Putting on black singlet 'a dream' for Rotorua teen

Rotorua Boys' High School basketballer Sharne Perham is in the Philippines with the under-17 New Zealand team. Photo / Stephen Parker

New Zealand Basketball has thrown an alley-oop to Sharne Perham and he plans to slam it home.

The Rotorua Boys' High School student has been selected to play for the New Zealand under-17 basketball team in the Philippines this week.

Joining him on the trip is RBHS basketball coach Doug Courtney, the squad's assistant coach.

Sharne said his selection to represent his country came as a surprise.

He had been on the selectors' radars throughout national tournaments and was invited to an identification trial earlier this year.

"I was really surprised when I made the team because I had never played around such good talent like that before. I was around really good players, so was shocked when I made it.

"Being selected has really boosted my confidence and I'm looking forward to having fun. I'm ready to get out there on the court, it's going to be exciting," Sharne said.

The point guard has been playing basketball since he was 7 and said it was a dream to be able to put on the black singlet.

The Perham family are no strangers to sporting talent - Sharne's older brothers played representative rugby, rugby league and cricket.

He said his ultimate goal was to play in the NBA.

"My family were really blown away, for this to be my first national team, representing my country."

Rotorua Boys' High School basketball coach Doug Courtney has been selected as assistant coach of the New Zealand under-17 basketabll team. Photo / Stephen Parker

Courtney said it would be a great experience for the boys to play in a country where basketball was the national sport in front of crowds of up to 20,000.

"I'll definitely be seeing what is out there, bringing what I know and what I see back to our school programme - our academy programme.

"Sitting down with coaches and seeing what technical and tactical strategies we could possibly implement into our programme which gives our boys a heads-up on what is happening internationally in basketball.

"I've seen Sharne develop over the years and he has that natural athleticism, he's quite quick. He has a natural feel for the game and an aggressive nature on court which helps him to perform.

"I've seen him grow from even when he was first selected until now as a person and he's become more of a leader in our group. That's what I'm excited about," Courtney said.

The tour, which began on Wednesday, has been facilitated by former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin who has been coaching in the Philippines since 2014.

Staying at Ateneo University in Manila, the team will play against local universities, high schools and two games against the Filipino national under-16 team.

The eight-day programme is a lead-up to the Under-16 FIBA Asia Championships in October.