|
Join the Rams
E-Mail List Here
|
RAMS
NEWS: KORU TEA & WNBL FINALS
by Piet Van Hasselt
12 August 2002
  1. DREW AND T-LEW MAKE KORU
SQUAD
Congratulations to the Canterbury Rams duo of Andrew
Gardiner and Terrence Lewis who
were named today in the New Zealand Koru Team to take
part at the Wollongong World Basketball Challenge in
Australia next month. The squad is essentially a NZ
"A" squad and will take on two Australian
National League teams and a Lithuanian club side from
September 11-14. Gardiner is no stranger to national
honours, representing the Tall Blacks from 1994-2001. A
no-nonsense hard-working forward, Gardiner is expected to
add veteran nuance to the squad. Gardiner starred for the
Rams this season, filling the sixth man position role
admirably, averaging 10.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in just
18 minutes per game off the bench. Since becoming a NZ
Citizen in 2000, Terrence Lewis has been pushing for the
one naturalised position for the Tall Blacks. This season
Lewis moved to the Rams and certainly did not disappoint,
setting the NBL alight with his explosive scoring ability
and defensive pressure culminating in four NBL awards.
Lewis was a member of the Tall Black squad to China and
the home series against Hungary.
2002 NZ Koru Men's Team:
Guards: Paora Winitana (C) (Kings), Terrence
Lewis (Rams), Lindsay Tait (Stars), Tu-Umaga
Marshall (Titans).
Forwards: Clifton Bush (Jets), Daryl Cartwright
(Stars), Andrew Gardiner (Rams), David
Hopoi (Titans), Miles Pearce (Jets), Brendon Polyblank
(Saints), Mika Vukona (Giants), Jason Greig (Kings).
Coach: Wayne Brown (Jets). Assistant Coach: Todd
Marshall (Nuggets).
Reserves: Michael Fitchett (Nuggets), Troy
McLean (Saints).
Sept 11 - vs Wollongong Hawks - Australian NBL champs in
2001
Sept 12 - vs West Sydney Razorbacks - Australian NBL
runners-up in 2002
Sept 13 - vs Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius - Lithuania Champs
Sept 14 - Playoff game (Final & 3rd/4th places)
2. THANKS TO LESLIE FAVRE
Yesterday Canterbury Ram's American Intern Leslie
Favre returned home to the USA after completing
a stint as the team's Operations Manager. On behalf of
the Rams I'd like to say a big thanks to Leslie for all
of the time and effort she put into the role as without
it a number of the Ram's programmes would not have been
possible. Her excellent work contributed to her study at
Ohio University, where she has two years left in the dual
masters program for an MBA (Masters of Business
Administration) and MSA (Masters of Sport
Administration). In her spare time (not much) during her
stay in Christchurch, she was a key player with the
Canterbury Wildcats and helped the team to a spot in the
WNBL final. Best wishes to Leslie for her study and
future endeavours.
3. BOWDEN OFF TO
USA'S TILTON
Silky-smooth Canterbury Rams guard Gerard Bowden
is off to The Tilton School in New Hampshire in a few
weeks. Bowden has received a US $28,000 scholarship to
Tilton, an exclusive college preparatory school, where he
will study and play basketball with the hopes of
receiving a basketball scholarship to an NCAA Division I
school the following year. Last year Rams player Luke
Ruscoe attended Brewster Academy, another “prep
school” in New Hampshire, on a comparable
scholarship. Ruscoe has since been awarded a basketball
scholarship to Brown University in America’s
exclusive Ivy League.
Click the below link to check out Tilton School's website
(hopefully they will update their basketball section
during the season):
http://www.tiltonschool.org/
4. WNBL FINALS: WILDCATS FALL AT FINAL HURDLE
Unfortunately for Canterbury Basketball fans the Women's
National League Basketball team, Canterbury Wildcats,
could not emulate their pulsating semi-final finish the
previous night, and fell to the Waikato Lady Titans at
Cowles Stadium on Saturday in the final, 60-88. Waikato
were able to answer any Wildcats scoring runs and played
their offensive schemes to perfection. The Lady Titans
gave little up on defence, making it difficult for the
Wildcats to feed Tall Fern supremo Gina Farmer.
American Guard Leslie Favre scored well
from the perimeter, with three long-range bombs, but Lady
Titans guard Leanne Walker was able to convert five
three-pointers in her game high tally of 26 points. The
win gave Waikato the national league double, with the
Titans beating the Nelson Giants last week in the Men's
NBL final. This is only the second time this feat has
been achieved in the history of both leagues in NZ
(Auckland won both titles in 1995).
Without a doubt the game of the weekend was the Wildcats
semi-final against the Auckland Sonics. In the closing
stages the Wildcats were leading by five points with a
half a minute to play. Sonics guard Noni Wharemate
stepped up and quickly slotted a three-pointer from
four-point range to bring them back in the game. Favre
converted one of two from the line at the other end, but
an old-fashioned three-point play from Wharemate with
just 7.3 ticks on the clock remaining tied the game at
64-all. Canterbury quickly advanced the ball up the court
through Favre, and made a brisk pass over to Ina
Schwabenland, who turned and let a shot fly from
three-point land, just beating the final buzzer . Her
prayer was answered as the basketball gods allowed the
attempt to "bank-in" off the Cowles backboard,
much to the delight of the crowd for a 67-64 victory.
A spirited Wellington Swish side took third place, after
beating the Auckland Sonics in the playoff for placings.
In the overall WNBL awards Gina Farmer was the only
Wildcat represented, despite strong seasons from Favre
and Schwabenland, taking home the Best Forward trophy and
being named to the All-Star Five. The Wildcats now face a
re-building phase with perhaps four of the starting five
not returning next year and Coach Eric Rees choosing not
to continue.
WNBL Awards:
Tournament MVP: Jody Tini (Waikato).
Best Defensive Player: Noni Wharemate (Auckland).
Best Guard: Leanne Walker (Waikato).
Best Forward: Gina Farmer (Canterbury).
Best Young Player: Tania Goldsmith (Hawkes Bay).
Coach of the Year: Chris Tupu (Waikato).
All Star Five: Leanne Walker, Tania Tupu, Jody Tini
(Waikato), Sally Farmer (Auckland), Gina Famer
(Canterbury).
Special thanks to Mike Coggan, the Canterbury Basketball
Association Executive Committee and the other volunteers
for
organising a successful weekend.
For boxscores and season statistics for the 2002 Wildcats
check out:
https://rams.org.nz/22wildcats.htm
 5. TALL BLACKS IN
EUROPE
In the final preparation for the upcoming World Champs
the Tall Blacks are currently on a five-game tour of
Europe, followed by two games against Canada and an
exhibition against Brazil in Indianapolis. After a
grueling 40 hour flight to France, the Tall Blacks had
two days rest before taking the court against France last
night. The Kiwis lost a tight tussle to an under-strength
France after one period of overtime, 92-97. Kirk Penney
starred with 26 points and his two pressure free throws
forced the extra period. A number of Tall Blacks fell
into foul trouble, forcing Coach Tab Baldwin to give all
of his squad a run. NBA player Tariq Abdul-Wahad scored
22 points for the 2000 Sydney Olympics silver medalists.
The Tall Blacks face France again tonight in a re-match.
France 97 (Tariq Abdul-Wahad 22, Paccelis Morlende 19,
Karim Souchu 13).
Tall Blacks 92 (Kirk Penney 26, Sean Marks 16, Phill
Jones 14, Pero Cameron 13).
Half-time: 52-42 (France leading)
TALL BLACKS SCHEDULE
Aug 11 - vs France, Toulouse, France - Lost 92-97 (OT)
Aug 12 - vs France, Toulouse, France
Aug 15 - vs Yugoslavia, Branschweig, Germany
Aug 16 - vs Germany, Branschweig, Germany
Aug 17 - vs Lithuania, Branschweig, Germany
Aug 20 - vs Canada, St Catharine's, Ontario
Aug 21 - vs Canada, London, Ontario
Aug 27 - vs Brazil, Indianapolis, USA
Aug 29 - Sep 8 - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
6. CHECKERS IN HUGE UPSET OVER MINTIES
Led by mammoth efforts from Canterbury Rams' Captain Dave
Langrell, Tim Edmonds and Boyd Smart, Checkers were able
to overcome a strong challenge from a talent-stacked
Minties squad in the Christchurch Casino Premier Men's
Club Final on Saturday at Cowles Stadium, 109-107. The
match was the game of the season ebbing and flowing, with
outstanding athletic plays the norm, in an exhibition of
run-and-gun basketball. Minties had a deep bench to call
upon, including current Rams Carlo Varricchio and
Salasopo Tulua and a number of Kaikoura Whale Rider
representatives. However, Checkers were too good in the
closing stages, keeping their cool despite a strong
comeback from Minties. In the Men's U23 Final the Dene
Robinson-coached (Rams Assistant and Quest coach) HSOB
Hardyards team defeated SIT Blue, 67-58. The Women's
Premier Grade winners were Minties.
7. AUSSIES PAY-BACK NZ IN JUNIORS
Over the weekend, the Australians were able to exact some
partial sense of revenge against their NZ counter-parts
for the first time since the historic Tall Blacks upset
over the Australian Boomers in the Oceania qualification
series for the World Champs last year. The junior teams
met in a best of three-game series to see which country
would represent the Oceania region in the World Junior
Champs next year in Malaysia. Unfortunately for the NZ,
the Australians (nicknamed the Emus) won the series two
games to nil, courtesy of hefty 99-64 and 112-50
scorelines. Cantabrian Joel Hart scored 19 total points
in the two games. Isaac Heremaia and Jeremy Kench, who
both played with the Canterbury Quest this season, were
also in the squad coached by Cantabrian Phill Burns.
 SCENIC CIRCLE HOTELS
RAMS SUPPORTERS: WEEKEND SPECIAL
Stay at any Scenic Circle Hotel New Zealand Wide and pay
only $99 incl. GST per room (2 person per room), extra
person rate applies. Please make your bookings through
0800 NZ Owned (0800 69 69 63) and quote 'RAMS'. Special
conditions apply. Subject to availability. Special valid
from 1/4/02 - 1/9/02.
Please
feel free to forward this information to your basketball
friends. Newcomers can subscribe to Rams News by sending
an e-mail to [email protected] with "sign me
up" in the subject line. Comments about the
newsletter can be sent to [email protected]
BACK TO THE RAMS NEWS PAGE
|