Basketball: Coach has passion for the job

By PETER JESSUP

Tracy Carpenter's life revolves around basketballs.

The North Harbour Kings and Tall Ferns coach has his weekdays booked solid with coach-training and school schemes, and his nights and weekends are committed to the elite players.

The 44-year-old expatriate Californian describes last year's Sydney Olympic experience, as the assistant coach of the New Zealand women's team, as a dream.

The Ferns won only one game. They were well into round-robin play before they had the mental switch that they could match it with the best the rest of the world had to offer, but by then it was too late.

There have been the inevitable retirements from the Olympic squad. Coach Carl Dickel and the older hands he chose, including captain Kirsten Daly and Leonie Patterson, have all gone.

Some have left to pursue careers overseas. But the signals from the likes of Megan Compain in Philadelphia is that they want to wear the fern again, which is encouraging for Carpenter.

Family and work commitments have intervened for some. Others, though, have re-set their sights, given confirmation of basketball as a competition sport at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Carpenter starts an uncertain international programme this year with the nucleus of the Olympic squad, as he seeks to beat the Australians to the one Oceania qualifying spot for the world championships and future Olympics.

But the late 20s-early 30s players have gone and there is an age and experience gap down to the mid-20s.

The likes of the Farmer sisters Gina and Sally, Tania Brunton and Rebecca Cotton, who came through at Sydney, have to step up.

Netballers Donna Loffhagen and Belinda Colling have told Carpenter they will be available for the best-of-three world championship qualifying series against Australia.

He is hoping for international warm-up games, and Basketball New Zealand is pursuing Norway and China as possible opponents.

The women still lack competition. Only three teams from the North Island are in the national competition, and none of those are from Auckland.

Carpenter is happy that many players are gaining overseas experience. He calls them and their coaches to check availability, form and desire.

The Ferns' prospects had a training camp last month and another is planned for Queen's Birthday Weekend.

"The expectations have increased after the Olympics," Carpenter said.

Weekdays, he is employed by the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health on Auckland's North Shore.

Under construction near the Sovereign Stadium athletics track beside Rangitoto College is an Olympic-grade swimming pool, an indoor stadium which will include two basketball courts and a running track.

It's a mini-Australian Institute of Sport. The aim is to employ top coaches to produce top performers, as well as to encourage community involvement.

Carpenter is one of several sports leaders employed there. His job is introducing the game to schools, providing training and help for coaches.

After a career through California secondary schools then university-level teaching and coaching, Carpenter brings a new perspective.

He had a hand in who was and wasn't signed by the Kings this season. Then he let the players decide whom they wanted as captain, and the squad voted unanimously for last season's leader, Brendon Cathie-Pongia.

It's an unusual process for Kiwis to cop.

For Carpenter it was a natural. It was how he had learned things in the States.

"It obviously means a lot more to Brendon now. He worked hard to get to the Olympics last year. He missed out, but he's followed that on.

"Last year was his best season and he's that good again. It sends a message to some of the older guys in the league."

Carpenter has lost sharpshooter Kirk Penney (playing college ball in Wisconsin), Carl's son Mark Dickel, who played a few games last season and may or may not play a few this year, and American import-turned-resident Ronnie Joyner, 40, who has a hand injury and probably will not turn out this season.

Compatriot Purnell Perry, whose injury-enforced departure from the playoffs last season cost heavily, is also a doubtful starter.

Which leaves Carpenter's coaching ability sharply in focus.

He won't look fazed, even if he is. The tall, conservatively suited coach is quiet and composed by Kiwi standards, let alone American.

He has a bunch of newcomers brought up from the second division, players he is familiar with through the past couple of years of development since he joined Harbour to help the-then player-coach Tony Bennett.

That was in 1998. Before that, he had had two seasons at Waikato.

Carpenter has an understanding partner, a necessity for someone as often courtside as fireside.

"You have to love this game to spend as much time at it as I do," he said, adding "That's how it's been for the past 21 years."

No complaints.

The Kings open their account against the Hawkes Bay Hawks in Napier at 7.30 tonight.