Ollie Tong's Tribute to Taika at Basketball NZ AA Zone 2 Tournament
The name written in ink on Ollie Tong’s arm said as much about this tournament as any box score.
Every game in Rotorua, the Gisborne Boys’ High guard ran out with “Taika” on his arm and on his shoes. A quiet ritual, a loud statement. This week was about basketball, yes, but it was also about a friend who should have been there.
Taika had shared the court with Tong not long ago, running the point for the Gisborne Under-13s B team in 2022 and later in the Boys’ High junior development side. He was the kind of guard coaches trust: a clean handle, sharp passing, a jumper that stretched from mid-range to the arc.
“Taika was a good guard, ball-handler, passer, could shoot mid-range jumpers and three-pointers. More importantly he was a great person, always happy and smiling,” Tong said.
The bond stretched well beyond the hardwood. Tong stayed with Taika and his family for a week in 2024, a stretch he calls the best time of his life — surfing, exploring, living the sort of carefree days teenagers think will last forever.
The last time they saw each other was in January, at Taika’s house in Wainui. One more surf at Makorori. One more day hanging out before Taika left.
“He was just a week older than me. I just gave him a hug and said I’ll see you soon,” Tong said.
Playing for someone who isn’t there is a heavy load for a teenager. In Rotorua, he carried it anyway.
Playing for Taika
At the Basketball NZ AA Zone 2 secondary schoolboys tournament last week, Taika’s name sat front and centre in the Gisborne camp. Tong led the team, but he wasn’t alone in the dedication.
“Santy, Sam Crosby, Aidan O’Brien, Ryland Bright and I dedicated our tournament effort to Taika,” he said. “I had his name on my arm and my shoes every game. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than this; it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.
“Taika was one of my best mates. I’ve got very happy memories of him.”
On the court, Tong played like someone determined to honour those memories. He averaged 20.6 points per game, finishing as the eighth-highest scorer at the tournament and the only Gisborne player to hit double figures in every outing.
The numbers told one story. The way Gisborne’s week unfolded told another.
From a 60-point hammering to history
Day one at Unison Arena started brutally. Defending champions Mount Maunganui College, stacked with two first-division players and Junior Tall Blacks, blew Gisborne away 94-34. A 60-point defeat. A statement from the champions. A gut punch for everyone in red and black.
For most schools, that sort of hiding lingers. It seeps into the next game, the next possession. Gisborne refused to let it.
Game 2 turned into one of the great form reversals in the school’s history. Tong erupted for 39 points. Bright poured in 34. Kelly-Morehu Paenga-Rangihuna added 15. Together they dragged Gisborne into a wild 95-93 win over Ōtūmoetai College.
No Gisborne Boys’ High Senior A team had ever been beaten by 60 at a regional tournament and then come back to win the next game. This group did.
The momentum rolled into Game 3. Coached by Felix Sparks and his father Adrian, Gisborne dismantled Pāpāmoa 87-66, their offence humming, their belief restored.
Then came the stumble.
The quarter that cost them
Against St Paul’s Collegiate School in Game 4, Gisborne’s campaign hit a snag they couldn’t shake off. One bad quarter, and it was enough to tilt the entire contest.
St Paul’s outscored them 22-9 in the second period, a burst that broke open what had been a tight game. Gisborne never fully recovered, slipping to a 68-46 defeat.
That loss dropped them to third in their pool and into a preliminary quarter-final against John Paul College (Rotorua). Again, they battled. Again, they fell just short, going down 87-78.
From there, the path narrowed. Gisborne dropped into the play-offs for ninth to 16th.
They lost 91-80 to Te Awamutu College, sliding into a 13th–16th playoff against Whakatāne High. This time, they made sure there was no tension. Gisborne tore through Whakatāne 95-20, with Paenga-Rangihuna leading the way on 24 points.
Their final act came in the 13th–14th playoff against Taupō-nui-a-Tia. Bright hit 17 points, but Gisborne fell 82-76, closing their tournament in 14th place out of 20.
Not the finish they had imagined. Not a failure either, given where they had started.
A bittersweet final word
For Tong, this season sits in a complicated place. On one hand, it has been the peak of his basketball so far.
“Definitely this year has been my highlight for my performances and tournaments, but I went on some great trips in my junior years and as a senior,” he said.
On the other, the loss of Taika hangs over it all.
“It’s been a great run, just with a bittersweet ending.”
Before leaving Rotorua, Tong offered a message to the players who will pull on the Gisborne jersey after him.
“Don’t leave it too late. Work hard from as early as you can on your game, while you’re at school, whatever the sport, it makes a huge difference.”
The ink on his arm will eventually fade. The standard he set, and the friend he played for, will be harder to erase.
