By CLINTON LLEWELLYN
One of Hawke’s Bay’s favourite sons, Paul Henare, is coming home.
Co-captain of the 0800 easy LPG Hawks’ national basketball league winning side of 2006, the vastly experienced former Tall Black and current New Zealand Breakers point guard has signed a one-season deal with the Hawks for next year.
Paul says the opportunity to reunite with good friend and long-time mentor Shawn Dennis and start along a path towards a coaching career, the prospect of another NBL title, and his family, were all compelling reasons to return home.
After two NBL titles with Auckland, Paul joined the Hawks in 2002 before clinching his third championship with Shawn in 2006.
However, the dire financial predicament of the previous Hawks management forced Paul to look elsewhere last year and he played out the season with league newcomers, the Christchurch
Cougars.
But Paul says, deep down, he’s always been a Hawk.
‘‘Even when I was in Christchurch I would keep in contact with Shawn about how the team was doing. I
loved my time down there and have really good friends and I wish the club all the best, but it was an easy decision to come home,’’ he says.
Paul only signed with the Cougars for one year, given the uncertain state of the NBL at the time. Christchurch has been given a licence to take part in next year’s expanded 11-team NBL competition, and Paul says they were ‘‘pretty keen’’ to have him back.
But his one-year deal with the Hawks, for ‘‘similar money’’, allows him to take the first steps towards a
coaching career.
‘‘I’ve still got plenty of years of playing left in me, but I am at the stage where I do need to start looking
at life after basketball. I have another year to go with the Breakers, and they’re my priority.
I’ve got to look after my body and that’s why I have signed for one year with the Hawks,’’ says Paul, who will be 31 when he suits up for the Hawks in his 15th NBL season next March.
‘‘I’ve talked to Shawn about taking on more responsibility and working with the younger players they added to the squad last year. I’ve played the game a long time and it would be a waste not to pass on some of that knowledge,’’ he says.
‘‘And the chance to be mentored by Shawn for possible coaching duties made it easy. I’ve worked with him a long time – I just love his passion for the game and we’ve formed a really strong friendship.
‘‘At this stage of my career I want to win championships, regardless of who I am playing with. I don’t play for teams that are just there to make up the numbers. It’s been far too long between championships
for my liking,’’ he says.
The other major factor behind Paul’s return is family. His six year-old son, Jackson, lost part of his foot last year after an accident involving a ride-on mower. Jackson and sister Maddison live in Hawke’s
Bay with mum Jacinta Burt, and Henare has a 7-month-old son, Kaia, with partner Lisa Wilson.
‘‘Jackson’s been a little legend the way he’s dealt with everything – he takes everything on the chin. It was hard playing in Christchurch as well living in Auckland for four months of the year. During the
holidays they come and stay with me wherever I am, but now I am going to be able to spend a lot more time with them.
‘‘And Lisa’s from the Bay, so all the grandparents will be very pleased.’’
Regardless of the reason, Shawn Dennis is rapt to have the on-court leader back in the fold, and says Paul’s signing is just one of many to be announced over the coming weeks.
‘‘We’re aiming to have our team wrapped up in the next five weeks,’’says Shawn, who’s entering his seventh season at the helm of the Hawks.
‘‘Having Paul come back to the club is a real coup. It’s going to benefit our younger players and he’s going to be a real driving force for the club.
‘‘He’d be perfect to take over at the club down the track.’’