15 year-old Kiama Tahere shooting one of her famous three-pointer shots. Photo/Supplied.
What started out as a bit of family fun at home has blossomed into a bright future for aspiring basketball player, Kiama Tahere.
The 15 year-old recently returned to the Hokianga with her whānau from the Gold Coast (Australia) and is already proving she is one to watch in the basketball world.
The Ngāpuhi teen's love for the sport started at six-years-old where she would watch her older brother, Quezon and dad, Izzy, train in their garage.
Her dad also ran a basketball club on the Gold Coast and that's where Kiama developed her playing skills and went on to represent Queensland in the Basketball State Championships.
Upon returning to Aotearoa, Kiama was keen to continue playing and was recently selected to represent Northland Basketball at the AON U15 Nationals in Auckland.
Kiama played with a talented group of girls under the direction of Coach Freda Riwai and Jamie Tito and led the national tournament last month, averaging more than 25 points per game.
The teen, who usually plays Point Guard and Shooting Guard, stood out due to her exceptional ball handling and shooting skills.
Mum Jodi Tahere said she and Izzy were extremely proud of everything their daughter had achieved so far and looked forward to seeing what the future would bring.
"Kiama has been thriving since we came home and we are excited to see where the next few years take her," she said.
"At last month's AON Under 15s National Tournament, she was selected for the National Tournament Team, which made her one of the top 10 players in the country for her age group.
"She did extraordinarily well and was able to score 26 three-pointer shots across five games in fours days.
"In one game, she did nine shots which is basically unheard of, so she's definitely making herself known."
Kiama has since represented Northland in the FIBA 3x3 Competition in Auckland and hopes to represent New Zealand in the Under 17 age group next year.
Jodi said Kiama was determined to get her education and had her sights set on eventually getting in to America's Women's National Basketball Association.
"Kiama's ultimate goal is to get a scholarship with Brigham Young University in the United States, so she knows she needs to get good grades to make that happen," she said.
"We've always encouraged her to have a back-up plan while she worked on her basketball goals, so she recently accepted a position at Hamilton Girls High School which offers a basketball program.
"Tyler Wilkinson is the Under 17 Woman's New Zealand Coach and also coaches at Hamilton Girls High School, so that will provide Kiama with a high level of coaching.
"She wants to represent New Zealand as much as possible while she can and because she works hard and is committed to her training, we have no doubt she can do that.
"It's ultimately why she's so successful out on the court."
Northland Basketball head coach and family friend, Raymond Cameron has known Kiama since she was little and said her playing in the past six months had proven she was Northland's next rising star.
"I went to school with Kiama's dad who was also a talented basketball player and I see the same fire in her," Cameron said.
"She's got a great competitive nature, she's very determined and she's got good game IQ, plus she's very strong, so all that combined makes for a very skilled athlete.
"I'm absolutely certain that with those attributes coupled with a good school program and the pedigree of coaching she'll receive, she'll only develop that talent further and will be one for the scouts to watch.
"We've got so much talent coming out of Northland, we always have had, in all sports, but the reality is, we don't yet have the infrastructure or support mechanisms to compete with Auckland or the Waikato, so most of our up and coming sports stars have to leave."
Today Kiama will take on a new position training with the Northland Phoenix Women's Team as they prepare to head off to Auckland compete in the D-League Tournament next Thursday.