1989 New Zealand NBL season

1989 New Zealand NBL season
League	National Basketball League
Sport	Basketball
Number of teams	10
Regular season
Minor premiers	Palmerston North Jets
Top scorer	Jamie Dixon (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
Playoffs
Champions	Canterbury Rams
Runners-up	Auckland

The 1989 New Zealand National Basketball League season was the eighth running of the competition. Following Ponsonby's last place finish in 1988, they were dropped from the league and replaced by 1988 Conference Basketball League (CBL) champions Palmerston North, a team dropped from the NBL in 1988 after finishing last in 1987. Palmerston North went on to have their best season in team history, finishing the regular season in first place with a 15–3 win/loss record. However, the Canterbury Rams won the championship in 1989 to claim their second league title.^[1] Canterbury came from fourth place at the finals weekend to claim the championship, knocking over the top-seeded Palmerston North 92–84 in the semi-final to book a spot in the grand final against Auckland. The Rams went on to defeat Auckland 91–83 in the final, farewelling the retiring John Rademakers in style.^[2]

Final standings

#	Team
	Canterbury Rams
	Auckland
3	Palmerston North Jets
4	Wellington Saints
5	Hawke's Bay Hawks
6	Waikato Warriors
7	New Plymouth Bulls
8	Nelson Giants
9	Waitemata
10	North Shore

Season awards

• Regular Season Winners: Palmerston North Jets (15–3)^[1]
• Keith Carr Trophy – Most Outstanding Guard: Jamie Dixon (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
• John Macdonald Trophy – Most Outstanding NZ Guard: Byron Vaetoe (Auckland)
• Commissioners Cup – Most Outstanding Forward: Willie Burton (Palmerston North Jets)
• Stan Hill Trophy – Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre: Neil Stephens (Wellington Saints)
• Alan Bland Memorial Trophy – Scoring Champion: Jamie Dixon (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
• Garry Pettis Memorial Trophy – Rebounding Champion: Willie Burton (Palmerston North Jets)
• Dave Taylor Trophy – Assist Champion: Jamie Dixon (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
• Nial Forsyth Trophy – Best Team Free Throws: Hawke's Bay Hawks
• Young Player of the Year: John Adie (Auckland)
• Coach of the Year: Curtis Wooten (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
• All-Star Five:
  • Tyrone Brown (Palmerston North Jets)
  • Willie Burton (Palmerston North Jets)
  • Jamie Dixon (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
  • Neil Stephens (Wellington Saints)
  • Byron Vaetoe (Auckland)

References

1. "2005 League Handbook" (PDF). Basketball.org.nz. pp. 32–36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
2. Egan, Brendon (4 April 2014). "Keith Mair reflects on Rams' halcyon days". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 October 2015.