The ball is in Bill's court

Sunday News

WEST Coast legend Bill Kennedy has represented his province in eight sports.

He has spent 63 years playing and coaching basketball.

But Bill, 78, gets twitchy when you ask him about his passion for the game. His late wife Kathleen didn't appreciate one particular write-up in a local newspaper.

"I was asked which game I preferred best and I told them it was basketball because it was a team game with scope to develop your individual skills," Bill told Sunday News.

"It came out in the paper that my first love was basketball.

"I got home about 3am, quietly climbed into bed and suddenly wondered what the hell was on my pillow.

"Sure enough, there was a basketball there with a note attached saying, `If you love the bloody thing so much, you can sleep with it!"'

Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) is using Bill as a poster boy for National Volunteer Week.

Each year 1.1 million Kiwis give their time to help make the country better and safer.

Working as a mechanic and taxi driver; representing the Coast in boxing, cricket, hockey, swimming and table tennis; plus helping raise five children, he still found time to help run and promote basketball since being involved in bringing the game to Greymouth in 1946.

He is a life member of the West Coast basketball association and has served on its executive every one of its 63 years.

Bill set up schools and veterans tournaments, refereed into his 60s, coached Marist club sides to 120 titles and a rep side to four national titles.

He played club basketball for 40 years and representative basketball for 27 years, including 219 games for the West Coast with a large number as captain.

"About 16 years ago I thought about retiring from basketball," said Bill, who also played rugby and league for the Coast as a teen.

One budding West Coast star Bill passed on his love of the game to was TV One's Good Morning show host Brendon Pongia.

Brendon, who Bill coached as a teen, went on to play for the Tall Blacks.

"I didn't realise at the time (Brendon) would go on and play for New Zealand but he had some undoubted ability that a lot of others didn't have and he probably also had a bit more dedication than the others, too," Bill said.

Brendon said: "Bill was a great coach and the first basketball trophy I ever won was the Bill Kennedy Trophy.

"I still have it. As a coach, he always gave up his time and it wouldn't have been easy.

"He was very fair and he was also a referee as well. He understood the game and growing up on the West Coast there weren't too many people with the knowledge and skill of the game like his.

"Bill is such a nice guy and a winner. He always bred a winning attitude into us."

We'd like to hear more about your local heroes.

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