Ross played basketball in Auckland from 1957 to 1968. During this time he took up the role of coach for the Auckland Women’s team, which he did for many years. He was also the Secretary and Treasurer to the Western Suburbs Basketball League for 21 years. In 1971 he coached the New Caledonia Men’s and Women’s National Teams at the South Pacific Games in Tahiti.
He coached and selected many New Zealand and North Island A and B women’s teams from the late 1970’s into the early 1980’s and was also the President of Auckland Women’s Basketball Association for more than 30 years. In 1985 Ross was the very first recipient of the Sir Lance Cross Memorial Award and in the same year was appointed as Executive Officer for the New Zealand Basketball Federation. 1987 was a busy year for Ross as he also Organised the Oceania Qualifying Tournament and it was also the year that the New Zealand men’s and women’s teams toured the USA on funds raised by Ross back in 1979. In 1989, Ross was appointed the NZ representative at the FIBA Oceania Congress.
His involvement in the game extends beyond coaching to include being Commissioner to the National Basketball League, Chef de Mission, Secretary and Treasurer of BRANZ and administrator at a local, regional and national level.
Ross, along with his wife Betty, were both awarded Life Members of Basketball New Zealand in 1997. In 2005 Ross was awarded an Auckland City Council Sporting excellence Award for Basketball.
