PG Arena No 1 pick for NBL playoffs

Pettigrew-Green Arena is the No 1 venue for the final four games of the Bartercard National Basketball League this season.

NBL board chairman Sam Rossiter-Stead confirmed yesterday the home of the HBS Bank Hawks in Taradale, Napier, were the front runners to host the play-offs but it wasn't a done deal just yet.

Sky TV, who provide coverage for the NBL final, are a pivotal part of the equation but its reluctance to leave the comfort of metropolitan centres in a cost-cutting exercise in previous seasons means Wellington has been the favoured venue in the predominantly all-North Island affairs.

"They [Sky TV] are one of the parties the board has been negotiating with but we're slowly getting there so we're very hopeful," Rossiter-Stead said from Wellington.

Even though the Hawks started their season sluggishly and face the prospect of possibly missing out on the play-offs, he didn't anticipate any problems.

"The Bay has a very strong following of loyal supporters so even though the Hawks may miss out the board is convinced they will turn out to watch.

"How often do you get the best four NBL teams playing in the one place in a country in one weekend?" Rossiter-Stead asked.

Th Hawks have won the NBL title only once, in 2006.

Harlem Globetrotters basketball player, "Scooter Christensen" will be in Napier on Monday to promote the Globetrotters exhibition game which will be played at Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena on May 31.

Christensen will be talking to the Hawks at the Arena from 10.30am and then school students from 10.45am. One of the students is a Napier girl who years ago won a ticket to a Harlem Globetrotters game and she is going to use the ticket in Napier.

The Harlem Globetrotters are a worldwide icon, synonymous with one-of-a-kind family entertainment and great basketball skills. The Globetrotters organisation represents 87 years of breaking down barriers, acts of kindness, and a commitment to fans that goes well beyond the game. The "Ambassadors of Goodwill" have dazzled and dunked their way into the hearts of more than 136 million fans worldwide, visiting 122 countries on six continents.