SENIOR BOYS TEAM

This year was one to remember with an era of boys who have played together their entire high school careers, all coming to a close at the end of Nationals. The majority of the team had been playing alongside one another since they were Year 9 & 10 and with that came a very cohesive unit that played well together, enjoyed each other’s company and understood each other’s strong suits. Due to this unison on and off the court, the team was able to compete in every game and competition they entered, usually as the underdogs.

Locally the team was upset in the quarter finals of the McDonald’s Thompson Trophy Premier School Boys competition by the 7th seeded; Rangiora High School. Despite this though, the boys fought hard every Tuesday night to earn the second seed in the competition, only dropping one game in pool play. From this Liam Reekie was named in the All-Star team and earned team MVP honours.

In the Canterbury Basketball U20 Grade, the team continued their success from the previous year winning the grade in a come-from-behind victory against Ashburton College to remain title holders and complete a 4th undefeated season in a row, with the last recorded loss in this grade being the final in 2013! Isaiah Morris was named in the U20 Men’s selection team while also being awarded a unanimous Finals MVP in the U20 Men’s grade.

Unfortunately, before the season ended, the boys had to farewell Felix Pfaff, an exchange student from Germany with a lot of heart and a defensive ability unmatched by anyone in Christchurch High School Basketball. His merry attitude, selfless demeanour and skills on the court were immediately missed. However, every cloud has a silver lining as the team was able to acquire big man Flynn Marshall from the social leagues. Flynn brought a great sense of humour, uncanny phrases and a mid-range game that was near impossible to stop, a great addition in the weeks coming to tournament.

Isaiah Morris was also selected and played a key role in the Canterbury U19 Men’s team that travelled up North and won Regional Nationals in a very competitive tournament with a lot of amazing young talent.

During the first week of September, the boys travelled down to Dunedin to compete in the Zone 4 AA Premierships, in other words, South Island Championships and National Qualifiers. With a seemingly competitive pool, the team did well to earn the second spot after letting a controversial game slip away to Middleton Grange. This meant the team crossed over with the powerhouse Christ’s College in their quarter final, of which they fought hard but couldn’t see that effort reflected on the scoreboard as they lost by a mere 20 points. From there, the team had to face Rangiora High School again, a game where the winner made Nationals, after a slow start the team found rhythm and were able to put some numbers beside their names; the game came down to the wire with Isaiah Morris calmly sealing the deal in the final 2 minutes to send the boys to the Schick AA National Championships.

Returning to Nationals for the first time since 2015, the team was keen and eager to prove themselves. In a pool that presented the boys with an opportunity to make top 8, this was not the case as the boys dropped a few pool play games to solid teams from up north, placing 4th overall in their pool. With the goal of top 10 still in sight, the boys played a blinder of a game against Napier Boys High School to keep the hopes alive, but were simply out-rebounded by some big bodies inside and couldn’t maintain their early lead. This led to team to play Wellington College, a team with NZ level talent that was highly favoured, despite this though Burnside wouldn’t go away and with precision defence and nifty offense by captain TK Cooper, the boys managed to steal the game in the final minute. As a result, Burnside had to face local rivals; Cashmere High School in the 13th/14th playoff, this game also stood as the last game the three Year 13’s (TK Cooper, John Quitiong, Liam Reekie) would wear Burnside across their chest. The boys were stunned by Cashmere’s intensity in the first quarter and were forced to play ‘catch-up’ ever since, attempting to dig ourselves out of a hole so big that they ran out of time, finishing 14th at Nationals concluding a long, successful and enjoyable season.

All in all, the season was an incredible experience and one that the Year 13’s will never forget. I would like to thank coaches Bobby Morris and Josh Kitson for their work this year. I would also like to thank Mrs Sharapoff, our manager, for the countless hours and effort put into us over the years, everything from strapping injuries to feeding us on tournaments, to arranging fundraisers, and making sure we are the happiest we could be. Mrs Sharapoff had stood as the backbone of the team during the departure of previous coach Joe Hammond, and as a team, that is a debt that we cannot repay. We really appreciated everything you did for us and for always doing it with a smile on your face. As a team we wish Mrs Sharapoff the best of luck next year as she steps back from managing Senior Boys Basketball and focuses on her horse riding endeavours as she ‘slam- blocks’ her way on to the NZ stage. 

I cherish the friends, memories and laughs I have had during my four years in this team very dearly, and I know I can speak for all of us Year 13’s when I say that we will miss our Burnside family an incredible amount and wish the boys the very best of luck in next season’s games and the goals they set to achieve. It was an honour and privilege to play with everyone involved with the team this year and in previous years, thank you to all of you that made my time with Burnside Basketball the best it could have possibly been.

Liam Reekie, Senior Boys Basketball

SENIOR GIRLS TEAM

This year the Senior Girls Basketball team was incredibly lucky to have Lori McDaniel as coach. The Senior Girls performed well throughout the year and had a great season. Tsubasa Nisbet was named Most Valuable Player for the fourth season in a row and was also selected into the U18 NZ Women's Team. 

The young team has a great future ahead with many young basketball stars continuing on next year. Watch out for Girls Basketball at Burnside High!