Dreams were crushed in Auckland on Saturday, July 22, when the embattled Otago Nuggets found themselves at the tail end of a 114-103 loss to the Canterbury Rams. Critic Te Ārohi can’t believe it either. A team that started the season with seven straight wins in the Sals National Basketball League have found themselves kicked to the curb in the semi-finals of the esteemed competition.
“Who are the Nuggets,” we hear you asking. Nothing much, they’re just Otago’s pre-eminent basketball side, boasting an impressive roster of both international talent and esteemed scarfies to boot. If that’s not enough reason to gaf, the main sponsor to the Nuggets is Night ‘n Day, a business which many students will likely have a key share in. So strap in for a whirlwind tale of joy, tragedy, and hope as Critic Te Ārohi extraneously details the Otago Nuggets’ path to both demise and glory this season.
Coming off a championship-winning season in 2022, expectations were high for an Otago Nuggets line-up once again coached by the charismatic Brent Matehaere. The team looked much the same but for the curious inclusion of commerce student Robbie Coman in the starting line up. Finding his knack as a forward, Coman came to be a regular feature in the team after playing with a tenacity only found in the streets of studentville. The ODT stated earlier in the year that Coman could be a “cult hero in the making,” a statement adequately reflecting how the nuggety student has found his way into fans' hearts this season.
With Coman at the helm, along with Aussie import Michael Harris and hometown hero Sam Timmins, the Nuggets quickly rocketed into pole position, securing a series of spectacular wins that would serve to shock the nation. Going for their eighth consecutive win, the Nuggets would come up short against the Auckland Tuatara. With self confidence shattered and injuries rife, the team managed to win only 1 of their next 5 outings as things appeared to be taking a turn for the worse. Yet cometh the hour, cometh the man, with that man being the legendary New Zealand player Tai Webster. With Webster installing life back into the squad, the Nuggets managed to beat two of their fiercest rivals, the Canterbury Rams and the Franklin Bulls, in games which would come to define who would go into the playoffs as second seed.
Then all fell quiet. The Otago Nuggets had secured an automatic spot in the semi-finals of the competition alongside the Auckland Tuataras. In time they would duke it out with the highest ranked victor of the quarterfinals: the Canterbury Rams. Team talks were had, prayers were softly spoken, and the two titans tipped off in what would prove to be a game infused with agony.
The Nuggets started well with a 33-23 lead in the first quarter. Webster managed to grab 14 of these 33 initial points, proving he had the basketball chops to best his older brother, the fiery Corey Webster, who had made himself at home in the Rams roster. To consolidate the lead, coach Matehaere looked to bring on Coman before being told the larger-than-life character had inadvertently been left off the team sheet! A harrowing look of sorrow glossed Coman’s face as he sat down, unable to enter the game despite his obvious willingness. “Seems like an inside job to me,” said one Timaru-based fan.
Coman’s exclusion proved to be the first in a series of officiating decisions that left fans publicly questioning the calls made by umpires. One perturbed ODT commenter wrote in frustration, “Our umpires need retrained, terrible calls all night.” Others labelled the controversial figures “armchair refs,” clearly upset by the deference to a Canterbury Rams side which would go on to beat the Auckland Tuatara 93-82 in the grand final. Another year like that and the team could soon boast a reputation akin to the Crusaders amongst begrudging Dunedinites.
Score aside, the public outpour after Saturday evenings loss depicts how important the Otago Nuggets have become in the lives of many. Sam Timmins said it best when pouring out his heart to cameras after the tragic loss: “It means something.” For this reason, the team walked away all smiles on Saturday. The Otago Nuggets have come to occupy a key space in the cultural lexicon of Dunedin society, capturing both hearts and minds on their way to a game which will forever be remembered in the halls of history.