The Knights are back from a highly successful trip in Melbourne
The Canterbury Knights Basketball team have returned home from their Melbourne tour with five wins and one loss against semi professional Big V (Victoria) clubs. Canterbury now travel to Dunedin to play the Otago Nuggets and the Southland Sharks preseason squads over March 8-9 as a part of an expanded programme this year.
“This tour was an awesome opportunity to go over and play against some top quality teams from around Melbourne. The guys played for each other and everybody contributed throughout the trip. In one of our games, all players scored in double figures and that showed how we worked together as a team. All the guys grew over the week and our strength as a team grew every game” said Captain Marty Davison.
“Each match provided different challenges and we faced adversity and overcame them together. The team was very tight-knit on and off the court and the level of unselfish play and execution on offence was high. We played a typically uncompromising Canterbury style on defence and rebounding was a major factor in the results” said Coach Piet Van Hasselt.
The Knights held a +14.5 rebounds per game edge over their opponents and posted 18.3 second chance points per contest. Canterbury Rams playmaker Taylor Britt led all scorers on the tour with 23 points per game on 54% shooting, including 45% from deep. Davison produced plenty of his all-court play and threatened to post a triple-double against Werribee. He has been at the helm in all the Knights games (18-7 overall record) since the team was re-established in 2016.
“Everyone embraced and played their roles really well. The last game against Werribee was a culmination of three months of preparations and development throughout the tour” said Van Hasselt.
“The clubs were generous with their time and resources and hosted us to a very high level. It was really interesting to visit and get an eye-opener on how developed basketball is in Australia from both resourcing and administration levels. Werribee had 12 high quality courts in an almost brand new stadium and over 5000 members. Sunbury hosted two games on the tour thanks to their club and Director of Coaching (and Cantabrian) Kennedy Kereama. We created strong relationships and we intend to go back to Melbourne and Australia in the coming years” said Van Hasselt.
The tour and Knights programme wouldn’t have been possible without the support from James Dean – Mortgage Specialist, Frozen Direct, The Fitz, Moia Athletic, Air Rescue Services along with partners the Canterbury Basketball Association and the Canterbury Rams.
The results further reinforce the strength of the Canterbury Basketball club and school competitions, along with the Canterbury Representative Programme who have all developed these players over the years including their coaches and mentors.
“It’s great to be able to offer this level of competition for former, current and aspiring Canterbury Rams players. The Knights programme will only grow from here” said Van Hasselt.
Article courtesy of the Canterbury Knights and Piet Van Hasselt
KNIGHTS MELBOURNE TOUR 2019
TOUR ROSTER & STAFF
Marty Davison (C), Derek Albertsen, Taylor Britt, Nathan Campbell, Zacc Dwan, Nick Erwood, Kurt Feneon, Brent Fisher, Barclay Miller.
Coach: Piet Van Hasselt, Stats/Manager: Sharon Erwood, Performance Analyst: Fox Gray, Tour Liaison (local): Jenny Bean.
Canterbury Knights website: www.canterburyknights.com
