teams plus organises a busy household that, not surprisingly, is dominated by basketball.

"I train Charis and Shamar's team at Te Akau. I am like a new coach coming through the ranks and Joe helps," she says.

"I also help coach a Senior B girls' team at Mount College and enjoy that. I also took the fitness sessions with the Senior A boys' last year."

Salem, 14, is showing signs of following in the same path as NZ Under-17 rep Shalom, trialling for New Zealand under-15 reps this year after playing a key role as point guard for the Tauranga City Basketball Under-15 side.

No prizes for guessing his favourite player is Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry. Salem shot seven three-pointers playing for Mount Maunganui College last Wednesday.

"I like point guard because you get to dribble the ball more and shoot and also be the leader of the team. Love those three pointers too," Salem says.

"My goal is to get where my brother (Shalom) is now."

Mount Maunganui College sports co-ordinator Terry Cochrane says the school owes Joe and Pauline a huge debt of gratitude for the work they have done.

"Five years ago I think we only had four or five basketball teams and they have been instrumental, with a couple of other people, in coming into the school and taking the teams," Cochrane says.

"They have been working with our new person in charge of basketball, Jen Durham, and helped us get 16 teams, the most we have had. They are a total basketball family."

Shalom is the shining light to come out of the basketball programme at Mount Maunganui College and Tauranga City Basketball in recent years.

He is on a scholarship at St Kentigern College in Auckland where he is part of Basketball New Zealand's elite training programme.

Shalom left for Argentina on Sunday as part of the first New Zealand team to qualify for the Under-17 World Cup. When he returns home he will trial for the New Zealand 3x3 team for the Youth Olympics.