Currently the American college season is reaching its climax but unfortunately our most successful Harbour representatives have fallen to defeats with their respective teams. We also have news on a number of Harbour players earning selection to national teams. 

Women’s NCAA Division I National Championship

West Coast Conference champions University of Portland Pilots, featuring Emme Shearer and Florence Dallow, exited in the opening round defeated 85-63 by Oklahoma. Emme, one of three Pilots in double figures, finished with 12 points and in doing so passed 300 points for the season at 10 points per game. Her 309 points total is second best to Charlisse Leger-Walker in total points for the season by a Kiwi.

Men’s NCAA Division I National Championship

The University of Virginia Cavalier’s return to the championship for the ninth time in Tony Bennett’s tenure as head coach ended in disappointment as they suffered the first major upset of the 2023 men’s tournament. Furman University made a three with 2.4 seconds remaining to pinch a 68-67 first round win. 

Former Harbour wing Taine Murray played 13 games in his sophomore season with the Cavaliers.

Women’s NCAA Division II National Championship

Hannah Wentworth and Eckerd College made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen for the very first time in programme history.

Hannah scored 14 points as Eckerd lost 76-53 to #3 ranked Tampa University but can reflect on an outstanding season where they finished with a 26-6 record. 

Making 4 from 9 threes Hannah, who played for Harbour Breeze in 2022, finished with 99 made threes for the season – an Eckerd programme best and just one shy of tying the Sunshine State Conference single season record. 

In the professional ranks:

Following the Game 5 Grand Final defeat in Sydney the curtain has come down on a hugely entertaining and successful Sky Sport Breakers season. Whilst the ultimate prize eventually eluded them the club can take immense pride in turning the disaster that was the 2021-22 wooden spoon into an almost successful march to the championship in 2022-23.

The trio of Harbour players in the Breakers lineup more than played their part.

Tom Abercrombie’s defensive masterclass in Grand Final Game 4 in which he garnered 6 steals set a new career mark for the Breakers skipper. It also equaled the record held by another Breaker’s great Mika Vukona for the most steals by a Breaker in a play-off game.

Tom extended his Breakers all-time appearance record to 399 games. He has also further extended the club’s all-time records in the following categories:

Points to 4,319

Blocks to 215

Wins to 226

Rob Loe has moved up the Breakers all-time list on a number of statistical categories during the season. His 66 blocks place him 7^th on the club’s all-time list in that category. Additionally he has:

145 appearances – 10^th all-time

68 wins – 11^th all-time

542 rebounds – 12^th all-time

Dan Fotu made 14 appearances in his first full season with the Breakers. Dan has signed for the Franklin Bulls for the upcoming Sal’s National Basketball League (NZNBL) season. We will have a full run down on the Harbour players playing in the NZNBL prior to the season commencing next month.

In the Australian Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) Penina Davidson and the Melbourne Boomers lost the third and deciding game of their WNBL semi-final by just one point. One of only two players to appear in all 24 games for the Boomers Penina averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. 

Some consolation for Penina was that on Friday she was named to the Tall Ferns training squad that will prepare for the FIBA Asia Cup that will be held in Sydney in June. The squad of 18 also includes three other Harbour players - Tayla Dalton, Akiene-Tera Reed and Ash Kelman-Poto. 

Tera will be playing in the Finnish League quarter-finals this week with her club Pyrinto taking on Forsan Alku.

Congratulation to Chris McIntosh on being named to the 3x3 Tall Blacks team to travel to Singapore later this month for the 3x3 Asia Cup. Chris is an experienced campaigner in the shortened version of the game but this event will mark his first Tall Blacks appearance.

Harbour Breeze forward Azure Anderson has been named as a non-travelling reserve for the 3x3 Tall Ferns team that will also be playing at the Asia Cup in Singapore.

Back overseas and Yanni Wetzell scored 17 points, on 8 from 12 shooting, as his German club ALBA Berlin won 88-77 against Weissenfels in their latest EuroLeague fixture.