All Stars ready to rumble with Kiwis

AUSTRALIA’S and New Zealand’s national indigenous basketball teams are entering the final stages of preparation ahead of the annual Trans Tasman Clash to be played in Cairns this December.

The three-game series is the fourth time the squads have faced off, with the Australian Indigenous All Stars taking home the silverware the past two times after New Zealand Maori won the inaugural encounter in Wellington in 2014. All Stars coach Joel Khalu

(above) said his team – featuring former Cairns Taipan Kerry Williams – would take it to the Maori team with an attacking style of play.

“It’s going to be a different dynamic. It’ll be very up-anddown, fast-paced style of basketball,” Khalu said. “I definitely think it’s something Cairns fans will really enjoy.

“When you have local hoops standouts like Kerry (and former Cairns Marlins) Deba George and Curt Ahwang joining forces with the other premier indigenous basketball players from around the country, it’s going to be a great spectacle.”

In a landmark move, the Australian indigenous women’s All Stars will battle their Kiwi counterparts for the first time since the series started.

The women’s All Stars will be coached by National Basketball League Hall of Fame inductee and Australia’s first Torres Strait Islander Olympian Danny Morseu.

The series will be played over three nights from December 5-7 at the Cairns Fish Tank in Manunda.

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said Cairns was an ideal location to host the annual clash.