Basketball New Zealand has named the men’s and women’s Under 17 National teams competing in the FIBA-Oceania Championships.
 
The competition takes place in Noumea, New Caledonia from the 19 - 24 August, where a top-two finish secures a place in the FIBA-Asia Under 18 Championships in 2020.
 
Earlier this year, Basketball New Zealand hosted the New Caledonian Under 17 National teams, as they took part in Basketball New Zealand age-group selection camps.
 
Both teams will come together in August to prepare the tournament, before travelling to the Pacific Island in the hope qualifying for Asia next year.
 
U17 FIBA-Oceania Championship 2019 (Women)
Waiata Jennings - Rotorua
Jessica Moors - Harbour
Caitlin O'Connell - Taranaki Country
Olivia Williams - New Zealand
Arielle Williams - New Zealand
Ashlee  Strawbridge - Canterbury
Emilee Bree Tahata - New Zealand
Hannah Louise Matehaere - Otago
Ella Paleaae-Cook - New Zealand
Parris Mason - New Plymouth
Rochelle Fourie - Manawatu
Sophie Rose Adams - Mid Canterbury
 
Coaching Staff
Hernando Planells - Head Coach
Melissa Downer - Assistant Coach
Bronwen Davidson - Assistant Coach
Shay Haira - Assistant Coach
Shannon Spicer - Team Physio
Kat Wills - Team Manager
 
U17 FIBA-Oceania Championship 2019 (Men)
Ezrah Vaigafa - Wellington
Alexander McNaught - Auckland
Connor Ngan - Auckland
Taine Murray - Harbour
Sean Murphy - Harbour
Reihana Maxwell-Topia - Harbour
Ezekiel Stallworth - Wellington
Finn Lally - Waikato
Robert  Coman - Auckland
Mac Stodart - Canterbury
Campbell Atkinson - Harbour
Rishon Royce - Auckland
 
Coaching Staff
Aaron Fearne - Head coach
Matt Lacey - Assistant Coach
Lindsay Tait - Assistant Coach
Aaron Young - Assistant Coach
Lidia Belles Escrig - Team Physio
Mike Cockburn - Team manager

​Basketball New Zealand has named the Junior Tall Black team travelling to Greece for the FIBA Under 19 World Cup.
 
Sixteen teams will battle it out in Heraklion, Greece, from 29 June to 7 July, for their chance to be crowned world champions.
 
The Junior Tall Blacks have been grouped with competition heavyweights The United States, as well as 2017 World Cup quarter-finalists Lithuania, and Senegal. A top-two finish is needed to progress to the knockout stages.
 
Their first contest is with the US on 29 June. Head Coach Gavin Briggs said he can’t wait to face-off against the “basketball powerhouse”.
 
“People would think that the biggest game for us would be against the Australians, but honestly I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for a game than for our first game in the World Cup.
 
“That game can’t come soon enough.”
 
The team leaves for Paris on 19 June, where they will play Canada, France and Puerto-Rico in an International tournament in preparation for the World Cup.
 
 
2019 Junior Tall Blacks (New Zealand Under 19) - FIBA Under 19 World Cup
 
Flynn Cameron, New Zealand
 
Kruz Perrott-Hunt, North Harbour
 
Isaac Faamausili, Manawatu
 
Jaga Mete-Smith, Waitakere
 
Max de Geest, Canterbury
 
Oscar Oswald, Manawatu
 
Samuel Mennenga, North Harbour
 
Maxim Stephens, Waikato
 
Tomas Higgins, Canterbury
 
Maxwell Darling, Nelson/Canterbury
 
Rawiri Poppe, Waikato
 
James Moors, North Harbour
 
 
Staff
 
Gavin Briggs - Head Coach
 
Miles Pearce - Assistant Coach
 
Leyton Haddleton - Assistant Coach
 
Glenda Kaan - Manager
 
Todd Wolfe - Physio

• By Adam Blackwell

Food poisoning cut short 16-year-old point guard Jordan Rangitawa’s New Zealand Under 19 basketball camp last weekend but she has plenty more to look forward to this year.

The year 13 student, who is entering her fifth and final year in the Hutt Valley High School Senior A basketball team, has big aspirations.

Among those are getting selected to the New Zealand Under 19 team to play in the Oceania Championships in New Caledonia in August this year, as well as trying to earn a scholarship to play in the United States next year.

Part of competing for a spot in the New Zealand Under 19 team was the New Zealand basketball age group selection camp held in Auckland this past weekend.

Unfortunately, Rangitawa came down with food poisoning and said she was “absolutely gutted” that she had to return home early from the camp.

If she is successful in making the New Zealand Under 19 team it will add to her growing list of representative honours.  In the past few years, Rangitawa has been selected for Wellington Under 17, New Zealand U16, and the New Zealand Basketball Academy Varsity team.

In addition to making the New Zealand U19 team, she also had goals of claiming the Wellington Female Basketball Player of the Year and performing well individually and as a team at this years national secondary school tournament.

These lofty goals are backed up by Rangitawa’s exceptional work ethic; she has basketball specific training seven times a week and also goes to the gym twice a day.  “I always take a day off to rest and recover though,” she said.

Rangitawa has also played representative level netball, as well as touch and volleyball but has recently focused solely on basketball in the hope of gaining a United States college basketball scholarship.  An opportunity she said some of her friends are already relishing.

“I have a few friends overseas at the moment experiencing this,” she said.  “They love it over there.”

When it comes to role models Rangitawa doesn’t have to look further than her own household. She said her parents were her biggest role models and they have helped in so many different ways, from fundraising for her basketball trips to putting things into perspective for her.

“Not only do I wanna continue with basketball because this is what I want, but also I want to succeed because of them,” she said.