Whippy wins top basketball award

Letava Whippy stamped her mark in the international basketball arena after she was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Year Award in Hamilton, New Zealand last week.

Proud dad and national women’s basketball coach Michael Whippy yesterday said this is her daughter’s third year of winning the award while leading her CCNZ side to the championship title.

The recent New Zealand Secondary School national championship that was held in Palmerston North last week saw the coming together of four schools from different regions around New Zealand.

In total there were over 50 boys and girls teams and it is the culmination of the regional tournaments where these teams have to qualify from.

The skills level is very high and winners Westlake in the boys and losing girls finalist New Plymouth Girls High School both had one current NZ national basketball representative on their teams. They are Richard Loe and Zoe Kensington.

Letava captained her team in 2007, 2008 and 2009 where she won the award.

“Next month she will take up a four-year basketball scholarship with Long Island University,” her dad Michael said.

“She will follow her older sister Mikaelar who in 2004 also won the MVP honours in the same tournament.”

Coming off a great basketball family, young Letava is currently attending Church College HS in New Zealand. The 16-year-old was part of the gold medal winning team at the 2005 South Pacific Mini Games and was one of the best players at the 2006 FIBA Oceania Youth Tournament.

 

Fiji Sun Online

Wednesday 21st October, 2009




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