Twelve boys’ teams and eleven girls’ teams will gather in Palmerston North to contest the 2019 Schick Championships ‘A’ Secondary Schools Nationals beginning on September 30th.
‘A’ Boys
New champions will be crowned at this year’s Boys’ Tournament after 2018 champions Stratford High School, who had won back-to-back National titles, failed to qualify for this year’s event.
Teams can’t afford too many mistakes as just the top-two teams from the two pools progress to the semi-finals on Day 3.
Opunake High School, winners of the North Island qualifiers, will hope to progress from Pool A to the semi-finals but will face tough competition. Te Aroha College and St Kevin’s College shape to be the most likely thorns.
Te Aroha, runners-up to Stratford in last year’s Schick Championships ‘A’ final, will be looking to Junior De Young to head their challenge.
St Kevin’s claimed the South Island Premiership title and will, remarkably, have guards Jack Souness and Mark Xie attending their fifth nationals. Also, look for Paea Fifita to surprise a few teams.
Kavanagh College, national champions in 2014, has the trio of Gabe Gallagher, Justin Clado and Ambrose Lee leading from the front.
The Christchurch teams of Hornby High School and Hillmorton High School round out the challengers in Pool A. Hillmorton’s Ihaia Cox-Winiata and Aleni Paulo will travel north with high hopes.
Mana College, finalists at the North Island qualifiers, will be looking to Kawharu Hippolite and Nathaniel Salmon to guide them through Pool B and beyond.
Manukura finished sixth last year and would love to better that with a top-four finish this time around.
Ngā Taiātea Wharekura, champions in 2009, and Melville High School, the 2015 champions, will be keen on a return to the podium while progressing to the semi-finals would be a massive achievement for Waihi College.
Catholic Cathedral School, Thomson Trophy Division II champions in Canterbury and runners-up at the South Island qualifiers, will be optimistic about a strong showing. Mart Dosdos was the MVP in their Thomson Trophy triumph, so expect him to play a major part for Catholic Cathedral.
‘A’ Girls
There will also be new girls’ Schick ‘A’ Champion in 2019, as last year’s winners Manukura are contesting the Schick Championships ‘AA’ this year.
Otago Secondary Schools finalist’s Kavanagh, winners of the South Island Premiership, will be a major challenger this year. They have plenty of players returning from last year’s campaign, as well as Otago Gold Rush players Annabelle Ring, Dre Whaanga and Anita Samasoni in their lineup.
It would be a surprise if Te Kura Kōkiri and Te Aroha are not the main opposition for Kavanagh in Pool B. New Zealand representative Hineaupounamu Nuku will be key for Kōkiri, with the Schuler sisters Breeje and Dejaan equally as important for Te Aroha.
Opposition defenders will have to be at their best to counter the inside presence of Tayla Taupaki and the perimeter threat of Sienna Taikato when they come up against Whangamata Area School.
Ngā Taiātea Wharekura, the final qualifiers from the North Island Premierships, will head down to Palmerston North from Hamilton looking to cause a few upsets, as will Cantabrian challengers Hornby.
Mercury Bay Area School enjoyed an outstanding run to claim the North Island Premiership with victory against Te Aroha. They look to be the team to beat in Pool A, with Holly McCleery and Emma Hinds-Senior leading an athletic team.
Offering resistance will be the free-running Buller High School, who placed second at the South Island Premierships. The Westport team is chasing their third national championship title. Their derby with fellow Coastys Greymouth High School on Tuesday afternoon should be worth watching.
Greymouth finished third at the South Island qualifiers and arguably have the most interesting lineup at the Schick Championships – they have four players named Ella plus a Rubie and a Ruby. Coach Cameron Birchfield’s timeouts will be an interesting listen!
Tararua College has Leah Powick, Ruby and Holly Ngaruhe leading their campaign and with just a short trip to Central Energy Trust Arena will no doubt enjoy strong local support.
Te Wharekura o Mauao is coached by Tane Bennett and will be looking for guards Te Marama Hika-Munroe and Te Ahikaa Bidios to navigate their team to a top-four bid.
SCHICK CHAMPIONSHIPS:
‘A’
Tournament Dates: 30 September – 3 October
City: Palmerston North
Host: Basketball Manawatu
Venue: Central Energy Trusts Arena
‘AA’
Tournament Dates: 30 September – 5 October
City: Palmerston North
Host: Basketball Manawatu
Venue: Central Energy Trusts Arena
Draw available here.
* The ‘A’ tournament is for schools that have a roll of less than 600 pupils for co-ed schools or less than 300 for single-gender schools. The ‘AA’ tournament is for schools with school roles over those figures.
For more go to www.nz.basketball and Basketball New Zealand’s social media channels: @BasketballNZ Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
