KENNY Of THE HOOPS
Kenny McFadden's premature death is a blow to NZ basketball at the highest levels and a blow to Wellington region basketball player development at all levels.
Kenny was not quite the trailblazer as portrayed as that merit goes to another American super guard Clyde ( The Glide) Huntley who preceded Kenny by a year.
The clashes that Kenny and Clyde had in playing for rival clubs were scintillating and legendary and Kenny not always played the better.
Always sketched in my mind was the famous triple time 3 pointer for Wellington Saints to beat Auckland in the NBL final at the Show Grounds stadium. McFadden rose towards the stadium roof and shot from way out with Frank Mulvihill providing a telling screen, just as the full time buzzer sounded.
The Sunday Times held up its entire production so I could hurriedly phone in over 2000 words with no notes on this "game of the century".
The paper left out my byline in error but I did get the NZ basketball writer of the year prize largely because of the review.
Kenny retired from the NBL a winner and could have easily coached the NZ men's ( or women's) teams at international level but he decided to keep local his lifestyle and loyalties. The likes of Huntley and Kenny should have won the lottery of selection for NBA (American) basketball but instead claimed and retained fame by being superstars in the NZ environment.
Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬
How many balls of string does it take to reach the moon?
(Peter from Carterton kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Peter!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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Poll: Are our Kiwi summer holidays helping us recharge, or holding the economy back? ☀️🥝
There’s growing debate about whether New Zealand’s extended Christmas break (and the slowdown that comes with it) affects productivity.
Tracy Watkins has weighed in ... now it’s your turn. What’s your take? 🤔
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72.8% We work hard, we deserve a break!
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16.3% Hmm, maybe?
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10.9% Yes!
Celebrate in Style: Craft Your Own Decor with Testpots
Create handcrafted celebrations using Resene testpots. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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