Basketball: Talented locals can follow Stockhill to US

Bay Tall Fern Josie Stockill is shut down by Shanice Swain (left) Kelsey Ballantyne and Jordan Brown during last night's match in Hastings. Photo / Paul Taylor

Colgate Uni 80 HB Invitational 52 Basketball, Hastings

Hawke's Bay Tall Ferns forward Josie Stockill was quick to heap kudos on the opposition after last night's international basketball match in Hastings.

"The Hawke's Bay Invitation team did well and it was awesome to play against some of the players I used to play with," Stockill said after her Colgate University Raiders beat the Hawke's Bay Invitational team 80-52 in front of a packed Hastings Sports Centre.

"There were so many people here who have helped me over the years and I'm really proud to have been able to play in front of them with the Raiders and give something back to the Bay," Stockill said.

Stockill scored 18 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and made five blocks while admiring her Bay opponents at the same time.

"There are so many of those players who could follow my path and take up United States-based scholarships if they wanted to ... we all know about the high-calibre players who come out of the Bay."

Top of the list was classy point guard Kimiora Poi who was the architect of the hosts' early 11-2 lead.

The coach of the invitation side and a former long-time age-group coach of Stockill, Shane Brown, agreed Poi, a New Zealand Secondary Schools netball rep this year, had the potential to make an impact in the States.

"She is a top netballer but she is a great basketballer too."

Brown couldn't have been happier with the occasion.

"It wasn't about the score. It was about the experience and our girls got to play against some quality opponents and they can now gauge what they have to do if they want to chase play at a higher level."

The score was 15-all with 3m44s remaining in the first quarter and the Raiders took the lead for the first time at 18-17. The Raiders led 40-31 at halftime.

As expected wen the Raiders increased the tempo their hosts were found wanting. Ariel Etheridge was lethal with her three-point shots.

Basketball Hawke's Bay's staff development officer and former international referee Donnette Daly said it was the first time an international fixture in New Zealand had been controlled by three females. They were Macherie Edwards, Vanessa Sadler and Joss Mataira.

This was the Raiders' third consecutive win on their New Zealand tour. They play Wellington in Porirua tomorrow before returning home.

Earlier yesterday Stockill and her Colgate University teammates were guests at an awards ceremony for New Zealand representatives and cultural achievers at her former school Napier Girls' High School. Her mother Karen, a former NGHS teacher, said the NGHS students were blown away when their visitors responded with the Te Aroha waiata during the traditional powhiri.

Stockill, who studied Maori up to level 2 when at NGHS, did her first karanga when leading the manuhiri into the school hall.

"It's been an emotional couple of days. We're used to going to the States to visit Josie and watch the team play but when the entire team turned up at our house on Monday night it was one of the more emotional experiences we've had as a family," her mother said.

During yesterday's ceremony, Stockill, a 21-year-old neuroscience major who will graduate early next year, and her Raiders coach Nicci Hays congratulated each of the recipients.The NGHS students giggled when Hays kept referring to their principal Mary Nixon as "Principal Nixon" as is the norm in the States.

"Our students are used to calling her Miss or Mrs Nixon but I think Principal Nixon will stick for the rest of the term at least," Stockill's mother quipped.

The Raiders had a shared morning tea with year 13 students before attending at a question and answer session at a geography class. This morning Stockill and another Raider were to have a similar session with a leadership group from Hawke's Bay's IMS Payroll Paul Henare-Paora Winitana Basketball Academy.