Basketball: Fern-tastic! Stockill's NZ call has Bay cock-a-hoop

Josie Stockill has broken a 19-year-old Hawkes Bay drought. Photo / HBT

Hawke's Bay is back on the Tall Fern grid after Josie Stockill broke a 19-year-old drought yesterday.

The 20-year-old from Napier, who is training with the Kennedy Kereama-coached New Zealand women's squad in Christchurch, is the first Bay player to make the team since Kirstin Daly in 1985.

"I found out on Monday I was in but I had to wait until today. I did tell my mum and dad and a few important people but it was kind of tough trying to keep it a secret," says the daughter of Karen and Adrian Stockill, of Napier.

For someone who dreamed of becoming a Tall Fern from the age of 12, Stockill is delighted to be jetting off to China from Tuesday next week with the 12-member squad to compete in a four-nation tournament involving the hosts, Slovenia and a Women's NBA All-Star team from the United States.

"It's huge because that's the highest level you can go to in New Zealand so I'm absolutely thrilled to get there," says the power forward who is on a basketball scholarship at Colgate University in New York.

Her university team competes in division one of the NCAA league.

Needless to say, the 1.85m, 74kg player is quick to point out her national selection is down to sacrifices and hard work over the years, thanks to the many coaches through the Bay age-group and clubs.

The four-day trials from Saturday in Auckland were no different.

"There were no free tickets. If we weren't of a high standard then Kennedy wouldn't have picked us so I definitely had to prove myself," says the former Napier Girls' High School pupil who was among five forwards in the camp.

She is among eight debutantes in the Tall Ferns roster.

She will return to Colgate University a couple of days into her lectures after the tournament ends in China.

"I'll miss a few classes but my basketball will improve heaps and I'll be representing my country at the top level for the first time.

"I'd like to thank all the coaches who helped me over the years and got me to where I am today," she says, naming Shane Brown, Suzie Hiha and former IMS Payroll Hawks co-coach Daly, who teaches at Napier Boys' High School.

"Obviously I'd like to thank my mum and dad, too, because they are my best fans," says Stockill, who will slip on the No12 shirt after wearing No13 most of her age-group years although she is No25 for Colgate.

In her two seasons at Colgate, Stockill has played in all 61 games, including nine starts. She was a Patriot League All-Rookie Team member in her maiden season and has 68 career blocked shots, going down in the varsity's history as the ninth best.

"It was a little bit of a sophomore [second-year] slump for me because I didn't perform as well as a freshman [first year]," says the neuroscience student with a biology minor of the Nicci Hays Fort-coached university team who finished at the bottom of the table.

Stockill says an injury before the start of last season made life difficult for her.

"I had stitches after an elbow to my face so I lost a little confidence," she explains, adding wearing a protective mask impeded her vision.

Stockill, who has won NZ titles with HB U15 and HB U17 teams, sees the China tourney as a great platform to widen her horizon.

Add 40C heat, pollution and smokers and the matches will become a challenge.

"I've been training with high-calibre teammates and I'll be playing against the best in the world."