Lucas Gebhart

Staff Writer

Idaho State women’s basketball teammates Freya Newton and Brooke Blair have gone from playing in front of family and friends in New Zealand, to playing in front of large crowds in the United States.   

Basketball is not a popular sport in New Zealand. Games are poorly attended and the media coverage is minimal at best.

Newton, a biology major, is originally from Palmerston North and attended Gillette Community college in Gillette, Wyoming. She had ties to the junior college through a former teammate who she rejoined in Gillette.

Wyoming and Idaho are stark contrasts to her hometown.

“Everyone in New Zealand is 15-20 minutes away from the beach,” Newton said. “I don’t do any surfboarding or snowboarding, I am a pretty weak New Zealander.”

Blair on the other hand grew up in Murrays Bay, a suburb of Auckland, which has a population of over 1.4 million people.

“I lived right near the beaches, so in the summer we’re always at the beach,” Blair said.

In addition to living just minutes away from the beach, Blair’s family traveled to the United States multiple times during her childhood.

“Before I came to college I had traveled a lot in America,” Blair said. “Idaho is small, so it’s not the greatest place to visit if friends or family come, but I like it.”

Blair is a family and consumer science major with a minor in coaching. She found her way to ISU through assistant coach Ryan Johnson, who recruited her while she was attending Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado.

Similar to Newton, the American college experience has been much different from what Blair is used to.

“It was a shock at first, but then I got used to it with the junior college because that was a small town,” Blair said. “Pocatello is quite a bit bigger then Sterling.”

Newton and Blair both had interest from schools across the Big Sky including Portland State, who Newton visited prior to her commitment to ISU.

“I felt that Idaho State was going to fit the best,” Newton said. “I like the coaching staff and I thought the team was a good fit.” 

New Zealand has a considerably smaller basketball market compared to the United States. As a result, it’s hard not to know the other basketball players within the country because they play each other so often.

“We played each other a bit and Brooke had some sisters I played against as well,” Newton said. “I was super hyped when I found out Brooke was coming.”

Though New Zealand has its own basketball league, the United States blows the country out of the water when it comes to competitiveness and media exposure.

In New Zealand basketball is not as popular and as a result not a lot of fans show up to the games.

“That’s why it’s so cool with the whole community getting involved,” Blair said. “We don’t have that in New Zealand.”

New Zealand’s National Basketball League (NBL) only has eight teams while the National Basketball Association (NBA) has 30, including one Canadian team, the Toronto Raptors.

“I love the basketball community in America,” Newton said. “I think it’s awesome how many fans we get and how much people love watching us play.”

The NBA is one thing, but when March rolls around, college basketball takes the spotlight with the annual March Madness tournament.

A total of 68 collegiate teams compete over a three week period, with every game televised nationally.

“I’ve never experienced March Madness until I got here,” Newton said. “It’s crazy that all the channels have basketball on.”

Instead of basketball, the sport of choice in New Zealand is Touch Rugby.

“Even if you’re not an athlete you play it. It’s a very social game,” Newton said.

In addition to sports, the food in New Zealand is different as well.

“I miss the food the most,” Blair said. 

“I haven’t had a hāngi in years,” recalled Newton.

A hāngi is a traditional New Zealand dish that is cooked underground. It usually consists of meats, potatoes and vegetables. 

In order to lay a hāngi, one must dig a hole in the ground and light a fire that heats the stones that cook the food. It is usually only served for special occasions.

“The food here is hit or miss,” Newton said.

Regardless of the food or the lack of beaches, both Newton and Blair adjusted to the United States while attending their junior colleges. While their roots remain in New Zealand, their new American lifestyle is not so new anymore.