Congratulations to Year 11 student Amy Pateman who has been selected for the U17 Women’s National Basketball Team. In June, Amy will travel with the team to Jordan to compete in the U16 FIBA Asia Cup Tournament.
Amy, who mainly plays point guard, will join the squad for a National Preparation Camp from 18-20 April.
“My selection for the team was the result of a long journey,” says Amy. “It started with playing Harbour basketball right from U11 to now – U17. I have competed at many regionals and nationals with Harbour. From my first nationals with the club, I was selected into my first national selection camp in 2020 for U15, when I was 14. Players from all over New Zealand are selected for these camps, which train us to compete overseas, but because of Covid no one has been able to travel. I was also part of the U16 camp and finally now – as a result of the U17 camp – I’ll be able to travel and compete with the U17 team – which is awesome.”
Amy (pictured left as a youngster on the court) prepared well for selection, undertaking individual and group training. “I knew if I wanted to be good enough that I needed to put in the extra work,” she says. That extra effort paid dividends when she found out via email of her selection – while she was isolating away from her family due to Covid! “I was super shocked,” she says. “But I was also excited and thankful that the hard work I’d been putting into basketball actually paid off.”
This won’t be the talented teen’s first time representing New Zealand. “In 2019, when I was 13, I travelled to Australia to compete in one of their tournaments, and I was also selected for the New Zealand U15 Skills Challenge Team last year.
The next step for Amy is to attend a training camp from 18-20 April in preparation for her trip to Jordan in June. “I’ll also be continuing to train in my own time so I am fully prepared,” she says.
“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and thankful that I get to travel and compete against the best teams from other countries. I’m proud to represent my country, and looking forward to developing more as a player.”
Amy’s goal after high school – where she currently plays for our Premier Basketball Team – is to secure a basketball scholarship to a University in the United States. “I’m not sure what my future holds, but I’ve promised myself I will take every opportunity I’m given with gratitude and determination.”
All the very best Amy – WGHS is very proud of you and looking forward to hearing about your future successes.