photo credit: Masanori Udagawa.www.photowellington.photoshelter.com
Sunday's G.J. Gardner Homes Tauihi grand final will be just the 100th game played since the league's inception in 2022. After decades of being mostly an amateur sport with sporadic competitions, Tauihi has successfully elevated New Zealand women's basketball into a new professional era, and it has done so with a bang. A key architect in the rise of Tauihi is Sky's Justin Nelson and on the eve of game 100 he toasts the milestone with a special edition of Straight Shot.
Wow, what a ride Tauihi has been. Quite amazing.
I don't think there is anything better than turning up at games for work and seeing fans entering the stadium with their Tauihi team colours on, and I especially like it after games when someone who has attended for the first time confesses their surprise to me .... "I had no idea how fast and physical women's basketball is, the players are amazing!"
It's been a tough journey to get to game 100, tiring and arduous at times, but probably the most satisfying thing I've been a part of across a 30-year career in sport. Maybe a big call, but I challenge anyone out there to start a pro-women's sports league from scratch and see how you're feeling three years in.
You need a lot of people pulling in the same direction, and a lot of faith. Building and shaping Tauihi reminds me of my go-to quote right now ...
Faith and fear both demand you believe in something you cannot see. You choose.
I live firmly in the faith camp. While I can appreciate where fear comes from, I see way too many sports struggling right now because of the fear factor that comes with change. Thankfully, Tauihi lives in the faith camp.
We should never take for granted how challenging it is to build something in sport from scratch, not only from a cost perspective, but physically and emotionally. The challenges are many and the wins can sometimes feel miles apart, while the illusion of looking calm on the surface while your feet are paddling madly below is something so many around the Tauihi family can attest to.
But we rarely ever stop and smell the roses in sport - why is that? For a fleeing moment this Sunday hopefully we allow ourselves to self-indulgently stop, look around and soak it all in?
This week we get to toast Tauihi when it officially turns 100 games old and there are a lot of people who I hope will take a deep breath for a moment and think about the role they have played in rescuing, rebuilding, growing and elevating women's basketball back up. There are so many people who have played a part, and many are unseen heroes, but they thoroughly deserve a moment to stop and celebrate.
For the owners of Tauihi's five teams, the coaches, the players and the administrators, long days are matched by equally as long nights as the quest never stops when looking for sponsors, new fans, and getting the media to take an interest.
While we'd all love it if the fans and viewers just turned up, the reality is it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get them through the door, and then it's all about the show. Everyone in the Tauihi family knows we are in the entertainment business, especially the players, and I can't thank them all enough for putting on a great show this year.
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Jihyun Park of the Queens poses for a photo with fans after the Tauihi Basketball - Tokomanawa Queens v Northern Kähu at Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua, New Zealand on Sunday 13 October 2024Photo by Masanori Udagawa.With people like Casey Frank sitting beside me, these days I get the best seat in the house and get to bring my fandom to life through commentating on Sky, and I can truthfully say both Casey and I, and all of the Sky commentary team, have loved every second of Tauihi this season. The level of basketball has been unreal. Thank you!
This season, the competition's third, has seen a dramatic rise in attendances and a long list of new sponsors join the League and teams. Excitingly, the influx of more commercial dollars has gone a long way to rewarding the players with a big bump in pay (deservedly so), which in turn has attracted elite level talent and propelled the on-court action to an exciting new high.
It doesn't seem that long ago that players in New Zealand were being paid nothing, zero, so I am very pleased we are a long way removed from those days, and that we are finally rewarding these elite athletes. Hopefully the sponsors keep coming and we can keep lifting the bar.
Some media have also upped the ante with their coverage of Tauihi this year, recognising the super athletes we have, and the continued growth in fans we are seeing - thank you (you know who you are). I say 'some' because we still have a few others in the media (you too know who you are) who continue to fall short of the mark.
We can only hope they see the light over the next 100 games.
A quick case in point - some in the media have spent weeks swooning over Tacko Fall at the Breakers, through no fault of his mind you. A 37-game NBA bit-part player who hasn't been in the 'Association' since 2022 - yet here we are with a current 77-game vet of the WNBA , who played in the playoffs this season, playing (and starring) right under our noses in Tauihi. And the same media folk have done little to use the opportunity to elevate women's sport.
Jordan Horston blocks the shot of Cassandra Brown photo credit Katrina Parish
Anyway, I know we have a lot still to do, it's a journey, but let's get back to celebrating what we have done.
This Sunday we get to see the Whai and Queens do battle for the 2024 Tauihi Championship and these star-studded teams will put on another great show that will be viewed worldwide. The days of no television coverage for women's basketball in NZ and a lack of spotlight on our tremendous athletes are gone - the final will be beamed live globally, including on ESPN in the United States, and also live and free on Sky Open here in New Zealand.
Slowly but surely, we are building household names. How good is that! More and more young players and lovers of the game are connecting with Stella Beck, McKenna Dale, Sharne Robati, Zoe Richardson and Penina Davidson amongst many other players. We all need heroes, and Tauihi is delivering them to kids across New Zealand.
Mainland Pouākai player Vitolia Tuilave greets a young fan postgame photo credit Katrina Parish
Of course, women's basketball has been played in Aotearoa for decades, so perspective is warranted. Many people have been involved and instrumental in bringing the game forward - we must pay homage to these forerunners because I can only imagine it would have been far easier to walk away at a few junctions over the years.
Truth is, like most things we experience in life, without the formative years and the struggles that come with trying to grow and progress, you'll never reach the point of being able to take the next steps. And for women's basketball, Tauihi hasn't just been 'the next steps' ... it's been a leap of giant proportions, but it has come about because so many before us have taken steps.
And now, in 2024 we have a women's basketball league capturing the hearts and minds of fans and viewers, we have a dedicated broadcaster, we have international interest, and we have committed owners and sponsors, and damn good players.
Tauranga Whai celebrate a semi-final win photo credit Lynne Cameron
When you stop and consider the Sal's NBL has been toiling away and paying players for more than four decades, Tauihi is a mere spring chicken. There has been no shortage of corporates saying "thanks but no thanks" but the good news is they are starting to come around as the list of backers grows.
The Caitlin Clark effect is undoubtedly playing its part, but so too is the very real and visual rise in girls playing the game across New Zealand. And don't forget the entertainment and accessibility to players at Tauihi games and the role it plays in growing the game. Those special post-game moments in Tauihi are arguably bigger and better than most (if not all) other sport offerings in New Zealand.
Fans meet Cassandra Brown after a Mainland Pouākai game photo credit Katrina Parish
These are the things that matter. Connection, inclusion, belonging.
Stepping on court and being able to meet the players straight after the game is my favourite part of the event - I love seeing it and quite often once I'm done working on the broadcast, I just watch the interaction between the fans and players from a distance. It really is the most special part of the day/night.
I admire that the players are incredibly giving of their time in what is a clear effort to play their part in encouraging the next generation. The sense of duty and pride that comes with 'passing the baton' is a significant part of the DNA of every Tauihi player and I applaud it loudly and say thank you to them.
And Tauihi has arguably proven to be New Zealand's most innovative sports competition - being the first league anywhere in the world to play Rapid League, the also the first basketball competition to install player only timeouts. The thirst for change and being more modern is a credit to everyone involved.
Remember that quote earlier .... Fear or Faith, you choose!
While I'd love to see the likes of Sport NZ invest some money into Tauihi and the teams to further help support arguably New Zealand's fastest growing women's sport amongst the youth, and further connect with the next generation of athletes, the self-funded model (and growth) of Tauihi is kind of satisfying - we've done it our way.
Sponsors like G.J. Gardner Homes are to be congratulated for sharing and supporting the vision, amongst others including BNZ, 2degrees, Basketball New Zealand, Sky Broadband, Sal's Pizza and R-Line. While it also helps to have the wonderful support of Sky as a broadcaster, and boy they have helped take Tauihi to the world.
Amazing.
So, as we bring out the cake for game 100, I want to stop and congratulate the owners of the five teams. They often hear me talk about running a pro team NOT being hard, but rather it being hard work. The team owners are an amazing group of people, genuinely dedicated to helping grow women's basketball and committed to the investment that's needed. They are the unsung heroes.
As we add a flame to the candles on the cake - the players, administrators, coaches, team staff, officials and referees should all be acknowledged and congratulated as well. So little fanfare, yet so many people are building this business. It takes a village, or in Tauihi's case ... many villages.
And as we celebrate this milestone, I want to save the biggest candle for the most important people in this three-year Tauihi journey and acknowledge the fans, here in New Zealand and around the world. Not a week goes by where I don't receive contact from a fan, or run into a fan at a game, and the heartfelt thanks and smiles from them is genuine and moving.
The fans have seen the difference being made, and they love it. So, to the fans, the last candle to be blown out belongs to you!
For some it might seem like 100 games is a small milestone, but I know that for so many people out there across the Tauihi family this Sunday's milestone is an achievement that will be (and should be) celebrated with a lot of pride.
Congratulations.
