Giants coasting in warm up to basketball season

The Nelson Giants are on the West Coast this week as they begin their NBL pre-season at the Westside Blitz.

It’s has been a regular pipe-opener for the side but for first time all 12 NBL teams have converged on the West Coast. The Nelson outfit will face the two teams from South Auckland – the Franklin Bulls and the new franchise the Indian Panthers.

The Giants other match will be against Tauranga Whai, a Bay of Plenty team in its second season.

The tournament started in Westport on Tuesday and will finish in Greymouth on Saturday.

It is a far cry from when the West Coast played the Giants in 1999, a match which brings back special memories for coach Michael Fitchett. “That was my first ever game for the Giants. I was a 16-year-old in the sixth form,” recalls Michael.

Westside Blitz founder Kelvin Fisher also played in that game, and although the Fonterra sales manager now lives in Christchurch, he still has strong links with the coast.

“It then became just the Canterbury Rams against the Nelson Giants until last year.” The scoring system is a little different, with three points for a win, one for a loss and half a point for winning each individual quarter.