Tauranga's top teenage basketballers are gearing up to welcome competitors from around the North Island to town for the Mel Young Easter Basketball Tournament this Easter.
Tauranga City Basketball general manager Mark Rogers says the 32nd annual event runs from Good Friday, April 7, to Easter Monday, April 10, with 135 teams confirmed – including one from Australia. 'This is one of the four biggest tournaments in the country and the first rep competition of the season. We'll be running games at five venues around the city over four days.”
This means spectators can catch the action at Trustpower Arena, Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, Mount Sports Centre, Tauranga Boys' College and Aquinas College, with games from 10.30am-9pm Easter Friday, 9am-9pm Easter Saturday, 9am-7.30pm Easter Sunday and 9am-4pm on Easter Sunday.
Practice into play
Mark says 29 Bay of Plenty teams will compete against players from as far away as Taranaki and north of Auckland. All up, around 1400 tamariki from under-11 to under-19 rep teams will take to the court, accompanied by coaches, managers, referees, families and supporters. 'It's a great opportunity for the kids to see different faces and check out strategies and tactics that other teams are using. It also gives them the chance to try what they've been practising.”
Mark says the focus is on development. 'We have 40 referee mentors including seven from Australia. It's one of the few chances our players, coaches and refs get to have feedback so they can up their skill level.”
Honouring Mel
The Easter Tournament was renamed the Mel Young Easter Classic in 2016 to honour the dedication and work of Mel Young in providing opportunities for all involved in the game.
'Mel was one of the founders of Basketball Pacific so he was instrumental in pushing for development in the sport,” says Mark. 'He got NZ into the Asian competitions, which opened the way for the world champs.”
Mark says Mel forged a number of key relationships with like-minded basketball organisations, which now give players, coaches, managers and referees the opportunity to attend events like the Koru Tour and Jamboree in Australia. To find game times and venues, see: https://basketballpacific.com