After a late call-up to the nationals, Māruawai College’s senior basketball team need help to get to Palmerston North.
Heroic efforts at the South Island championships had the team finish second to Greymouth two weeks ago.
Now, to head up north, the team need to raise thousands of dollars together with only three weeks to go before the big competition.
The team have launched the "Got your Back" fundraising campaign, looking for support from family and friends. A quiz is being held at Archer Stadium this Friday at 6pm.
A bake sale will run alongside the quiz, plus a raffle with donated prizes.
Coach Sean Heanue said the fundraising efforts were paramount if the team was going to get to Palmerston North this month.
"We’ve got to raise a heap of money in three weeks.
"We had an idea we were going to be good enough to go to nationals, but [it’ll cost] upwards of $15,000," he said.
Mr Heanue was confident in his team’s ability, noting how well they stacked up against other South Island teams. He was hoping for a few rematches, with a target to beat Greymouth who defeated them in the finals.
The team’s success, according to Mr Heanue, could be attributed to their speed and defence, as even though the team was undersized compared to others, a tough and scrappy defence converted turnovers into points and then to wins and now, from wins to medals.
If anyone was looking to contribute, contacts for the fundraising could be found on the Māruawai College Facebook page and they were welcome to go to the school office and inquire there.
