A true tall story

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When Senior Sergeant Gavin Briggs met some youth playing basketball next door, little did he expect where it would lead.

A few months later he is helping run trials for Samoa's National U15 Basketball Team competing at the Oceania Championship in Australia, in November.

Gavin is in Samoa to assist Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Service (SPPCS) with security planning and preparation ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

In his downtime - and in a nod to his passion for the game - he has been sharing his knowledge as a former New Zealand national and representative coach with Samoa's local basketball community.

"It turns out my neighbour, Pualele Craig, is a member of the Samoa Basketball Federation (SBF)," he says. "We got to talking about basketball and I was 'recruited' to the SBF National Board.

"I grew up playing, then coaching and managing, basketball - including at the top level in New Zealand with the Tall Blacks and Junior Tall Blacks - and I am really pleased to have the opportunity to help Samoa develop and strengthen the sport while I am here."

Alongside SBF's local coaches, Gavin runs twice-weekly clinics after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Tuanaimato, where young basketballers are upskilled in the fundamentals of the game.

"We started with around 12 kids and, by the fifth week, we had 25 to 30 showing up," he says.

"The natural physical athleticism is all there, so our focus now is on how we grow the skills that underpin basketball.

"We've run our own 3x3 and 5x5 competitions to test player capability and with the Oceania Championships coming up, we are also making sure our local U15 players are ready to put their best feet forward during trials - with a view to being selected for the national team - so they have the chance to experience overseas competition."

From his days with New Zealand's national age group teams and with the Tall Blacks and Junior Tall Blacks, Gavin had amassed quite the cache of basketball kit - shorts, T-shirts, warm-up tops, cargo shorts, polos, and socks - which he has handed over for the young people in the basketball clinics.

"Samoa's young basketballers are resilient and keen to learn - and it's a privilege to work with Pualele and her team," he says.

"They all volunteer their time and resources and I am just really happy that I can contribute in a useful way, both through coaching and through donating gear.

"Basketball is a great sport, and I am looking forward to seeing Samoa's love for the game continue to grow."

'It's a privilege to work with Pualele and her team," says Gavin.

With thanks to Samoa Basketball Federation and Gavin Briggs for the photos