North Canty to join forces with Canty
North Canterbury and Canterbury basketball associations will merge to form combined teams for National qualification across the junior grades from 2017.
The new concept, currently referred to as Canterbury Combined, is effective immediately for the U15 to U23 age groups. The representative merger will only apply at the National tier level. As the U13 age group has a Regional Premiership structure, the combined format will not apply to this age group.
The intention of the merger is to have the best players from the metropolitan and North Canterbury regions to attend the National age group events and strengthen the competitive nature of the teams.
The belief is that by combining the use of resources, including the use of the Canterbury Basketball Academy (CBA) administration, both associations aim to widen the player pathways within the regions.
‘‘This collaborative partnership is a step forward in the direction of achieving the aims, not only of the respective organisations, but of Basketball New Zealand, in sending the most deserving, talented players, to attend a National event,’’ North Canterbury Basketball Operations Manager Caroline Whittaker said.
In the lead-up to nationals, each association will enter teams into a selection tournament independently.
Then a selection panel, made up of regional coaches Caleb Harrison, Lori McDaniel and Jules Schwalger-Smith, will select the 20 best players to form A and B teams in order to represent the wider Metro and North Canterbury regions.
The association players who are not selected for the new Canterbury Combined sides for the National tournaments will be eligible to participate in remaining tournament opportunities with their respective associations, the Mainland tournament.
North Canterbury had previously been in involved in a Canterbury Country amalgamation with Mid and South Canterbury, however, the travel factor between the three associations was problematic and North Canterbury withdrew after one season.
In the build up to the 2017 representative season, the associations will utilise the CBA’s Summer Development League to begin talent identification.