This years Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Patricia Muir.
Brought up on a farm in Oropi, 20 kilometers south of Tauranga, and one of nine children, Trish Muir fell in love with basketball in 1957 shortly after finishing high school.
Now in her 80’s Trish and is still involved with the game today being a stalwart of the Walking Basketball programme in Tauranga. More affectionately known as SWISH – Senior Women Into Shooting Hoops – the Walking Basketball programme founded in 2016 runs twice weekly
Back to 1957 and Trish joined the Atomic club that had been established in 1946. Trish captained the side from 1959-2006 – 47 years!! Suffice to say Atomic and Trish are synonymous. The club played in many tournaments and competitions in Tauranga and around the North Island.
Trish was also a rep player and was a member of the 1961 Tauranga team that won both the North Island and National Championships. She also went on to manage the team after stepping down from playing at that level.
From 1976 – 1983 Trish administered and refereed the local miniball competition. In addition she coached at St George’s Youth Group, Greerton Primary School and Tauranga Girls College.
Tauranga Basketball Association awarded Trish a Life Membership in 1988 and that year she was instrumental in setting up the Atomic Masters Tournament which ran annually until 2018.
Between 1989 and 2004 Trish and the Atomic team attended the first Masters Games in Wanganui and went on to play at numerous tournaments in New Zealand and Australia.
