'Lucky' kids face Classic test

ROAD TRIP: The Whanganui basketball teams board their rides for the trip to Tauranga on Thursday afternoon.PHOTOS/STUART MUNRO

THE NEW generation of Whanganui basketballers departed on the trip of a lifetime on Thursday as this Easter weekend sees them among more than 140 age group representative teams entering the Mel Young Classic.

After an open tryout in January, the Whanganui Basketball Association was able to raise boys and girls under-17 squads and an under-19 boys team to compete this season in an attempt to put junior representative basketball back on the map in this town.

The squads have been training four times a week, including 6am starts and gym sessions, to get ready for this weekend, while they have played warm-up tournaments in Paraparaumu this month.

Local basketball personalities like Paul Berridge, Anthony Brown, Taare Henry and Ross Cronshaw have come on board as the coaches.

Assisting them is Whanganui's Akira Marsters, the former NBL Nelson Giants player and New Zealand under-23 captain, who did not have the advantage of a local representative team when he was coming up through the grades.

"I had to go to Palmerston North or Nelson," Marsters said on Thursday, as the team vans departed Springvale Stadium and headed for Tauranga.

"I say to myself, 'these kids are lucky'.

"They've got high school basketball on Maori TV now. The young ones can see what they need to improve on.

"Now we've got serious players that want to play."

Berridge said their teams would be among the smallest at the classic, but they had athleticism and speed.

"Realistically, I think they're in with a good chance. As far as pathway representative teams in the city, we're already above expectations with what we've delivered in the last two months.

"We've got some sleepers in the way of the girls. We've got two [future] New Zealand players within the next two years."

The under-17 girls team has some talent in the form of their captain Maarie Mareikura Ellery and forward/guard Maia Ramis.

Meanwhile the under-19 boys team has brought on board 2.03m tall Raniera Walker, whose mother and uncle both represented New Zealand, and has been a fixture for the Wanganui High School team while Berridge also took him to Malaysia with the HoopNation squad.

After the Mel Young Classic, Berridge hopes to get the Whanganui teams into Basketball NZ's regional qualifiers for the nationals later this year.

The traditional Easter tournament was renamed the Mel Young Easter Basketball Classic as a tribute to the long-time Hamilton player, referee, coach and administrator, who died last year.

All major North Island associations are sending teams, and there will be Australian invitational squads as well.

The under-11s through to under-15s are playing in Rotorua, while Whanganui's teams have their tournaments in Tauranga at the ASB Arena, Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre and Aquinas College gym.

The under-17 girls had their first games against New Plymouth and CMBB Franklin yesterday, while they take on Te Tai Tokerau and Thames Valley today.

Their counterparts in the boys team played Waitakere and Thames Valley yesterday, with today's draw depending on the results.

It is the same for the under-19 boys, who faced Palmerston North and Te Tai Tokerau in their first games.

The tournament concludes on Monday.