Basketball First Teams
1960’s
Our star players over the years
A winning shot by Max O’Connor in the King’s High School vs Otago Boys’ High School game on Friday night. The King’s 1st Basketball Team winning 74-73 over Otago Boys’ High School in our Interschool game on a buzzer beater by Max O’Connor.
This year the Otago Nuggets and Taranaki Airs National Basketball Teams played their NBL competition games with some King’s flair. Old Boys’ Benji Freeman who plays for Taranaki, Dallas Hartmann and Josh Aitcheson who play for Otago. At the last home game of the season Old Boy Gary Smythe was recognised by the Nuggets for his many years of service (25 or so years) working on the score bench for Nuggets games.
Back in the 2001 and 2002 seasons Kings Old Boys Kaine Hokianga, Matthew Gillan, Hayden Allen, Stephen Robinson and Mark Bracewell played for the Otago Nuggets. Darren van der Velden and Tim Gillan were in the larger Nuggets squad. In 1997 and 1998 the first four of these players were third and then second in the National Secondary School Finals. Some of these boys continued playing in the National League for Otago and other provinces over a number of years. Old Boy, Todd Marshall was a long-time coach the school team and the Nuggets. He is still an assistant coach for the Nuggets. Old Boy, John Barr was President of Basketball Otago for 8 years and was on the National Basketball Executive tor 4 years.
Earlier in 1981 a King’s team with Glenn Denham, Mark Hinton, Chris Herbert and Todd Marshall were place third in the National Secondary Schools’ Finals. The following year the team was runners up. The coach was Old Boy Brian Drake. Denham and Hinton played in the National Basketball League for Waikato and Denham and Marshall later played for the Nuggets when they joined the League.
Prior to this in 1969 Peter Gillan and Brian Drake were playing for the Otago senior team while still at school. Both Peter and Brian coached the King’s First Basketball team and Otago teams in the 1990’s.
Between 1961 and 1971 Lance Pearson was paying for Otago. He was rated as one of the country’s finest basketballers. He captained Otago to the national titles in 1968 and 1970. He was made a life member of Basketball Otago in 2019. He coached at King’s in 1966 and recently through his trust has donated a large sum towards the school’s new basketball shooting practice machine. The machine bears his name.
1960’s
1962 Basketball
Row 2: S. Robertson, R. Campbell, I. Brown, D. Foster, L. Smith
Row 1: D. Oliphant, R. Bryant, R. Garland, M. Telfer, Mr J. Wilson
1963 Basketball
Row 1: J. Craig, R. Bryant, I. Bown, D. Foster, M. Oliphant, L. Smith
1964 Basketball
Row 2: B. Cowan, A. Fort, M. Oliphant, L. Smith, J. Steffens
Row 1: I. Brown (Captain), Mr Ray Flavell, J. Craig (Club Captain)
Interschools
v OBHS loss 40 – 84
v Shirley Boys win 65 – 37
1965 Basketball
Row 2: Mr Ray Flavell, S. Bacon, L. Scott, B. Young, B. Johnston, P. Smith
Row 1: R. Leeden, R. Pannell, A. McKerrow (Captain), B. Cowan, S. McLeod
Interschools
v OBHS Loss 36 – 20
v Southland Boys Loss 42 – 29
v Shirley Boys Win 36 – 23
v South Otago Win
Basketball – 1966
Row 2: A McKerrow, B Johnston, ? , B Young , L Scott
Row 1: Mr Vernon Tie, R. Pannell, Mr Ray Flavell
1967 Basketball
Row 2: Mr D. Brook, B. Rodden, K. Pearson, D. Ferguson, A. Millar
Row 1: G. Mc Vie, B. Young, A. Ward, (Absent Mr L. Pearson Coach)
Interschools
v OBHS loss 36 – 51
v Southland Boys win 63 – 47
v Shirley Boys win 60 – 42
1968 Basketball
Row 2: P.J. Gillan, D. Ferguson, N. Buddicom, L.J. Pearson,
Row 1: Mr.B. Wilson, B.R. Young (Captain), C.J. Edmonds, A.R. Ward, A.D. Millar
Interschools
v OBHS loss 50 – 56
v Southland Boys loss 30 – 54
v Shirley Boys win 30 – 22
1969 Basketball
Kings High School 1st Basketball Team 1969 – Winner South Island Schools Championship
Row 2: Stuart Heal Lawrence Pearson Peter Gillon Chris Edmonds
Row 1: Barry Wilson (Asst Coach) Brian Drake Alan Ward Bruce Young (Captain) John Kitchen Paul Young Dave Warrington (Manager)
Absent: Lance Pearson (Coach)
Interschools
v Otago Boys High School win 79 – 59
v Southland Boys high School win 68 – 43
v Shirley Boys High School win 120 – 43
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