Josey Hansen was “in shock” when she was selected for the National Secondary School Girls A team last month.
The 16-year-old Paeroa College student told The Profile she was selected for the team alongside nine other female students while at the Secondary Schools National Championships held at Palmerston North in October.
“It was such a shock, I wasn’t really expecting it.
“We went down there just for fun because our team wasn’t as experienced as the other teams,” she said.
“[My team mates] were happy for me and quite shocked, but they were kind of expecting it.”
Josey said she was selected because she averaged 34 points, accumulated from basketball goals in the four games she and her team played at the tournament.
“My defence and tactics were just bang on point for what [the national selectors] were looking for, really,” she said.
Josey has played basketball since she was four, and said her parents encouraged her to participate in sport.
“[I enjoy] bonding with different people and the love I have for basketball,” she said.
“[I also] enjoy going to trainings all over the country – Christchurch, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Hamilton, and Auckland.”
Josey said she was aiming to score a scholarship while competing with the national team to play basketball overseas.
“We’re going to Australia sometime next year for a two week tournament,” she said.
“We wait until we get an email from the tournament director and see where we go from there.”
Josey said she was also part of the under 17 New Zealand women’s basketball team, the under 16 New Zealand mixed touch team, and has represented Thames Valley at basketball, touch rugby and netball.
She is also part of the Rotorua under 19 girls basketball team which will travel to Las Vegas in July, 2023, to compete.
Josey Hansen hopes her national team selection could score her an overseas basketball scholarship. Photo: GORDON PREECE
