Kāpiti Basketball Director of Coaching Angelo Robinson reports:
The New Zealand Basketball Academy 15 & Under Boys and Girls teams have just arrived back in New Zealand after competing in the prestigious Las Vegas Live tournament in the United States. This tournament is a well known fixture on the Division 1 NCAA recruiting schedule, and boasts past alumni such as NBA All Stars Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Andrew Bynum.
Both the teams had strong showings, with the girls team featuring Kāpiti College student and KBA Under17 Girls Rep player Emily Teono making it all the way to the Grand Final – beating previously undefeated Seattle EDC in a hotly contested semifinal matchup. The team lost the final to the well drilled Las Vegas Elite Team.
The teams also had the opportunity to spend time at the NBA Summer League and were able to spend some time with Kiwi NBA legend Sean Marks who had some great words of encouragement for them.
The tour was a great success with all the players experiencing what it takes to compete at the next level and to be more competitive. Already several of the New Zealand players are on the watch list for future scholarships to the USA.
