A record number of New Zealand referees have been selected by FIBA for international basketball events this year, including a number of high-profile World, Asia and Oceania tournaments.
This follows on from ten New Zealand referees recently being granted international licences by FIBA for the 2021-2023 licensing cycle – also a record for Aotearoa.
BBNZ’s National Referee Instructor, Peter Rodgers says that New Zealand’s participation in FIBA Asia competitions has opened up further opportunities for Kiwi referees to gain much-needed international experience.
“Several of the new international licence holders have gained appointments to Asian tournaments, which are all great opportunities for our referees,” says Rodgers.
Being able to officiate games at this level is vital for their growth, their confidence and experience raises their level of ability – which bodes well for the future of refereeing in this country.”
Rodgers says that for many, this is their first taste of refereeing at an international level.
“It is particularly pleasing to see our younger referees, who have worked hard on their way up the pathway through the national age-group tournaments to reach international level, get this opportunity.
“With the training the referees get while they’re at these tournaments, I expect them to gain personally from the experience for their own development – and also to bring back things they can share with their fellow referees in New Zealand.”
One of the referees selected is Ryan Jones, who has been appointed to the pinnacle event of 2022 – the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Sydney in September – as well as officiating the FIBA Under-17 Men’s World Cup in Spain in July.
Jones says that he is grateful for the opportunity to gain experience at these tournaments.
“Having been appointed to a couple of international events this year – in particular the Women’s World Cup in Sydney – is awesome, and personally for me it’s the realisation of a lifelong ambition and goal,” says Jones.
“To me involved with the sport at the highest level, and to be afforded these opportunities, is something I’m incredibly grateful for.”
Jones says that the number of referees set to participate in international events, bodes well for their growth and experience – and in turn the quality of kiwi basketball officials in the future.
“It’s a huge honour for our New Zealand officials to be selected for such high-profile events across the world this year; and some of them are young, up-and-coming referees which is a huge bonus for the growth of the sport in this country.
“There’s a lot of hard work, determination and sacrifice required to serve the game at a high level, so it’s rewarding to see these young guys and young girls receive this honour.”
New Zealand International Referee Appointments:
- Callum Welch: 12–20 Jun, FIBA Asia U16 Men’s Championship, Qatar
- Sasha Nicholson: 24 Jun–1 Jul, FIBA Asia U16 Women’s Championship, Jordan
- Dallas Pickering: 30 Jun–4 Jul, FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Window 3
- Ryan Jones: 2–10 Jul, FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup, Malaga, Spain
- Marty Davison*: 9–17 Jul, FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup, Debrecen, Hungary
- Matt Bathurst: 12– 24 Jul, FIBA Asia Cup, Jakarta
- Sam Pan: 18– 29 Aug, FIBA Asia U18 Men’s Championship, Iran
- Tayla Ammunson: 2–12 Sep, FIBA Asia U18 Women’s Championship, India
- Ryan Jones: 22 Sep–1 Oct, FIBA Women’s World Cup, Sydney, Australia
- Sherhon Martin, Toni Smith-Hunwick: Nov 2022, FIBA Oceania U15 Championships, Guam
* Marty Davison was selected by FIBA to attend the other main world event this year, the FIBA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Hungary, but unfortunately he is unable to take up the appointment due to work and family commitments.
