Ili finds his groove on, off the court
TALL Blacks sensation Shea Ili is well used to putting hoops first in his priorities.
But he is now going to have to get used to making a little room for something else, as he and wife Morgan belatedly launch married life – only 11⁄ years after they walked down the aisle.
Ili is just back from a standout campaign with Paul Henare’s Tall Blacks at the Asia Cup, where the inexperienced Kiwis made the semifinals and their in-form point guard was rewarded at tournament end with inclusion in the All-Star Five.
That followed a brilliant Kiwi NBL with the Saints, when he led the Wellington club to their 10th championship, the league’s first undefeated season, averaged 16.1 points, 6.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals and was named Finals MVP on the back of a career-best 31-point outburst in the final.
But the 24-year-old Breakers backcourter is back from Beirut with some pressing issues to attend to. He has a hand to heal, after split webbing on his shooting paw forced him to miss the last game and a half at the Asia Cup, and ultimately cost the Tall Blacks a chance of finishing better than fourth.
And he and Morgan (nee Roberts) have a marital home to find after the long-distance aspect of their relationship finally came to an end with Ili’s Tall Blacks’ commitments and his wife’s graduation from college at Oregon Tech in the US, where she was on a basketball scholarship.
‘‘She back, and we’re looking for a flat. I will be starting my marriage soon,’’ declared Ili from Breakers headquarters in Auckland where he was debriefing his eye-catching Tall Blacks campaign.
‘‘We were married in March last year, but we’ve never lived together for more than two months, because of my basketball, and her basketball. But she’s back for good now.’’
Ili is tipped to continue his blissful 2017 with the Breakers where he will be part of a tasty four-guard rotation including veteran Kirk Penney and new imports Edgar Sosa and DJ Newbill when the season tips off in October.
‘‘Whatever role they give me this year, I want to take it on and do what I can for the team,’’ says Ili. ‘‘If they want me to score the basketball, I’ll score. If they want me to defend, I’ll defend.’’