Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 

John Limna

About Me: Originally from London, I've been involved in sport for as long as I can recall starting at the British Olympic Association and was privileged to be involved in preparation for several major events and attending both the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.  In late 2002 I moved to Aotearoa taking up the Senior Advisor Athlete Services position with the NZ Academy of Sport (now High Performance Sport NZ).  Following 7 years in Singapore with the Singapore Sports Institute and Singapore Sports School I returned to Aotearoa in late 2014 starting as Chief Executive Officer with the Northern Football Federation (NFF). For the last 4 years I've been with Auckland City Mission, Te Tāpui Atawhai, involved with a series of projects across the organisation.

Position: Chief Executive Officer:  Ensure that our team has a clear strategy for supporting and developing basketball and meeting the needs of stakeholders.

John's all-time favourite basketball player:  Larry Bird – was the first “big name” I became aware of as a kid.  Magic followed soon after.

John's go-to hype song: Justified & Ancient – The KLF

Community Manager 

Mel Bennett

About Me: I am originally from Tauranga and have been immersed in basketball in many different roles including playing, operations, management, governance and coaching over the past 30 years. My whānau are also heavily involved in the sport which is a blessing to share our differing experiences and perspectives. 

Position: My role as Community Manager is to foster and promote the growth of grassroots and development aspects in schools, clubs, and the community. We have a team of community coaches who are guided by our Community Development Officers. An important aspect of my role is to work alongside and in collaboration with our external stakeholders including our NSO Basketball NZ, Iwi, neighbouring associations, Regional Sports Trusts, Funders and other sports codes. I also work with our Pathways and Performance team to deliver coach development opportunities. 

Mel's all-time favourite basketball player:  MJ. As a youngster growing up, he was my idol, because he dealt with adversity and challenges at a young age. I admired his work ethic and attention to detail, along with his incredibly talented creativity as an athlete. 

Mel's favourite food: Creamed paua. 

Mel's basketball positon growing up: PG.

Finance Manager

Alwin Paul

About Me:​​​​​​​ Trained in accounting, through which I strive to serve basketball.

Position:  Responsible for providing insights into our financial position and performance, including accounting for the very generous funding that ABS receives from funders.

Alwin's all-time favourite basketball player: Steven Adams - seems to have single-handedly popularised basketball in New Zealand.

Alwin's favourite food: Tropical Fruits.

Alwin's signature move on-court or off-court: Scoring a slam-dunk, with off-court services to the frontline team.

Leagues & Tournaments Officer

Michael Babaran

About Me:   Born in the Philippines, I moved to New Zealand when I was five and was raised in East and South Auckland. I’ve been very fortunate to play basketball all around New Zealand and even overseas. Over the past few years, I’ve been coaching basketball from grassroots to high school and representative levels. Outside of basketball, I love watching other sports as well and trying all different kinds of foods!

Position: I am the Leagues and Tournaments Officer. I will be in charge of developing and creating basketball leagues at all levels in the Auckland region, from grassroots to adult leagues. This would also revolve around managing venue bookings and scheduling, referee assignments, results management, and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders.

Michael's all-time favourite basketball player:  Kyrie Irving, especially when he played for the Celtics! I am the biggest Celtics fan you will know!

Michael's favourite food:  A Filipino staple – Fried chicken with rice.

Michael's signature move: A wide open catch and shoot corner three is my speciality!

Pathways Lead

Keziah Lewis

About Me:​​​​​​​

Kia Orana, I was raised in Kaitaia and spent my high school years in Auckland. I am a very proud Cook Islander, and my passion is helping people of the Pacific to achieve what they have set out to do. Growing up family was everything and with our older sister playing basketball, everyone got dragged got along to whatever tournament/training she had to be at so basketball has been a part of my life for as long I can remember. For the last 6 years of my life, I have lived in the Cook Islands and thought it was time to return to New Zealand to start to give back to the community and programmes that have provided so many opportunities throughout my life.

Position: I am the Pathways Lead. Don’t put this in, but I am not sure wth to write in here yet. I am still trying to figure out what this is….

Keziah's all-time favourite basketball player: My Favourite player of all time would probably be Magic Johnson. His IQ and the ability to play all positions at the level he did amazes me.

Keziah's favourite food: Pasta of any kind or Omelette, I love breakfast for any meal.

Keziah's favourite basketball memory: Winning our First gold medal for the Cook Islands Women's Basketball Team.

If Keziah could play one-on-one with anyone, it would be: My Dad. He has never played any of us because he wants to always be able to say that he has never lost to us.

Keziah's signature move on the court: My favourite move was getting subbed, so I didn’t have to run haha

Keziah's basketball position is:  Is water girl a position? Nah, when I was younger, I played anywhere I needed to play, mostly guard though. In college and my later career, I have mostly played Small Forward/Power Forward.

Community Development Officer - South

Amanda Wayment

About Me:​​​​​​​ I grew up in a small town in Ogden, Utah (US) on a farm with 6 siblings and my parents. I played basketball at Brigham Young University, where I earned my bachelor’s in exercise and wellness. I also have my personal training license, which I obtained at AUT. I moved to New Zealand in 2019 and was first a live-in Au Pair from there. The rest is history.

Position: Developing sustainable participation in basketball and driving engagement at schools and clubs in the local communities of South Auckland

Amanda's all-time favourite basketball player: Male: Dirk Nowitzki Female: Breanna Stewart

Amanda's favourite food: Sushi

Amanda's favourite basketball memory: Playing in Madison Square Garden for the High School National Championship when I was a senior in High School

Amanda's signature move on the court: Left Hook on the Block

Amanda's go-to hype song: Pon De Replay by Rihanna

Community Development Officer - West

Kane Keil

About Me: I was born and raised in South Auckland. Basketball has been a massive part of my life, it has given me so many opportunities to study, see some more of the world, also make a lot of friends and some really good memories. I’ve always been a person that wants to help people and I’m really looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned from basketball.

Position:  Developing sustainable participation in basketball and driving engagement at schools and clubs in local communities throughout West Auckland.  

Kane's all-time favourite basketball player: Kevin Durant takes the top spot because of his effortless ability to score the ball.

Kane's favourite food: Chinese food.

Kane's favourite basketball memory:  Winning a NZNBL Championship with the Otago Nuggets

Kane's signature move on/off the court: Hesi Pull.

Community Development Officer - Central

Theo Johnson

About Me: Kia ora, I’m Theo. I was born in South Auckland and moved to Tauranga when I was eight. I did most of my schooling there before finishing my last year at Rosmini College. Basketball has been a big part of my life for many years, and I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences with the wider Auckland Community.

Position: Developing sustainable participation in basketball and driving engagement at schools and clubs in local communities throughout Central Auckland. 

Theo's all-time favourite basketball player: KING JAMES - No need to explain

Theo's favourite food: Anything my wife cooks.

Theo's go-to hype song: Rio Mixx - Jay4rmOnehunga or anything Victor J Sefo

If Theo could play one-on-one with anyone, it would be...My wife was in her prime playing days for sure. "Apparently" she won a national title on the buzzer so I'm trying to humble her a bit (Respectfully)

Theo's basketball position is: Lay up line warrior (Real ones know where the highlights are really made)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​