As we arrive at the semi-final mark, Kings find themselves up against Toro Atu after defeating Hastings Boys High School in the quarter-fina last week. Captain Kerry Rayner notes how well the team has come together over the competition despite a lot of the team not playing together before, “we have a lot of experienced players on the team and that is really coming through more and more each week”, notes Rayner. That has shone through as the Kings edged out important victories against Napier Boys High School and Napier Tech Sweepers throughout the season on their way to claiming the #3 seed heading into playoffs.

2019 Taylor Hawks players Darryl Jones and Dominic McGovan form a vital part of that experience that Rayner refers to. McGovan notes the work of Basketball Hawkes Bay to create a competitive league in the region. “Having a competitive league to participate in has been great for keeping up my skills against equally great players in the off-season,” says McGovan who is currently one of the top 10 leading scorers in the league. This sentiment is echoed by Rayner who notes that the Elite League brings a “Professionalism that has been needed. There is no shortage of great players in the Bay so the future of this league is exciting.”

The Kings feature one of the most balanced offences in the league with players like McGovan being one of the biggest perimeter threats in the league and the team’s leading scorer Centre Kareem Johnson who was a long time member of the Taylor Hawks, retiring at the conclusion of the 2018 NZNBL season. Johnson is currently leading the competition in scoring at 34.5 points per game. A real threat inside allows all of the Kings shooters so much space to operate. Along with McGovan & Jones the team features three Davies in Bugg, Dee and Cruz. With all this firepower Rayner feels as though his team has a realistic chance at taking the top crown but is typically humble when asked, “We feel we have a real chance of winning but understand that each team is different, and have very talented players, so we will have to make sure we are on point to win.”

Such is the competition in the Men’s Elite League that Rayner is right. 2019 Taylor Hawk and NZNBL veteran Darryl Jones understands this like nobody else. “We just need to keep working and improving on certain aspects each week. There are some really good teams in this league so we need to make sure we bring it every week,” says Jones, who understands competition at the highest level.

Kings are sponsored by Stirling Sports and Kings Union Barber and you can catch them in their semi-final against Toro Atu at 6.00pm on PGA 2 on Wednesday 18th September.

Full Kings Roster

Bugg Davies (SG, 1.91m)
Cruz Davies (SG, 1.83m)
Dee Davies (SG, 1.91m)
Sean Kaata Dwen (PG, 1.75m)
Kareem Johnson (C, 2.01m)
Darryl Jones (PF, 1.96m)
Dom McFarlane (PF, 1.99m)
Teina Toru (SG, 1.86m)
Tianua Poto (SG, 1.82m)
Kerry Rayner, Captain (SG, 1.79m)