BASKETBALL

I played basketball since age 10. Down in the basement I would dribble around the furnace and I would shoot a deflated ball (so it was small enough) over the duct and between joists. One summer the Breths built a garage with a concrete slab for about 15' in front. I managed to convince them to let me build a backboard on it. Me and the neighborhood must have played thousands of games over ten years. I would shoot buckets at Gary Olson's but his drive had a slope so it wasn't ideal.		with Bill Breth
5th Grade	1) My team, The Gophers, was one of two chosen to play at half-time for a high school game. I can still recall how awed I was being this small insignificant thing on this gigantic court with SO MANY people watching. I think I only got my hands on the ball once. Intercepted it (I was speedy quick back then) and I froze with horror. Finally threw the ball to a teammate and felt so relieved that I hadn't screwed up. The after school basketball was run by Mr. Hall, a 6th grade teacher. At one session some of the high school team came over to give a demonstration. I still recall Bill Davis talking to me. He was my hero back then, and probably still is. Funny how memories work. I can only recall one thing that Mr Hall said to me. I had gotten a rebound right under the basket, did a pivot step and put the ball up for 2 points. He told me that I had made a good move. Won 12 - Lost 6. Played guard and forward. In sixteen games I made 26 goals and 4 free throws for 56 points and a 3.5 average. I can still hear Gary Olson yelling "Don't let him shoot" when we played his team.
6th Grade	Bandits: After school intramural league. Won 3 - Lost 6. I played 6 games and scored 36 points for 6.0 average.
1958-63	Olson and I went to a few Richfield and De high school games each year. We would sit at the top of a bleacher and when an opposition player was having free throws we would yell: "See that basket, see that ball. Come on Meathead, hit the wall". This was years before Archie Bunker. We also yelled: "Regurgitate, regurgitate. Throw up all the food you ate".
1955-67	Our Richfield driveway consisted of large white rocks so I never put up a basket. Daniels built a garage and put a basket, so that was another place where played. Fair's put up a basket onto a cottonwood and I would shoot there once in awhile. For while a group of us played at Gary Johnson's and even at Elliott School outdoor court. The place we had in Bloomington (1963-64) had a slope so no basket, but I did play games at Frank's who lived behind us.
1960	Olson and I spent a week at the farm. We put a basket up on the garage - no backboard.
1960-1964	Gary Olson and I would bus in to watch De play. One year Gleason was our top scorer. He would start the game with three shots from the corner and when the defense finally tried to stop him he would dump the ball off to Evans for an easy layup (as a coach I tried to use that play with George Bakker who could hitthem from the same spot). In our senior year Evans (a very large person) came down on Holker (the best player). One of them was unconscious and other sprained an ankle.	1963-4
7th Grade	After school intramural league. The teacher chose me and asked me to chose 4 boys. I chose my friends and we were made the captains. So the only friend I ended up with on my team was Gary Johnson. I chose Terry Anderson, Brian Torgeson, D. McDowns and some other kid. Won 1 - Lost 9. I played 8 games and scored 16 points for 2.0 average.
8th Grade	Leopards. After school intramural league. Bruce Etter was a fast guard, Chuck Birch a first class forward and Jon Berquist was the biggest boy in class. I only made one basket for the year, mainly because I hardly ever got the ball. Still I was happy to win the Ole Brown Jug.
High School	Too short to make the school teams. In 1961 I tried out again and during a srimmage game I scored a bucket. But I was on homeroom team in intramural Saturday games. And I was a top scorer. Whenever the school won the State Tournament we would get the next day off. And, of course, De won each year.
1965-7	While at university I hung out with a group composed of my friends from Richfield days and from De la Salle days. This led to sports challenges inclduing basketball. The De team practiced in the Sports Field building. Our games were played on outdoor park courts. And ten years later Olson was still shouting; "Don't let him shoot".
1967-8	Honeywell Records. A work team playing in gyms of downtown Minneapolis. Won 5 - Lost 3. I played in four games as sub when the team was short.
1967-8	Honeywell Records. A work team playing in gyms of downtown Minneapolis. Won 5 - Lost 3. I played in four games as sub when the team was short.
1968	Jan 14. The only time I went to a professional basketball game. It was at the Met Center in Bloomington. Minnesota Muskies vs Oakland in ABA. The league used a red-white-blue basketball as opposed to the normal orange one. Real reason I went with a couple Honeywell mates was our friend Darrell was playing in a pre-game for Honeywell that lost to 3M.
1969	At Peace Corps training camp in Ookala, Hawaii we challenged the locals to a game. Even though we were taller the short teeangers ran circles around us. I can't believe that I kept up for the whole game. Terry Ford had been on a reserve team at UC and he could pop in outside shots with either hand.
1971-2	Fiji. I took the legs off the kitchen table and put it up in the tree right out the back door. We had to level a 10' x 10' area. Soon had many people playing it for the first time. Fijians, being under British control, knew about netball and so had some idea of the game. It was definitely a novelty. When Gail came we were moved to a better grade house on a hill with no trees. So I put the backboard up on a tree down below us. I am sure some people thought I was crazy. Some many years later a proper basketball court was built there.
1973	First day at Rosehill, Perry Cunningham told me I was the school's coach and that night I was playing on the team. The boys were in the Papakura Men's league, as there was no organized school competition. I hadn't run so much, so fast in a few years. The boys all would run after the ball, instead of playing in a position. Both the boys and I got better as the season went along and we won Most Improved team trophy. Won 8 Lost 10. Played 15 Scored 70 points for a 4.7 average only playing as a substitute. I ended up on the Papakura Basketball Association commmittee. I was the statistician and Under 21 Boys rep team coach.
1973	First game at YMCA. Had to borrow 20 cents to get into the Papakura Community Center. Watched a few games and I played on the Rosehill team (not a school competition - so boys played in an adult league). Lost 21-12. I made a layup and an outside shot before I pooped out and even tripped over my own feet (first time I wore my gym shoes in years). Gail came to watch and she met Lynn Hunt. Last game ended in a fight!
1973	Played on a combined team at the Y that Johnny Taylor put together for a tournament. Beat Tigers 18-14. Beat Paeroa 26-18. Played Eagles in the final. It was 4-4 at the half and we won 24-13. I made 4 points (one from 20 ft out from a tip off and the other on a followup from a long shot. Played well on defense with a couple intercepts. Got a badge for my effort.
1973-4	I started a junior basketball league for 3rd and 4th formers. Got around ten teams and the kids (both boys and girls) made up uniforms. My school team players helped out with coaching and reffing. We played at the YMCA after school on Fridays.	Crusaders
1974	Coached Papakura Junior Men's rep team. Played on a teachers/old boys team (sponsored by Nels' boss at Martin-Daw - $107.50 for the uniforms), Dunkers in the A-Grade. Won 6 Lost 12. Played 13 games Scored 65 for 5 avg. Game against Army and I was worn out so stayed back on defense. Their star came past me on a drive to the basket and I cleanly stole the ball from him. As he ran back he said to me: "If you do that again I will rip your mustache off". I took it as an immense complement. Got the only "corky" of my life when playing a dirty team. Fellow karate chopped my forearm and up popped this big muscle mass. I left the game for good and the ref didn't even call a foul.
1974	South Auckland Secondary Schools Basketball tournament. Girls beat Manurewa and the boys beat them 21 - 17. Girls lost 8 - 15 to Aorere. Boys lost 20 - 36 to Aorere. Dean Clark made his first basket. Nigel Farley was scared. Boys won their game against St Stephens 30 - 8.
1974-5	I took the best girl players from Junior League and with some of their friends we formed The Meteors to play in the adult league. Won "Most Improved Team" the first year. Moved up from D-Grade to B-Grade in 1975. I left for the States and the best girls were poached for the school team ending my dream of making the best womens team in Papakura. We practiced outdoors after school. David Dickson sponsored the team and paid for the uniforms and registration fees.
1974	Nov 15. I had to go to the Y to act as head judge (being the vice president and Jack was away) in the case of Gail Lamb's basketball behaviour. The jury with me were Keith Stobie and Bev Reid. Interviewed the people seperately and wrote down their statements. We decided to ban her from playing.
1974-5	Bob Lendrum asked me if I would coach the Counties Rugby team in the Summer League. Not only did I coach but I also played. This was before Bruce Robertson became an All Black. The team included a Māori All Black, Peter Goldsmith. We also had the future All Blacks physio, Malcolm Hood on the team. And the Counties Captain Hank Habraken also tried to play. There were many laughs as these big bruisers couldn't dribble or use the finese required to put the ball into the basket. And they tended to form a "mall" around the ball.	Malcolm
1975	Played on a men's B-grade team and we won the championship and the Handicap championship. Perry and Glenn Cunningham, Ian Scott, Don Amundson...
1975	Dawson, MN. Brought a rim and I put it on the alley side of the garage. Klyberg sold me a ball for $2. I bought a leather one for $22 (they were selling for $90 in New Zealand).
1976	Feb 7. At 11AM Dave brought me to the Papakura Club (women not allowed). Six jokers sitting at table with their jugs of beer, smoking away and talking sports and horse racing. We chatted with them until a snooker table was vacant. We challenged a couple guys, Alan and Terry, for a jug of beer. Challenge means: darts, snooker and indoor bowls. Dave wants me to coach a basketball team from the club, in exchange for membership. Not my cup of tea and I turned him down.
1976	Apr 10. Became President of Papakura Basketball Association because Jack quit. It was over the committee members disagreeing with him about kicking Comrades out for dirty play. After 90 minutes we talked them into not withdrawing their team. We will look at suspending individual players. We eventually suspended Lamb for her attitude and bullish style of play.
1976	Dec 9. We beat Karaka Young Farmers 16 - 13. They were very rough and the refs weren't calling fouls. So I got smashed to the floor three times and pushed whether I had the ball or not. Came home with two bruised knees and black and blue arms. I almost lost my temper...almost.
1976 School Team	I was the Papakura vice president. And when Jack quit I became president. A player's father worked at WERE realtors in town and he came up with the money if we had the name on the shirt. And so the team was called the "WERE Wolves". For the team photo that year, I had two players wear the uniform back to front so the name showed. The headmaster had me in his office and chewed me out for the gross commercialism of it. I told him that it wouldn't have happened if he had sprung for the $100 for the shirts and professional printing. Then I pointed out how many trophies were in the photo and reminded him that the team won the local championship and even went to the regionals (basketball wasn't followed by the school). Never had a problem in future years getting money. One year the school sold sweatshirts with school name and logo as a fund raiser. I bought ten for team so we had something to wear during pregame warm ups. The richer schools had proper track suits. Ah, those were the days.
1976 Rebels Papakura	1) Handicap Round Championship game. We only had 5 players against Merkins. With 30 seconds to go we needed a basket to win. I was having a good night, so I was actually smiling as I brought the ball up into our half. Since I was so far out no one was really marking me, and I let it fly [ed. - it would be well beyond a 3 pointer under the new rules]. Swish, end of game and we won 54 - 37. I ended up with 14 points. 2) Scored 18 points against Tigers Red - only played first half and shot 100%. 3) Won 14 Lost 6. Played 18 games Scored 134 points for a 7.4 avg.
1976-9	Nov 29, 1976. I organized (and was the President) the Manuakau Secondary Schools Basketball competition in 1977. My A-Squad was undefeated for 21 games over the next three years (finally lost when the main players had exams and I had to put in lower grade boys) before I retired. I was "Coach of the Year" for 1978 season. (more...)
1977	My staff social team was undefeated. When we played the other undefeated team it was a 16 all tie after 36 minutes and I had scored 12. We won 24 - 22 in overtime and I had the winning basket.
1977	Apr 29, 1977. Put on my stars 'n stripes pants and 12 whistles for the staff vs 7th form basketball game. Reffed the first half and played second wearing a wig and gloves. Perry was in a Planet of the Apes mask. Bullen and Scott wore old man masks. Pip and Morrice in drag. Sinclair in longjohns. McDonnell in karate. We won 18-16.
1978	George H gave me a copy of the photo that will be in the Papakura paper. Wrote an article for "Counties Sport" about Rosehill basketball.
1979	May 14. Kids and I made a basket out of a fishing net and put it onto the kids garage (video).
1980-4	I took shots with my cousin, Randy and other members of the high school team in Sleepy Eye, MN. I impressed them with my long shots with either hand. Then a couple times in Hills, MN with Gail's cousin (also on HS team), his step-father, Bob, and his coach where we played half court games.
1981	Watched Minnesota Girls basketball tournament and couldn't get used to "person to person" coverage.
1982-4	Put up a couple backboards on back of garage in our Cottage Grove home. A lower one for David.
1987-98	We bought a property in Papakura with a large, level concrete area in front of the garage. So up went the backboard and I put thick wire grills over the nearby windows.
International	I had a go for a good length of time on the court was in 2002 taking shots with Radzeal (Malaysia) and Noa (Japan) on a court in Waiuku.
Failure	In 2017 I asked a couple guys at Arataki Park if I could take shots. I could only get the ball up 8 feet.
Re-Birth	In March 2024 (age 77) I bought a basketball and began shooting at Reilly Park. Slowly able to get the ball into the netless hoop. And I found that I was dribbling left-handed without any thought of doing it.
The Daughter	Renee played netball for St Mary's School. Despite being short she was a goal shoot and was one of the better ones in the league for her age. She won a trophy for scoring the most goals.
The Breakers	New Zealand team playing in the Australian league. They had a dynasty winning many championship and then sunk to the bottom. But in 2022 they were back to the top (wearing pink uniforms) thanks to American imports. I watched as many games as I could. .

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