SPORT Thomson Trophy in College hands
For the first time, College’s Senior A boys’ basketball team has won the Thomson Trophy for the best secondary school basketball team in Canterbury. The 22 September final at Cowles Stadium against St Andrew’s College saw the team maintaining high levels of composure and commitment and demonstrating sophisticated skills, for a convincing 113/94 win. Just three weeks earlier College had lost to St Andrew’s by four points. “The boys were very motivated right from the start,” says the Senior A Boys’ Head Coach Ben Sheat. “And because it was the first day of Covid-19 Level 1, we were able to have a very large crowd of parents and supporters there to see it. It was so exciting for the guys. It was the
first time in eight games that they’d been able to have a crowd to watch them. And it definitely helped to get the team ready.” He says the full squad were all fit and well, and from the outset they put on a complete team performance with everyone contributing. “They hit the ground running and didn’t let up. The third quarter was the difference for us, in that we lifted our defense and contained their scoring, building a large lead.” With co-captains, the three Year 13 players Wil de Geest, Nale Fifita, and Fletcher Miller, leading the team well, the boys turned up the heat and were rewarded for their hard work throughout a severely disrupted season. Covid-19 may have denied them the opportunity to play in a National Secondary Schools’ basketball tournament originally scheduled for Palmerston North in September but
winning the Thomson Trophy has helped compensate in some way, says Ben. “I am really proud of the effort of the players throughout a challenging season and it is great to see all their hard work and commitment pay off. A huge thanks must go to the Year 13 students who have given so much to the programme over their time at College. “We have a really strong group of players coming through and I can imagine that they’ll be really determined to defend the Thomson Trophy next year.”
The winning College Senior A Basketball team was Wil de Geest, Nale Fifita, Fletcher
Miller, Josh Book, Hunter Adam, Tom Harrison, Nic Book, Jordan Braithwaite, Hamish Patterson, Cameron McCarthy, Vili Pale, and development players Matthew Lewis and Jacob Clements.
College Issue 39 2020
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