Maia Jones enjoyed an outstanding 2022 on both international and domestic fronts. She led the New Zealand with distinction at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship and the FIBA U17 World Cup in Hungary. At the Worlds she led the team in scoring with 9.7 points per game and was second on the rebounding count with 6.7 per game. A month earlier she had helped New Zealand secure a berth at the World Champs with a fourth-place finish at the Asia Championship in Jordan. She led the team in scoring (13.7ppg) and assists (3.3 per game).
On the domestic front she played for U19 National Championship runners-up Canterbury and was named in the tournament team. Maia also played in the inaugural Tauihi Aotearoa for Mainland Paouakai and, at 17 years of age, scored 5 points on debut against Tokomanawa Queens. Then it was on to the Secondary Schools Nationals. Captaining Waimea College, attending their first championships since 2018, led all scorers (boys or girls) averaging 35.7points per game. Maia’s long domestic season came to an end at the Schick 3×3 Cup in October where she represented her hometown by playing for Nelson Sparks.
Maia also attended the Basketball Without Borders Asia NBA camp in Canberra where she distinguished herself by being awarded the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award. Maia has begun a basketball scholarship at St Mary’s College, California where she will be a freshman in the 2023-4 season commencing in October.
I’d like to invite Maia’s mum, Kat to receive this award on her behalf.
