Latest news with #NelsonGiants
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball recruit named Nelson Giants Club Young Player of the Year
Wisconsin basketball commit Hayden Jones was named the Nelson Giants Club Young Player of the Year for the 2025 season on Friday. In addition to the Young Player of the Year honor, Jones pocketed Rapid League MVP nods for the Nelson Giants, which recognizes his efforts during a 4-minute quarter game played before the Giants' main contest in the New Zealand National Basketball League. As a 17-year-old, Jones averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20.6 minutes per game for the Giants. He did so off 44.8% shooting from the floor and 35.9% from 3-point range in 17 total games played. Jones added to his 2025 output during a wildly productive stint with New Zealand at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland. While his country earned a fourth-place finish, Jones often appeared as the most talented player on the hardwood. In seven games, the future Badger averaged a game-best 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. He also notched 3.0 assists and 1.1 blocks in just under 29 minutes per appearance. Jones committed to Wisconsin's program back on July 25, 2024, just a few weeks after suiting up for New Zealand at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. During the circuit, the class of 2025 product averaged nearly 12 points per game as the fourth-youngest player to ever debut for the country's senior national team. The future Badger now has three seasons with the Nelson Giants under his belt, plus further international experience at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar. In just a few months, he will join sophomore guard Jack Janicki, senior guard Braeden Carrington, senior forward Elijah Gray, freshman forward Aleksas Bieliauskas, freshman guard Zach Kinziger, sophomore center Riccardo Greppi, sophomore guard Jack Robison and freshman center Will Garlock on UW's bench unit. Jones' place in the rotation will not be determined until Wisconsin begins its 2025-26 campaign this fall, but his development will be noteworthy. His ability to impact a game at such a young age is evident, and he will look to earn minutes when the Badgers begin the season with an exhibition against Oklahoma in October. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Battling Nuggets fade again in final stretch
See previous match reports. They are basically all the same this season. The Otago Nuggets battled hard then faded in the final stretch against [insert name]. Last night it was Nelson Giants who pulled away late to record a 94-82 victory on their home court to help keep their playoff prospects alive. It was the Nuggets' 12th consecutive loss. They only have 35 minutes of good basketball in the tank it seems. The game was in the balance with five minutes to play. The Nuggets had closed to within two points. But they have struggled to keep their composure or match the intensity their opponents have been able to bring when the game has been on the line. The Giants pushed the ball inside to Jeremy Combs for some easy points and they eased away to win by 12. The American power forward bagged a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Hayden Jones (19 points) hit some clutch shots. Alex Robinson jun joined in with 11 assists, and Andrew Jones added 17 points. Jonathan Janssen led the way for the Nuggets with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Don Carey jun (22 points, eight assists) faded in and out of the game as he does. He was brilliant in patches and invisible in others. Janssen opened the scoring from the free throw line after he strolled past Callum McRae and picked up the foul. Matthew Bardsley drilled a rare three to stun the home team. He seldom takes shots from that range but was left all alone, so he went for it. There were not too many other highlights in the first quarter for the Nuggets. Combs weaved his way to the basket for a bucket despite the Nuggets assigning two defenders. Fellow American Andrew Jones popped in a three-pointer to give the Giants a five-point lead midway through the first. Sam Dempster hit a late three to extend the gap to 25-15 at the end of the period. Carey was rewarded for some hustle early in the second. He cut to the hoop, got the basket and added the extra for the foul. He picked off a steal, lobbed in a step-back three-pointer and threaded a couple of lovely assists through to Josh Aitcheson and Jaylen Sebree. Carey erased all of the margin almost single-handedly in a 14-4 run. Janssen swung in a hook shot to help his side edge in front briefly. But Hayden Jones hit a mid-range jumper to snatch a 43-41 lead at halftime. Andrew Jones swatted away a three-point shot from Sebree and he enjoyed that. So did the crowd. He tossed up an alley-oop to Combs moments later and he slammed it down. McRae proved an easy target under the rim and he dropped a couple more into the cup to help give the Giants a 69-60 lead with 10 minutes remaining. The Nuggets clawed their way back once again. Janssen popped it through the strings for three to lift his tally into the 20s. They pinned the margin back to two points midway through the final stretch. But the drought-breaking victory slipped away leaving only a strong sense of deja vu. The Giants won the Rapid League game 38-26. NBL The scores Nelson Giants 94 (Jeremy Combs 25, Hayden Jones 19) Otago Nuggets 82 (Jonathan Janssen 26, Don Carey jun 22) Quarter scores: 25-15, 43-41, 69-60, 94-82.
RNZ News
30-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Nelson City Council revises catering contract to save Giants basketball team
Nelson_Giants_head_coach_and_general_manager_Mike_Fitchett_left_Nelson_Mayor_Nick_Smith_and_CLM_Trafalgar_Centre_manager_Mark_Mekalick Photo: Samantha Gee/RNZ Nelson Giants basketball club is no longer facing closure, after the local council amended its contract for their Trafalgar Centre venue, enabling the team to sell food and drinks at home games for another two years. Giants management earlier urged the Nelson City Council to re-consider its new contract with Community Leisure Management (CLM) that gave the company exclusive rights to food and beverage sales at the centre. At a council meeting earlier this month, head coach and general manager Mike Fitchett said the decision would "likely kill the Giants", because money raised through selling food and drinks at games accounted for about 15 percent of their revenue. More than 1200 people signed [ a petition calling on the council to rethink its position ] . Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said the council should have engaged with the venue's users before negotiating the contract and promised to do better next time. Nelson City Council had a contract with CLM for several hundred thousand dollars a year to manage the Trafalgar Centre. Smith said CLM had "dropped the price significantly" in exchange for the exclusive hospitality rights. "We didn't appreciate in coming to the agreement of the exclusive food and beverage with CLM, a common arrangement in premier venues around the country, that it would have such a negative impact," he said. "We should, at the time, have engaged with our regular users and there's some lessons for us to learn from that." He said the prospect of the Giants not being part of Nelson was "untenable", the region had huge pride in the team that had a long history in the NZ Basketball League and many players had gone on to become Tall Blacks. Smith said the council had negotiated a variation to the contract with CLM until June 2027, the remainder of its term. There was a cost to ratepayers, which he would not disclose for commercial reasons. The centre cost $2.5 million to run each year and generated about $500,000 per year in income. Smith said the council had hoped to reduce the cost on ratepayers. Smith said the variation would also apply to two other groups that used the centre - Dancing for a Cause and Te Tauihu o te Waka a Maui Māori Cultural Council kapa haka. "The savings that were achieved last year were significant and we've had to return a portion of those savings back to CLM to be able to get this exemption for these three organisations," he said. Nelson Giants head coach Mike Fitchett calls the shots against Tauranga Whai. Photo: Chris Symes/ Smith said some community organisations would be disappointed that they were not included in the exclusion, so the council needed to think strategically about the venue's management from June 2027. "We need a partner like CLM that's able to promote it as a national venue and maintain it as a premier facility, but I think we've got a bit of a challenge to provide a hybrid model that will also work for our community-based organisations," he said. Fitchett said the club was overwhelmed with support, after it went public about the issue, with fans from Nelson and around the country getting in touch. "For [the council] to find a solution for us, it's a massive relief," he said. "To secure our future at the Trafalgar Centre for the next few years is huge." CLM Trafalgar Centre manager Mark Mekalick said the organisation was glad to come to an agreement that worked for everyone. The company had managed the Trafalgar Centre for the last seven-and-a-half years and put forward a contract proposal based on delivering the best value. When Giants management spoke publicly about how contract would affect the team, Mekalick said the company valued the partnership and wanted to work together to find a resolution. "Community is at our heart and the Giants are a big part of this community, so it wasn't a hard decision to make," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Two Wisconsin basketball commits to represent New Zealand at 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup
Two Wisconsin basketball commits to represent New Zealand at 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup A pair of Wisconsin basketball commits are set to represent New Zealand at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, this summer. Class of 2026 shooting guard Jackson Ball and class of 2025 signee Hayden Jones will suit up for New Zealand's 12-man roster from June 28 to July 6 for an opportunity to clinch a gold medal for their country. Jones, who committed to Wisconsin's program on July 25, 2024, suited up for New Zealand at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. There, he averaged nearly 12 points per game as the fourth-youngest player to debut for the senior national team. Jones and company fell to the United States, which rostered players such as Cameron Boozer and A.J. Dybantsa. The 6-foot-7 guard has also suited up for the Nelson Giants in the New Zealand National Basketball League for the past two seasons, plus previously registered 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists for New Zealand during its runner-up finish at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar. Ball, who announced his pledge to Greg Gard's program on March 3, also laced up for New Zealand in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. At 6 feet, 4 inches, the 2026 prospect has showcased his offensive prowess for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in the NBL this spring, averaging over 22 points off 54.7% shooting from the field in 13 games through May 19. Jones and Ball join notable college signees on New Zealand's 2025 squad, such as Oscar Goodman (Michigan), Julius Halaifonua (Georgetown) and Tama Isaac (UC Irvine), an indication of how significant international basketball recruiting has become in the sport's landscape. The experience for both Ball and Jones is certainly encouraging for Badger fans. The development and professional exposure should prepare the duo even more for what they will encounter in the United States, regardless of where New Zealand places in the circuit. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Indian Panthers players reportedly return to India as termination deadline nears
Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom The South Asian players who were recruited in the Indian Panthers squad have returned to India, RNZ understands. A source inside the squad told RNZ that all three Indian players who had been playing in the National Basketball League for the franchise landed in India on Sunday. Meanwhile, a former staff member of the franchise said the trio had flown out of Auckland earlier Sunday. RNZ has approached the Indian Panthers and the National Basketball League for comment. On 9 May, the franchise was given 10 days to meet specific conditions to avoid being ejected from the league . The league gave the Panthers until 19 May to prove their financial sustainability, among other things, to allow them to stay in the league. The team was suspended on 1 May after the league received allegations of contractual breaches, including unpaid salaries and internal unrest. Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom Tensions flared on 29 April when Panthers players refused to take the court against the Canterbury Rams in protest over delayed payments, resulting in the match being postponed. The situation escalated further after former Panthers player Alex Robinson Jr. posted a pointed message on Instagram, alleging he had not been paid. Robinson has since left the team and signed with the Nelson Giants. The turmoil was the latest in a series of setbacks the team has faced in their debut season. The team played without any of the 10 Indian players originally named in the squad in their season opener against the Hawke's Bay Hawks on 12 March due to international commitments. The Panthers faced another setback in March when head coach Miles Pearce resigned just two days ahead of their first home game. After nine matches without a league win, the team relocated its South Auckland base in April from Bruce Pulman Arena in Takanini to the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre in Pukekohe.
