Female basketball takes a back seat to netball in NZ, but if you look to the USA, there are perhaps better prospects for these girls than many realise ... Our top 4 for 2015 are:
Tegan Graham Wellington Girls’ College won their third consecutive Wellington title and Graham was the teams' leading scorer. At the Nationals Wellington was second to St. Peter's and Graham made the tournament team finishing among the top scorers at the tourney. Her 27-point effort in the semi-finals against Christchurch GHS was especially impressive. Graham has made back to back NZ Schools finals in her last two years at Wellington Girls. Shalae Salmon The Porirua 17-year-old has regularly represented her country at age-group level and next June will take up a four-year scholarship at BYU in Provo, Utah. Other American colleges, such as Boise State and University of Hawaii, were interested, but BYU was always her top choice because of her Mormon faith. Salmon made the tournament team at Nationals after big performances for her Wellington Girls' College. She has been one of the most sought after high school talents in New Zealand. Charlisse Leger-Walker Remarkably, Charlisse is only Year 9, but she can already boast two national titles (3x3 and senior). She was named on the National’s tournament team and has represented New Zealand at Under-16 and 17 levels. It's hard to recall a Year 9 student that has had such a strong impact in basketball in which the height and weight of older athletes is usually a considerable advantage. Krystal Leger-Walker The Tall Fern guided St Peter’s School in Cambridge to a national 3x3 and Senior title. She was named MVP of the tournament and dominated in combination with her younger Charlisse sister. Between them in the finals the sisters scored 90 of St. Peter's 162 points. Krystal played close to a perfect game in the decider. She scored 14 points snatched eight rebounds and shared six assists. The sisters’ most important performance was perhaps a game earlier in the semi-finals against Hamilton Girls’ High School. In a tough and low scoring affair, Hamilton led 28-19 at halftime. The sisters stepped up big time in the second half and St. Peter's won 43-40. Krystal ended with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Charlisse scored 15 points and collected 15 rebounds. |
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October 2023
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OrganisationCollege Sport Media is dedicated to telling the story of successful young sportspeople in New Zealand
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