Western News: May 21, 2020

WESTERN NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday May 21 2020 7
Canterbury basketball’s role player
SPORT
• By Jacob Page
JAMES LISSAMAN has carved
out a niche for himself as a jack
of all trades for Canterbury
Basketball.
The 41-year-old Burwood
resident is the organisation’s
community basketball manager,
but his reach can be felt throughout
all levels of the game in the
region.
Basketball’s popularity has
surged in recent years with 177
weekend teams playing in Canterbury
each weekend last year
compared to just 81 in 2013.
The 2020 season will hopefully
get underway next month at the
earliest if coronavirus restrictions
ease.
“My role is varied,” he said.
“I commentate on games, writing,
website development, photography
and co-ordinating the
Lincoln University scholarship as
well as my competition draws.
“I try to be that contact point
for people and volunteers in our
community.”
In 2006, Lissaman and his
wife, Pina, went over to Indiana
State to do a Masters in Sport
and PE Coaching.
“We went for two years and
coached basketball at a division 3
DYNAMIC DUO: James Lissaman and wife Pina commentating
a National Basketball League game.
PHOTO: NBL
college and then came back.
Lissaman had a taste of the
organisation a decade ago before
raising a young family drew him
back to teaching.
“Late in 2009 to 2012, I worked
part time as the competitions
manager which was far smaller
of a role than what it is now. I
wasn’t paid particularly well so
I went back to primary teaching
purely for financial reasons.
“I came to the realisation that I
didn’t particularly enjoy teaching
and I was spending more time
there than at home with my oldest
child.”
Fortunately, a new role lured
him back.
“I did that for a year and then
the community coach developer
role came up at Canterbury Basketball.
That was the first time
they’d had that role in a number
of years, so I applied, got that,
and did it for three years.
“The competitions side of
things continued to grow so I
eventually moved around and
organised the draws for that, and
Lori McDaniel came on to do the
coaching role.
“It’s not a nine-to-five role. A
lot of the people are volunteers,
so being that contact point is
important.”
He said variety was stimulating.
“I go into work thinking I’m
going to complete certain tasks
and then other things pop-up
like the lockdown over Covid-19
and what an altered season
would look like for us. Then
it’s working out how much
communication we have with
our members so that we aren’t
firing out stuff to them all the
time, but also giving them
enough clarity that they know
we are giving them what they
need once it is definitive.”
Lissaman said he played all
sorts of sports during his school
days but it was not until he tried
basketball during year 7 at Cathedral
College that he found a
sport to stick at.
“It was the first sport I played
for more than two seasons and
I’ve been playing ever since.”
He said the numbers boom in
the sport has made a big difference.
“The growth of the game is
No 1.
“In terms of boys at high
school we got ahead of rugby two
years ago for the first time.
“The interest in the game has
surged, especially around our
Thomson and Wheelan high
school competition.
“Finals night last year was
packed. The growth over the last
couple of years has been amazing.”
He said the people involved
with basketball in Canterbury
would ensure the sport could
adapt to life after the lockdown.
“We’ve been through the
earthquakes and lost our courts
at QEII. We had to farm our
teams out all over the city because
people understood we had
to adapt to play basketball.
The discussions we’ve had with
people around contact tracing and
sanitisation have been positive.
“It will just come down to what
venues we can use because we do
use school gyms at times.”
He said he remains as passionate
as ever about the work.
“The great thing is that I can
take my kids to school and I can
make the time up later. And just
the variety of the role.
“I didn’t take the role thinking
I would be doing commentating,
live streaming games and
learning website design, but
the ability to learn new skills
and become at least partially
competent in them is something
I’ve really enjoyed.
“It is a job that agrees with me,
that’s for sure.”
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