Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers.
Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made herself at home on the court, recently leading the Rustlers to the greatest season in their history.
“Basketball is going great [at Lakeland]. It’s been such a crazy ride and experience. Our team this year was super welcoming. Going into my recruitment process, I was mainly looking for team culture and community culture and when I landed [here] I felt it straight away. The team culture is unmatched, my teammates are so supportive, helpful and so very talented on and off the court,” says Nuku.
The team remained undefeated through 26 games to win the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship last month on their home court, the Lakeland Gymnasium, in front of friends, family and supporters.
In the final, they faced the Lambton University Lions, the surprise Ontario champions who hadn’t lost since Christmas. With the game tied at 53-53 and less than three and a half minutes of the final to go, it was Nuku who supplied a great pass to provide reserve Veda Gottselig with an open-scoring opportunity, which she converted. From there, the Rustlers held their nerve and extended their lead to finish with a 64-55 win to send the crowd into raptures. Nuku contributed 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and a steal on the night.
“The results for us this year on the basketball side of things were unmatched. Going undefeated into the championship and still being undefeated after winning our conferences and the championship is just a different type of feeling,” says Nuku.
Nuku, the only New Zealander taking part in the championship, was named as guard in the 2024 CCAA Women’s Basketball All-Canadians, as well as the CCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, their highest accolade for an individual player.
“Hineaupounamu is a great student athlete whose personality automatically attracts you to her. Her hard work on the court makes her an instant leader amongst her teammates and a fan favourite with the youth who attend our games in the community,” says Alan Rogan, Lakeland College Athletic Director.
Nuku started playing basketball at the age of eight. Like so many of her peers, it was one of many activities; netball, touch and dancing were all part of her routine. But it was basketball that took hold as she advanced in age, attending Te Wharekura o Tauranga Moana, a small Te Aho Matua school in Tauranga.
“I started concentrating on basketball when I was 13, my first year of high school. The basketball was very intense, so competitive and aggressive. Like most high school basketball programmes, we had training nearly every day. Depending on the year, we would have at least two or three games a week and we would always look forward to tournaments,” says Nuku.
Nuku’s progress was rapid. In 2018 she was selected by New Zealand for their U15 squad at the Oceania Championships held in Papua New Guinea. She was named in the Championship’s All Star Five, alongside three Australians and a player from Samoa, as New Zealand made their way through pool play to the final, where they were defeated by Australia. Just over a year later, she was named in the New Zealand squad for the U16 Women’s Asian Championships in Canberra, which were subsequently cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
“It makes me feel proud to be from Aotearoa. To wear the black singlet was always a goal of mine and to finally do it was a dream. I was proud and thankful to be able to wear my country, my roots and my family on my back,” she says.
Domestically, Nuku continued to make strides, playing for Tauranga City Coasters in the D-League, as well as Whai in New Zealand’s women’s professional league, Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. Behind her, she had unwavering support.
“I have a huge support system. I grew up in a town [Tauranga] where everyone supported every little dream any kid or adult had or has. My support system is my community and my community is my family,” Nuku says.
“My parents [mother Mihi Gardiner and father Kiharoa Nuku] are basically my backbone. They have and will always be there for me throughout my life. Rawi Nuku, Mark Nicholas, Niki O’Brien and Mel Bennett are just some of the coaches that have had huge impacts on my basketball career. Last but not least my siblings [Ihipera Nuku, Miringiwai Gardiner and Taniko Gardiner] have always backed me up with all my decisions I’ve made so far,” she says.
Nuku’s immediate ambitions are to win another championship at Lakeland College. Beyond that, when she returns home to New Zealand, she would love to give back to the kids back at home and help grow women’s basketball in Aotearoa.
“I am very thankful to be in the position that I am in right now, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Experiencing this at least once in your lifetime is a must; you learn to live and love, you get to enjoy another level of basketball and friendships, all in another country. I learnt that home will always be home, and these types of opportunities will only last for so long. So I say, do it and enjoy the ride.”
Once home again, she would love eventually to make it into the frame for Tall Ferns’ selection.
“I would love to someday represent my home soil at the highest level. Playing for the Tall Ferns has definitely always been something I’ve thought about.
“Representing my family and home will always be such a highlight, doing that again with the Tall Ferns would be such an achievement.”
