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To be the best you have the beat the best.
That’s exactly what the Rodney College basketball team did when they took down their arch-rivals, Tauraroa Area School, in the Northland Premier League 2024 finals to win the inaugural competition.
In front of their many supporters at McKay Stadium Kensington in Whangarei, Rodney put in a convincing performance for their fans, in the end dispatching Tauraroa 93 to 74.
What made the title win even sweeter was the fact Rodney went through the whole season in the premier league undefeated.
Coach Kalem Tana says their success was the result of lessons learned from last season and “putting in the hard yards”.
“I would say we were probably working a lot harder than other teams, training-wise. All those early mornings before school, training in the offseason. All those sacrifices. It was worth it. All that work paid off,” Tana says.
Having plenty of experience in the squad also helped propel the team forwards.
“We had nine players from the previous year in our team this season, so we had a lot of experience.
They understood the format better and what it would bring, and how to perform in pressure situations.”
Like last year, their line-up was built around Tana’s three star players – Jeremiah, Alex and Jack – but in 2024 their opposition was no longer shutting down the rest of the team.
“Not every player has the same ability so instilling confidence in the boys that needed it was key. This year the whole team stepped up, which allowed our stars to really punish our opponents,” Tana says.
Unfortunately, many of the players are in Year 13, which means the journey for this make-up of the Rodney College basketball team roster will soon be coming to an end.
Tana will also be moving on and is hoping to coach at Otamatea High School in Maungaturoto, Northland, which is where he went to school.
“We all knew it was coming, it’s the end of an era really,” Tana says.
At least they got to sign off their final season together in style.
