Personal information | |
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Born | 1955 (age 68–69) Christchurch, New Zealand |
Career information | |
High school | St Andrew's College, Christchurch |
Stanley Alan Hill MNZM (born 1955) is a New Zealand former basketball player who was captain of the New Zealand men's national basketball team, known as the "Tall Blacks", for nine years.
Hill was born in Christchurch,[ citation needed ] of Māori descent. [1] His father was Stanley Frank "Tiny" Hill, who represented the New Zealand national rugby union team from 1955 to 1959, including two matches as captain. [1] [2]
Hill played rugby for the St Andrew's College 1st XV, and also represented the school in basketball. He also played basketball Burnham in the Christchurch club competition. [3]
Hill, who was 2.08 metres (6 ft 10 in) tall, played for the San Jose State University basketball team in NCAA Division I men's basketball between 1976 and 1978, scoring 489 points in his two seasons there. [4] Rather than stay in the US and try for NBA, he chose to play professionally in England. [5]
Hill was chosen for the Tall Blacks as a 17-year-old by the coach Steve McKean and played for the national team for 14 years, including nine years as captain. In 1978, he led New Zealand to a historic first victory over Australia (67–65), coached by McKean. [6] Later that year, the Tall Blacks won the silver medal at the Commonwealth championships in Britain. [7]
Hill represented New Zealand at the 1983 Kirin World Invitation Tournament in Japan, which New Zealand won, and was named the MVP. He also played for his country in the 1986 FIBA World Championship. [8] [9]
While playing in New Zealand's National Basketball League, Hill won many awards including:
Hill later coached at NBL level and was assistant coach of the Tall Blacks with Keith Mair.[ citation needed ]
In 2017, Hill was inducted into the New Zealand Basketball Hall of Fame [10] He was also inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. [11]
Hill was honoured by the inception of the Stan Hill Award for NBL players. This award, which Hill himself won in 1985, is given to the best performing small forward, power forward or centre in the NBL.
In the 2000 New Year Honours, Hill was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to basketball. [12]
Hill's younger brother, John, also played basketball for New Zealand. [1]
Hill's wife Mandy Purnell played for the New Zealand women's national basketball team, the "Tall Ferns", and their sons Ben and Oliver played in the NBL. Ben played for the Manawatu Jets, Waikato Pistons and Bay Hawks as well as the Tall Blacks. [13] Oliver played for the Nelson Giants. [14]
As of 2009, Hill had been running the Coromandel Hotel in Coromandel, New Zealand, for six years. [15]
Sean Pero MacPherson Cameron is a New Zealand basketball coach and former player. A FIBA Hall of Fame member, he captained the New Zealand Tall Blacks from 2000 to 2010, helping lead New Zealand to the semifinal of the 2002 FIBA World Championship, earning an All-Tournament Team selection in the process.
The New Zealand men's national basketball team represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. The team is governed by Basketball New Zealand. The team's official nickname is the Tall Blacks.
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Gavin Lyle Hill is a New Zealand former rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and coached rugby union the 2000s. He resided in Wellington for 10-years before moving back to Auckland in 2008 to take a coaching position in the Air New Zealand Cup.
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The National Basketball League Most Outstanding Kiwi Forward/Centre is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1985 New Zealand NBL season to the best performing New Zealand player of the regular season who is classified as a forward or centre. The winner of the award receives the Stan Hill Trophy, which is named in honour of Stan Hill, a former NBL player and coach who represented the New Zealand men's national basketball team during the 1970s and 1980s. Hill also won the league's inaugural Most Outstanding Forward Award in 1982.
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